Wow, Wow, Wow -- The Harry Stroh Well -- Fayette Field Update -- The Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Update

1 Jan 12: Production figures for this well; still flowing; no pump

• Cumulative: 85,446 bbls
• 11/11; 30 days; 30,588 bbls
• 10/11; 14 days; 33,295 bbls
• 9/11; 28 days; 11,659 bbls
• 8/11; 14 days; 9,904 bbls

Well file data: no additional information / no new forms submitted since I originally looked at this well file (see original post below).

Other information in the well file, offset wells:

• 18822, 1,304, Anschutz Dennis Kadrmas 1-9-4H, one mile east of this well; drilled August, 2010; Fayette field, 22 stages; 1.7 million pounds proppant (sand); s6/10; t1/11; F; cum 123,539 bbls 11/11
• 18424, 2,409, Anschutz,  Kenneth Stroh 1-12-1H-143-97, two miles west of this well; drilled June/July, 2010, Cabernet field, 19 stages; 1.4 million pounds proppant (sand); s 3/10; t9/10; F; cum 227,679 bbls 11/11

The Kenneth Stroh well has had production since September, 2010, but has been off-line for short stretches (2 - 3 weeks) periodically (Oct - Nov 2011; April 2011; August 2011)

The Dennis Kadrmas well has had production since January, 2011, and has also been off-life for short stretches (2 - 3 weeks) periodically (Feb - April 2011; Nov 2011). For example, in the month of November, 2011, this well was productive for only 12 days.

Original Post

I have always been fascinated by the Stroh wells and the Fayette field. I have a "Stroh" tag/label at the bottom of the blog. I first blogged about the Stroh wells and Fayette field back on March 4, 2010.

Now, elsewhere they're talking about something very, very interesting: how the Harry Stroh well jumped frm 12,000 bbls in almost a full month of production in September, 2011, to 33,000 bbls in only fourteen (14) days in October.

• 18610, 877, OXY USA, Harry Stroh 1-8-5H-143-96

This well is very, very instructive for folks new to the Bakken. It may explain why Schlumberger and Baker Hughes are building new complexes much bigger than one might expect, even in the Bakken.

A recurring theme in this blog is that it's my impression that the oil companies are not telling us how rich the Bakken really is. Harold Hamm is one of the few who seems to be forthcoming, and there are not a lot of folks publicly supporting his estimates.

This well was choked back to less than half-an-inch when it was tested.

According to the well file:

• January 18, 2011: spudded
• April 4, 2011: reached total depth
• October 12, 2011: tested, IP: 877

Then it gets interesting, page 3, well specific stimulations:

• August 13, 2011: stimulated
• Stages: 5
• Proppant: sand
• Total amount of proppant: 393,300 pounds

For newbies: routinely operators are now fracking 24 stages, generally a bit higher, and BEXP routines fracks 36 stages. Note: On August 13, 2011, this well was fracked with five (5) stages

For newbies: routinely, folks are using two- to 4-million pounds of sand/ceramics to frack a well; this well was fracked with 393,000 pounds, a tenth of the usual amount.

The well was off-line for 2 days in September and 14 days in October.

Production:

• September, 28 days: 11,659 bbls
• October, 14 days: 33,295 bbls

It's fairly obvious what happened here, but as usual I'm holding my thoughts until others chime in. I'm just a layperson in all this; I will let the experts chime in first. If I remember, I will come back with my hunch later this week.