Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by adubu on June 2, 2011 at 11:09

The operator of the well controls who is in unit based on the leases they or who ever they JV with to drill the well. The leases all have to be contiguous in the unit plat.( Not by survey lines)( A oil or Gas Unit can include parts of several different Survey) The spacing of the well lateral and area it will drain from is control by the geology of the formation and by the RRC Field rules. They are not allowed to drain minerals from area not in unit. From info you stated those farther away have their leases by WI owners in the well and are contiguous with Unit Plat. You must not be leased with this operator or if you are then they probably plan to include your acreage in another unit or your acreage is not contiguous with present plat unit.

Permalink Reply by Charlie Duke on June 3, 2011 at 9:33

Thanks adubu. Help my old tired head- if they are not allowed to drain from another area not in the unit, and there are areas with property lines farther away from the bore lateral than ours, how do they drain more from one side of the bore than the other? Do they have the technology that lets them frac into the shale more on one side than on the other? In my layman head when they pressure up the bore to frac it hydralically, the fractures would be a equal distance out from the bore all the way around as long as the shale formation structure is the same radially around the bore hole. Shale is a honeycomb type formation isn't it.

Appreciate the info and helping with "Pooling 101"

Permalink Reply by adubu on June 3, 2011 at 10:11

Charlie--- A Gas unit will have either the minimal acres needed for field rules for spacing of one well--i.e. 80/160  acres based on field rules for that field and can have up to 640a +/- 10% for NG or can be larger on wavier approved by RRC of Texas. So if 80 acres in 640 acre unit can possible drill 8 wells thru out unit to drain the total 640 acres. If 160 then 4 wells.  All mineral owners placed in the unit will receive royalty based on their % interest decimal in unit thru out not limited to drainage under their location in unit. If you look on line at Maps you see some units with multiple wells and list as XYZ unit well #1 xyz unit well #2 etc. You hear lots of talk that a operator will drill one well now and put as much leased acres in unit as possible so all these leases are HBP (Held By Production) and then wait later time until NG prices improve to drill another well in the unit. Now does this help you understand? Hope headache better. Each bore hole with frac can drain just so much based on formation, porosity, etc. In some formations a vertical hole with time may drain a thousand acres and others very tight formation can drain only 10 acres with frac.

Permalink Reply by Charlie Duke on June 3, 2011 at 10:22

Thanks so much adubu. That really helps my understanding.

Permalink Reply by adubu on June 3, 2011 at 10:35

charlie--- are you leased with same operator that drill well in question?

Permalink Reply by Charlie Duke on June 3, 2011 at 10:47

Yes we are, Chesapeake. The old noggin is feeling better, thinking about some catfish for supper so I must be back on track.

Permalink Reply by jffree1 on June 2, 2011 at 11:27

Charlie, which well is it?  If we could look at the plat and see what you are talking about it might help get you a reasonable answer. Lots of initial wells in a unit are along one of the boundary lines.  They are trying to set it up to leave room for the maximum number of wells in the entire unit and the spacing rule is 330' between the bore path and the unit line.

Permalink Reply by Charlie Duke on June 2, 2011 at 12:54

405-30451 Wright GU, east of SA  on the wright survey. We are on the east border Ussery survey. The pad and road has been cleared and prepared off FM 2785 (off 353), the pad is quite a bit larger than most I've seen.

Another quick ques.- Am I correct in saying that the reason all the bores around here are drilled either North or South, is that is how the formations are laying?

Permalink Reply by adubu on June 2, 2011 at 13:07

charlie-- they get better frac drainage with bores going North/South due to the bed dip in the shale