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By AIME AIME

The history of development of oil and gas areas in the Kirkuk field. Iraq, from the commencement of drilling in 1928 to the end of 1945. is set forth in Table I. The production of the Kirkuk field from the commencement of the use of the Iraq Mediterranean pipe line to the end of 1945 is listed at the end of Table I.

Jan 1, 1946

By J. M. Sands

Describes important developments in, four counties, all of which brought in 40° oil. Indications are favorable for the future, although the daily production of the agate decreased 19,000 bbl. during the year 1923. THE state of Kansas had a daily average crude-oil production of about 87,000 bbl. at the beginning of the year. This showed a steady but consistent decline during the 12 months, so that the daily average production at the end of the year was slightly over 68,000 barrels. GREENWOOD COUNTY THE most active development in Kansas during the year was in Green-. wood County, in a line from near Sallyards in T 25-R 9 to east of Madison in T 22-R, 11. The main part of. this development has been in a succession of pools beginning at the south with the Polhamus pool in 34-24-9 and 3 and 4-25-9; Thrall pool in 28, 29, 32 and 33-23-10; Burkett pool in. 13, 23, 24 and 26-23-10; Seeley and Wick pool in 22, 27, 28, 32 and 33-22-11 and 5, 6, 7, and 8-23-11; Frohm pool in 11, 14 and 15-22-11; Madison pool in 31 and 32-21-12 and 6, 22, 12 and 1-22-11. Some of these pools, have two or more sands, locally called Bartlesville and Burgess Sands. They range in. depth from 1850 ft. near Madison to 2450 ft. near Sallyards, the general dip being to the west. The thickness of these sands runs from 20 to 100 ft., the initial production of the wells being 50 to 1000 bbl. of 40-gravity oil or better.

Jan 3, 1924

By J. M. Sands

THE state of Kansas had a daily average crude-oil production of about 87,000 bbl. at the beginning of the year. This showed a steady but consistent decline during the 12 months, so that the daily average production at the end of the year was slightly over 68,000 barrels. GREENWOOD COUNTY THE most active development in Kansas during the year was in Greenwood County, in a line from near Sallyards in T 25-R 9 to east of Madison in T 22-R 11. The main part of this development has been in a succession of pools beginning at the south with the Polhamus pool in 34-24-9 and 3 and 4-25-9; Thrall pool in 28, 29, 32 and 33-23-10; Burkett pool in 13, 23, 24 and 26-23-10; Seeley and Wick pool in 22, 27, 28,. 32 and 33-22-11 and 5, 6, 7, and 8-23-11; Frohm pool in 11, 14 and 15-22-11; Madison pool in 31 and 32-21-12 and 6, 22, 12 and 1-22-11. Some of these pools have two or more sands, locally called Bartlesville and Burgess Sands. They range in depth from 1850 ft. near Madison to 2450 ft. near Sallyards, the general dip being to' the west. The thickness of these sands run from 20 to 100 ft., the initial production of the wells being 50 to 1000 bbl of 40-gravity oil or better.

Jan 3, 1924

By Everett Carpenter

THE average daily production of crude oil-in Kansas a1 the beginning of the year was about 71,000 1 bbl. and, at its close, 82,000 bbl.-an increase of 11,000 bbl. per day. The total production for the state during the year was about 28,250,000 bbl., or an average of practically 77,500 bbl. per day for the year. This increase in the production was the result of the discovery of several new pools of high-grade oil. COWLEY AND SUMNER COUNTIES One of the principal factors in bringing the production of the. state back to its former level was the newly discovered pools in western Cowley County. During December, 1923, the Waite Phillips Co. completed its Johnson No. 1 in Sec. 20, T. 33 S., R. 3 E., which opened up the Rainbow pool about 12 miles southwest of Winfield. In this pool, the production comes from the Burbank sand, locally called the "Rainbow," found at a depth of 3200 ft. The sand varies in thickness from 25 to 40 ft. in the seventeen wells completed during the year, and the initial productions ranged from 300 to 3000 bbl. per day of 40° Be. oil. The Rainbow pool is purely a wildcat discovery, for no. rocks suitable for the use of the geologist are present. To determine the geologic conditions, the larger companies core-drilled the Rainbow area immediately after the discovery. The Marland Refining, Co., drilling on the Graham farm in Sec. 9, T. 33, R. 3, failed to find the Burbank sand and continued to the Siliceous lime, often erroneously called the Wilcox, at 3505 ft., where a well with an initial production of 900 bbl. of 40 Be. oil was obtained. In the development following this discovery, 4 additional wells were completed, 3 of which encountered pay sand at 2500 ft., the initial productions each being about 200 barrels. Judging by the sands already proved and the area indicated as probably oil bearing by the development to date, these pools have a very promising outlook for the future. It is not unlikely that a field second only to El Dorado may have been opened.

Jan 3, 1925

By C. Max Bauer

THE most important development in the petroleum industry in Montana, during 1924, was the bringing in of the Hepp well on May 12, by the Midwest Refining Co. This followed three years of active prospecting and drilling in the state by this company. The well is located 35 miles west of Billings, in Stillwater County, and makes a high-grade paraffin oil from the Dakota sand at a. depth of 3825 ft. After flowing for several months at the rate of 150 bbl. per day, the well has been shut in for lack of storage, awaiting further development in the field. TABLE 1. Production Cat Creek and Kevin-Sunburst Fields Month Kevin-Sunburst Pipe- Estimated Cat Creek Pipeline Estimated line Runs Fuel Oil Used Runs Fuel Used January 3,214 0 133,400 140 February 3,250 0 134,248 490 March 11,989 595 163,129 910 April 116,897 1,155 125,918 980 May 179,726 2,310 152,179 770 June 126,131 2,697 122,270 910 July 132,173 2,170 118,034 770 August 202,001 2,695 142,313 1,120 September 187,201 2,135 110,012 350 October 162,589 1,995 121,683 350 November 130,392 2,520 139,900 350 December 107,465 1,780 124,169 0 Total 1,363,028 20,052 1,581,255 .7,140 There are two producing oilfields in the state-the Cat Creek and the Kevin-Sunburst, which produced a total of 2,971,475 bbl. in 1924. The only other field of proved value is Soap Creek, which contains a heavy black oil and is shut in for lack of marketing facilities. Gas is produced for local use at Havre, Chinook, and Baker, and a carbon-black plant is located at Baker.

Jan 3, 1925

By C. A. Fisher

THE advent of the Rocky Mountain States into prominence as an oil-producing region is comparatively recent. Scarcely more than a decade has passed since the number of producing oilfields in this part of the country were few and their combined yield small and relatively unimportant. However, oil was discovered and recorded near the present site of Lander, Wyo., as early as 1833 and in 1867, on the comple-tion of the Union Pacific R. R., the site of this oil discovery was located, among other things, as a natural resource of economic importance. In that year a well was drilled for oil, to a depth of 480 ft., near Evanston, Wyo., but later was abandoned. In 1883, the Lander district witnessed the successful completion of the first oil well in the state. In Colorado, oil was first produced from shallow open wells near Canon City and sold to prospectors in 1864; in 1887, the Florence oilfield was discovered and a commercial production developed. While the Rocky Mountain States have never gained the prominence as an oil-producing region attained by the Pacific Coast, Mid-Continent, or Gulf fields, a substantial and increasing production is being taken from the Rocky Mountain province. At the close of 1923, the oil industry in this region has 38 oil and 21 gas fields producing, or capable of producing, oil or gas in a commercial way with a combined annual yield of nearly 47,000,000 bbl. of oil, a daily refining capacity aggregating about 90,000 bbl., upwards of 17,000,000 bbl. of crude in storage, and an 8-in. pipeline, nearing completion, 600 miles long which will connect the most prolific oilfield of the Rocky Mountain States with a trunk pipeline between Mid-Continent and the east at Carrollton, Mo. Several of the larger standard and independent operating companies are now represented in this region and, in the last ten years, there has been developed at Casper one of the large refining centers of the west. Fig. 1 illustrates the rise in production of four of the larger fields, also in the total production of the state; in addition there is given the yield of the larger fields of Wyoming and Montana for 1923.

Jan 3, 1924

By O. C. Wheeler

In order that the series of reports on oil and gas in Colombia may be complete, the report for the year 1941, which was not available for Volume 160 of the TRANSACTIONS, is given here. The report for 1945 begins on page 4o6.

Jan 1, 1946

By ALFREDO INTZAUGARAT, MIGUEL BERRO

During the years 1943 through 1945, there was a decrease in the total oil production in Argentina. In the fields of Comodoro Rivadavia (Chubut Territory) and Mendoza and Salta Provinces, the production obtained was as shown in Table I. The only place where there was a small increase was Plaza Huincul, in the Neuquen Territory and Lunlunta, in the Mendoza Province.

Jan 1, 1946

By G. S. Hume

Activity in geological exploration and drilling continued in Canada in 1945 at about the same rate as in the previous year, but with disappointing results as far as new production is .concerned. Both in the foothills and on the Plains of Alberta, however, there are wildcat wells that have either given encouraging shows or some production, which are very important in relation to future developments. The normal decline of Turner Valley, the largest producing field in Canada, has continued, and this decrease has not been offset by new discoveries. In addition, the closing of the Canol pipe line on March 31, 1945, isolated the Norman Wells field in the Mackenzie River valley, and the outlet at present. is confined to supplying the relatively small local requirements. This

Jan 1, 1946

By Arthur Redfield

THE year 1923 was marked by slight progress in exploring and developing the petroleum resources assumed to exist in Central America. Actual drilling for oil took place only in Costa Rica and Panama. The Sinclair Consolidated Oil Corpn., through its subsidiary the Costa Rica Oil Corpn., drilled in southeastern Costa Rica.. Its, Panaman subsidiary is reported to have abandoned drilling in Bocas del Toro. The Texas Co. drilled in Chiriqui, and the Panama Gulf Co. in Garachiné, Province of Darién. No oil was obtained in any of these wells;' shows of gas were met in Costa Rica. Concession hunting continued during the year. A number of concessions, several of which appear to be purely speculative, were submitted for ratification. Some confusion has been caused by overlapping concessions and claims to oil lands, caused partly by the imperfection of existing maps. A conflict between the Sinclair, and Gulf companies in Panama has been compromised. The Amory concession in central Costa Rica, held by the British Controlled Oilfields, Ltd., was voided by decision of the arbitrator, Chief -Justice Taft. Geologic exploration took-place in Guatemala and in Panama. The chief contribution of the year to Central American geology was a description by Katherine Van Winkle Palmer of Lower Miocene foraminifera and mollusks from southeastern Costa Rica. A new petroleum law was promulgated in Panama.

Jan 3, 1924

By B. F. Zwick

No new fields have been discovered in Ecuador during 1945, though Shell. Company of Ecuador's Vuano No. 1, near Arajuno in the Oriente concession, which was reported to have drilled to .5281 ft., tested a small, noncommercial quantity of 13° gravity oil. In the upper section, the well tested large flows of fresh water and has been abandoned. Shell is preparing to move to another location.

Jan 1, 1946

By E. C. Reed

Drilling activity in Nebraska during 1945 continued to decline slightly over that of the previous year. Eight tests for oil and gas were completed during the year, of which seven were wildcats and resulted in dry holes. The eighth test, an inside location in the Dawson field of Richardson County, yielded an initial production of about 3o bbl. per day with 86 per cent water from the Hunton formation. Five wells were drilling at the end of the year, two of which were wildcats. Two of the drilling wells were deepening operations in the Dawson and Falls City fields and the third was an inside location in the Falls City field, which appears likely to result in a producer. Most of the operations were in Richardson County but two wells were drilled in Dawes and Gage Counties and one each was drilling in Holt and Washington Counties at the end of the year. There were no new discoveries of oil or gas.

Jan 1, 1946

By J. A. Bownocker

THE production of oil in Ohio, in 1924, was characterized by no marked or surprising change. Low prices and the absence of promising territory made the year quiet. As is well known, Ohio has reached a state of "settled production," and the most that can be expected for the ensuing few years is to maintain the output at approximately the present figure 1921 7,335,000 1922 6,781,000 1923 7,085,000 Geographically, the Ohio fields may be divided into three areas, each of which gets its main supply of oil from a different stratigraphic horizon.

Jan 3, 1925

By J. A. Bownocker

THE production of oil in Ohio, in 1924, was characterized by no marked or surprising change. Low prices and the absence of promising territory made the year quiet. As is well. known, Ohio has reached a state of "settled production," and the most that can be expected for the ensuing few years is to maintain the output at approximately the present figure 1921 7,335,000 1922 6,781,000 1923 7,085,000 Geographically, the Ohio fields may be divided into three areas, each of which gets its main supply of oil from a different stratigraphic horizon.

Jan 3, 1925

By O. C. Wheeler

Peru, if it is judged on a basis of its annual production rate, can be ranked seventh among the oil-producing countries of the Western Hemisphere. In 1945, as in each of the three previous years, the country again produced about 14 million barrels of crude petroleum.

Jan 1, 1946

By D. B. Williams

The end of the war in Europe and the Pacific failed to curb the upward trend of production in Venezuela,- which easily surpassed that of any previous year. The total production for 1945 amounted- to 323,369, 430 bbl., which was 26 per cent over the total for 1944, the previous peak in the history of the oil industry of the country. This increase was caused mainly by the greater demand for petroleum in the last stages of the war; the fact that the danger from enemy submarines had been overcome, which allowed all oil companies to use increased shipping facilities, and the fact that more materials were available for drilling operations. However, the materials supplied were by no means adequate and considerable credit is reflected on the Venezuelan petroleum industry for the increased production obtained by utilizing all available equipment to its fullest extent.

Jan 1, 1946

World Petroleum Consumption. By V. R. GARFIAS AND R. V. WHETSEL. (Trans, vol 107). A tabulation showing world consumption of gasoline, kerosene, gas and fuel oil, lubricants, and miscellaneous petroleum products by counties in the years 1931, 1932 and 1933 , Totals are given; for instance, Cuba consumed 3,998,000 bbl of all petroleum products in 1933, in 1933; the world consumed 1,366,291,000 bbl. of all petroleum products, etc. Domestic Production. Annual Symposium of Petroleum Division, February Meeting, 1934 (Trans, vol. 107. 181 pages.) The symposium consists of reports on petroleum and gas developments and production in the producing states of the United States. This year the statistical information is presented in a new and far more comprehensive form. The reports on domestic production are as follows: Arkansas, by B C Craft; California, by V H. Wilhelm and H. W. Miller, Colorado, by C. E. Shoenfelt, Illinois, by A H Bell, Indiana, by W. N Logan and P. Simpson; Kansas, by Marvin Lee; Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia, by V. C Smith; Louisi¬ana, by B C Craft, Michigan, by Theron Wasson; Mississippi, by B C Craft; Missouri, by F C Greene, Montana, by H. N Hickey, New Mexico, by C. E Shoen¬felt and D E Winchester, New York, by D. H. Newland, Oklahoma, by L. G. E. Bignell, J 0 Lewis and E. A Hanson, Pennsylvania, by G H Fancher, Tennessee, by L. C Glenn, Central Texas, by R B. Kelly and P R Martin, East Texas, by A R. Denison, Gulf Coast, by L P Teas, North Texas, by H B Fuqua and B. E Thomp¬son; North Central Texas, by J M. Armstrong, Panhandle, by R H Lynn and T. C. Craig, Southwest Texas, by 0. G. Bell; West Texas, by C W. Reith, Utah, by E S Shaw, Wyoming, by J G Bartram.

Jan 1, 1935

Future of State and Federal Oil Regulation. BY NORTHCUTT ELY (Trans , vol 118 2400 words) The Interstate Oil Compact, ratified by six states and Congress in 1935, replaced the petroleum code, invalidated with other codes by the Schechter decision This compact endeavors, first, to conserve reservoir energy of oil pools through substantially uniform conservation measures by the states, second, it recognizes the state rather than the Federal Government as possessing the necessary police power for that purpose, third, it establishes an interstate advisory commission, so that orderly production in one state is not penalized by uncontrolled production in another, fourth, Federal interests are recognized in the control of hot oil, regulation of imports and fact-finding forecasts of supply and demand by the Bureau of Mmes It is not as complete an instrument as proposed by the Federal Oil Conservation Board in 1932, but is workable, and will be effective in proportion to the support given it by the industry Three results may follow First, now that fear of Federal control has subsided, the industry may lose interest in the compact and let it fall to pieces, second, if vigorously supported by the industry, the compact can accomplish most of the conservation objectives sought by the Federal control measures now believed unconstitutional, third, if the Compact fails, Federal regulation is almost certain to be revived, and can probably be sustained in connection with neutrality legislation, regulation of interstate pipe lines, and coordination of Federal and state gasoline taxes Nearly every step toward governmental regulation has originated within the industry state proration, the Federal petroleum code, Federal control of imports, Federal control of hot oil are examples The Compact shows a trend toward coordination between the powers of the industry, the state government, and the Federal Government If this arrangement fails through lack of interest by the oil industry, the next step is likely to be absorption by the Federal Government of the other two factors involved in the situation

Jan 1, 1937

By A. STEPHENSON

EXPERIMENTAL work conducted at the Petroleum Engineering Laboratory of the University of California by L. C. Uren, J. Domercq, Jr., and J. Mejia has shown that small diameter wells offer tremendous resistance to the flow of fluids in their immediate vicinity. This resistance is due in part to the constriction of the area through which the fluids must pass as they approach the wall of the well, but is also accentuated by the increased volume which results from gas expansion. The latter in turn is a function of the deduction in pressure, the fundamental cause of fluid movement. If the diameter of the bore is enlarged several diameters, the capacity of the well, or the volume of fluid passing per unit drop in pressure per unit of time, is greatly increased without necessitating such high fluid velocities. The fundamental features which should be taken into consideration in the design of casing joints were stressed by J. B. Graham and E. E. Smith. These involved such points as correct thread design, high efficiency, and small diameter, together with the insurance that leakage will absolutely be prevented. The practical features of such design were ably discussed by engineers from leading steel manufacturers.

Jan 1, 1935

By Earl Oliver

SEVERAL notable papers, and free discussion on many controversial subjects, marked the various sessions of the Petroleum Division at the annual meeting. The Division first convened on Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 16, and wound up with a dinner and technical meeting on Thursday night. H. C. Fowler presided at the opening session, which was devoted to problems of engineering research and production engineering. Joseph Chalmers abstracted his paper on the flow of air and gas through porous media, in the preparation of which E. L Rawlins and D. B. Talia-ferro contributed. G. H. Fancher told how much he and his associates at Pennsylvania State College were interested in this field, and described the problems they had met in conducting test work. He made a plea for standardization of testing methods. Mr. Fowler then read an abstract of written discussion by Professor Barb, which was followed by discussion by Dr. Fancher and Mr. Chalmers of technical points in connection with the Chalmers' paper. H. H. Hill abstracted written discussion from Messrs. Wilde and Moore, of the Humble company. The second paper, by K. B. Nowels, on computing pressure drop in the pipe of flowing oil wells, was abstracted by the author. Messrs. Blair Smith, G. W. Coggeshall, and I. I. Gardescu participated in the discussion, and the chairman abstracted written discussion prepared by Mr. Rawlins. Most of this had to do with the viscosity of gas¬oil mixtures, on which subject Mr. Nowels said there was great need of accurate technical information.

Jan 1, 1932