Australia’s Quadrant Energy has noticed elevated gas readings during drilling operations on the Phoenix South-3 well, indicating the presence of hydrocarbons.
Quadrant’s partner Carnarvon Petroleum said on Thursday that the Phoenix South-3 well was drilled from around 5,210 meters measured depth (MD) down to around 5,393 meters MD through the Caley Member.
According to the company, a number of sandstone intervals were encountered in the section from approximately 5,200 meters MD to 5,300 meters MD that were interpreted to be porous.
Elevated gas readings and increased resistivity were observed across these sandstone intervals which indicates the presence of hydrocarbons.
Carnarvon added that the positive observations in this section of the well warranted wireline logging which would be undertaken from approximately 5,200 metres MD to 5,393 metres MD in order to obtain more definitive results regarding the nature of the hydrocarbons (oil, gas and condensate) and the characteristics of the reservoir within the zone of focus – from approximately 5,200 metres MD to 5,300 metres MD.
The Transocean-owned GSF Development Driller-1 semi-submersible rig is currently preparing to run a suite of wireline logging tools which will complete the drilling and evaluation of the Phoenix South-3 well.
The primary objective for the Phoenix South-3 well is to evaluate the gas and condensate potential of the Caley Member within a large, faulted anti-clinal closure that was partially penetrated with the Phoenix South-2 well .
Phoenix South-2 encountered gas and condensate in the Caley Member but was unable to drill through and evaluate the formation.
The Phoenix South-3 well, located around 560 meters north-northeast of the Phoenix South-2 well, has been designed to penetrate and evaluate the hydrocarbon-bearing formations of the Caley Member. The well will target a closure that is estimated by Carnarvon to contain a gross mean recoverable prospective resource of 489 Bscf of gas and 57 million barrels of associated condensate (being 143 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe), gross, Pmean).
Elsewhere in Australia, Quadrant Energy and Carnarvon made additional oil discoveries in the Crespin and Milne sections of its Dorado-1 well, following a recent find at the Caley formation. Carnarvon managing director, Adrian Cook , said on Wednesday that the new oil discovery made Dorado “ a truly incredible find .”