CLR To Report Huge Three Forks Second Bench Well; To Drill A Couple Of Extended Long Laterals To The Other Side Of The River -- March 9, 2016

In a long note like this, there are likely to be typographical and factual errors. If this information is important to you, go to the source. I am posting this for my own benefit to help me better understand the Bakken. No one else should use it for anything other than that purpose: an attempt to better understand the Bakken. 

Updates

May 15, 2019: my goodness, these are great wells. Production updates here: 32605 and 32606. 

April 4, 2017: wells completed; off confidential list; production updates. It appears #32606 was renamed. See below.

November 5, 2016: The following well is still on confidential status, but has this production profile -- note that this well targeted the second bench of the Three Forks -- this "three-run lateral well" was drilled in 19 days to include casing; the wellbore was in the target zone 94% of the time; horizontal was 9,852 feet long:

• 32606, 2,305, CLR, Brangus North 1-2H2/Brangus Federal 1-2H1, SWNW 26-154-94, 2200' FNL and 537' FWL, Elm Tree, 24,628', 9-5/8 inch, 46 stages; 10 million lbs; 24,942 feet, API 33-061-03939; according to FracFocus, it was fracked 7/30/16 - 8/7/17, with 8.6 million gallons of water; water, 88% of proppant by mass; sand 11% of proppant by mass, the second bench of the Three Forks, t9/16; cum 532K 10/18.

Monthly Production Data:

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	2-2017	28	26466	26511	11752	38396	36638	1537
BAKKEN	1-2017	31	31501	31527	12672	43848	43048	554
BAKKEN	12-2016	31	26533	26022	8598	35159	30589	4367
BAKKEN	11-2016	30	35708	36247	15267	49219	45399	3608
BAKKEN	10-2016	31	41898	41780	17229	57029	39988	16799
BAKKEN	9-2016	30	46934	46730	16786	50321	41850	8232
BAKKEN	8-2016	2	1392	1000	718	782	773	0

#32605 targeted the first bench of the Three Forks --

• 32605, 1,995, CLR, Charolais North Federal 1-3H1, t9/16; cum 548K 10/18; SWNW 26-154-94, 2200' FNL and 492' FWL, Elm Tree, 24,741', 9-5/8 inch, 46 stages, 10 million lbs; 24,741 feet; surface hole in section 26-154-94; bottom hole in section 10-153-94; API: 33-061-03938, according to FracFocus, it was fracked 8/7/17 - 8/14/16, with 9.1 million gallons of water; water, 88% of proppant by mass; sand 11% of proppant by mass.

Monthly Production Data:

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	2-2017	28	29471	29112	11265	45275	43935	1118
BAKKEN	1-2017	31	33296	33542	11272	49681	47084	2382
BAKKEN	12-2016	31	33811	33418	10375	46182	43032	2949
BAKKEN	11-2016	24	32850	32680	10195	39233	34657	4426
BAKKEN	10-2016	29	17916	18270	7053	25437	19344	5861
BAKKEN	9-2016	15	16429	16044	4356	11599	11216	320
BAKKEN	8-2016	2	58	0	102	8	0	0

See graphic that accompanied the permit application:

I assume the vertical will be in section 26; a directional segment will be in sections 27 and 34; and the horizontal sections will be sections 3 and 10 in the township to the south.

Also, from the application:

Original Post

 

I have to be really careful on this. I've checked it a number of times so I think I'm correct, but if I've made an error, it will be a humdinger of an error.

This is going to be a complicated note, perhaps, so bear with me.

First, note these two permits today:

• 32605, see above, CLR, Charolais North Federal 1-3H1, SWNW 26-154-94, 2200' FNL and 492' FWL, Elm Tree, 24,741', 9-5/8 inch, 
• 32606, see above, CLR, Brangus Federal 1-2H1, SWNW 26-154-94, 2200' FNL and 537' FWL, Elm Tree, 24,628', 9-5/8 inch, a Three Forks well;

Note that the TD of these two wells are in excess of 24,000 feet. As a rule of thumb: 9,000 feet down, horizontally 5,000 feet per section = 19,000 - 20,000 feet for a 1280-acre unit. Most long laterals in the Bakken are in the 20,000-foot category for 1280-acre drilling units.

When one sees TD of 24,000, one thinks these will be 3-sections long: 9,000 feet down plus 3 sections x 5,000 feet each (15,000 feet total) for a TD of 24,000 feet.

Second: note that the wells will be sited in Alkali Creek (and again, I hope I didn't make a mistake with all this) but yet the permits show them to be Elm Tree wells.

Third: note that the existing wells in that area in Alkali Creek are Hess wells.

Fourth: to me it looks like the wells are being sited in Alkali Creek (owned by Hess in this area) but will run south and take oil from the 1280-acre unit, sections 2 and 11 in T153N-R94W, in Elm Tree.

Fifth: the horizontals will have to run all the way through 35-154-94 (still in Alkali Creek) before getting to sections 2/11-153-94.

Finally, and this is way beyond my comfort zone, the perforations in the horizontal will have to be placed distally far enough to avoid "perfing" into Hess acreage in section 35-154-94.

There was a case not too long ago when an operator had to abandon a well because perforations were done too soon and were taking oil from a section it did not "own."

Obviously this is required to reach the area under the water. One other minor point, there are no 3-section / 1920-acre drilling units here, so this is either a 1280- or a 2560-acre drilling unit. I can't imagine this being a pad for 2560-acre spaced wells.

Here is a graphic of the area.

Note: I have placed very, very thick black lines showing the boundaries of Alkali Creek, Elm Tree, and Robinson Lake in this area.

Note that the proposed CLR 2-well pad under discussion will be sited in Alkali Creek, but the horizontals will run south into Elm Tree oil field (consistent with the permits).

I have an arrow pointing out Elm Tree.

All those existing wells to the north in section 26 are Hess wells. 

Extended long laterals in the Bakken are rare; there is an "extended long lateral" tag. 

If this is correct, the credit goes to a reader who spotted this and alerted me to it.

If any of this is incorrect, it's all my fault.

Do not rely on what I post if this is important to you. I am doing this to help me understand the Bakken. This is my best guess on minimal permit information. If this is important to you, go to the source, probably starting with the NDIC.