PETROLEUM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8119, 25 May 1906, Page 2

PETROLEUM.

HISTORY OF THE DRILLING. THE FOURTH BORE ABANDON ED. On the 16th October Mr Saraiol reported thai the result of several days' testing showed that the packer did not then effectually cut off communication in the bore from above and bolow where it was placed,—probably because of a fault at the part of the bore where it was located Ho had had (he packer taken up, and put down agai i at 1901 feet, and, on pumping, a large quantity of oil was obtainod, but mixo.l with wator in small quantity. Tho water was salt, but this ho stated was usual in the case of wator obtainod from oil wells. On October 15th, more than five barrels of pure oil had been obtained, and there was an " enormous pressure" of gas when the 2$ inch p'.pe was plugged, and it was considered unsafe to work at night. On tl e morning of the 16th, after the boro

bad beei capped during the night, thore was a large quantity of oil run off, to the extent of 50 gallons in about bJf an hour. There was then a pause of 1£ hours, and another flow of 25 gallons with not a vestige of water appearing in the oil, so that temporarily, at any rate, water was effectually shut off by the packer and the yield at least five barrels per diem. The packer ' used being of iron, the drillers recommended taking ; t up and substituting one of brass, so that it might not cor- ; rodo, and might not have to be re- ; msved, but retained in its place permanently. On October 17th Mr

Samuel reported the flow for the past 24 hours at 392 gallons, and that pumping was in progress, and the produce at the rate of eight barrels a day. The flow was subsequently intermittent, but the average was well up to eight barrels per diem until the 19th October, when the packer was taken up, on which water and oil flowed in

groat value. On the 21st, previously to patting down the new packer, it was found that there were 30ft of " cavings," so that sand-pumping had to be resorted to. After this the packer was sent down to expand at the same depth as pre piously—l9o4 feet—with a strainer at 30 feet from the bottom instead of 60ft. On pumping, neither oil nor water was obtained, and the drillers stated that the holes in the strainer were clogged, and recommended that the picker be taken up again, which was accordingly done. At this time crude oil was substituted for coal as a fuel, care being taken to pack with clay those parts of the boiler likely to be injured by the intense heat. The packer was taken up and sent down again to the same level, but with the strainer somewhat higher. Upon pumping being resumed oil was again obtained but mixed with water, gradually reducing in quantity and ceasing on the night of the 30th Octobct—3-J barrels of pure oil being obtained on that day. On tho following day, however, tho oil ceased to flow, and the drillers were of opinion that the hole had " caved " lower down and shut off the water supply. The pucker was taken up and the bore sand-pumped. Ou Ist November, there was a large quantity of oil ejected from outsido the 03-inch casing, that is, from tho 915 ft level, and it ilowed over the adjacent ground to the extent of more than ten barrels, but then ceasod. This, it may bo mentioned, continued at intervals,

during the wholo of the time that the operations of the company continued—a couple of years or so—during which oil continued to bo obtained from that bore, and to be exported in small quantities. Experimenting with the packer at various levels continued, alternately with sand-pumping to clear out tho debris which constantly accumulated at tho bottom of tho bore. Difficulties wero met with in tho way of temporary loss of tools, owing to pieces of rock becoming detatchod and jambing the drill and the sand-pump, but the tools wero always successfully recovered, although the delays were numerous. On the 3rd December, when endeavoring to recover a drill, it was found that it had " canted" over, and the drillers recommended that it should be

pushed aside and the casing sent down past it, but on the Bth tho drill was successfully brought to the surface. On December 13th, the packer having been again fixed after the well had been cleaned out, twelve barrels of pure oil were obtained by pumping, but on the following day the water ap-

peared, although six barrels of pure oil were obtained from the oil and water pumped. A day or two after, the 5-inch casing parted, and it was not recovered until January 20th, 1897, when the 5-inch casing was taken up also, and it was found that the shoe and bottom length had been damaged so as to become practically useless. This reduced the bore to one cased with 6-inch casing to 1379 ft, and with no other casing in it.

About this time communications wore opened with Pittsburg for the purchase of another engine and boiler, so as to enable two bores to be sunk simultaneously, or pumping or other operations to proceed in one bore whilst another one was drilled. The 5-inch casing was sent down, and on sand-pumping it was found that there was at least 100 ft of cavings in the bore, so that drilling hod to be resorted to. By February 3rd, the bore had been cleaned out to its total depth, by re-measurement fixed at 1976 ft, and' tho 5-inch casing had been sent down to 1931 ft, and the pump set going, when an accident happened owing to the swivel holding the 2Jincli piping broaking about 550 ft from the surface". On the sth, tho 2sinch casing was recovered, but the packer and the barro 1 and strainer and sinker were still left at the bottom of the bore. On February 25th, tho drillers still reported that they could not recover the barrel, strainer, and sinker, etc. They wore leaning on one sido of the hole, and had been pushed quite out of the perpendicular, so that the sandpump went down to the bottom of the hole. The drillers then endeavoured to obtain a renewed flow of oil, but without succoss, although a large quantity of water mixed with oil was frequently obtained. In his report of March sth, 1897, Mr Samuel wrote : "After numerous chats with McLister and Drader, and carefully considering all the circumstances attending our operations at the 1976 ft level, I am inclined to think that perhaps the drillers are right in attributing almost all the accidents to tho peculiar strata, which seem to be a conglomerate of sandstone formation with small hard boulders like raisins in a pudding When first tho hole is drilled it stands up, and when the pipe is put down with a viow to shutting off water, it does so, but in each case this is only temporary and the stuff crumbles away, bringing in small boulders of very hard stone winch jamb the tools so tightly that extremo force has to be applied to de'iach them. So with the packer—it has shut off water for a timo on several occasions, but then the pressure of water above and tho suction and force of gas below more or less quick'y work mt the friable conglomerate around the packer, and thus free communication of water is again established to the bottom of the bore. The small boulders which arc met with, and which faU in, not only jamb our tools and cause us to lose them, but doubtless leave such inequalities on tho sides of the bore as contribute to our failures to shut off water, both by casing and packing. On the 11th March, water was again shut off, and ten barrels of oil obtained in the day, and oil continued to be obtained for a week or so at a satisfactory rate, when water again showed in quantity. On the 18th March the directors shut off the derrick, and closed the bore with a stopcock, and proceeded to remove the plant to the derrick on Mrs Putt's farm, thus prac, tically abandoning their hope of ob. taining payable oil from No. 4 bore, which they had so often looked upon as a permanent and rich source of supp'y-"