April 1998 Vol. 219 No. 4  Exploration

J. John Grow,  Engineering Editor

Exploration well, volcano and a sacrificial chicken

The modular concept for workover / platform drilling rigs is not new or considered innovative. Moreover, land rigs are routinely modified for operations in shallow-water platform drilling or workover operations. The Tortuga L2S, a mudslide / conventional platform drilling rig, was once a land rig and converted for platform drilling / workover. It was erected at a 17º angle, to accommodate an existing crane and access to all the well slots, on the Kelt Victoria Cameroon platform, the smallest platform offshore West Africa.

The Tortuga, being modular in design, has recently been stacked onto barges and moved back to dry land. Its destination is Mount Cameroon, a shield volcano inactive since 1982, which rises 13,288 ft from the floor of the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean. This African location is where Sundowner Offshore Services, a Nabors Industries Co., was contracted to drill a 4,500-ft exploration well for Elf Serepca.

Kelt Victoria Cameroon platform offshore Africa. The rig was erected at a 17° angle to accommodate existing crane and provide well slot access.

Once the chiefs of the area villages and drilling foreman worked out the logistics of roads and location for docking the living quarters, rig-up was completed in 83 hours. Of course, actual drilling was not commenced until the local "witch doctor" performed a tribal ritual, with local natives in attendance.

This was an unordinary event for the local inhabitants, and as it turned out, for the rig crew. All of the neighboring tribes were notified of the festivities that included dancing and chants; and a sacrificial chicken was in order. The witch doctor threw plucked chicken feathers from the sacrifice to the winds for guidance and approval of the rig's existence on their land. Of course the ceremony ended with the witch doctor's approval since most local tribes would benefit from the well's existence, no matter which way the wind blew.

GHP Exploration completes testing at West Delta 78. GHP Exploration Corp. announced that testing operations have been completed on its West Delta 78-1 well in the GOM.

The company has drilled to 16,925 ft TVD and encountered multiple potential pay sands.

The well, completed in a Miocene sand between 16,762 and 16,780 ft TVD, flowed in excess of 2,000 bopd, on an 11/64-in. choke with a flowing tubing pressure of 7,890 psi. Production facilities are currently being designed, with first production expected before year-end. This production test information is being incorporated with well log and seismic data to determine the best way to exploit the identified additional potential that remains on the West Delta 78 block.

Also, GHP's Winfield Ranch 17-1E well on the South Fort Stockton, Texas, prospect has reached a depth of 3,000 ft, and 13-3/8-in. surface casing is being run. The well is being drilled to the Ellenburger formation at a proposed 26,000-ft TD. Additionally, testing operations on the Sud Nefta NF-1 well in Tunisia are ongoing; however, the well is being run as a "tight hole" by the operator and therefore no information is available.

GHP engages in exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas in the U.S. and internationally with operations and interests in acreage in the GOM, West Texas, Egypt and in Tunisia.

Seismic work slated for 390 mi² offshore Eastern Canada. The Schlumberger Geco-Pracla marine vessel Geco Orion, deployed in 8-streamer mode, is expected to begin 3-D seismic work in June, as contracted by Petro-Canada. The 11,800-ft (3,600-m) streamers will be towed in a 2,300-ft (700-m) wide spread resulting in an acquisition footprint of 8,300 ft (2,520 m) in the Jeanne D'Arc basin covering the Riverhead concession and adjacent areas.

Cave Gulch Federal 1-29 deep test well in the Wind River basin, Natrona County, Wyoming, operated by Barrett Resources Corp. of Denver, has been connected to a sales line with a gas production rate of about 40 MMcfd with flowing pressures of about 10,900 psi, from about 18,175 ft.

Prior to drilling, a survey was conducted by Amalgamated and MSP Technologies utilizing the companies' new Electrotelluric technology (a device that measures naturally occurring, passive, extremely low frequency electromagnetic waves that pass through the earth). This Electrotelluric survey was accurate in showing possible depths of hydrocarbon-bearing formations and also indicated a high-pressure formation that was encountered. Currently, Barrett is permitting four additional deep test wells in the Cave Gulch field.

Amalgamated Explorations Inc. is a Denver-based independent natural gas, oil, and mineral exploration and production company. Amalgamated also owns MSP Technologies and the new Electrotelluric hydrocarbon depth detector. Amalgamated's properties are located primarily in the Rocky Mountain region of Wyoming, Nevada, Montana, Colorado and Utah.

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