Area Drilling

Thailand

The Department of Mineral Resources let a $1.9 million contract to Schlumberger GeoQuest to set up the department's Petroleum and Coal Management Information System (PCMIS).

DMR will use the data management center, to be located in Bangkok, to support and accelerate the country's E&P development objectives. The center will handle E&P and associated data from all leaseholders, operators, and contractors in Thailand.

Tunisia

A group led by MP Zarat Ltd., affiliate of a Tunisian construction firm, is studying feasibility of developing Didon oil field in the Gulf of Gabes between Elyssa and undeveloped Zarat oil and gas fields.

Didon, near Libyan waters, contains two wells, 3D seismic coverage, and as much as 26 million bbl of proved and probable reserves, said Command Petroleum Ltd., Edgecliff, N.S.W.

The contemplated development plan calls for recovery of at least 5 million bbl of oil using one horizontal well completed subsea and a floating production storage and offloading vessel.

The field, discovered in 1976, is 70 km offshore in 65 m of water.

Arkansas

Marathon Oil Co. completed a Jurassic Haynesville discovery in the State Line play area.

The 1 McDonald, in 1-20s-21w, Columbia County, flowed 1.079 MMcfd of gas and 78 b/d of 61° gravity condensate on a 13/64 in. choke with 1,640 psi FTP from perforations at 10,074-250 ft. It is 13/4 miles northeast of Springhill gas/condensate field.

California

Sharon Energy Ltd., Englewood, Colo., let a contract to Kemp Geophysical, Houston, for a 14 sq mile 3D seismic survey on its Merlin prospect in Glenn County.

The 3D data will help evaluate 10 potential drilling targets and add others. Interests are Sharon, operator, 40%, and Hallador Petroleum Co., Denver, 60%.

Western Production Co., affiliate of Black Hills Corp., Rapid City, S.D., acquired Sacramento basin interests from Edco Energy Inc., Austin.

The deal essentially doubled Western's interest in the properties, operated by Slawson Exploration Co., Denver. It includes Edco's interests in 10 producing gas wells, nearly 40,000 gross acres of leases, and associated 3D seismic data.

Western participated with Slawson since 1995 in drilling 15 wells, 12 of which have been completed as producers with reserves averaging 1.5-2.0 bcf/well. Numerous drillsites exist on the acquired properties.

Illinois

Texaco Exploration & Production Inc. staked a dual lateral Devonian well in giant Salem Consolidated oil field.

The well, in 5-1n-2e, Marion County, is to have north and northeast laterals, Petroleum Information reported. Depth of Devonian is about 3,400 ft.

Kansas

The U.S. Department of Energy through BDM Oklahoma Inc. let a contract to University of Kansas Center for Research Inc., Lawrence, Kan., to enhance a low cost, personal computer based well log analysis package designed to save fields from abandonment.

The existing software, known as Petrofacies Evaluation of Formations for Engineering Reservoirs (PfEFFER), makes use of existing resistivity and porosity data from old well logs, organizes digital data by well and zone, and creates a Super Pickett crosspolot, depth plots, and, if sufficient logs are available, lithology solutions.

Goals of the planned upgrade are to add enhancements to refine the mapping display with new links, enable the spreadsheet to evaluate pay flag cutoffs and flow units, and provide a reservoir simulator link to interface with the BOAST oil simulator and permit imports-displays of simulations. McCoy Petroleum Corp., Wichita, Amoco, Phillips, and Vastar will share costs.

Louisiana

Stone Energy Corp., Lafayette, La., plans to drill two development wells and recomplete two wells during first half 1997 in West Weeks Island field in Iberia Parish.

The latest completion, 3 Goodrich-Cocke, flowed 845 b/d of oil with 500 Mcfd of gas on a 20/64 in. choke with 790 psi FTP from perforations at 9,540-60 ft. Stone logged 142 net ft of oil productive interval.

Sonat Exploration Co., Houston, is drilling a northwest offset to a horizontal Miocene oil well in North Crowley field.

The 21 Stakes, in 33-8s-1e, Acadia Parish, flowed 305 b/d of oil, 20 Mcfd of gas, and 5 b/d of water on a 12/64 in. choke with 505 psi FTP from open hole at 5,347-6,015 ft measured depth.

Michigan

Helmerich & Payne Inc., Tulsa, staked an Ordovician wildcat along the Indiana state line.

The 13-2 Pridgeon, in 2-8s-5w, Branch County, is projected to 3,800 ft to evaluate Trenton, Black River, and Prairie du Chien, PI reported. The site is 4 miles southwest of an abandoned Trenton oil field.

Montana

Vastar Resources Inc., Houston, staked a Mississippian Lodgepole wildcat in Richland County.

The Williston basin test, 1-34 Blue Moon, in 34-23n-53e, is projected to 9,820 ft.

The drillsite is 7 miles west-southwest of Enid North oil field and 13 miles east-southeast of Vastar's first Lodgepole try in the area, the 1-2 Black Dog, in 2-23n-51e, plugged last summer, PI reported.

New Mexico

Manzano Oil Corp., Roswell, N.M., completed a discovery in far northern Lea County.

The 1 Jordan-State, in 12-10s-32e, flowed 200 b/d of 51° gravity oil and 200 Mcfd of gas on a 12/64 in. choke with 700 psi FTP from Pennsylvanian perforations at 8,833-38 ft and 8,851-57 ft, PI reported. It is 11/2 miles east of Mescalero North oil and gas field.

Oklahoma

Chesapeake Energy Corp., Oklahoma City, completed its fourth horizontal well in fractured Mississippian Sycamore limestone in the Sho-Vel-Tum.

The 1H Pollack, in 14-1s-3w, Carter County, flowed 392 b/d of oil with 881 Mcfd of gas and 62 b/d of water on a 1 in. choke with 110 psi FTP from a fractured treated open hole at 7,847-12,500 ft measured depth, PI reported.

South Dakota

Sage Energy Co., San Antonio, opened Pete's Creek field in Harding County.

The discovery well, in 6-22n-6e, 11/2 miles southwest of Harding Springs East field, averaged 71 b/d of oil and 217 b/d of water from Ordovician Red River during July 1996, state figures showed.

Texas

Gulf Coast

Sanchez-O'Brien Oil & Gas Corp., Houston, reopened Fulton Beach East field in Aransas County with an Oligocene Frio gas/condensate discovery.

The 1 Aransas County Airport Gas Unit flowed 3.154 MMcfd of gas with 156 b/d of 52.8° gravity condensate on a 12/64 in. choke with 4,465 psi FTP from perforations at 10,556-567 ft. CAOF is 5.9 MMcfd.

Comstock Resources Inc., Dallas, is drilling a second well and plans to start a third before yearend in Double A Wells field in Polk County.

It postponed plans to stimulate the 7 Alabama-Coushatta well after it flowed 9.073 MMcfd of gas with 982 b/d of condensate on a 20/64 in. choke with 4,700 psi FTP from Cretaceous Upper Woodbine at 14,544-660 ft.

Offshore

American Exploration Co., Houston, is deepening a discovery well on Brazos Block 478 that logged 75 net ft of gas pay in three Miocene sands at 8,000-9,500 ft.

American also plans more wells to test the same intervals in a series of adjacent fault blocks identified on 3D seismic. The next well was to spud in late November.

West

Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Co., formerly Meridian Oil Inc., staked a deep exploratory test northwest of Toro field in Reeves County.

Projected TD is 22,000 ft at the 1 Bambino, 20 miles southwest of Pecos. The nearest Toro field well produced 44 bcf of gas from Cambro-Ordovician Ellenburger and 11.7 bcf from Devonian, PI reported.

Panhandle

Bay Rock Operating Co., San Antonio, staked a remote Palo Duro basin wildcat.

The 1 Steakley, in Castro County 3 miles southeast of Hart, is projected to 3,990 ft or Permian. It is 35 miles northwest of Arick oil field, Matador arch, Floyd County, PI reported.