Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1939-03-18

their chief attention to rotary tools and
rigs and ii will become more and more
difficult to buy the old standard equip
ment, for the reason that Montana is
one of the few places in the country that
has not turned to rotary drilling This
state has had little rotary equipment of
the latest type. We know mOthing
about what it will accomplish. II is
significant that a little portable rotary
rig, mounted on a Ford truck, has drill
led 24OO feet of hole at PendrOy When
this rig came in 1t was referred to as
the thinker toy rig'-because il is so
small and looks so fragile. Vet it has
demonstrated that light rotary can be
used in this country although it might
take the drilling of several wells to dis
cover the proper types of bits and other
equipment Certain it is that when we
come to drill into and through the Madi-
son lime, rotary tools must be used.
That d;.y is at hand.
Likewise, the day is at hand when
light rOtaries will be used in both Cut
Bank and in Kelvin In the latter field
they will probably drill a 4-inch hole.
run 3-inch tubing above the formation
acidize and put the well ON production,
pumping i'm the 3-inch tubing which
would represent all the investment in
casing. These wells may not last as
long as the older wells, but they will
make much greater profit per well
drilled.
Acidization makes this possible, to-
"ethcr with other production sciences
that have been developed. Every Oper-
atOr. excepting possibly two or three. in
Kevin-Snnburst field has adopted new
production methods, utilizing back pres
to oil
bow well to flow wide open, knowing
that it turns to water I'm due course of
time. They have learned furthermore,
that they should not pump well at
capacity. They know that il is better
to maintain back pressure to hold back
the water.
Acidization has meant and will mean
millions of dOllOrs to Montana oil pro-
ducers and royalty owners, vet this
science is still in its infancy. We have
been told of new science that is COM
ing: directionaI acidization. 1t is still
a secret in the laboratories of the large
chemical companies but is being demon
stFated in oil field experiments. This de-
vice makes it possible for an operator
to actually drill a hole out and away
from a well drilled into the lime. 1t has
not been perfected but 1t has actually
as A feet away from the drill hole. 49,
As we understand 1t, the process is
relatively simple: The acid is forced
through flexible tubing under terrific
force. The acid eats away the lime and
the flexible tubing follows into the hole,
and I'm one experiment of which we
heard, "A feet OF the flexible tubing
was forced back into the side wall Of
the well.
The science of directiOnaI drilling rs
already fact. The electric eye" will
in due course of time be developed so
that an operator can drive a hole lat
orally In any direction. If he gets a
dry hele. he can drive out to one
side. until he finds crack or fissure =
in the lime containing oil. That oil DOES
occur in cracks and assures Is some
thing that is now an accepted fact, so
the possibilities of this device mean
mach to north Montana lime fieIdssA -
All these and scores of other .new ie
mean that olp~@aok can
drill and produce oil at a lesser cost per
barrel. His profits will depend on his
ability to reduce the cost of drilling and
producing the crude. Certainly his pro-
tits are going to increase.