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Sunday, July 17, 2011

Carpe Diem: North Dakota's Higher Education Boom -- Somewhat Related to the Bakken

Link here.

Carpe Diem picked up a New York Times story that I would have missed.
Ms. Malinowski is evidence of an unlikely trend: the growing allure of higher education in North Dakota. The state ranks 48th in the U.S. at attracting tourists. Its young people routinely flee for warmer or more exciting places. The private sector here, struggling to lure sufficient numbers of workers from elsewhere, is wrestling with labor shortages even amid national unemployment around 9%.

But college students are flocking here in ever greater numbers. Out-of-state students account for about 55% of the 14,500 enrolled at North Dakota State University, as well as at similarly sized University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. Nonresident students at North Dakota's 11 public colleges constitute a higher ratio than in almost every other state.
I believe the UND aviation program is one of the top aviation programs in the country. Part of the reason, as I understand it, is the number of days year-round that weather is clear and great for flying. Cold in the winter, perhaps, but that doesn't stop flying. It's a lot colder at altitude than it is on the ground.

It is my understanding that the UND / NDSU geosciences departments are top notch, and with the Bakken play, are becoming increasingly sought after. Folks graduating with geology degrees from UND/NDSU will find jobs in the oil industry.

Williston State College has partnered with leading oil industry companies to train folks for jobs in the oil patch.

290 Rigs in the Bakken? Typo? Timeline? -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

A big "thank you" to "anon 1" for finding this story.

Someone had tweeted the "290" but didn't supply a source or link. I looked for the story but couldn't find it.

The story is about how slowly the Niobrara seems to be developing.
[A spokesman] said there is too little information yet to determine how successful the play will be in the end.

This is because of the low number of commercial wells and rules that allow companies to keep their results confidential for up to six months.

"We just haven't seen enough drilling rigs and enough activity to really know if there is a play yet," he said.

Another reason for the oil play's slowdown could be because of increased activity in North Dakota, [the spokesman] said.

He said the Bakken oil play is gearing up to have 170 active drilling rigs and up to 290 by the end of the year. That could leave a shortage of equipment and workers for activity here.

"They claim that they are using many new rigs, so that may not be a problem," Doll said. "But my concern is: Where are you going to get the drillers, roughnecks and (fracking) crews who are trained to do the sophisticated work?"
In fact, North Dakota already has about 180 active rigs; I'm not sure what he meant by "gearing up to have 170 active drilling rigs." Is this an old story? 

The question is where will the Niobrara get those "drillers, roughnecks and (fracking) crews who are trained to do the sophisticated work" if they are all tied up in the Bakken? By the way, North Dakota as the same six-month confidentiality rule.

North Dakota Looking To Hire a Potash Geologist

PDF file.

In case link is lost/broken, key portion:
Position Number: 405-00028314
Starting Salary Range: $4,333 – $4,879/month plus benefits
Closing Date: August 22, 2011
Status: Full-time
Recruitment: Internal/External
Location: Bismarck, ND
The North Dakota Geological Survey is hiring for a newly created geology position. The successful candidate will manage the state’s subsurface mineral exploration and production program and will conduct stratigraphic studies of potash and other economic rocks and minerals in the Williston Basin of North Dakota.

The Silurian Formation -- Idle Rambling -- For My Own Benefit -- Others May Enjoy It -- North Dakota, USA

Like the Red Wing Creek wells, it is possible the Silurian formation is a relatively local phenomenon in North Dakota. More on that later, but for now, a look at some nice Silurian wells in the Charlson oil field. Some are still active, some are permanently abandoned.
  • 10224, PA/1,560, Petro-Hunt, Devonian 10-1, vertical, AL, 614K (two formations) 2/15;
  • 10498, 1,142, Phillip D. Armstrong, I. Thompson 8-34, vertical, abandoned, but Bakken in 1993 still flowing without pump; (two formations; Bakken still flowing); 198K 4/17;
  • 10499, PA/368, Berco Resources, LLC, Federal 17-32, vertical, abandoned, 414,862; still significant production when well shut down
  • 11064, DRY -- Birdbear, Madison (abandoned), Silurian, Petro-Hunt, CMSU C-421
  • 11194, PA/1,200, Petro-Hunt, Silurian 37-1, abandoned, 457,803; 12 years of production; stripper well level of production at end of production
  • 11353, 711, Petro-Hunt, Silurian 39-1, vertical, still producing, cum 559K 4/17;
  • 11853, AB/869, XTO/Denbury Onshore, Silurian Unit 56-1, vertical, no production since 10/11, cum 354,168 10/11;
  • 11897, 36 (not a typo), but the Madison, 312, Petro-Hunt, CMU B-108, vertical, still producing, cum 400K 4/17;
  • 11948, PA/941, Prosper Energy, Prosper-Isaacson 1, vertical, abandoned, 196,553; abandoned after less than 3.5 years of production and still producing enough for a stripper well designation
  • 12148, Dry -- but the Madison, PA/67 (not a typo), Petro-Hunt, CMSU A-421, vertical, last produced 1/13; cum 325,668 1/13;
No rhyme or reason to the wells I picked except for the fact they were in one small area in the Charlson that I could see quickly, and they were in the permit file range of 10,000 to 12,000, when there was activity in the Silurian. 

My hunch is that a lot of these wells were abandoned at a time when price of oil made them all not that economical, but with price of oil at $100, I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see some more vertical activity in these other formations.

With regard to the Silurian, from NDGS:
Oil is the most important hydrocarbon produced in the state, but oil was not discovered until 1951 when Amerada Hess Corporation completed the Clarence Iverson #1 on the Nesson anticline. Since then, oil exploration has been nearly continuous in the state. The discovery well was completed in the Silurian Interlake Formation but subsequent development on the anticline focused on the Mississippian Madison Group.
From that same link:
The upper Interlake Formation is productive along large structures (Fig. 15), but the controls on production are not well understood. Salt-plugged porosity degrades reservoir performance in some places whereas fracturing has enhanced performance in other areas. The middle Interlake Formation is productive in two fields in Stark County and the lower Interlake Formation produces from two porosity zones, informally named the Salsbury and the Putnam. These two porosity zones produce on major structures in North Dakota and production can be significant, like that at Stoneview Field on the Nesson anticline. Typically, oil with a significant volume of gas is produced from Interlake reservoirs.

The Charlson Field Has Been Updated -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

I've updated a few IPs for the Charlson field.

I was curious how the Norby wells would turn out. They turned out quite well. They should hit 100,000 bbls cumulative by first year of production.
  • 18814, 1,754, St Mary, Wilson 8-20H, 91k as of May, 2011; less than a year old
  • 18815, 853, St Mary, Norby 9-20H, 81k as of May, 2011; less than a year old
  • 18816, 1,415, St Mary, Norby 16-20H, 66k as of May, 2011; one year old
For newbies, the Charlson field is a great field.

While Russia Rushes For Arctic Oil, US Environmentalists Rush for Lawyers, Judges

This is not a new story; it has been published at various sites for the past six months or so, but today I see it is on the front page of CNN.com in a prominent spot at the very top of the page. The story is about the race between the US and Russia (for the most part, but others are involved) for oil and natural gas in the Arctic.
The recession of the sea ice and the reduction in permafrost -- combined with advances in technology -- have allowed access to oil, mineral and natural gas deposits that were previously trapped in the ice.
The abundance of these valuable resources and the opportunity to exploit them has created a gold rush-like scramble in the high north, with fierce competition to determine which countries have the right to access the riches of the Arctic.
Who is interested and claims rights?
The United States, Canada, Russia, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden and Finland all stake a claim to a portion of the Arctic. These countries make up the Arctic Council, a diplomatic forum designed to mediate disputes on Arctic issues.
The article mentions nothing about environmentalists, lawyers, etc., but this single line speaks volumes (I think most folks can connect the dots):
In secret diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks, Danish Foreign Minister Per Stieg Moeller was quoted as saying to the United States, "If you stay out, the rest of us will have more to carve up the Arctic."
My take on this: It appears that while Russia is serious about developing these energy resources, it is likely that environmentalists will prevent the US from doing so. Sounds a lot like what is going on in the Gulf of Mexico. Good news for Bakken investors.

Extremely Esoteric -- Water Flooding -- Unitization Spacing -- Red River -- Encore -- North Dakota, USA

Other Examples/Updates


After the original post, "Brian" sent me another example of a well that benefited from water flooding.
  • 14212, 4,331, Denbury Onshore, Heart River 1-4, Lodgepole well
This well was spudded in 1996. Based on the well file it looks like water flooding began in late 2000/early 2001. Prior to November, 2000, this well produced no water. The spacing for this well is "U" (unitized).

The well has produced a total of 2,130,700 bbls of oil to date and is still producing anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 bbls/month. It has produced a total of 2,330,113 bbls of water during this period. (A side note: an entry into the Three Forks with this same well was DRY.)

Original Post

The question is this: are there any companies using water flooding as an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique in North Dakota? The answer is "yes." Water flooding has been used in formations other than the Bakken. In addition, air injection has also been used, but that's another story for another time, perhaps.

For those interested in additional details regarding water flooding and Encore wells mentioned earlier, the following may be an example.

This is an older well targeting the Red River formation in Horse Creek oil field in Bowman County. 

If I understand it correctly, the spacing is "U" -- unitized.

Note the amount of water: 867,648 bbls which suggests water flooding.

In addition, in the well file itself, there is a comment to the effect that "flooding will continue." It does not state specifically that it was water flooding, but I can't imagine anything else.

This was the first (and only such) well I've looked at so far to see how it matches a possible explanation for "water production" by Encore wells.

NDIC File No: 14703     API No: 33-011-00897-00-00     CTB No: 405200
Well Type: OG     Well Status: A     Status Date: 3/9/1998     Wellbore type: Horizontal
Location: NESE 31-129-104     Footages: 1400 FSL 1100 FEL     Latitude: 45.949042     Longitude: -103.726155
Current Operator: ENCORE ENERGY PARTNERS OPERATING LLC
Current Well Name: HILTON 3-31
Elevation(s): 3179 KB     Total Depth: 11939     Field: HORSE CREEK
Spud Date(s):  12/27/1997
Casing String(s): 9.625" 2232'   7" 9411'  
Completion Data
   Pool: RED RIVER     Perfs: 9411-11939OH     Comp: 3/9/1998     Status: AL     Date: 3/9/1998     Spacing: U
Cumulative Production Data
   Pool: RED RIVER     Cum Oil: 115828     Cum MCF Gas: 519394     Cum Water: 867658
Production Test Data
   IP Test Date: 3/9/1998     Pool: RED RIVER     IP Oil: 10     IP MCF: 0     IP Water: 420
Monthly Production Data
PoolDateDaysBBLS OilRunsBBLS WaterMCF ProdMCF SoldVent/Flare
RED RIVER5-2011306456483989120001200
RED RIVER4-2011288478633785112001120
RED RIVER3-2011240030380080
RED RIVER2-2011281100112001120
RED RIVER1-2011285094443666124001240
RED RIVER12-2010315886992528124001240
RED RIVER11-2010305414442434120001200
RED RIVER10-2010315806832542124001240
RED RIVER9-2010305774522404120001200
RED RIVER8-2010316286802832124001240
RED RIVER7-2010316136702942124001240
RED RIVER6-2010295936743976116001160
RED RIVER5-2010315714334658124001240
RED RIVER4-2010306156694653120001200
RED RIVER3-2010316596584726124001240
RED RIVER2-2010265304554112104001040
RED RIVER1-20102245945924868800880
RED RIVER12-2009304324502654120001200
RED RIVER11-2009305394423562120001200
RED RIVER10-2009315926663777124001240
RED RIVER9-2009305796613402120001200
RED RIVER8-2009316296743448124001240
RED RIVER7-2009315954653468124001240
RED RIVER6-2009305877033379120001200
RED RIVER5-2009314936863494124001240
RED RIVER4-2009308154553426120001200
RED RIVER3-2009313154913694124001240
RED RIVER2-2009285614713431112001120
RED RIVER1-2009314157013922124001240
RED RIVER12-20082052245422148000800
RED RIVER11-2008305924673139120001200
RED RIVER10-2008316146893246124001240
RED RIVER9-2008305934733385120001200
RED RIVER8-2008316246783509124001240
RED RIVER7-2008274164593382108001080
RED RIVER6-2008306476773440120001200
RED RIVER5-2008295334243037116001160
RED RIVER4-2008303394293178120001200
RED RIVER3-2008296636482465116001160
RED RIVER2-2008295844513099116001160
RED RIVER1-2008316306553558124001240
RED RIVER12-2007316016863540124001240
RED RIVER11-2007306196953780120001200
RED RIVER10-2007317938413794124001240
RED RIVER9-2007305966463943120001200
RED RIVER8-2007316406553943124001240
RED RIVER7-2007316074224135124001240
RED RIVER6-2007305216294030120001200
RED RIVER5-2007317336354086124001240
RED RIVER4-2007304926412432120001200
RED RIVER3-2007317494302164129501224
RED RIVER2-2007285886472279119601132
RED RIVER1-2007315986632510132501254
RED RIVER12-2006316406622619132501254
RED RIVER11-2006306236612712126501196
RED RIVER10-2006316544593023133801267
RED RIVER9-2006306376522715130501236
RED RIVER8-2006316568763138134901278
RED RIVER7-2006316666513720137101300
RED RIVER6-2006305634303673100101001
RED RIVER5-2006316838724087124201242
RED RIVER4-2006286666444188129201292
RED RIVER3-2006255676423931120301203
RED RIVER2-20061742643123858310831
RED RIVER1-2006317076504278140701407
RED RIVER12-2005317154354505149301493
RED RIVER11-2005306826464499164901649
RED RIVER10-2005306808534561200302003
RED RIVER9-2005296776524417242502425
RED RIVER8-2005316886434862271802718
RED RIVER7-2005316988664623289602896
RED RIVER6-2005306606474323281102811
RED RIVER5-2005316736344716289902899
RED RIVER4-2005306626414595317203172
RED RIVER3-2005205074313272242702427
RED RIVER2-2005287056484679324003240
RED RIVER1-2005317709005291372303723
RED RIVER12-2004317876485404395503955
RED RIVER11-2004267396434708404404044
RED RIVER10-2004246248594218328303283
RED RIVER9-2004307686735336411504115
RED RIVER8-2004318178817068427004270
RED RIVER7-2004318318755465438704387
RED RIVER6-2004307796655662427204272
RED RIVER5-2004317778815556433304333
RED RIVER4-2004308378695586384203842
RED RIVER3-2004318668735709371203712
RED RIVER2-2004298066695479336803368
RED RIVER1-2004308688905808378803788
RED RIVER12-2003309598866061497804978
RED RIVER11-2003308638775424572005720
RED RIVER10-2003318528795604670506705
RED RIVER9-2003308508915455682706827
RED RIVER8-2003318868855669745707457
RED RIVER7-20033089311035842811508115
RED RIVER6-2003309866526024897308973
RED RIVER5-20033099611055755948409484
RED RIVER4-2003143732232407543705437
RED RIVER3-2003247028664376725007250
RED RIVER2-20032890310955211921709217
RED RIVER1-2003311014895583110208010208
RED RIVER12-20023110361110581510410010410
RED RIVER11-200230975873644510212010212
RED RIVER10-20023110531099642710660010660
RED RIVER9-20023010048735780963209632
RED RIVER8-200231101011016010950809508
RED RIVER7-200231100710975751952309523
RED RIVER6-2002299578855370820808208
RED RIVER5-200231101710975697863308633
RED RIVER4-2002309788815670924809248
RED RIVER3-200231106611255786863508635
RED RIVER2-2002289518915321688206882
RED RIVER1-200231105510985779676106761
RED RIVER12-20013110178875289590505905
RED RIVER11-20013089511085513543005430
RED RIVER10-2001319546625799493704937
RED RIVER9-20013089110905148336703367
RED RIVER8-2001319088735583314503145
RED RIVER7-2001318888735563317303173
RED RIVER6-2001298558745175291902919
RED RIVER5-2001318998855692310003100
RED RIVER4-2001308238815878295002950
RED RIVER3-2001319298845210336403364
RED RIVER2-2001288378824485368903689
RED RIVER1-2001319428845151533505335
RED RIVER12-200029101311036299746607466
RED RIVER11-2000299629176197718007180
RED RIVER10-2000309488857632746307463
RED RIVER9-2000309788858303747007470
RED RIVER8-20002994411328397765607656
RED RIVER7-20003110178948853748507485
RED RIVER6-20003096011148809764507645
RED RIVER5-200031107711199431798307983
RED RIVER4-2000309348999595695106951
RED RIVER3-20003088367010022748507485
RED RIVER2-2000278238988107606206062
RED RIVER1-2000318458919625580105801
RED RIVER12-19993191689610136608406084
RED RIVER11-1999309168899961526505265
RED RIVER10-19993189188410306482104821
RED RIVER9-19993087389310108432304323
RED RIVER8-19993182888110618503105031
RED RIVER7-199931100586810715387203872
RED RIVER6-199930934112198819080908
RED RIVER5-1999318928831028111011
RED RIVER4-199930888858102651040104
RED RIVER3-1999318888671064354054
RED RIVER2-19992560566087861080108
RED RIVER1-1999307506571062340040
RED RIVER12-1998317496501083991091
RED RIVER11-1998307309071027759059
RED RIVER10-1998317196701104661061
RED RIVER9-1998307176671100428028
RED RIVER8-19983171188811363000
RED RIVER7-19983170867111544000
RED RIVER6-19983064944811707000
RED RIVER5-19983152367112817000
RED RIVER4-199830372012626000
RED RIVER3-1998230010054000


This is the second well I looked at, file number 10512, and it is very similar. Again, note the amount of water "produced," suggesting water flooding. The well file has the same comment regarding "flooding" to continue. 

NDIC File No: 10512 API No: 33-011-00409-00-00 CTB No: 405200
Well Type: OG Well Status: A Status Date: 4/24/1984 Wellbore type: Vertical
Location: SWNW 32-129-104 Footages: 1460 FNL 1180 FWL Latitude: 45.95567 Longitude: -103.717229
Current Operator: ENCORE ENERGY PARTNERS OPERATING LLC
Current Well Name: BREHM 1-32
Elevation(s): 3141 KB Total Depth: 9318 Field: HORSE CREEK
Spud Date(s): 3/16/1984
Casing String(s): 8.625" 2002' 5.5" 9318'
Completion Data
Pool: RED RIVER Perfs: 9179-9205 G Comp: 4/24/1984 Status: AL Date: 4/24/1984 Spacing: U
Cumulative Production Data
Pool: RED RIVER Cum Oil: 142641 Cum MCF Gas: 397986 Cum Water: 904,644
Production Test Data
IP Test Date: 4/24/1984 Pool: RED RIVER IP Oil: 40 IP MCF: 0 IP Water: 181