Oil pressure question

North Dakota Mineral Rights Williams County, ND
1

Is an initial reservoir pressure of 5500psi considered good?

What other data is relevant in deciding whether to drill or not?

Thanks for any input-Bill

2

Bill,

The drilling of horizontal wells In Williams County, formation pressure in the Bakken gross geologic unit is important when it is higher than the normal hydrostatic formation pressure. Abnormal formation pressure in the upper and Lower Bakken coupled with high resistivity indicates the conversion of kerogen's to hydrocarbons. Other important information to the risk takers that can be determined from surrounding wells includes oil:water ratios, natural fractures, fracking adaptability, and prior non-Bakken/Three Forks production that may have come from the Bakken deposit. Acreage control, infrastructure, net revenue interest, financial strength, cost of money, projected price of oil rig availability, and opportunity cost are also significant factors in drilling determination.

Offseting Red River, Madison, and other formations in structural traps with vertical wells, reservoir pressure is of major concern but just one of many relevant considerations for exploiting the Bakken System.

3

Thank you Gary-

good stuff-Bill

4

Gary,

If you don't mind me asking... if my ownership is in a 1280ac pool that has around a dozen old Madison wells, there may be issues with the quality of future Bakken/Three Forks wells due to loss of pressure or loss of oil into the Madison formation's previous wells? I apologize for my lack of knowledge in this area but I guess that's why I am asking.

Thanks- Garren

5

Gary L. Hutchinson

6

GH, Oil from some Madison Production wells has been analyzed by much more high powered scientists than I, to include some amounts of oil with Upper and Lower Bakken signatures or characteristics. Physicists have written that the migration from one origin of oil into another of lower pressure is possible and with enough pressure difference possible in the presence of minimal permeability. Timing of hundreds of millions of years were involved in the process of natural migration. It is possible that recent fracking of the Middle Bakken may have communicated up to the Madison but extremely unlikely in my opinion. Too many imperial zones separate the Upper Bakken from the Madison to allow migration in a short period of time. My impression.

GLH

Garren Hartman said:

Gary,

If you don't mind me asking... if my ownership is in a 1280ac pool that has around a dozen old Madison wells, there may be issues with the quality of future Bakken/Three Forks wells due to loss of pressure or loss of oil into the Madison formation's previous wells? I apologize for my lack of knowledge in this area but I guess that's why I am asking.

Thanks- Garren