Elk Hills shallow oil zone development eyed

The proposed sale of the federal government's share of giant Elk Hills oil field in southern California has heightened emphasis on further development of the field's shallow oil zone. The U.S. Department of Energy, with Bechtel Petroleum Operations as contract operator, has three horizontal wells on the agenda targeting the SOZ, including one in the central part of the field and two on the southeast flank where the first horizontal SOZ well was drilled in late 1995.

Jan. 6, 1997

2 min read

The proposed sale of the federal government's share of giant Elk Hills oil field in southern California has heightened emphasis on further development of the field's shallow oil zone.

The U.S. Department of Energy, with Bechtel Petroleum Operations as contract operator, has three horizontal wells on the agenda targeting the SOZ, including one in the central part of the field and two on the southeast flank where the first horizontal SOZ well was drilled in late 1995.

The central area well is the 38H-25R, in 25-30s-23e, Kern County. It is programmed to bottom about 2,000 ft southeast from the surface location at 3,480 ft true vertical depth, 5,215 ft measured depth.

Six miles southeast, two wells will be drilled near the first SOZ well. The 37H-11G, in 11-31s-24e, is programmed to bottom about 2,200 ft east and slightly north from the surface location at 4,010 ft TVD, 5,866 ft MD. And the 58H-10G, in 10-31s-24e, is programmed to bottom about 2,300 ft northeast from the surface location at 3,851 ft TVD, 5,847 ft MD.

Before the first SOZ horizontal well was completed, horizontal well emphasis was on the Miocene Stevens sand in the 26R pool in the central part of the field, where 17 horizontal wells had been completed out of 17 drilled.

The first and still only SOZ well, the 27H-11G, was completed on the pump in December. It was producing 400 b/d this fall. The SOZ's 490 wells produce 15,600 b/d, or one of every 4 bbl of Elk Hills' 59,300 b/d, with remaining oil produced from 421 Stevens wells, except for about 50 b/d from five Miocene Carneros wells.