vertical only wells in the utica?

Someone told me that Rice energy will drill some vertical wells into the Utica without horizontal legs in Belmont county. I don't see how they could make out at all when every other company is going horizontal for about 1-1/2 miles & fracking it. Has anyone else heard of this?

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Permalink Reply by Brian Powers on September 24, 2013 at 7:41am

deutchen-

I've not heard or read anything about Rice Energy's development plans, but I can say that many of the world's basins were developed with vertical wells only, fracced or not, with high angle or horizontal wells coming later in field life, often in an effort to re-vitalize production and to extend field life r never being attempted, usually due to perceived risk.

Even a planned horizontal development will require a vertical drilling component; I assert that the vertical wells are easier to drill and have about the same complexity to complete, assuming perforating and hydraulic fracturing instead or running production liners with frac sleeves.

 

Brian

Mike MurphyPermalink Reply by Mike Murphy on September 24, 2013 at 10:48am

CHIP WHAT IS BEEKMANTOWN?????

0i7okn54zwbdoPermalink Reply by 0i7okn54zwbdo on September 25, 2013 at 2:17am

It's a dolomite that has been drilled in various places in Ohio and has been productive.  

Mike MurphyPermalink Reply by Mike Murphy on September 24, 2013 at 10:44am

NOT REALLY FEASEABLE IN A SHALE FORMATION BUT MAYBE THAT IS THE ANSWER IN THE OIL WINDOW A WELL ON EVERY 50 ACRES OR SO WITH ALOT LOWER COMPLETION COST PER WELL ........GUESS TIME WILL TELL......DRILLING VERTICALS WOULD ALLOW FOR PUMPJACKS TO BE USED TO BRING THE OIL TO SURFACE .....ALOTTA LEASES WOULD HAVE TO RENEGOTIATED AND OR AMENDED ......THEN U CAN GET A NEW ADDITIONAL BONUS AND A HIGHER %

Permalink Reply by Brian Powers on September 24, 2013 at 10:55am

Mike -

Very early in my career I worked the Hugoton Field that  spanned FROM SW Kansas to the Texas Panhandle. Its where Fracing was perfected and made commercial in the U.S.

As I recall, the geology was stacked sandstone and limestone, all was "tight" (low permeability) and the wells had to be fracced to become commercially productive.

 

These wells were ultra dry ( no condensate or free oil), and had to be pumped when salt water entered the vertical section and impeded flow.

The Hugoton Field is the largest gas field ever developed in the U.S. It was 40 years old when I entered the business 31 years ago, and a lot of the wells that I worked on are still producing. It began as 640 acre spacing (one well on each section); the spacing has been reduced at least once since then and maybe more.

 

Lots of great memories were formed there, and I met my wife there, too.

 

Brian 

Permalink Reply by James Vanderink on September 24, 2013 at 11:53am
Beekmantown Dolomite. It's part of the Knox Formation which lies below the Point Pleasant/Trenton/Blackriver. See Lake Hoods post here on GMS.


http://gomarcellusshale.com/forum/topics/artex-energy
Mike MurphyPermalink Reply by Mike Murphy on September 24, 2013 at 12:18pm

SO WHAT ABOUT IT DIFFERENT TYPE OF FORMATION ........DIFFERENT FORMATIONS CAN BE DRILLED IN DIFFERENT WAYS ......DOLOMITE IS A DIFFERENT ROCK TYPE COMPLETELY THEN SHALE AND HAS DIFFERENT PERMIBLITIES AND SO FORTH ....ITS LIKE COMPARING APPLES TO POTATOES 

Permalink Reply by James Vanderink on September 24, 2013 at 12:25pm
For someone who asked an hour ago

CHIP WHAT IS BEEKMANTOWN?????

you sure know a lot about the properties of the Beekmantown.
Mike MurphyPermalink Reply by Mike Murphy on September 24, 2013 at 12:31pm

RESEARCHED IT IN THE LAST HOUR  ONLY TAKES A FEW MINUTES TO LEARN WITH A COMPUTER 

Permalink Reply by Joseph-Ohio on September 24, 2013 at 12:36pm
James,
It's just another hydrocarbon bearing interval whose depth and location vary with geographic area.
That's all I got James.
If you Google 'Beekmantown interval' you can find out more.
Permalink Reply by Joseph-Ohio on September 24, 2013 at 12:22pm
Seems to me, if the verticals are close enough to each other and the fracure jobs overlap each other / reach one another that any interval could be drained effectively but that there would be more lineal feet of pipe and casing involved.

From that perspective it would seem more expensive than long horizontal runs.

The only way it might be cheaper if the verticals were existing and perhaps only needed to be extended a little and re-fractured at the new bottom.

Don't know if an existing casing could be extended and re-used without damaging it.
Mike MurphyPermalink Reply by Mike Murphy on September 24, 2013 at 12:42pm

THE EXISTING CASING IN A WELL IS CEMENTED IN I DONT THINK THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO TO EXTEND IT DEEPER BESIDES THE EXISTING CASING HAS BEEN PERFORATED AT THE FORMATION IT IS SETTING IN NOW SO IF U TRYED EXTENDING IT U HAVE WHOLES IN UR CASING ......ANY VERTICALS INTO THE UTICA WOULD HAVE TO BE NEW WELLS IN MY OPINION  ALSO IF U LOOK AT THE PERMITS ISSUED LIST RICE ENERGY DOES NOT HAVE ANY PERMITS LISTED IN THE UTICA 

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