Developments in Pennsylvania in 1956

Abstract

Hydraulic fracturing of the Onondaga chert section of Middle Devonian age, which overlies the Oriskany sandstone, has become a standard completion practice in western Clearfield, eastern Jefferson, Indiana, and Westmoreland counties. Operators concentrated their exploration drilling in these counties during 1956. The Jacksonville field, Indiana County, with 4 completions whose initial open-flow capacities were 3,790 MCF of gas per day per well after fracturing and the one-well pool, St. Boniface Chapel, Westmoreland County, open-flow capacity 11,000 MCF of gas per day after fracturing, were the outstanding discoveries in Pennsylvania during 1956. The development of the Rockton and Reed-Deemer fields continued with 22 producers and 6 producers, respectively, completed in e ch field in fracture type reservoirs. The Hicks Run pool in the Benezette-Driftwood field was an Oriskany sandstone discovery during 1956. In the Oriskany sand gas territory of Erie County, the development of the Meade gas field was essentially brought to completion with the drilling of 34 gas wells and 11 dry holes during the year. The developed area now includes about 1,600 acres. One hundred forty-three deep wells (Middle Devonian or deeper) were completed in Pennsylvania in 1956. Eighty-one of these were gas wells, 46 were dry holes, and 16 were drilled for gas storage. Drilling activity in the shallow-sand territory of western Pennsylvania (Upper Devonian or higher) increased in 1956 over that of 1955. In all, 911 shallow-sand wells were completed. Of these, 185 were gas wells, 19 were oil wells, and 47 were dry holes. Six hundred sixty were drilled in connection with secondary-recovery oil operations. Oil production decreased from 8,505,000 bbls. in 1955 to 8,231,000 bbls. in 1956 and gas production from 123,604,000 MCF to 118,416,000 MCF.