Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jack Straw on July 25, 2014 at 12:58pm

RE: "If there are multiple layers of shale that hold gas. Can they damage one layer getting the gas out another?"

No, not unless they would be foolish enough to simultaneously attempt to produce both.

RE: "Is there any specific order to drill....start deep and work to the surface or vice versa."

It is highly unlikely that they would attempt to produce both the Marcellus and Utica from a single well bore.

The vertical portion of the well is the 'cheap' part; what costs the money is the horizontal section and the fracing. Often a smaller (cheaper) drilling rig drills the vertical portion; suspending the well until the "big"  (expensive) rig comes in to drill the horizontal leg.

The Utica is deeper and therefore higher pressure than the Marcellus. Not practical to co-mingle production from Utica and Marcellus; different pressure regimes.

Multiple (separate) completions of the Utica and Marcellus in a single well bore would cost more than drilling two separate (adjacent wells (one to Marcellus and one to Utica). If things went wrong with either the Marcellus or the Utica portions ... both could be lost.

While it is certainly theoretically possible to do multiple horizontal completions from a single vertical well bore; it makes no economic sense .... it would be an expensive engineering challenge with considerable additional risks of failure. This is a case in which two wells are cheaper than one.

RE: "Can they come back to a well that is producing out of Marcellus and drill a Utica in the same well?"

Not practical; as explained above. The Utica and the Marcellus will be each exploited from separate vertical well bores.

It might be theoretically possible to exploit the Utica, and then once the Utica production is exhausted, abandon the deeper (Utica) portion of the well and 'kick out" and drill the Marcellus. But, this is highly unlikely to occur, as a Utica well should produce for 20+ years ... and the risks and challenges of re-entering the hole would likely be too great to justify.

It would not be practical to reenter an exhausted Marcellus well to deepen to the Utica ... as the well casing program for a Marcellus well might not be sufficient to allow re-entry and deepening 20-40 years later. 

What they can do (and will in all likelihood do where both the Utica and Marcellus are prospective at the same location) is drill multiple wells from the same well pad; some of the wells targeting the Marcellus, other wells targeting the Utica.

All IMHO,

                  JS

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Permalink Reply by Joseph-Ohio on July 25, 2014 at 1:51pm

JS,

How smart would it be to exploit numerous 'intervals / regimes' not from the same bore but from different bores originating from a common pad ?

That appears to me to be most economic from the developer's perspective if it could be accommodated.

It also appears to me to be a good reason for lessor's to work to obtain 'strata specific' leasehold agreements.

What's your read on that ?

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Permalink Reply by Jack Straw on July 25, 2014 at 2:20pm

Drilling multiple wells from a common pad .... the more the merrier.

Drilling different targets (Marcellus, Utica, etc.) from a common pad .... the more the merrier.

The more that can be exploited from a single pad, the better.

Temporary pipelines for the water for fracing ... fewer trucks.

Temporary pipelines for the frac return water and produced formation water ... fewer trucks.

Only one site disrupted.

The more wells drilled from a single pad. the less infrastructure spread over the countryside. Fewer pipelines, etc.

The more wells that can be drilled sequentially from a single pad the better the economics.

With a 'walking' rig - no rig-up, no rig-down .... minimal loss of time ... less time 'on the road' with trucks carrying a broken down rig. The fewer big moves, the more time spent 'makin' hole'.

The greater the efficiencies, the better the economics ..... the better the economics, the more wells that are economic .... the more wells that are economic, the more wells that will be drilled .... the more wells that will be drilled, the more royalties for the people of the Marcellus and Utica .... the more royalties for the people of the Marcellus and Utica, the more money, jobs and taxes paid in PA, WV, OH!

All IMHO,

                 JS

 

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Permalink Reply by Joseph-Ohio on July 25, 2014 at 11:55pm

Thanks JS.

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Permalink Reply by jason irvine on July 26, 2014 at 1:22am

Thanks to all for the great responses.

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Permalink Reply by searcherone on July 25, 2014 at 2:02pm

Joseph,  drilling the Utica and Marcellus from different bores on the same pad is what is being done in Monroe County in the riverfront townships.   The Stalder, the Herrick, the Dangel, and the Eisenbarth  are four examples and there are others with some in Belmont  County and one proposed for Washington County.  That is the reason when I post the Ohio permits I post the Marcellus as well as the Utica.  In the areas where this is occurring IMHO it is a highly valuable endeavor.

In the current Consol presentation they have a diagram labeled "gas factory" depicting how four strata could be drilled from the same pad.

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Permalink Reply by Joseph-Ohio on July 25, 2014 at 11:56pm

Thanks searcherone.

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Permalink Reply by James Foster on July 28, 2014 at 3:43pm

Bucey in Carroll County. Look on odnr shale drilling spreadsheets and you can see which pads have Marcellus and Utica wells on same pad. To my knowledge all horizontal wells have their own vertical well. That well also has a permit on file. How would you drill another well in an existing producing bore hole? Gas hit during drilling is dangerous so you have blow out preventor. Gas pockets hit shallow are flared off ... Like the well near salem Walmart ...Mangus. They hit gas really shallow and flared for several days.

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