Buru Energy Ltd., Perth, flowed gas to surface from the Rafael-1 wildcat in a 70 m open-hole section below the 7-in. casing shoe at 3,868 m depth. The well lies in exploration permit EP 428, onshore Canning basin in Western Australia.
An initial stabilized portion of the clean-up period flowed gas at 4-5 MMcfd through a 32/64-in. fixed choke with a wellhead flowing pressure of 970 psi.
The indicative condensate to gas ration was estimated to be 20-30 bbl of condensate per MMcf of gas. Field measurements need to be verified by the continued sampling program and laboratory analysi, Buru said.
Gas quality was good with only 2% CO2 content observed. Bottom-hole pressures were over 6,000 psi.
Rafael-1 was drilled in late 2021 with several zones of interpreted gas saturations encountered in conventional dolomite reservoirs. The lowermost zone in the main Ungani Dolomite equivalent section was interpreted to have a total 165 m gas column. Testing is being done on the lower 70 m.
Testing will resume with longer flow periods once the current Cyclone Anika alert for the region has abated.
Buru Executive Chairman Eric Streitberg said the flow is the first sustained gas flow from conventional reservoirs in the onshore Canning basin.
Plans are in place to test other zones in the well, including the upper section of the Ungani Dolomite, where gas influx occurred during drilling, and the Upper Laurel Carbonate section, both of which are behind casing.
Buru is operator with 50% interest. Origin Energy Ltd., Sydney, holds the other 50%.