wyododge

A buddy of mine just sent me this link. It shows how oil wells are drilled, and how production is completed. They reference a measure while drilling tool, that is what I am involved in. I Tell the directional drillers where the bit is, what the inclination (degrees from vertical), and azimuth (compass direction) and depth of the drill string (TVD or true vertical depth - depth of bit from surface) are, so they can keep the drill string in the formation, or within the parameters of the well plan. There are other measurements that the instrument takes like temperature and vibration.

I thought some of you who are not familiar with the process might find it interesting. It is a fairly elementary presentation, but it is a good representation of what we are doing out here. I am not in the Bakken right now I am actually in SW Wyoming drilling for Gas. We drill what is called an S well, looks more like the outline of a chair without the back leg, but it is the same process. We just don't have a long lateral portion like in the Bakken, Gas wells are generally more vertical.

Drilling for oil in the Bakken formation

DADDY'S DIESEL

Interesting to say the least.

Scotty

Is that the area that reaches up into Saskatchewan under that shelf?
Not sure if 'shelf' is the way to describe it but I recall hearing about this huge reserve under a layer of rock lying under SK, ND and MT. Supposed to be a phenomenal amount of black gold down there, correct?

Scotty

wyododge

Yep that's it, except that the oil is green. Very Very good oil. Lots of gasoline in it too. And yes there is a Phenomenal amount of oil down there. there is a Geologist on this site somewhere, working in the Canadian portion who may be able to correct me but I believe they discovered a second formation under the first one.

klx650a2

Very interesting. There is supposed to be more oil under there than is in all of the middle east.

Scotty

I heard about the 2nd formation.

mmmm Green Gold.

thanks

Scotty

eddiebob

I have never heard or read that gas wells were generally more vertical. I thought 'S' wells were drilled for inaccessable location or for well placement in developed fields. For example: pad drilling, platform drilling, salt dome overhang. The oil shales do have great potential for development, provided the EPA does not decide the hydraulic fracturing is causing problems with the water table. Ed B

wyododge

Yes you are right, S wells are drilled on pad drilling, and for anti-collision, but any more, at least here, there are very few single well pads drilled. The S shape spreads them out to gather hydrocarbons from the entire lease. Makes for a more uniform reduction with in the formation, but that is for the geologists out there. As far as gas wells being more or less vertical, I am sure it is formation dependent. I am limited to the rocky mountain region for gas well exploration. They may do it differently in other parts of the country or world. It all depends on formation.

rockcrawler304

Very cool Jeff! Thanks for posting that

wyododge

You bet chad,

I actually talked with a buddy of mine on another rig and he told me they are drilling laterals in the gas fields in Pennsylvania. They drill with nitrogen there because the formations are porous so the drilling mud just disappears. They use nitrogen so the gas doesn't catch fire and cause 'issues'.

This is why I love the oil fields, you just never stop learning out here.

rockcrawler304

Until seeing that, I thought all wells were just verticle. Had no idea they could put a curve in them

nkennedy

Very interesting. Thanks for shareing.