Random Update On Drilling In The Bakken -- July 2, 2020

After reading several recent file reports and comparing them with countless file reports over the years, it appears that this is the typical drilling history for a Bakken/Three Forks well:

• surface rig, surface hole: maybe a day; close up shop and come back later with the big rig
• big rig:
• vertical hole: should be done with one BHA in 24 hours; often see a second BHA and taking up to 48 hours;
• after reaching the KOP, building the curve: 12 hours but occasionally up to a full 24 hours if a second BHA needed
• the lateral: this is amazing -- they are now drilling long (2-section) laterals in two days, maybe 2.5 days. If a new BHA is required, maybe four days to drill a lateral
• total drilling time: maybe as little as five or six days, although the big rig might be on site twice that long, but what amazes me is how fast they can build the curve, and then even more impressive, how fast they can drill the lateral

They then shut up shop again while waiting for the other wells on the pad to be drilled. Depending on any number of factors, they may go back in and complete (frack) the well soon after the big rig is moved off site, or they may come back months or one year later to frack/complete the well.

The fracking spread is probably on the pad for ten days, plus or minus depending on the number of wells to frack.

I think if they "had to," they could drill and complete a four-well pad in about 30 days. Two big rigs on the pad, and in ten days have all four holes drilled to depth. Then frack the four wells "simultaneously" over 10 - 20 days With infrastructure in place in most Tier 1 areas by now, once completed, the well would be recording runs pretty quickly.