Great video on how they drill the Bakken wells.
This is an excellent video. (use F11 key for full screen when video
begins for best results)
For those of you that haven't been following oil development in North
Dakota, the Bakken shale underlies about the western third of the state
and is estimated to contain over 500 Billion barrels. Yes that is
Billion - not a typo. For comparison, Saudia Arabia has 25 billion and
Alaska about the same. Recoverable with current technology is apparently 20%
although two companies drilled two laterals in the same section in
Mountrail County last summer. Up until those, the procedure was to go
down vertically in one corner of a section (square mile) and drill
horizontally (the lateral) at a diagonal across the section. (The
closing scenes in the video are not Bakken wells - the wells are too
close together.) One lateral in each section taps into a very small
amount of the shale formation. Multiple laterals in one section may
substantially increase the recoverable amounts. I've seen the Bakken
crude and seen chemical analyses of it - it is very close to kerosene or
diesel fuel - some of the sweetest crude in the world.
Initial production from the Bakken wells ranges from 300 to 2400 barrels
per day depending on location since the shale seems to be different in
different areas.
The Sanish-Three Forks shale is immediately below the Bakken and
underlies all of North Dakota. The Bears Den shale is below that and it
also appears to underlie all of North Dakota. No estimates on total oil
in either of these yet. All three of these formations extend into
Montana and Saskatchewan.
http://www.northernoil.com/drilling.phpYou find out who your friends are when you see who shows up to help pack your bull out!
This is an excellent video. (use F11 key for full screen when video
begins for best results)
For those of you that haven't been following oil development in North
Dakota, the Bakken shale underlies about the western third of the state
and is estimated to contain over 500 Billion barrels. Yes that is
Billion - not a typo. For comparison, Saudia Arabia has 25 billion and
Alaska about the same. Recoverable with current technology is apparently 20%
although two companies drilled two laterals in the same section in
Mountrail County last summer. Up until those, the procedure was to go
down vertically in one corner of a section (square mile) and drill
horizontally (the lateral) at a diagonal across the section. (The
closing scenes in the video are not Bakken wells - the wells are too
close together.) One lateral in each section taps into a very small
amount of the shale formation. Multiple laterals in one section may
substantially increase the recoverable amounts. I've seen the Bakken
crude and seen chemical analyses of it - it is very close to kerosene or
diesel fuel - some of the sweetest crude in the world.
Initial production from the Bakken wells ranges from 300 to 2400 barrels
per day depending on location since the shale seems to be different in
different areas.
The Sanish-Three Forks shale is immediately below the Bakken and
underlies all of North Dakota. The Bears Den shale is below that and it
also appears to underlie all of North Dakota. No estimates on total oil
in either of these yet. All three of these formations extend into
Montana and Saskatchewan.
http://www.northernoil.com/drilling.phpYou find out who your friends are when you see who shows up to help pack your bull out!
