Angus Energy PLC, London, said a 7-day flow test of its Balcombe-2z horizontal well indicates commercial production is possible from Balcombe oil field on PEDL 244 in southern England (OGJ Online, Jan. 25, 2018).
After cleaning and priming with coiled tubing and nitrogen, the well flowed naturally at 853 b/d of oil, not including 22.5% water.
During a second flow period, the well flowed naturally at 1,587 b/d of oil, not including 6.6% water.
Production was from a single micrite layer in the Jurassic Kimmeridge formation of the Weald basin well, which was drilled to a vertical depth of 2,200 ft with a horizontal section of 1,714 ft. During the initial flow period, the well slugged at up to 3,000 b/d, which exceeded separator capacity.
The produced water was unexpected. Angus believes the horizontal section cut a high-pressure water zone that can be isolated.
A production logging string was run to identify the water zone, but the coiled tubing equipment on which it was run failed, Angus said.
Oil produced during the test was about 34° gravity, although light hydrocarbons might have been removed by the nitrogen used in the test.
Angus said it believes oil quality might be similar to that of oil produced from Kimmeridge at its Lidsey field on the edge of the Weald basin, where the lowest quality crude is 38.5° gravity (OGJ Online, July 3, 2018).
Angus operates the Balcombe license in partnership with Cuadrilla Balcombe Ltd. and Lucas Bolney Ltd.