Rig On Site In Far Southwest Corner of North Dakota; One Well With Over 600,000 Bbls After 40 Years And Still Producing

Updates

March 28, 2013: disregard comments in the original post below regarding flaring. A reader writes:

I think I read somewhere once that the gas produced ended up being used in these air injection wells. So basically since the gas is not sold it is probably considered flared but not above ground, rather underground.  

March 28, 2013: The original post was "raw data." I did not have a chance to explore the "whys and wherefores." That's not unusual for me. At my age, I sometimes just don't have time. Ha. I'm getting to that age where my dad would tell me not to buy any green bananas. But I digress. A couple of readers wrote me -- thank you -- providing the background to these wells in MHPU.

First, a link to a CLR presentation, April 15, 2011, at Montana Tech, The University of Montana, Annual Spring Technology Symposium. This is a PDF/PowerPoint presentation. This explains what CLR is doing in the Medicine Pole Hills field to generate these returns. I assume this is what is meant by "huff and puff." The latter is considered secondary production, I believe; whether that's the right term or not, the presentation says "this" is secondary production in the MPHU. Primary production (vertical wells?) resulted in 6% recovery of original oil in place; air injection results in 22% recovery. Start-up costs very expensive.

Then, another reader provided some other observations by digging through the well files. Specifically the reader looked at #5749 below. The reader noted, correctly, that the "location" was less important than re-entering, laying new horizontals, and using new technology (second recovery as noted above). The reader also noted that the geologist was Kathy Neset Consulting, which was wonderful to see. Kathy Neset reports, as the reader noted, "seem so much easier to read than some others." That been my impression also: I am always happy when I see a geology report from Kathy Neset.

Original Post 

We haven't seen this in quite awhile: a rig in the far southwest corner of North Dakota (of if it's been there, I've missed it).

Fifteen miles southwest of Bowman, ND:

• 25013, 23 (no typo), CLR, MPHU 13-10H, Medicine Pole Hills, Red River pool, t5/13; cum 37K 1/20;

and a half mile from:

• 23818, AB-->IA/97, CLR, MPHU 32-10H, Medicine Pole Hills, West Red River, t1/13; cum 53K 11/18;
• 23818, AB-->IA/57, CLR, MPHU 32-10H, Medicine Pole Hills, Red River, t1/13; cum 21K 11/18;

In the immediate area; all of these wells are active and very productive:

• 5456, 200, CLR/Rainbow Resources, Wallman-Rausch 1-8, West Red River formation, Medicine Pole Hills oil field, t12/74; cum 719K 1/20; unitized; 1,500 bbls/month; producing since 1974, almost 40 years, this well is still producing 1,500 bbls/month;
• 7656, 66, CLR, Wallman 1-9, West Red River, Medicine Pole Hills, t7/80; cum 192K 1/20; unitized; 300 bbls/month;
• 5749, 100, CLR, MPHU 43-16, Red River, Medicine Pole Hills, t5/76; cum 668K 1/20; unitized; 
• 11891, 6, CLR, MPHU 31-10, Red River, Medicine Pole Hills, t1/86; cum 242K 1/20; unitized; 500 bbls/month;
• 13602, 206, CLR, MPHU 21-15, Red River; Medicine Pole Hills, t12/93; cum 458K 1/20; 1,300 bbls/month;
• 16375, 228, CLR, MPHU 43-16SH, Red River, Medicine Pole Hills, t1/07; cum 94K 1/20; 1,500 bbls; month
• 16375, N/D, CLR, MPHU 43-16SH, West Red River, Medicine Pole Hills, t1/07; cum 253K 1/20; 1,500 bbls; month
• 22856, 40, CLR, WMPHU 11-9H, Red River, Medicine Pole Hills, t8/12; cum 66K 1/20; about 1,400 bbls/month and flaring a lot of gas;
• 22856, N/D, CLR, WMPHU 11-9H, West Red River, Medicine Pole Hills, t8/12; cum 66K 1/20; about 1,400 bbls/month and flaring a lot of gas;

***********************

Spend some time looking at those wells. Some observations.

1. Almost all the wells, if not all of them, flare more natural gas than they sell. It is my understanding that NDIC requires wells to be choked back if they continue to flare gas after the first 12 to 18 months. If so, this suggests, these wells could be producing more oil.

2.  For newbies, this is a good example of how oil companies manage their wells. Look at the production (fourth column) of oil for #16375:

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
RED RIVER	1-2013	31	556	556	2497	5242	1456	3786
WEST RED RIVER	1-2013	31	1504	1504	6751	14174	3937	10237
RED RIVER	12-2012	31	547	533	2284	5239	1648	3591
WEST RED RIVER	12-2012	31	1478	1440	6175	14165	4455	9710
RED RIVER	11-2012	30	532	533	2045	5084	1465	3619
WEST RED RIVER	11-2012	30	1436	1441	5528	13745	3961	9784
RED RIVER	10-2012	31	549	549	2036	5261	1242	4019
WEST RED RIVER	10-2012	31	1486	1485	5505	14225	3358	10867
RED RIVER	9-2012	30	546	541	2186	5545	1256	4289

3. Look at the IP of #11891 and its production. This well, drilled in 1986, had an IP of 6 (not a typo). It has produced almost 200,000 bbls to date and demonstrates almost no decline rate, producing 500 bbls per month; flaring a lot, so probably choked back.

4. Look at #5749: this well produced about 500 bbls/month its entire life (spud in 1976). Then in July, 2011, it jumped to 2,000 bbls/month; then in September, 2012, 5,000 bbls/month; and, for the most recent month for which we have data, 6,000 bbls/month in January, 2013. Notice all the flaring: the well is probably choked back:

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
RED RIVER	1-2013	31	6432	6338	2513	11159	3099	8060
RED RIVER	12-2012	23	4653	4581	1693	8215	2584	5631
RED RIVER	11-2012	30	6040	6063	2024	10642	3067	7575
RED RIVER	10-2012	31	6355	6304	2049	11609	2741	8868
RED RIVER	9-2012	30	4883	4878	1707	12729	2883	9846
RED RIVER	8-2012	31	4965	4967	1684	21072	3851	17221
RED RIVER	7-2012	31	4835	4752	2136	22983	5091	17892
RED RIVER	6-2012	30	2250	2244	673	12163	3030	9133
RED RIVER	5-2012	31	2053	2058	750	9026	2014	7012
RED RIVER	4-2012	30	1666	1663	1002	8693	1192	7501
RED RIVER	3-2012	31	1648	1676	850	11492	2646	8846
RED RIVER	2-2012	29	1731	1704	847	10204	2638	7566
RED RIVER	1-2012	31	2099	2081	1094	7859	2249	5610
RED RIVER	12-2011	27	2077	2571	762	0	0	0
RED RIVER	11-2011	30	2167	1993	384	7453	2725	4728
RED RIVER	10-2011	31	2181	2521	667	7245	2359	4886
RED RIVER	9-2011	30	2050	1427	142	6080	2097	3983
RED RIVER	8-2011	31	678	1028	451	5507	1315	4192
RED RIVER	7-2011	31	2014	1801	234	5505	1168	4337
RED RIVER	6-2011	30	1769	1791	443	20781	564	20217
RED RIVER	5-2011	31	1451	1356	494	3026	1331	1695
RED RIVER	4-2011	26	801	689	11	1731	637	109

5. Look at #5456: producing since 1974, this vertical well has produced over 600,000 bbls, and is producing as much each month as some "good" Bakken wells, and it is flaring a lot of gas, suggesting that it, too, is choked back.

6. Finally, look at #22856, getting us into the modern era. Look at the monthly production on this one:

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
RED RIVER	1-2013	31	1481	1454	4279	10598	1922	8676
RED RIVER	12-2012	31	1454	1471	5282	3897	929	2968
RED RIVER	11-2012	30	1440	1441	5641	2839	632	2207
RED RIVER	10-2012	31	1346	1329	6219	2470	503	1967
RED RIVER	9-2012	30	893	873	7634	1470	307	1163
RED RIVER	8-2012	13	298	285	5068	53	6	47
RED RIVER	7-2012	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

It seems that while Bakken wells have horrendous decline rates, Red River wells get better with age.