Review of the EKHO-1 + 31X-10 + 66X3 Wells: -----------------
EKHO No. 1 is located approximately 45 miles northwest of Bakersfield, between the 31X-10 and the 66X-3 wells, which flowed at rates as high as 1,000 and 700 barrels a day, respectively in the early 1970’s, despite completion problems. The 66X-3 well ultimately produced 11,936 barrels of 42 degree API oil and 13 MMCF of natural gas before abandonment due to bottom hole technical difficulties. Other intervals with significant shows were left untested.
216.239.57.104
============================================================
TVOG's first prospect keys off two deep wells, including the 1972 Tenneco/Great Basins 31X-10, which for a time held the California depth record at 21,640 feet, and the 1977 Tenneco/Union/Great Basins 66X-3 well, which bottomed at 18,876 feet as America's deepest oil producer according to the February, 1999 issue of World Oil Magazine.
Kandle was vice president and chief engineer for Great Basins Petroleum from 1972 to 1981 and oversaw the drilling of several deep, high pressure, high temperature wells, including the 31X-10 and 66X-3, in California's Great Central Valley.
"We are especially emboldened by the downhole information contained in the logs of the 66X-3 well, which is loaded with oil and gas shows for an interval exceeding 10,000 feet. Reprocessing techniques and new studies have further enhanced the prospectively of this area," Kandle said.
"While Tenneco was the Operator drilling the 66X-3, I was then Great Basins' vice president and chief engineer and I am very familiar with the well and the untested potentials that it indicates despite its abandonment by Tenneco in 1977. The whole deep play is a gift from the major oil companies walking away from California as an exploration province in the last 25 years," Kandle noted.
vicpet.com.au
============================================================
The south San Joaquin Valley, and its southernmost county, Kern, is emerging as North America's hottest onshore deep exploration area. With the shallower zones having given up approximately 13 billion barrels from over 100,000 wells drilled in the south San Joaquin Valley, a tremendous deep exploration frontier exists where less than 70 wells have penetrated below 15,000 feet, and most off-structure. In some areas, there is a sediment thickness of as much as 45,000 feet with many of the prolific oil and gas producing formations diving deeper due to the extensive faulting of the area bounded by the active San Andreas Fault.
Some of the deeper wells include the Tenneco/Union/Great Basins Petroleum 66X-3, which holds the record as America's deepest oil producer at 18,878 feet. It was abandoned early due to downhole problems shortly after being completed and is now owned by Tri-Valley and the EKHO Project Consortium, which plans a later re-entry to attempt recompletion of shallower, previously untested zones.
Another nearby well, the Great Basins/Tenneco 31X-10, held the California depth record of 21,640 feet for many years and flowed 1,000 barrels a day through a crack in the lap cement before being abandoned due to completion and partner problems.
The EKHO No. 1 will offset both of these wells and the Company believes the well risk is not so much geological as it is downhole mechanical drilling and completion risk. Accordingly, Tri-Valley hired Joe Kandle in mid-1998. Mr. Kandle had been senior drilling engineer for Mobil Oil on the 20,754-foot Mobil-Tupman well on the south end of the EKHO Project and then Great Basins Petroleum's vice president of engineering on the Great Basins/Tenneco 31X-10 depth record holder and the Tenneco/Union/Great Basins 66X-3.
"These deep wells were drilled over 25 years ago and equipment and technology advances give Tri-Valley a new opportunity to get what we already know is there," said Kandle, now president of Tri-Valley Oil & Gas Co., a subsidiary of publicly traded Tri-Valley Corporation.
The conventional industry wisdom of tight sands at depth was recently overturned by the spectacular blowout of the Bellevue No. 1 at 17,646 feet on November 23, 1998.
Drilled on the northwest flank of the EKHO Project by a different Canadian/U.S. consortium, the well's "Middle East" flow rates defied numerous attempts to control it until a relief well was drilled six months later. So far, the Bellevue group has yet to obtain commercial production but is continuing its efforts under a different operator.
Tri-Valley is building on several previous tests by others and has the advantage of 25 years of industry advances as well as the experiences of Joe Kandle and his team who all drilled deep, high pressure, high-temperature wells," said F. Lynn Blystone, president and chief executive officer of Tri-Valley Corporation, the publicly trades parent (OTC BB: TRIL) of Tri-Valley Oil & Gas Co., Ekho project operator.
216.239.57.104
===========================================================
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--Further to the news release dated November 29, 1999, David Patterson Chairman of the EKHO Project consortium, provides the following progress report on the EKHO Project.
As part of their strategic planning Tri-Valley Oil and
Gas ('TVOG'), the EKHO project operator, together with its
consulting engineers identified the possibility of re-entering the 66X-3, a deep well drilled in 1974 on leases now held by TVOG.
The 66X-3 well, which bottomed at 18,876 feet, was America's deepest oil producer according to the February, 1999 issue of World Oil Magazine.
On December 6, 1999 a wellhead was delivered for installation on 66X-3. In preparation for installation of the wellhead, it was discovered that the casing at surface does not meet specifications to handle the known pressures in the hole at depth. Given the numerous obstacles that could have prevented re-entry it is fortunate that the problem was discovered early on and at minimal cost.
The consortium had been prepared to spend upwards of $500,000 to attempt to re-enter 66X-3, in anticipation of realizing significant savings in time and money over drilling a new hole. As a result of this information, TVOG has elected to commit to a new hole. The consortium has been advised by TVOG that 66X-3 is a candidate for later re-entry for shallower production as the casing appears to have sufficient strength and the logs have shown some extremely attractive shows up hole.
In order to cover all eventualities, Tri-Valley took the
precaution of contracting a deep drilling rig from Nabors Drilling Company in Bakersfield, California. Tri-Valley will now locate its initial test well between the 31X-10 and the 66X-3 wells which flowed at rates as high as 1,000 and 700 barrels a day, respectively, despite completion problems. The 66X-3 well ultimately produced 11,936 barrels of 42 degree API oil and 13 MMCF of natural gas before abandonment due to technical difficulties; other intervals with significant shows were left.
216.239.57.104
============================================================
Go EKHO-1.... Go Tri-Valley!!!
dave:)) |
