Newsletter No. 13
Hello everyone!
Man! What a fantastic day we had last week on Wednesday!
That’s the backdrop for today’s storyline – a single-day field tour of a couple KOPX assets in West Texas. I brought one of our engineering interns, Reid, with me to the field so he would get a feel for what it’s like to get some dirt on his boots.
Hitting the road takes me back to the 70’s when I frequently tagged along with my great-grandfather as he worked the oil fields in Howard County. I also have memories of being in and around my great-uncle’s fields in Borden and Scurry Counties. Although I was young, the opportunity to be in the middle of it all was fascinating.
And with this particular journey, King’s current projects are right smack dab in the middle of my old stompin grounds. Two wells are online in Howard County with 3 in completion or drilling stage in Borden County.
It is ALWAYS good to get onsite to observe and ask questions about the drilling and completing of wells. Even after all these years as an oilman, there are new things to learn and old things worth remembering about how to make a good well.
What’s most notably different is the technology today. You can see the precise footage of your drilling…miles into the earth. You can monitor things like: pressure on the bit, the angle of the bit, the ROP (Rate of Penetration), pump pressure, and so much more. It’s amazing stuff that makes a difficult job a little less difficult.
HOWARD COUNTY
Reid and I stopped first in Howard County, Texas. We finished the frac on our second well there producing oil and gas on the initial flowback of the frac water (you have to get it out of the wellbore after cramming it in there to fracture the rock). It is a great sign for a well to flowback hydrocarbons on the initial flowback.
An ESP (Electric Submersible Pump) was installed this weekend to start producing the well at full capacity. Based on offset wells from Bayswater and High Peak, we are cautiously optimistic for this to be a great producer for the Partners.
BORDEN COUNTY
Our second stop was really 2 stops in Borden County. The first well was being prepared for perforation. This well is a shorter horizontal in the Mississippian Chert formation and will be completed within a week.
The second well is drilled and now awaiting completion in the Ellenberger formation. We will move the workover rig over to this well when we finish the first well.
The third well in Borden County is a longer lateral and we are drilling out from our 7” casing into the Mississippian Chert. We look to drill the well up to 10,000 feet horizontally after achieving the vertical portion to around 8,000 feet. Yes, this well could be 18,000 feet, over 3 miles in the ground.
I have to say, the mechanical technology is one heck of a modern-day marvel. Take for instance wellheads. In the old days, when a well was drilled and significant pressure was present, it would blow the hydrocarbons up into the sky. It took a lot of work (with a lot of waste) to get those wells under control.
In the last few decades, engineers developed wellheads.
“A wellhead is the component at the surface of an oil or gas well that provides the structural and pressure-containing interface for the drilling and production equipment.” – Wikipedia
And the tech inside these little modern marvels has become staggeringly more effective for managing a well long term.
While it was a long day, it was a brilliant day! Reid had a fantastic time. And the guys on the rig really seemed to enjoy the change in action by hosting us.
On that note, I want to acknowledge the difficulty of this type of field work. We go to great lengths to provide safe work environments.
Nonetheless, it’s dirty, physically and emotionally hard, and requires long periods of time away from family. We appreciate these men and their families more than words can really cover in a newsletter.
If compelled, please pray for our team as drilling is a 24/7, 7 day a week job! They don’t take breaks or take off weekends. Engineers and Geologists have to pay attention to operations all day long.
Pain at the pump: Gas prices increasing again | WSPD Radio Toledo, OH |
WSPD recently asked Jay Young to come on the air 🎙 in Toledo, OH to discuss the current state of gas prices in northwest Ohio.
Recommended Reads
Back in Q1 we covered the changing global economy, gold, and the future of the US Dollar. Remember the storyline about BRICS? Its a multinational alliance (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) of the fastest-growing, largest economies…excluding the US. Now, more nations want to join. Read about it here…
5 Oil-Producing Nations Ask to Join BRICS
This Op-ed was pretty interesting. Not tha we don’t already know the macro answer here, but take a look into some insights from Simon Watkins.
What Russia, OPEC, And The West Want From The New Global Oil Market
For all you builders, creators, leaders, and entrepreneurs…have you read about Nehemiah? He was an Israeli builder whom God tapped to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem. Yes, the wall was to be the tangible outcome, but this story was as much about rebuilding the people within God’s will for them. But of course any project like this requires people. And we people…we are messy! It’s really a great story about God, faith, and practical insights for working with people to accomplish a big thing. Enjoy the read…
There are some outstanding results developing in the current program… KOPX Program 4. If you are not in it, and you are accredited, it’s a good time to have a conversation! You can schedule a Zoom here.
