A southern Kentucky oil well has Appalachian basin operators and horizontal drillers paying attention.
Syndicated Options Ltd. of Austria 9372 Ferguson Bros., a vertical hole in Albany quadrangle, southern Clinton County, has produced nearly 100,000 bbl of oil, natural, in 5 weeks since being deepened to 1,008 ft in fractured Middle Ordovician Stones River. The operator is not required to file state production reports but maintains the well is still producing 70-80 bbl/hr, apparently through drill pipe.
Well site is in Concord field about 1 mile north of the Tennessee state line.
Clinton County in 1990 has produced from a low 2,700 bbl/month in January to a high of 9,400 bbl/month in July, according to figures purchasers reported to the state.
Within about 1 mile of the well are 25-30 other wells, most of which produce oil from Middle Ordovician Sunnybrook or Stones River. A few produce from Cambro-Ordovician Knox dolomite at 1,700-1,800 ft. The well was a March 1987 completion that had been producing 3 b/d before the 28 ft deepening.
The well is said to have no stock tanks on site and to be producing directly into transport trucks, as many as five of which are serving the well. One state agency suspended road weight limits to facilitate hauling. The operator recently installed a choke on the well, but the size is not known. One report has the well leaking oil from around the casing.
Syndicated Options has obtained state permits for three offsetting locations, and several other small independents have received drilling permits in the area, where air rotary rigs can drill to that depth in 24-36 hr.
Meanwhile, permits have been issued to Touchstone Energy Corp. of Texas for four horizontal wells in Cumberland County, just west of Clinton County, and one horizontal well in Monroe County.
Knox is the objective formation of the five wells.
Copyright 1990 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.
