Petro-Hunt Nomenclature

One of the parlor games for those of us with too much time on our hands is try to decode the names of the wells.

The folks on the Bakken Shale Discussion Group tried explaining EOG's "100" vs "101" nomenclature, suggesting that the 100/101 series was the way EOG was designating wells that were targeting the Bakken formation or the Three Forks formation. That discussion never seemed to fully explain EOG's numbering system; if it did, I missed it.

Now, for those with too much time on your hands, look at the names of the Petro-Hunt wells inside the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation:

Fort Berthold 147-94-1A-12-1H
Fort Berthold 147-94-2A-11-1H
Fort Berthold 147-94-3A-10-1H
Fort Berthold 148-94-9D-04-1H
Fort Berthold 148-94-17D-08-1H
Fort Berthold 148-94-19B-18-1H
Fort Berthold 148-94-22A-27-1H
Fort Berthold 148-94-25A-36-1H
Fort Berthold 148-94-35D-26-1H
Fort Berthold 152-93-17C-08-1H 
Fort Berthold 152-93-18B-19-1H
Fort Berthold 152-94-14C-11-1H
Fort Berthold 152-94-22D-15-1H

The first two numbers are easy: that is the township (T152N-93W, T148N-94W, for example).

The next two numbers are also easy. For example, take 17C-08.  This means the well is sited in section 17 and the lateral will be a long lateral, drilling through section 17 into section 8.  Again, take the second well above, 1A-12, means that the lateral will start in section 1 and drill into section 12. (Note, occasionally, the well could be sited just inside an adjoining section but will target the sections noted in the name of the well.)

Finally, the last alphanumeric, general "1H." The NDIC requires that wells in each section be chronologically numbered, and thus the "1": the first well in this section. The "H" obviously stands for "horizontal" well.

But we've left out one letter in the name of the well. The letter that I do not understand is the letter that follows the third number, the number that designates the section in which the horizontal lateral begins. In the first well noted above (Fort Berthold 152-93-17C-08-1H), the letter I am referring to is the "C." The letters used are A, B, C, and D. I have no idea to what the letters refer. It does not appear to refer to the quadrant in which the well is sited.

I suppose they could be referring to the formation the laterals are targeting but that would be four formations, and right now there are three formations that being targeted: the Middle Bakken, the Upper TFS, and the Lower TFS. So, what would be the fourth formation? The Birdbear? The Lodgepole?

The Petro-Hunt nomenclature is consistent through North Dakota: township designation, section-section, alphanumeric numbering. And the enigmatic letter following the first section.

Another Good Day in the Bakken

Today's daily activity report reminds me of some of the reports I saw during the heights of the boom a year or so ago.

Eleven (11) files were released from confidential status. Most of these were reported on my blog yesterday. Three of them had IPs of greater than 1, 000 (Petro-Hunt's Fort Berthold 148-94-17D-08-1H, a wildcat; Anschutz's Wittinger 31-5H in Murphy Creek; and, EOG's Fertile 13-18H).

Although the permit described Petro-Hunt's Fort Berthold well as a wildcat, in fact, it is inside the Eagle Nest oil field. 

The Anschutz well is file # 17448; that permit was granted July 10, 2008. Anschutz seems to be having some pretty good success; they may not have many wells in the Bakken but the ones they do have seem to be quite good ones.

In addition to these eleven wells released from confidential status, seven new permits were issued, including three (3) permits for Oasis Petroleum to drill wells in Squires oil field, in the Williston area. Two of the Oasis wells are on the same site, a phenomenon being seen much more frequently. Laterals could be targeting different sections, but just as likely, they could be targeting different formations.

The Fertile Township, 151N-90W, entirely within the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation continues to elicit excitement. Drilling inside the FBIR was delayed due to bureaucratic necessities, but drilling in the Fertile Township appears to be catching up to the rest of the Bakken. In addition to the nice EOG Fertile well noted above, EOG was granted another permit in the Fertile today, Fertile 38-20H.

104

New record: 104 active rigs in North Dakota.

Bismarck Tribune: number of rigs reflect the boom.

Bismarck/Mandan news: rigs may set records.

1981: 148 rigs in North Dakota
Probably won't hit 148 this summer due to lack of water for fracking, housing for workers
Another 20 to 25 rigs on their way into ND once load restrictions (winter) are lifted
Drillers currently pumping about 2% of estimated reserves
Companies talking about pumping as much as 15% of estimated reserves

I have opined that companies might be pumping as much as 5% right now, but I never, in my wildest dreams, would have suggested they might get as much as 15% -- that changes everything and explains why producers are willing to pay $8,000 per mineral acre.

With regard to access to water, the governor will sign off on a plan to draw water from the Missouri River. 

I've counted as many as five (5) rigs for BEXP and on this date they had only three (3) -- according to the NDIC web site. I assume BEXP still has five rigs, and when these two become active, we will be up to 106. Obviously the number of active rigs fluctuates from day-to-day as rigs are moved from site to site.

And folks accuse me of being irrationally exuberant.