The Dunbar well in Weld County Section 4 Township 9N Range 61W showed 50,000 Barrels of oil the first year of production. This doesn’t seem that great, except this was a VERTICAL well instead of horizontal. It was also for the Lyons formation and shows a depth of 8488 feet to 8508 feet.
Codell and Niobrara are 6200 feet to 8200 feet. Have there been any horizontal wells drilled into that formation? Seems like there may be another play just underneath the Niobrara and Codell.
Horizontal drilling is advantageous when attempting to extract hydrocarbons from “Tight” rocks that don’t easily give up what they hold, i.e. shale. The Lyons is a prolific sandstone reservoir that was actually an ancient (Pennsylvanian Age) dune complex, similar to the Minnelusa up in Wyoming. It produces conventionally, meaning it has sufficient porosity and permeability that it doesn’t require horizontal wellbores or hydraulic fracturing. It is a hit-or-miss target. It is either there or it is not. Legions of geologists have spent decades looking for more of it. While I don’t doubt that there are still some undiscovered Lyons fields. it really isn’t a candidate for horizontal development.
Wonderfully Written Steve. I concur 100% about the Lyons formation dynamics. 50k bo in one year is outstanding for a vertical well. There are still some scattered sands around and if you hit them it can be very lucrative.
