The U.S. campaign to drill horizontal and high angle wells continues to spread to new horizons, fields, and basins.
Among recent action are projects planned or under way in Mississippi, Kentucky, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, and California.
All horizontal locations are exploratory wells unless indicated otherwise.
MISSISSIPPI
Coho Resources Inc., Houston, completed the first horizontal well in Soso field, Jasper County, Miss.
The 1 Soso H, 28-10n-13w, yielded on pump 360 b/d of 20.5 gravity oil and 28 b/d of water from 11 Cretaceous Washita-Fredricksburg perforations at 9,430-10,152 ft.
Total depth of the producer is 11,263 ft, and TVD is about 9,124 ft with an 833 ft lateral.
Coho drilled the horizontal well to try to cut the high oil-water ratio found in other Washita-Fredricksburg wells in Soso field, about 400-500 bbl of water for every 50-60 bbl of oil.
KENTUCKY
Touchstone Energy Co., Dallas, staked five horizontal exploratory and development tests to Cambro-Ordovician Knox dolomite in Monroe and Cumberland counties, South Central Kentucky.
The Monroe County test is 1 Graves, 2 1/2 miles north of Northwest Otia field and 5 miles northeast of Tompkinsville.
Touchstone expects Knox at 2,000 ft TVD and plans a 1,600 ft lateral.
The other four tests are in Cumberland County: 1 Junior Day, a wildcat about 5 miles northwest of Burkesville and 1 mile north of North Griner Consolidated field, which produces oil from Knox; and three wells in Northwest Kettle field, a Knox oil producing area south of Burkesville.
In these wells, Knox is expected at 2,000 ft TVD, and horizontal legs will be 1,330-2,000 ft.
AUSTIN CHALK WELLS
Oryx Energy Co., Dallas, completed two Pearsall field wells with combined flow of more than 3,500 b/d of oil and almost 2 MMcfd of natural gas.
Its 1 Hayden Unit, 3 miles north of Big Wells in Dimmit County, flowed 2,199 b/d of oil and more than 1 MMcfd of gas through a 26/64 in. choke with 830 psi flowing tubing pressure from a 2,610 ft lateral displacement in the Austin chalk.
The 3 Floyd R. Porter in Zavala County, 4 miles northeast of 1 Hayden Unit, flowed 1,346 b/d of oil and almost 750 Mcfd of gas through a 23/64 in. choke with 880 psi flowing tubing pressure from a lateral extension of 4,001 ft in the chalk.
Adams Resources Exploration Corp., Houston, tested 2-H Birch Creek Park, Burleson County, with flow rates of 300 b/d of oil, 1.8 MMcfd of gas, and 376 b/d of water through a 20/64 in. choke with 1,480 psi flowing tubing pressure from Austin chalk.
The Giddings field well was drilled 2,800 ft horizontally in the Austin chalk at a TVD of 9,857 ft.
EAST TEXAS/GULF COAST
Exxon Co. USA plans to evaluate Austin chalk at 1 Temple Industries, Robert Stone survey, A-37, 8 miles northwest of Jasper in Jasper County, Tex.
Exxon plans 3,289 ft of horizontal displacement at a TVD of 13,800 ft. The wildcat is 8 miles east-northeast of inactive Turpentine oil and gas field.
Edwin S. Nichols, Meridian, Tex., will test Austin chalk at TVD of 6,500 ft in 2 Nigliazzo in Robertson County 6 miles south of Hearne, Tex. This is the third horizontal test permitted in the county.
Maersk Energy Inc., Houston, spudded 1 Texaco in Brookeland field of Newton County. Projected to Austin chalk, it is to have 2,881 ft of displacement.
The same operator completed its first Brookeland field horizontal well in Sabine County 3 miles northwest. That well flowed 711 b/d of 43.6 gravity oil, 2.061 MMcfd of gas, and 556 b/d of water from Austin chalk.
Maersk has staked another horizontal Austin chalk well on the Sabine County side of the field, and ARCO Oil & Gas Co. has permitted an Austin chalk horizontal test in the area.
WCS Oil & Gas Corp., Dallas, will drill 14,800 ft of hole in its 1 Cameron Minerals, J. Poitevent survey, A-499, 2 miles east of Carmona in northwestern Polk County-the first horizontal test in the county, Petroleum Information said. The operator plans 3,700 ft of displacement north-northwest of the surface location and a TVD o 10,700 ft. The Woodbine produces at about 9,400 ft 8 miles north in Goat Hill field, PI reports, and nearest drilling was an 11,691 ft dry Wilcox test about 1/2 mile southwest.
Clayton W. Williams Jr. permitted 1 Wintershall Gawlik Unit, about 2 miles north-northwest of Cestohowa in Karnes County, Fernando Carrillo survey #8, A-64. Plans are to drill to 10,300 ft with 4,440 ft horizontal displacement. The Austin chalk produces 4 miles northeast in Labus field.
Blue Ridge Operating Co., Austin, staked 49 Cities Service Fee, a planned Miocene horizontal test at 3,500 ft in Blue Ridge field of Fort Bend County. Location is 3 miles southeast of Missouri City, Tex.
WEST TEXAS
Amoco Production Co. is field testing new horizontal drilling technology developed at its Tulsa research center in West Texas.
Amoco won't disclose details but is reentering eight Hockley County wells and drilling laterals targeting Permian San Andres. Four of the wells, 50, 56, 62, and 83 May-Montgomery Unit, are in Levelland field. Amoco plans two laterals in each of the 50, 62, and 83 wells.
The other four reentries, 296, 309, 310, and 312 Central Mallet Unit, are in Slaughter field and will have one horizontal radial each.
LOUISIANA
Logue & Patterson Inc., Dallas, completed 1 Louisiana Minerals Fee, in 11-6n-12, in Pendleton-Many field, Sabine Parish.
It averaged 90 b/d of 46 gravity oil, 228 Mcfd of gas, and 45 b/d of water on a 2 day test through an 11/64 in. choke with 400 psi flowing tubing pressure from 698 ft of open hole in upper Cretaceous Saratoga chalk at TVD of 3,133-3,090 ft.
Oryx completed a Saratoga horizontal well in Fort Jessup field of Sabine Parish.
Its 1 Sonat Minerals Inc., in 24-7n-11w, pumped 124 b/d of oil with 22 Mcfd of gas and 46 b/d of water from 2,945 ft of open hole at TVD of about 4,543 ft.
ARKANSAS
American Exploration Co., Houston, completed 2-15 Midway Field Unit, in 18-15s-23w, Lafayette County, as a high angle oil well producing from Jurassic Smackover lime.
It flowed 381 b/d of 37 gravity oil and 180 Mcfd of gas through an 18/64 in. choke with 300 psi flowing tubing pressure from 724 ft of open hole at 6,766-7,490 ft measured depth, 6,309-51 ft TVD.
The company plans to reenter 12-4 Midway Unit, 11-15s-24w, Lafayette County, and drill a lateral to Jurassic Smackover.
The former Sun Exploration & Production Co. well in Midway field topped Smackover at 6,331 ft.
OKLAHOMA
Chesapeake Operating Co., Oklahoma City, plans to drill as many as two horizontal wells in the Sho-Vel-Tum multipay area of Carter County.
The company asked 160 acre spacing for Mississippian Caney, Sycamore, and Woodford in 9-1s-3w, about 3 miles north of Ratliff City.
Oasis Petroleum Co., Houston, spudded 1 Holtzen, 9-21n-8w, about 10 miles west of Enid in the Sooner Trend in Garfield County. It plans a 3,150 ft lateral to Mississippian at TVD of about 7,368 ft.
White Buffalo Petroleum Co., Tulsa, plans a 1,834 ft horizontal displacement in Creek County, Okla. The 21 Jennings Tract, 10-19n-07e, about 10 miles west of Mannford, is to evaluate Pennsylvanian Bartlesville sand, to be topped at about 2,750 ft TVD.
NEW MEXICO
Fractured upper Cretaceous Mancos shales in the San Juan basin are a key horizontal/high angle drilling objective in New Mexico.
American Hunter Exploration Ltd. plans to build to 80 a 2,000 ft section in a well in 6-27n-1e on the north side of East Puerto Chiquito oil field in Rio Arriba County. TVD would be about 2,800 ft.
Just to the west, the company plans several horizontal Mancos tests in West Puerto Chiquito oil field.
Meanwhile, BASF Corp. plans to drill a horizontal oil well to upper Cretaceous Gallup in 28-31n-14w, San Juan County, on the southeast edge of Verde-Gallup field.
COLORADO
Westoil Production Co., Denver, spudded an upper Cretaceous Niobrara well on the west side of Wellington oil field.
The 1 Thompson-7-4H, 7-9n-68w, is to have a 3,500 ft horizontal leg in Niobrara at TVD of 4,200 ft. Site is in the Denver basin 10 miles north of Fort Collins.
Oryx spudded a horizontal gas test in the Piceance basin 12 miles south of Silt in Mesa County, Colo.
The 1 HD Acapulco Federal Unit, 16-8s-92w, is to evaluate upper Cretaceous Cozzette (Mesaverde) at TVD of 9,150 ft about 6 miles west of Divide Creek oil field.
Online Oil & Gas Inc., Houston, plans a horizontal Niobrara test at 1 Silver et al., 4-6n-91w, Moffat County, a reentry of a well completed in 1988 on the north flank of the Craig dome as a noncommercial vertical Niobrara oil producer.
Online plans a 2,000 ft horizontal section in Niobrara at TVD of 7,350 ft. Site is 1/2 mile northwest of a vertical Niobrara oil well in Craig Dome field.
WYOMING
Meridian Oil Inc. staked its first wildcat in the Niobrara play 9 miles west of Cheyenne in Laramie County.
The 29HD Francis, 29-14n-68w, is to test Niobrara at TVD of 9,100 ft. Meridian plans a 2,000 ft section in Niobrara at 80 from vertical.
Location is 4 miles northwest of Borie field, which produces oil from Muddy and J sand, and 23 miles west-southwest of Silo field.
Silverado Oil Co., Greeley, Colo., plans to reenter 1-18H State, 18-16n-64w, in Silo field and drill a lateral to Niobrara. Unioil Inc. drilled the vertical well, which has produced 5,200 bbl of oil and 1.8 MMcf of gas from Niobrara at 7,910-8,175 ft. Initial rate on the 1984 completion was 96 b/d of oil on pump.
NORTH DAKOTA
Slawson Exploration Co., Wichita, completed a horizontal Bakken wildcat about 35 miles southwest of Sanish, N.D., in northwest Dunn County.
The 1-16 Wiser-Gull State, 16-147n-96w, produced 175 bbl of oil and 175 Mcf of gas during a 3 day period in February, according to state production figures. Details have not been released.
Slawson completed two more horizontal Bakken wells in Roosevelt field, Billings County and said it plans to drill at least 10 more horizontal Bakken tests this year.
The 1-14 Wolf, formerly 114 Poseidon, 14-142n-102w, flowed 1,204 b/d of oil through a 27/64 in. choke with 570 psi flowing tubing pressure from Bakken at TVD of 10,306 ft.
Site is within 1 mile southeast of Slawson's 1-11 Nautilus, 11-142n-102w, which has produced about 100,000 bbl of oil in less than 8 months of production and in late March was making 250 b/d of oil, PI reported.
Slawson's 1-22 Voodoo, 22-142n-102w, flowed 938 b/d of oil through a 20/64 in. choke with 900 psi flowing tubing pressure.
Partners with Slawson include Viersen & Cochran, Nexco Inc., Leigh C. Crueger & Associates, Kansas Natural Gas Co., and LD Drilling Co.
MONTANA
Wyoming Resources Corp. plans to drill a Pennsylvanian Amsden horizontal well in Musselshell County 11 miles northeast of Roundup.
The operator sought spacing in 22-9n-27e, which is about 1 mile northwest of Amsden oil production in Delphia field.
The proposed unit is within 2 1/2 miles of a horizontal Amsden test staked last fall, the Delphi International 1 Goffena, in 26-9n-27e, in Delphia field.
CALIFORNIA
ARCO Oil & Gas Co. tested a horizontally drilled oil well in upper Miocene Stevens sand in Yowlumne field, Kern County.
The 16X-4 Yowlumne Unit B, 4-11n-22w, about 10 miles east of Maricopa, flowed 1,166 b/d of oil through a 32/64 in. choke. Displacement is 3,260 ft. TVD of Stevens is 11,253 ft.
Production is through openings at 12,014-13,398 ft MD in 5 1/2 in. liner.
Copyright 1991 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.
