Houston Chronicle By Sergio Chapa Dec. 21, 2018
A Houston oil company continues to develop expertise in drilling shallow horizontal wells near Seguin and Luling.
The Railroad Commission of Texas issued a drilling permit to Texas Petroleum Investment for a new horizontal oil well on its McLean lease about five miles north of Kingsbury in Guadalupe County. The privately held exploration and company is targeting the Luling-Branyon field of the Edwards limestone geological layer, which is roughly 2,100 feet below the surface in that part of the state.
Most horizontal drilling projects in the nearby Eagle Ford Shale drill down to vertical depths of 8,000 to 12,000 feet below the surface before horizontal drilling portion of the project begins.
With less time needed to reach a target field, horizontal drilling at shallower depths is considered to be cheaper than projects trying to reach lower geological formations. There is a trade off, however. Geological formations closer to the surface are less generally pressurized, meaning that oil and natural gas do not flow to the surface as fast as they would in well drilled deeper down. Some companies drilling shallow oil wells use water, steam or natural gas to stimulate them and get them to flow at higher rates.
More:
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/texas-inc/article/Drilling-Down-Houston-company-develops-expertise-13482002.php
