Middle Bakken: Great; First Bench: Better; Second Bench: Best -- March 21, 2020

These three wells were drilled from the same pad by the same company: the deepest well, a Three Forks 2nd bench well, about two months older; used significantly less proppant (14 million lbs vs 21 million lbs) and has produced twice the amount of oil as the middle Bakken well; and almost 60% more than the Three Forks first bench well.

Months of production/BOE cumulative

• 35108, Three Forks first bench: about 7.75 months; 297,332 boe; best month: 36,639 bo
  
• 35080, middle Bakken: exactly 7 months; 243,608 boe; best month: 40,993 bo;
  
• 35081, Three Forks, second bench, 9.5 months; 464,916 boe; best month: 69,314 bo;
  

Disclaimer: in long notes like these, there will be content and typographical errors. If this is important to you, go to the source. 

These three three-lateral Carson Peak wells on this pad swing north to capture most of section 26, and then swing south through section 35, and then terminate near the south line of section 2. 

These are the three Carson Peak wells. Note: the typical length of a "standard" Bakken well is 19,000 - 21,000 (maybe, 22,000) feet. The Morris wells, for example that swing north from this pad measure about 19,000 feet MD.

Note the depths on these wells. The vertical depths (TVDs) vary by less than 40 - 100 feet between middle Bakken wells and Three Forks wells in general across the Bakken. The intervening shale seams are 10 - 30 feet thick; the targeted seams are about 40 feet thick.

Depths:

• 35080, 2,076, CLR, Carson Peak 7-35H, middle Bakken, Oakdale, t6/19; cum 207K; TD: 25,248 feet; 
• 35108, 1,824, CLR, Carson Peak 6-35H1, Three Forks 1st bench, Oakdale, t5/19; cum 252K; TD: 26,152 feet; 
• 35081, 3,556, CLR, Carson Peak 6-35H2, Three Forks 2nd bench, Oakdale, t5/19; cum 398K; TD: 25,320 feet;

Frack data:

• 35080, middle Bakken: 53 stages; 20.62 million lbs
• 35018, Three Forks, 1st bench: 54 stages; 20.67 million lbs;
• 35081, Three Forks, 2nd bench: 52 stages; 14.21 million lbs;

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Production Profile Of Selected Wells

The wells:

• 35081
• Note: Three Forks second bench
• Note: the relatively small amount of water returned compared to the huge amount of oil returned.
• Note: 44K over 15 days extrapolates to 88K over one 30-day month.
• Frack: 52 stages; 14.2 million lbs
• Notes from the file report below the production profile:

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	1-2020	31	23032	23092	7788	24143	22847	1115
BAKKEN	12-2019	31	26059	26081	9732	28697	26872	1531
BAKKEN	11-2019	30	27355	27329	10179	28958	24346	4290
BAKKEN	10-2019	31	30614	30589	11237	26902	14596	11993
BAKKEN	9-2019	30	28746	28769	11167	29551	23283	5952
BAKKEN	8-2019	31	40595	40627	15962	40748	33763	6632
BAKKEN	7-2019	31	55133	55135	22459	54834	47377	7043
BAKKEN	6-2019	30	50686	50838	22437	46191	34900	10757
BAKKEN	5-2019	31	69314	69374	33087	74737	66074	7832
BAKKEN	4-2019	15	44172	43755	17281	47768	41933	5379
BAKKEN	3-2019	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	2-2019	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	1-2019	5	1896	1896	3138	1424	0	1424

From the file report:

• target: Three Forks, second bench
• Oakdale/Rocket play 
• spud: September 9, 2018
• TD: October 17, 2018
• TD: a very deep, 25,320 feet (typical Bakken wells, 19,000 to 22,000 feet)
• almost a true three section lateral; two full sections and 75% or so of the first section where the well is sited;
• drilling operations began on September 9, 2018; H&P 535;
• geological services began September 11, 2018, at 9,060 feet;
• vertical operations completed with one planned trip and another for the curve assembly
• KOP: 10,929';
• curve drilled with a single drilling assembly; kicked off late on the morning of September 12, 2018,
• note about the Bakken shale collapse issues in this region - previously posted; shallow entrance/exit angle; no collapse issues;
• drilled out of the shoe on October 12, 2018
• lateral: completed in three runs;
• gas readings varied widely; 
• gas buster brought on line at 12,056' MD after gas readings spiked to nearly 3,000 units
• again, just after after 15,500' MD, readings often exceeded 3,000 units
• at 21,500' MD, gas began building again; 3,500 - 4,000 units; faded to around 2,500 - 3,000 units through the last 1,300'  of the well;
• depths:
• upper Bakken shale: 11,224' TVD
• middle Bakken member: 11,238' TVD (forty feet seam)
• lower Bakken member: 11,278' TVD
• Three Forks formation top: 11,295' TVD (first bench -- 43 feet seam)
• internal 1 shale top of the Three Forks: 11,338' TVD (15 feet of shale)
• Three Forks second bench: 11,353' 
• ideal target: 15.5' thick; began 6.5' below the internal 1 shale base, extended 22' below the same reference point;

Based on limited data, just as the CDC bases coronavirus case fatality rates on limited data, suggests the second bench Three Forks is going to be twice as good as the middle Bakken, and upwards of 60% better than the first bench.