STACK pilot well performance so far in 2017 is mixed as one would expect in the early stages of assessing a new play. As companies are driving closer to full-scale STACK development one thing’s for sure- companies are applying the knowledge and experience they’ve gained as they continue testing the limits of infill drilling and completion methods while creating efficiencies for future projects. In this installment of “Trackin’ the STACK” we’ll check in on the pilot well projects we’ve been following and introduce a few new projects we’ll be following for the remainder of the year.
Newfield
Newfield had few completions over the past 60 days due to their current focus on drilling multi-well pads. Consequently, we can expect to see results from their 3 STACK multi-well pads targeting the Meramec later in the year.
Earlier this quarter Newfield announced their blockbuster Burgess 1H-18 well in northern Canadian County. After nearly 60 days in production the Burgess has produced 250 MBOE, 70% oil. The Burgess was completed with the company’s new “upsized” completion formula which includes 2100 gallons of fluid and 2100 pounds of sand per lateral foot.
During the remainder of 2017, Newfield expects to run around 10 rigs in the Anadarko Basin where it will invest 85%-95% of its capital. The STACK is allocated 4-5 rigs of the 10 rigs. The company anticipates they will drill 10 multiunit well spacing units and participate in several others to test varying horizontal and vertical spacing configurations as well as individual horizontal targets. Upsized completions will continue to be tested too.
Continental Resources
The Angus Trust, Bernhardt, Blurton, Ludwig, Verona, Gillilan, and Compton pilots have de-risked significant portions of Continental’s STACK acreage. Production on the remaining Bernhardt wells were reported the last week. The 3 wells, which are part of a larger 5-well project, were completed and brought online in late February/early March of this year. When compared against the nearby Ludwig well project, the Bernhardt wells didn’t quite measure up. Continental reports the poor showing due to the thinness of the Lower Meramec zone the well were targeting. To date, the Ludwig has produced over 2 million barrels of oil equivalent from 8 wells.
Continental’s density development continues this year in the over-pressured STACK area where it plans to test 4-6 wells per zone in 6 units. All but one of these units will be targeting oil. The remaining unit will be targeting condensate. Nearly 2/3 of Continental’s STACK rigs will be focused on density work in this area.
The other 1/3 of Continental’s STACK rigs will conduct standalone tests in the over-pressured area of the STACK as it steps out further west from the Play’s original core. The company has already shown impressive results with the Swaim, Mowery, Herod, and Newsome wells, 4 standalone wells located in central/western portions of Blaine county.
Devon Energy
Thus far, Devon has experienced moderate success with its STACK pilot well programs where it has tested multi-zone and staggered intervals in the Born Free, Alma, and Pump House wells. The most recent completion was the Pump House 32_29-16N-9W 1HX was spud in September of 2016 and completed last month.
The Showboat project represents Devon’s first planned multi-zone development project in which it is co-developing 4 intervals. The parent well of the project, Showboat 10031AH, was drilled and completed in the Summer of 2015 and showed impressive results with a one-year CUM of 550 MBOE reported earlier this year. The immediate plans for the Showboat project are for drilling 25 to 30 wells across 2 drilling units at Showboat, codeveloping both the Meramec and Woodford formations. Devon sees the results of this project as a key determinant in the development, assessment and refinement of its multi-zone expansion strategy it plans to execute next quarter.
The company believes it can confidently expand westward with knowledge gained for multi-zone development through the Showboat wells. As a result, look for Devon’s operations to shift to the NW this year and its appraisal work to continue in northwest Dewey and Woodward counties. The company has been actively leasing and drilling some wells in this region targeting the Osage formation, which lies between the lower Meramec and Woodford formations.
Marathon Oil
Marathon brought their first operated infill spacing pilot, Yost, online at the end of January 2017. Yost was the company’s second industry Meramec infill pilot in the normally pressured black oil window and it’s the first standard lateral length infill there. The six wells had average 30-day IPs of 990 BOE per day, in line with our type curve. Yost successfully tested 107-acre well spacing with completions of approximately 2,500 pounds of proppant per lateral foot, yet the wells reported weaker production than many of its surrounding offset wells. Lateral length and well interference during infill operations were cited as potential causes for the pilot’s less than optimal performance.
Marathon will take their learnings from the Yost project and apply them to 3 new pilot projects this year. The first is the Hansens, a 7-well Meramec infill project testing tighter spacing (1320’) staggered spacing between the upper and lower Meramec. The recently spud Tan infill project is a 9-well pilot in the over-pressured window testing 70 acre spacing, targeting the upper and lower Meramec.
Lastly, Eve is a 7-well infill project was recently permitted and is due to complete during the 3rd quarter this year. The project wells are targeting the Meramec.
In future articles, we’ll continue following the successes and disappointments of STACK pilot projects. In the meantime, you can always reach me with questions or comments at jparker@tellusgeospatial.com.
Julie Parker has a decade of experience serving the Energy industry where she became an expert in the integration and application of geospatial technologies to exploration and production projects and workflows. Ms. Parker entered the industry in 2006 when she became the first GIS Director for Chesapeake Energy, a large independent producer of natural gas headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with operations throughout the U.S. During her tenure at Chesapeake, Ms. Parker built and lead a robust, cross-functional GIS department that gained a reputation for developing and deploying leading edge solutions for nearly all areas of the company.
