ABSTRACT: The Horizontal Bakken Play in North Dakota
Clarence G. Carlson
This play began with completion of the Meridian Oil MOI Elkhorn Ranch #33-11 well in the Elkhorn Ranch-Bakken Pool in Billings County, 25 September 1987. The upper shale member of the Bakken Formation is about 7 ft thick at a depth of around 10,500 ft in that area. They used medium radius tools to complete the #33-11 well through a gross interval of 11,799 to 13,087 ft in the upper shale flowing 258 BOPD through a 12/64-in. choke. This well produced 216,123 BO with a then current rate of 234 BOPD through December 1989.
There have been 32 horizontal Bakken penetrations that no longer have confidential status. These have all been drilled near the southwest limit of the Bakken Formation with the objective of staying within the upper shale member. One well was abandoned after only 187 ft of horizontal penetration, one well has been shut in, one well is temporarily abandoned, and 29 were completed as producers. Initial potentials ranged from 11 to 439 BOPD with an average IP of 198 BOPD.
Horizontal wellbores range from 187 to 3544 ft within the Bakken Pool limits. Only three wells failed to reach 1000 ft, three wells exceeded 3000 ft, and 19 wells have exceeded 2000 ft within the Bakken Pool.
Before the advent of horizontal drilling, there had been 43 Bakken penetrations in the Elkhorn Ranch field resulting in 22 producing wells with average IPs of 65 BOPD. Meridian has drilled eight Bakken horizontal wells resulting in seven Bakken completions with IPs ranging from 94 to 439 and averaging 240 BOPD. In the nearby Bicentennial field, Meridian has drilled seven Bakken horizontal wells resulting in seven Bakken completions with IPs ranging from 11 to 427 and averaging 216 BOPD.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91002©1990 AAPG Rocky Mountain Section Meeting, Denver, Colorado, September 16-19, 1990