La. Admin. Code tit. 43 § XIX-1305

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section XIX-1305 - Order

A. On and after the effective date hereof, a permit to multiply complete a new or existing well in separate pools, where the proposed completions are in compliance with all applicable Office of Conservation statewide orders, may be obtained by submitting a complete application to drill, as outlined in Part XIX, Subpart 1 (Statewide Order No. 29-B), for each proposed completion concurrent with drilling and/or workover operations on the first completion, or at such other time as a desire to make a multiple completion is known, together with the prescribed fees in accordance with the procedure hereinafter outlined.

B. In the instance where a multiple completion is applied for, the completions must be in separate pools and the following procedure will be followed in submitting the required data for each multiple completion.

1. The applicant shall file the following in duplicate along with the appropriate fees as prescribed by Part XIX, Subpart 2 or successor regulation with the appropriate district manager:

a. application for permit to drill (Form MD-10-R);

b. location plat (as prescribed by Part XIX, Subpart 1, Chapter 1, Section 103).

2. After completion of the above well, the applicant shall file in duplicate the following with the appropriate district manager for multiple completion(s):

a. application for multiple completion (Form A.D.C.);

b. completion report (Form Comp.);

c. electric log or portion thereof of the subject well showing clearly thereon the subsurface of the separate pools in which the applicant has multiply completed the well;

d. diagrammatic sketch of the wellbore showing the mechanical installation;

e. Packer Leakage Test (Form P.L.T.);

f. Packer Setting Certificate (Form P.S.C.).

3. Any application for recompletion of an existing multiple completion shall comply with §1305. B.2 above.

C. An allowable will be granted for each completion of a multiply completed well upon the filing of all information, as prescribed in §1305. B.2 above, and after a permit to drill has been issued for each pool in which a completion has been made.

D. In the event the Commissioner of Conservation approves the multiple completion as requested, the following shall be complied with.

1. Each multiple completed well shall be tested upon completion and annually thereafter in the following matter.

a. All completions shall be shut-in for a sufficient length of time to allow wellhead pressures to become stabilized and for a minimum of two hours thereafter, and a record made of the wellhead pressure buildup in each completion during the shut-in period. At the end of this shut-in period one of the completions shall be produced at such a rate and under such conditions as may be designated by the district manager, or his representative, for a period of six hours while the other completions are kept shut-in, and a record shall be made of the pressures of all completions during the test period. Upon completion of the initial test, the procedure shall be rotated and a following test carried out as outlined above with the completion that was produced during the previous test shut-in.

b. Under unusual circumstances and conditions of the well being tested, this procedure may be altered providing the desired information is obtained.

2. The operator shall submit, in duplicate, to the appropriate district manager, Form P.L.T.

E. Should the zones approved for multiple completion become intercommunicative, the operator shall immediately repair and separate the pools.

F. Each separate completion shall be considered a separate well as to permits, allowables, fees and for all other purposes.

G. The use of selective completion equipment in separate pools is expressly prohibited except as provided herein and no work should precede approval by the Commissioner of Conservation of the application which shall be filed in duplicate with the appropriate district manager.

1. Onshore wells will only be considered for administrative approval of selective completion in separate pools where the documentation which follows clearly shows all such separate pools to be wholly contained within one lease. The application shall include the following:

a. application for multiple completion (Form A.D.C.);

b. electric log or portion thereof of the subject well showing clearly thereon the subsurface of the separate pools which applicant proposes to selectively complete in the well;

c. diagrammatic sketch of the wellbore showing the proposed mechanical installation;

d. lease ownership map showing all leases in area of the subject well and the productive outlines of the pools proposed for selective completion;

e. subsurface structure maps on each pool proposed for selective completion showing all boundaries which establish the productive outlines;

f. work permit (Form DM4R).

2. Offshore wells will be considered for administrative approval of selective completion in separate pools upon submission of the documentation required under §1305. G.1 a-f. Additionally, if the productive limits of any separate pool included in the application underlies more than one lease, the items listed below will also be required:

a. a list of the names and addresses of the owners of the leases shown to be underlain by the separate pools;

b. written concurrence of all the owners shown on the list required in §1305. G.2 a

H. Notwithstanding the provisions of the previous Paragraph, an application for selective completion may be filed with the appropriate district manager for a well that does not meet all requirements set forth in §1305. G upon showing for good cause that such request should be considered. An exceptional application of this nature will be considered for administrative approval by the Commissioner of Conservation upon recommendation of the district manager as a last resort to prevent the loss of oil and gas that could not be recovered by any other means than through the use of selective completion equipment or under other exceptional circumstances as determined to be appropriate by the commissioner.

I. In the event a well is authorized for selective completion in separate pools, the operator thereof shall continuously monitor the performance of such well in an effort to determine that the separate pools remain isolated and shall secure a work permit from the district manger before affecting a change from one separate pool to another through the use of the downhole selective equipment. Also, each such change in pool shall be considered a recompletion and all reports normally filed when recompleting a well will be required.

J. The foregoing shall supersede and replace the provisions of Statewide Order No. 29-C, and all prior amendments thereto and all prior memoranda issued thereunder and shall govern the multiple and selective completion of wells productive of hydrocarbons in the state of Louisiana.

La. Admin. Code tit. 43, § XIX-1305

Adopted by the Department of Conservation, March 1, 1955, amended June 21, 1960, September 1, 1960, June 15, 1962, March 1, 1967, September 1, 1971, amended and promulgated by the Department of Natural Resources, Office of Conservation, LR 19:766 (June 1993), amended LR 23:583 (May 1997).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 30:4 et seq.