Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 43 - NATURAL RESOURCES › Part XIX - Office of Conservation-General Operations › Subpart 6 - Statewide Order No. 29-D-1 › Chapter 17 - Commingling of Oil and Gas Production Offshore › Section XIX-1705 - Order

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
A. From and after
				  the effective date hereof, permission to commingle gas and/or liquid
				  hydrocarbons and to use methods other than gauge tanks for allocation of
				  production in the offshore areas of Louisiana may be obtained without the
				  necessity of a public hearing in the absence of protests, as hereinafter
				  provided and upon strict compliance with the procedure set forth herein, and
				  upon strict compliance with the permissive minimum standards as set forth in
				  §1705. D below.
B. The
				  provisions of Part XIX, Subpart 6, Chapter 15, §1505 A, with reference to
				  the filing of required data and information, shall be incorporated in this
				  supplement order by reference.
C.
				  Notice of the filing of the application to commingle and to use methods other
				  than gauge tanks for the allocation of production, shall be mailed to the State
				  Mineral Board of the state of Louisiana, and where the field or fields made
				  subject to the application is seaward of the Zone I line as defined in the
				  State of Louisiana-United States Agreement of October 12, 1956, a notice shall
				  be mailed to the supervisor of the United States Geological Survey.
D. Should the application be for the approval
				  of the use of well tests in lieu of gauge tanks, and should the application for
				  same be approved, such testing shall be done in compliance with the permissive
				  minimum standards as set forth herewith:
1.
				  all top allowable wells shall be tested a minimum of four hours at least once a
				  month to determine productivity rate;
2. deficient wells shall be tested a minimum
				  of four hours at least twice a month to determine productivity rate;
3. wells having any erratic producing
				  characteristics that cause variable rates of flow while producing on a
				  continuous choke size, shall be tested a minimum of four hours at least weekly
				  to determine productivity rate;
4.
				  if at any time between, the regular testing periods, as outlined above, the
				  choke size of any well is changed, the time and date of change shall be
				  recorded and a productivity rate test conducted after the well has stabilized
				  on the new choke. Production allocation would be made according to these
				  various productivity rates for the time they were in effect;
5. if at any time the choke in a well is
				  changed because of wear, a test shall be conducted before the choke is changed
				  and another one after the well has stabilized on the new choke. The average
				  rate between the previous productivity rate test and the productivity rate test
				  conducted immediately after the choke change should be used to determine
				  production for this period only back to the first day of the current
				  month;
6. if the producing
				  characteristics of a well change between the regular testing periods, such as:
				  the beginning or increase in water percentage; a change in gas-oil ratio,
				  especially above the 2000/1 limit; or, considerable change in tubing pressure,
				  etc., then tests shall be made at no longer than one week intervals until
				  production again stabilizes;
7.
				  periodic spot checks should be made by members of the office, especially on
				  unstable wells, water producing wells, and high gas-oil ratio wells;
8. daily checks on individual well head
				  pressures shall be recorded and maintained by the operator of each well which
				  has been granted permission to commingle in the offshore areas provided weather
				  permits;
9. if any operator feels
				  that some other interval of testing is appropriate he may request an exception
				  to the above in writing addressed to the district manager outlining his
				  problems and suggested interval of testing. The commissioner may, upon
				  recommendation of the district manager and his staff, grant such exception as
				  he deems appropriate by special administrative order without a public
				  hearing.