Shorthand

I occasionally get queries regarding my shorthand in summarizing a well, for example:

• 24485, 511, Murex, Lori Ann 4-9H, Writing Rock, 37 stages; 3.1 million lbs; gas averaged 1,038 units; 1/11 - 1/30;  t3/13; cum 22K 6/13;

This is my shorthand; it is NOT used by the oil and gas industry.

The first five data points are generally always there; after that the data points and comments may vary. The last three data points in the example above are always there also, once the well is producing.

The first data point is the permit/well file number, in this case: 24485.

The second data point, always in red bold, is the 24-hour initial production (IP) as reported by the company. It is what it is, barrels of crude oil; in this case: 511.

The third data point is the operator, in this case: Murex.

The fourth data point is the name of the well, in this case: Lori Ann 4-9H. Each operator has a unique way of naming their wells. It is a well-known parlour game to try to interpret the names.

The fifth data point is the name of the oil field, in this case: Writing Rock.

After that, the data points may vary, and they may vary in order.

In the example above:

The sixth data point was the number of fracking stages, in this case: 37. With regard to stages, 24 to 36 is pretty much the norm now for a long lateral in the Bakken; EOG is going up to 40, 50, and 60-stage fracks.

The next data point was the amount of proppant used, rounded to the nearest million (generally) pounds; in this case: 3.1 million pounds of proppant was used. Proppant is the general term for the various kinds of sand and/or the various kinds of ceramics used in fracking. Sometimes just sand, sometimes just ceramics; sometimes both are used. The well files can take time to read and I won't spend much time on them, so this data could be wrong. Generally about 100,000 lbs/frack stage; though again, EOG is testing huge amounts. The usual amount of proppant for a long lateral is 4 million lbs; EOG is using as much as 10 - 12 million lbs.

The next data point is completely unnecessary, but I sometimes post it for various reasons, in this case the measured gas units. Sometimes the units are reported all along the lateral; sometimes never reported in the geologist's summary. 

The next data point in this example is seldom posted, but when it is, it is the spud date and the date they reach total depth; in this case, from January 11 to January 30. Sometimes I post the number of days. 

Then at the end comes the stuff I always post: t3/13 is the month and year the well was tested; that was the date the IP was measured/reported.

The final data points in this example is the cumulative production as of the date note, in this case, the cumulative was 22,000 bbls of crude oil as of June, 2013. I always round the number of bbls to the nearest thousand. 

In this way, one can see how long it took to produce a certain amount of oil from the day it was tested to the date my shorthand note was updated.  

Disclaimer: I often make typographical errors which I will generally catch within a few days. Some errors are not caught unless someone points them out to me. Do not use this data as a source. If you are interested in data for a well, go to the source, the NDIC.