Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on March 4, 2010 at 4:14

fred. The first question to ask, is it really a Cotton Valley well? See link below:

http://www.gohaynesvilleshale.com/profiles/blogs/cotton-valley-and-...

And yes, there are Cotton Valley horizontal wells completed in the actual CV zone that are quite productive. However, the Cotton Valley is a "conventional" reservoir as opposed to the Haynesville Shale which is an "unconventional reservoir". In layman terms that means that the HS is productive across a wide, contiguous aerial area and the CV is not. The CV is productive here and there but no everywhere in between.

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Permalink Reply by Spring Branch,mineral owner on March 4, 2010 at 6:52

They also might drill a horizontal CV well because the company, for example Questar, might have the Cotton Valley rights in a certain Section but not the deep (Haynesville) rights and their geology indicates that a horizontal Cotton Valley might be quite lucrative as to IP and EUR. Remember that horizontal drilling of the Cotton Valley was going to be the "next big thing" before the Haynesville came along. Goodrich and others have indicated that some of their horizontal CV wells could have 3-5 BCF reserves. Well worth drilling for.

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Permalink Reply by Les Bamburg on March 4, 2010 at 17:04

Skip, some parts of the Cotton Valley is considered to be unconventional because it is tight sandstone.

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Permalink Reply by Augetter on March 4, 2010 at 8:06

Horizontial wells are going to be used more and more as time goes by. As more rigs capabile of horizontal drilling become available the cost of these wells will diminish. If you have a reservoir that is 640 acres in area and can be recovered fully with one or two horizontials instead of 16 verticals, the horzontials are more economic considering the support structure that would be needed for the 16 verticals. Saudi Arabia is using multi laterial horizontials that are producing 10,000 bpd. They are refered as maximum reservoir contact wells.

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Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on March 4, 2010 at 8:33

Augetter, in your opinion are all formations in the Ark-La-Tex good candidates for horizontal wells?

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Permalink Reply by Augetter on March 4, 2010 at 14:48

I don't think that all reservoirs are aminable to using horizontials. It certainly would depend a lot on the porosity and permability of the formation. A formation with high permability may be more economic using verticals, particulary if the reservoir is small in areal extent but have significant thickness.

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Permalink Reply by Les Bamburg on March 4, 2010 at 17:09

Augetter, some very thick tight formations such as those present in the Jonah and Pinedale Fields are better suited for vertical completions. The same is true for the original core of the Barnett Shale.

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Permalink Reply by The_Baron on March 4, 2010 at 9:43

The types of wells being used in Saudi Arabia are not practical in all geologic formations.

Also, differerent types of rock frac (or don't frac, just ask EOG) in different ways.

The driliing cost, at least in the few horizontal wells i have been involved in, is not as inflated as people may think. The simple fact is that the time required to drill 15,000 feet of hole, through rock that is deep, hard, overpressured, and hot...Rock that requires the use of oil based drilling fluids...not to mention lots of very large pipe is going to be expensive, no matter how many rigs are running around.

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Permalink Reply by Les Bamburg on March 4, 2010 at 17:11

Fred, some areas of the Cotton Valley Formation are excellent candidates for horizontal wells and can have better economics than some of the Haynesville Shale wells.

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Permalink Reply by Bobi Carr ("parker") on March 4, 2010 at 18:08

Les,

Do I remember correctly that at one time there was even mention of a Hosston well that was horizontal. I recall that it was not as deep as CV but it may not have been Hosston.

I have also heard mixed opinions about horizontal wells in the Haynesville sand. Aren't there areas where horizontal wells are a possibility in the haynesville sand?

Also, what are the characteristics that make the CV a better candidate for horizontal drilling?

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Permalink Reply by Les Bamburg on March 4, 2010 at 18:34

Parker, I am sure you should be able to find some horizontal Hosston/Travis Peak wells around NLa/ETx.

There are areas of low permeability Haynesville Sand that might be candidates.

Generally a formation might be a candidate if lower permeability, not heavily faulted, large areal extent and bounded by natural frac barriers. Foremost, it needs to generate better economics with horizontal wells to justify additional cost and risk.

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