While waiting, you can take a look at a photograph taken today of the Bison Pipeline being buried.
It's now 5:40 p.m. My hunch. The daily activity report was inadvertently loaded on the wrong site. This is very unusual.
6:14 p.m. Finally the daily activity report is posted.
Lo and behold, something seldom seen: a dry hole!
#16416, Baldwin Exploration, Adness 34-32, SWNE 34-157N-91W, TD=2,192 feet, targeting the Dakota formation. I know nothing about the Dakota formation. According to the NDIC site, no oil has ever come out of the Dakota formation in North Dakota (unless it's such a small amount, NDIC elected not to record it). According to the wikipedia entry about the Niobara, it is stated that the flora and fauna of the Niobara was similar to the Dakota formation. See first comment below for additional background.Eleven (11) new permits: a) MRO with a 2-well multi-well pad in Lost Bridge; b) XTO with a 2-well multi-well pad in Mondak; c) Petro-Hunt, SM, Murex, Tracker, Murex (2), and Newfield (2).
Producing wells completed: KOG, Moccasin Creek 13-34-28-1H, 1,713; BR, Yellowstone 31-1H, 977; CLR, Arthur 2-12H, 718.
The Dakota Formation in ND is a "group" of sandstones that are highly saturated with water. Most companies are very concerned with making sure the Dakota is isolated with cement to ensure it does not reach the water table since it contains a high concentration of salts. Also, I believe it is a state requirement to have cement above the Dakota. Secondly, the Dakota is what companies use as the reservoir to inject produced water into (I think).
ReplyDeleteThat makes sense. The little I found out about the Dakota said it had a high concentration of salts and was extremely corrosive. I will edit my blog entry to make sure folks look at your comment.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
This well was drilled in late 2006 with the intent of going horizontal in the Bluell porosity of the Madison. DST resulted in a decision to abandon the Bluell horizontal intention. The well was drilled to the Lodgepole, at which point any intentions of vertical or horizontal development was abandoned. Application has been made and authorized for salt water disposal to the Inyan Kara.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much. That clears that up. I was hoping for something a bit more exciting, but it is what it is. I really appreciate you taking the time to let us know what this was all about.
ReplyDeletethe dakota formation is the most common water disposal formation in the williston. A water Disposal well does not make you money (unless you are disposing for a different operator) but saves you money on LOE cost. A company can save between 5 and 20% of their LOE with a water disposal well depending on their current means of disposing of produced water.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why they would classify it as a dry hole? I would think they would have "Other" or "salt water disposal," etc. I do know they do have "SWD" -- salt water disposal wells in the daily activity report, so seeing this one as a "dry hole" piqued my interest.
ReplyDeleteBecause that's its current status. Application has been made and granted for salt water disposal, but it hasn't yet been put to that use yet - similar to a well that's been permitted but which doesn't yet and may never exist. Consistent with the comments by the previous 'anonymous' this well is surrounded by Hess wells.
ReplyDeleteHess342
Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMy questions are often very naive. I remember four years ago when I started this blog, I asked the question why they named oil fields in North Dakota when the Bakken was a continuous reservoir. Talk about a dumb, naive question. I have come a long way. So, every day I learn something. Thank you very much.
Oh, by the way, four years ago when I had no idea what an oil field was in the Williston Basin, I now appreciate the fields 1000 percent.