Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Random Update On Whiting Program Northwest Of Belfield -- May 30, 2017

Updates

August 1, 2018: reader asked question about drilling unit for #32301, see comments. Screenshot of permit application:


July 31, 2018: production data updated below.  Graphic as this area appears today:


June 23, 2018see update here

Original Post

This was done quickly. There are likely to be errors, typographical and factual. I will come back to this later and correct errors if anyone spots errors or if other corrections need to be made. In addition, if anyone has additional information on this area, I'm sure there will be readers that will be interested. I have no mineral rights and have no specific interest in this area more than any other area in the Bakken.

Whiting has proposed three new pads in this area northwest of Belfield:


In addition, I will update the various wells that are already producing. "Open circles" on the NDIC map indicate that at this point permits have been let, but the wells are not yet on confidential list nor has any drilling begun.

From a Whiting presentation (I should have included a marker on Belfield; Belfield is located just below the "date box" in the screenshot below; about 4 miles SSE of Smith 34-12TFH):



NDIC map screenshot today:


The nearest rig in the area is to the east, in Bell oil field, and according to NDIC, it is "undetermined" where this rig will go next.

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The Wells In The Graphic Above
Note: see first comment below -- #32288 (Smith Federal 34-12-2PH, SESE 12-140-100) is being drilled (June 7, 2017) that was not added to the GIS map in section 12. Just like 41-15PHU and 44-10PHU are not on the map, but will be drilled. I wonder how that happens? How some are left off the map? And as I had hoped, they went from Bell to Park. Also, I hope someday they do refrack, would be interesting to see what happens.

24159, 1,195, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 14-10PH, Park, t2/15; cum 132K 5/18; typical decline rate;
24158, 954, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 11-15PH, Park, t2/15; cum 121K 5/18; typical decline rate;
24157, 1,179, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 21-15PH, Park, t2/15; cum 132K 5/18; typical decline rate;

24160, 863, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 34-10PH, Park, t7/13; cum 83K 5/18; not a particularly good well; will be interesting what neighboring fracks do; if re-fracked;
24161, 716, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 41-15PH, Park, t7/13; cum 84K 5/18; not a particularly good well; will be interesting what neighboring fracks do; if re-fracked;
24162, 1,327, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 44-10PH, Park, t7/13; cum 82K 5/18; not a particularly good well; will be interesting what neighboring fracks do; if re-fracked;

24821, 1,236, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 14-11PH, Park, t7/14; cum 114K 5/18; a "so-so well'; will be interesting what neighboring fracks do; if re-fracked;
24541, 1,113, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 24-14 Cl PH, Park, t7/14; cum 108K 5/18; a "so-so well'; will be interesting what neighboring fracks do; if re-fracked;
24542, 1,176, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 11-14PH, Park, t7/14; cum 109K 5/18; a "so-so well'; will be interesting what neighboring fracks do; if re-fracked;
20404, 1,606, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 21-14TFH, Park, t10/11;  cum 164K 5/18; will be interesting what neighboring fracks do; if re-fracked;

20131, 1,343, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 34-11TFH, Park, t10/11; cum 170K 5/18; typical decline rate
24830, 2,542, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 44-11PH, Park, t7/14; cum 241K 5/18; typical decline rate; but expect a better well than this;

32300, loc, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 44-11PHU, Park,
32301, drl, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 44-14PHU, Park, noted to be on drl status 5/18;

27691, 2,683, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 34-11TFH, Park, t11/14; cum 317K 5/18; a nice well; typical decline rate; 
27692, 2,873, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 14-12H, Park, t11/14; cum 374K 5/18; a nice well; typical decline rate; 
20504, 2,696, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 21-13TFH, Park, t12/11; cum 284K 5/18; a nice well; typical decline rate; 

31779, SI/NC, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 21-13-2PH, Park,
31780, SI/NC, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 31-13PH, Park,
31781, SI/NC, Whiting, Pronghorn Federal 24-12PH, Park,


20526, 2.446, Whiting, Smith 34-12TFH, Park, t9/11; cum 378K 5/18; a nice well; typical decline rate; 

7 comments:

  1. Oh, thank you. Much appreciated.

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  2. I’m poolside with Sophia so I will confirm later but permit suggests this is 4-section spacing: sections 13, 14, 23, and 24. Congratulations! More later. Again, could be wrong but I’m pretty sure I’m right.

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  3. Yes, I'm pretty lucky -- Sophia and I have lots of fun together. We are McDonald's PlayPlace now -- she's having a blast.

    Thank you for the kind words. I learn a lot from my readers. I will update this page.

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  4. Yes, it does not matter "physically" where the well is sited/located or where the horizontal leg runs. What matters is the drilling unit defined. In this case, the drilling unit is a four-section drilling unit. Anyone who has minerals in any of these four sections will receive royalties from this well. The bad news is that one's return will be diluted by half: the current, usual drilling unit in the Bakken is two sections (1280 acres). But I wouldn't complain. For most folks this is great news. They are participating in wells that they would otherwise not participate in. In addition, the wells are so much better these days than six years ago. And, there are going to be even more wells in all these drilling units before it's over.

    In vertical Madison wells, for example, the drilling unit is often 40, 80, or 160 acres, and very few participate in these wells.

    Others think differently about this, but that's how I see it. Descendants of homesteaders who still retain minerals in a full section (640 acres) probably prefer smaller drilling units. Others who came later, and picked up isolated acres of mineral rights prefer larger drilling units.

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    Replies
    1. It's hard to believe for some newbies, but in a four-section drilling unit, one can own ten acres of minerals almost four miles away from where the well is sited and still receive royalties. If it's a stand-up drilling unit -- four sections vertically, north to south, the horizontal leg will most likely run through only two sections, and yet mineral owners in all four sections will receive royalties from that well -- even though the horizontal leg may be two miles from their "land."

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  5. Thank you for the kind comments. I did not understand it at first -- it took awhile to figure it out. I've learned a lot over the past ten years.

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  6. That's fine (about the pictures). Interesting about Whiting. Maybe the same problem as everyone else: not enough capacity on the pipelines.

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