Re-Fracking In The Bakken; Case Studies With MRO

Updates

Other Re-Entry Wells

• 16580, CLR, J. H. Skarphol 1-31H, Burke; Stoneview, re-entered the Bakken, 11/12; IP: 544, cum 97K 9/16; 320-acre spacing;

Original Post

 

This is a long post and it might be a bit hard to understand, but I am incredibly proud of this. Back in 2011, I came up with a list of 25 MRO wells that might be candidates for re-fracking.

I had completely forgotten about. Then a reader, tonight, sent me a note about an MRO well that was refracked.

Here's my post tonight on that subject.

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I opined not too long ago (I can't find the most recent post) that there are still debates whether re-fracks "will work" in the Bakken, and if so, how effective they will be. A reader sent in another example.

For background to this story:

• August 17, 2012:  MRO and re-fracks/re-fracking
• December 18, 2011: re-fracking wells in the Bakken
• July 31, 2011: list of 25 MRO wells that might be candidates for re-fracking

A reader sent me this note:

16729, 348, MRO, Vihon 44-8H, this was a single-stage frack. MRO went in to re-frack and damaged the casing so the well was shut down for several months until they got it fixed; t11/07; cum 299K 9/16;

So, what's the story?

This well was originally spud and completed, as a one-stage frack, back in 2007.

It was subsequently re-fracked in 2011/2012, but ran into some difficulties before everything was "fixed."

Read the following production tables from bottom to top.

Following the one-stage frack, the well was spud/fracked with one stage back in November, 2011:

BAKKEN	7-2008	31	3954	4032	1655	1802	1802	0
BAKKEN	6-2008	30	4349	4643	1536	1911	1911	0
BAKKEN	5-2008	31	4578	4110	1231	2133	2133	0
BAKKEN	4-2008	27	3840	3625	1765	1702	1702	0
BAKKEN	3-2008	27	2676	2837	965	131	131	0
BAKKEN	2-2008	29	3593	3865	1471	232	232	0
BAKKEN	1-2008	31	4530	4508	1813	742	742	0
BAKKEN	12-2007	27	5453	5385	2202	158	158	0
BAKKEN	11-2007	21	6155	5633	2854	0	0	0

Then, the re-fracked the well, sometime around the re-frack in late 2011/early 2012; the results were not good; they had problems, sort of unrelated to the re-frack per se:

BAKKEN	6-2012	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	5-2012	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	4-2012	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	3-2012	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	2-2012	1	0	0	0	3	3	0
BAKKEN	1-2012	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	12-2011	7	209	475	27	165	129	5
BAKKEN	11-2011	30	1203	1160	232	907	690	37
BAKKEN	10-2011	31	1264	1138	262	955	720	52

Once they got everything fixed:

BAKKEN	4-2013	30	6898	7191	2312	2942	2452	310
BAKKEN	3-2013	31	11101	11206	3746	4206	3361	659
BAKKEN	2-2013	7	3126	2767	1055	483	364	80
BAKKEN	1-2013	3	0	0	0	12	11	0
BAKKEN	12-2012	31	4645	4848	1569	1483	1260	43
BAKKEN	11-2012	30	11190	11629	3793	3898	3152	570
BAKKEN	10-2012	11	2487	1678	298	364	107	204

When originally posted, the well was producing about 5,000 bo per month.

Current status:

•  16729, 348, MRO, Vihon 44-8H, Bailey, t11/07; cum 299K 9/16;

There are several story lines here.

• The most important is the fact that folks like me will never know about these re-fracked wells if folks don't share their stories. 
• The second story is, of course, all the wells that might be candidates for re-fracking.
• A third story: the more success stories we have, the more "we" will know whether re-fracking is worthwhile or not. It certainly looks like it might be. 
• A fourth story: this changes the decline rates significantly, doesn't it?
• A fifth story: did EURs factor in these re-fracks?

Finally, and this is the coolest thing I've done all day. Back on July 31, 2011, I came up with a list of 25 MRO wells that were candidates for re-fracking. Some were; most weren't (not yet). But, as one example, I suggested that the following well was a candidate for re-fracking (and it was re-fracked):

• 17216, 327, MRO, Alfred Hansen 24-11H,  Bailey, t2/09; cum 124K 10/13;

This well was re-fracked some time in early 2012, note:

BAKKEN	7-2012	20	4757	4450	4468	803	476	218
BAKKEN	6-2012	9	18	0	0	66	0	12
BAKKEN	5-2012	29	4110	3922	3565	1194	462	559
BAKKEN	4-2012	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	3-2012	27	3093	3184	3711	934	516	256
BAKKEN	2-2012	11	2445	2392	77	178	59	53
BAKKEN	1-2012	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	12-2011	14	356	464	228	191	110	16
BAKKEN	11-2011	30	877	931	553	492	276	36
BAKKEN	10-2011	31	934	903	615	510

I am absolutely thrilled. I had this well, the Alfred Hansen on my list of 25 candidates for re-fracking. This was re-fracked. I'm sure there were others. I just don't have time to go through them all.

There is a lot of talk of CO2 EOR right now, but folks, there's a lot of work to do before we get to EOR. To begin with, there are 60,000 (or more) wells that need to be drilled (at 2,000/year). And that's just the middle Bakken and upper Three Forks. Add in in the lower benches of the Three Forks. Then re-fracking all the early wells that were fracked with one stage. Then, work-over of those wells that were adequately fracked but have deteriorated for some reason. Yes, as a laboratory it's nice to see folks testing CO2 EOR and water flooding, but there's plenty of work to do before we get to that.