All's Well That Ends Well -- Shakespeare's Philosophy On Drilling In The Bakken -- November 29, 2014

Updates

October 8, 2016: it was noted that these three incredible wells were taken off-line in mid-July, 2016, and remained off-line all of August, 2016. 

December 16, 2015: production update here. 

September 6, 2015: a reader sent two photos of the first at Flatland Federal #27522. The reader noted that one individual (a male) suffered burns but recovered fully. The Williston Herald story is here, with one of the two photos sent me.

September 5, 2015: the three Flatland wells have been updated through July, 2015. The Flatland wells have been updated through July, 2015; note that all three wells are still flowing without a pump; also note the the wells have not been on-line the full time; in fact, #27520 was off-line the entire month of July, 2015; in July, for #27520, there was a report that the gas capture unit originally installed was removed; the wellpad is now selling to ONEOK's pipeline. The form said all three Flatland wells were affected.

May 5, 2015: production numbers for these three wells have been updated through February, 2015.

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The tables below are not being updated. The updates are at the links above.

Later, 9:05 p.m. CT: silly me. I didn't think of looking at the scout ticket(s) for the other well(s) on this pad. Here they are:

NDIC File No: 27520  (Whiting considers this the best well in the Williston Basin, May, 2015)
Location: LOT4 4-152-97     Latitude: 48.023199     Longitude: -103.109482
Current Operator: WHITING OIL AND GAS CORPORATION
Current Well Name: FLATLAND FEDERAL 11-4TFH
    Field: TWIN VALLEY

Monthly Sales Data:

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	4-2015	30	36976	37084	4012	67961	67354	547
BAKKEN	3-2015	31	46708	46286	4808	181103	180141	900
BAKKEN	2-2015	28	46881	47420	4187	146103	143797	2250
BAKKEN	1-2015	31	52430	52198	4093	141901	128516	13323
BAKKEN	12-2014	31	52103	51904	3664	123971	115165	8744
BAKKEN	11-2014	30	50823	51268	4155	112069	42428	69581
BAKKEN	10-2014	31	61727	60615	12213	117291	11381	105860
BAKKEN	9-2014	27	0	0	0	44	0	0

And here's the third one:

NDIC File Number: 27521 -- t10/14; cum 402K 12/16;
Location: LOT4 4-152-97    Latitude: 48.023199     Longitude: -103.109605
Current Operator: WHITING OIL AND GAS CORPORATION
Current Well Name: FLATLAND FEDERAL 11-4HR
    Field: TWIN VALLEY

Monthly Sales Data:

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	4-2015	30	19908	20005	2296	34620	34282	278
BAKKEN	3-2015	31	26998	26811	3157	100230	99670	498
BAKKEN	2-2015	28	31865	32428	3174	92376	90898	1422
BAKKEN	1-2015	31	45023	44921	3898	104257	94408	9787

Original Post

From the well file for a Whiting well still on confidential, but some information had been previously released. From the Geologic Summary:

The Whiting Oil and Gas Corporation Flatland Federal 11-4TFHU is a Twin Valley field well ... the initial phase ... is a coring pilot hole, followed by a vertical and curve, landing in the Three Forks Cycle 2 formation.

The Flatland Fed 11-4TFHU spud February 23, 2014, and reached a total depth of 21,640' MD on May 9, 2014. A month-long delay occurred when Nabors B08 caught fire on the afternoon of March 25. Nabors B15 was moved on locations April 27, 2014, and finished drilling the well.

So, how did things turn out? 

The well is still on confidential; it should come off the confidential list April 7, 2015, but here is the scout ticket (you may want to be sitting down when you look at the first month production):

NDIC File No: 27522, t12/14; cum 395K 12/16
Location: LOT4 4-152-97     Latitude: 48.023199     Longitude: -103.109728
Current Operator: WHITING OIL AND GAS CORPORATION
Current Well Name: FLATLAND FEDERAL 11-4TFHU
    Field: TWIN VALLEY

Monthly Sales Data:

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	4-2015	30	20039	20889	3286	527	467	0
BAKKEN	3-2015	31	26002	25795	3936	105743	105681	0
BAKKEN	2-2015	28	30709	30975	4245	99837	98664	1117
BAKKEN	1-2015	31	36223	35960	3947	88222	70289	17871
BAKKEN	12-2014	31	37293	36740	3799	92836	57816	34958
BAKKEN	11-2014	30	43157	43841	4865	96900	40708	56132
BAKKEN	10-2014	25	45350	44087	17581	108040	11410	96582
BAKKEN	9-2014	27	0	0	0	44	0	0

This should be a full month of production; the scout ticket shows no production in the month of September. Yes, the scout ticket says this well produced 44,111 bbls of oil in the first month of production.

Gas in the upper Three Forks was unremarkable, ranging from 11 units to 724 units. However, in the target zone, in the Three Forks Cycle 2 target zone, gas ranged from 17 to 8,500 units while drilling and in excess of 9,500 units during trips.

Nabors B08 was deemed unfit to continue work and had to be cut apart and removed from location. I am hoping that no one was injured in the fire, but nothing was said. This well is the first of two wells drilled on this pad.

The permit application states this is a Three Forks B1 well on a 2560-acre spacing unit. 

By the way, note the oil field: Twin Valley, where Whiting is setting some records with production. I track the Twin Valley oil field here.

For newbies, 44,111 bbls in the first month is huge, but it's not unprecedented for monthly production; here is what EOG has done as just one of many EOG examples.

By the way, this is what the first few months production of a Whiting record-setting well was in the same oil field, Twin Valley:

• 20589, 4,815, Whiting, Tarpon Federal 21-4H, said to have a 7,000 boepd IP; record middle Bakken (as of Feb, 2012); Twin Valley; s8/11; t10/11; cum 587K 12/16; 30 stages; 2 million lbs sand/mesh (the fourth column is monthly oil production in bbls)

BAKKEN	4-2012	30	17731	17767	1073	43340	33629	9652
BAKKEN	3-2012	31	21492	22221	1237	51368	37957	13349
BAKKEN	2-2012	29	22545	21679	1126	49092	36158	12876
BAKKEN	1-2012	31	27145	27422	1256	51227	9449	41716
BAKKEN	12-2011	31	35016	35708	1639	68022	10077	57883
BAKKEN	11-2011	30	44240	43468	2512	87053	49455	37538
BAKKEN	10-2011	20	26264	25544	13974	53817	0	53779

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Well, If This Will Keep 'Em Out Of The Malls

Being tweeted now:  'Journey for Justice' marchers pass St. Louis airport on 1st leg of 120-mile trek to state capital; the 7-day march is organized by the NAACP - @huyMach.

They could drive it in an hour and a half, and gasoline is really inexpensive now. I wonder if Al Sharpton will walk, ride, or helicopter?