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Coil tubing Cook Inlet workover completed
A small Alaska oil and gas producer, Cook Inlet Energy, recently revived a long-idled well in its West McArthur River unit for use as an enhanced oil recovery well.
The West McArthur River Unit-2A well had been shut-in since late 2001, said a Dec. 16 press release from Cook Inlet Energy’s parent company, Miller Energy Resources of Tennessee.
“The restoration of WMRU-2A will allow for a pilot water flood program which is expected to increase oil recovery rates at wells Miller presently operates in the area as well as providing backup to the current injection well,” the release said.
Coil tubing unit The well workover involved “a cost saving non-rig method that entailed the use of a coil tubing unit,” the release said. “The final coil tubing completion string was configured so that the well could be returned to production as an oil well, but converted to a water flood well without additional work on the well.
“This approach is allowing Miller to recover remaining oil before implementing the water flood program. Post workover, WMRU-2A tested at 37 BOPD and has already produced nearly 1,000 barrels of oil, which helps to offset the workover cost of approximately $500,000.”
Anchorage-based Cook Inlet Energy became an operator on the west side of Cook Inlet in late 2009, acquiring with Miller’s help a collection of assets that previously belonged to California-based Pacific Energy Resources Ltd., which liquidated through bankruptcy proceedings.
Cook Inlet Energy gradually has been restoring and enhancing production from the mostly shut-in assets.
—Wesley Loy
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