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By John M. Kelly

New Mexico produced 39,751,868 bbl. of oil in 1941 and ranked seventh among the oil-producing states. Its 1941 production established an annual record, exceeding the 1940 record year by 854,498 bbl. The average daily production for the year was 108,909 bbl. The average daily non-marginal well allowable for New Mexico on Jan. I, 1941, was 36 bbl.; at the close of the year it was 43 bbl. The average daily pipe-linc runs were approximately 3 per cent less than the allocations of the New Mexico Oil Conservation Commission, which followed closely the recommendation of the United States Bureau of Mines in setting the daily outlet demand. The production in Lea County was 34,333,448 bbl.; Eddy County, 5,009,354 bbl.; and northwestern New Mexico (San Juan and McKinley Counties), 406,306 barrels. The total number of completions in the state was 402, of which 301 were oil wells, 19 gas wells, and 82 dry holes. Drilling during 1941 was 68 per cent of 1940, and the ratio of dry holes to producers, I to 4, was the greatest since 1935. Of these dry holes 43 were drilled in proven fields and 39 were wildcats. One new oil field and one new gas field were discovered as a result of the 1941 wildcatting program. However, numerous extensions were made to the existing fields, which, although they were called extensions to proration areas, were in reality field discoveries, being on separate geologic structures. Southeastern New Mexico Lea County The Monument field was the largest producing field in Lea County, with 6,973,808 bbl. It was closely followed by the Eunice field, with 6,644,181 bbl.; Vacuum field, with 4,800,608 bbl. and Hobbs, with 3,624,159 bbl. Hobbs field, however, still has the largest total recovery, this being 97,407,929 bbl. at the end of 1941. The new oil-field discovery in Lea County during 1941 was the Salt Lake field, T. 20 S., R. 33 E. The discovery well was Leonard-Welch State No. I, NW. NW. of sec. 18, T. 20 S., R. 33 E. This well was drilled to a total depth of 3103 ft. and was completed for an initial production of 250 bbl. per day pumping. The oil is 26" gravity and the producing horizon is in the San Andres limestone of Permian age. The discovery well was completed on June 22, 1941, and since that date four more producers have been completed, with no failures. The area is about 10 miles north-west of the Lynch pool, to which the oil from this field is being trucked because there is no pipe-line connection. The greatest drilling activity during 1947 was in the Maljamar field of western Lea County, with 62 completions, 59 being oil wells and 3 dry holes. The limits of this pool are now being defined on the north and south but to date have not been defined either to the east or west. The total number of 40-acre oil-producing units in the field at the close of the year was 158. On April I, 1941, a pressure-maintenance project was installed at the southern end

Jan 1, 1942

By C. A. Hartinagel

During 1941, the total production of crude oil in New York state was 5,185,000 bbl. This represents a small increase over the average for the past five years. From 1921, when the annual production of the state amounted to only 988,000 bbl., there was a regular annual increase in production (excepting one or two years) until the 5,000,000-bbl. mark was reached in 1937, After more than 20 years of oil recovery by flooding methods, it was generally believed, until a few months ago, that the rate of production was nearly at its peak and within a few years the fields would experience a gradual decline as the thicker sands became exhausted and the thinner ones could be worked only at increasing costs. As a result of the present emergency, however, unusual efforts are being made, in spite of higher costs of operation, to increase the output of Pennsylvania grade oil, to which the New York product belongs. Since most of any increased production would be obtained by flooding, and since floods travel slowly, no large increase in production can be expected for some months to come. During the first year, 10 or 15 per cent increase could be obtained, but maximum production, an increase of perhaps 40 per cent, could not be expected until some time during the second or third year. In the Allegany fields, which account for two thirds of the state's oil production, 1246 wells, including water-intake wells, were drilled during the year; 390 more than in the preceding year and 590 more than in 1939. It is evident that much of the best oil territory has already been developed. As producers move toward edge properties and thinner sands, returns will be smaller, whereas costs remain the same or, under war conditions, become higher. It is estimated that at least 60 million barrels of oil is in sight and will be produced from the thicker sands by present recovery methods. In the thinner sands and edge properties, some 35 million additional barrels can be produced at a profit only if prices become higher. In view of the fact that there is little hope of finding new oil pools in New York, one of the future problems of the oil producer will be to obtain adequate returns for increased production costs. The year started with a posted price of $2.15 per barrel of crude. There were five successive price increases until the high of the year was reached at $2.98 on Aug. 14. Eight days later the Office of Price Administration directed that the price be reduced to the June level of $2.75 a barrel, which remained in effect to the end of the year. With rising costs of operation, it is feared that many of the smaller properties cannot continue production unless the Federal price cut is revoked. During the year, Allegany Refiners Inc., a local enterprise founded in 1933, with plant at Bolivar, western Allegany County, increased its refining capacity from 1000 to 1500 bbl. daily. At the same time equipment was added to make the plant a complete lubricating-oil refinery, including facilities for the refining of wax into the finished product. Previous to the enlargement, it was necessary to sell the wax

Jan 1, 1942

By Kenneth Cottingham

The year 1941 brought a considerable increase in drilling activity in Ohio. In 1940, the total of wells completed was 1228, whereas in 1941 it was 1561, or an increase of approximately 27 per cent. Of the 1561 wells, 333 were oil wells, 701 gas wells and 527 dry holes. The completions for the past five years are shown in Table I; the number of productive oil or gas wells for the year 1941, arranged by producing formations, are given in Table 2; the number of wells, oil, gas or dry, completed in each county in 1941, in Table 3, and wells by sands in Table 4. The production of oil increased by about 500,000 bbl. in 1941, nearly all of the increase being in Pennsylvania grade. In 1940, the total production was 3,052,000 bbl. from 25,500 wells. In 1941 the total production was 3,547,534 bbl. from 24,801 wells. The increase in production is chiefly due to the Clinton pool in Clayton township, Perry County, which is briefly men- tioned later in this review. The number of oil wells, by grades of oil, and the total quantities produced are shown in Table ;. Annual oil production for five years is listed in Table 6. The average prices paid for crude in 1941 were slightly higher than in 1940 These 1941 prices, with dates of change, are shown in Table 7. The maximum production of natural gas in Ohio was in the year 1915, when the total was just under 80 billion cu. ft. The maximum consumption occurred in the year 1916, and was approximately 169 billion cu. ft. For the past several years, Ohio has ranged from eighth to eleventh, in order of gas production for the different states, being in tenth place in 1940. In the matter of consumption, however, Ohio remains in fifth place. Preliminary figures for 1940 indicate that production of natural gas increased II per

Jan 1, 1942

By Raymond D. Sloan

Development and exploration in Oklahoma showed a definite increase in 1941 over 1940 in production, wildcat activity and total well completions. Geological and geophysical work continued and possibly increased slightly in amount. Oklahoma retained third place in the ranking of oil-producing states of the nation, topped only by Texas and California, and followed by Illinois in fourth position. Production averaged 416,800 bbl. daily, a 1.7 per cent increase, as compared with 409,900 bbl. daily for the year 1940. Maintenance of the state's relatively stable producing rate resulted from the discovery of numerous small pools, the recombing of old areas, the establishment of new producing horizons, and the drilling of an increased number of marginal wells. The market for the Mid-Continent crude was strengthened materially to meet the increased demand. Coincident with a deeline in production in Illinois, shipment of Oklahoma-Kansas crude to the eastern points averaged 453,000 bbl. per day, an increase of 49.4 per cent as compared with 1940. The movement south amounted to an average of 42,000 bbl. per day, a loss of 41.7 per cent. Secondary-recovery programs in Oklahoma were given more consideration, operators realizing that in the future many pools would necessarily have to resort to this type of operation. Five permits for water-flooding were issued by the Corporation Commission during the year. These projects were in Rogers, Wagoner and Nowata Counties, in the shallow northeastern area, which has relatively extensive development of this type in the Bartles-ville sand at from 600 to 1000 ft. in depth. Gas repressuring of an individual lease in the 35-year old Glenn pool, Creek County, proved relatively successful, and after a year's operation was extended to cover a much larger area, with several operators participating. More of this type of work is expected in the future; however, it was given an initial setback when the legislative proposal authorizing secondary recovery in the Wilcox zone of Oklahoma's largest pool, the Oklahoma City pool, was pigeonholed by the committee. A continuation of the low discovery rates within the state would possibly lead to a revival of interest in the project. Many pools formerly classified as prorated areas were removed from this classification and transferred into the group of settled production. At the close of the year the issuance of the Federal Conservation Order M-68 and the interrelated Preference Rating Order P-98 caused a sharp decline in drilling operations, which is expected to continue until such operations are stabilized at a lower rate. The ultimate effect of these two orders on discoveries, production and reserves is a matter of speculation and conjecture. During the year, 2110 new wells were drilled, an increase of approximately 18 per cent as compared with the previous year. Of the total, 1235 were oil wells with a combined initial potential of 342,754 bbl. daily, 178 were gas wells with a total

Jan 1, 1942

By Arthur C. Simmons

The State of Pennsylvania produces approximately 60 per cent of the total production of Pennsylvania Grade oil, and naturally represents the dominant factor in the area producing that grade. The producing area comprises the states of New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and a small part of Ohio. The importance of this area is too commonly neglected because it produces only 2 per cent of the total amount of crude produced in the United States. It is, of course, unimportant in its percentage of total crude production, but extremely important for its production of lubricating oil. The lubricating fraction from a barrel of Penllsylvania Grade crude oil represents about 22 per cent of the total, whereas the lubricating fraction from the total United States production represents only about 2.5 per cent of the crude oil. The Pennsylvania Grade area produces about 6,000,000 bbl. of lubricants, which is 15 to 20 per cent of the total produced in the United States. All Pennsylvania Grade lubricants are classified as "high-grade," and with a production of 15 to 20 per cent of the total lubricants, it appears probable that the Pennsylvania Grade area accounts for 25 to 50 per cent of the high-grade lubricants produccd in the United States. Production Bradford Field The production figures quoted in Table I apply only to the part of the Bradford held that lies wholly within the state of Pennsylvania; approximately 15 per cent of the Bradford field is in Cattaraugus County, New York, and 10 per cent of the production is obtained from that sector. The Bradford-field production in 1941 was 12,729,900 bbl. as compared with a production in the year 1940 of 12,748,279 bbl., or a reduction of 18,379 bbl. The year 1941 represents the fourth successive year in which production in the Bradford field has declined. All of the production from the Bradford field is obtained by water-flooding methods and increases or decreases in production are due more to economic factors than to any physical limitations of the pool, inasmuch as additional drilling of water-intake and producing wells would increase the total production of the field. It is apparent that increased drilling of oil and water-intake wells does not take place except under stimulps of a favorable price; and while oil prices during 1941 were moderately favorable, they were not sufficient to prevent a mild decline. Too many wells were drilled in the Bradford field in 1937, but this was compensated by subnormal drilling activities in 1938 and 1939 and a large increase in 1940, The increase in 1941 over 1940 was about 7 per cent. The effect of new drilling is becoming less pronounced on a per well basis because more properties yielding less per acre are being drilled than were drilled in former years. Central and Southern Pennsylvania The production in central and southern Pennsylvania amounted to a total of

Jan 1, 1942

By John T. Galey

The outstanding developments of the year in southwestern Pennsylvania were the establishment of the Summit Fayette County gas pool and the gas pool in Nicholson township, Fayette County, and Monongahela township, Greene County, as major producing areas, and the indication of four new shallow gas pools. Curtailment of drilling for shallow gas is expected to follow order M68 of the Office of Production Management. Gas completions were approximately 70 per cent higher, oil completions nearly 25 per cent lower, dry holes were unchanged and drilling wells as of Dec. 31, 1941, nearly loo per cent higher than last year. Shallow Development Oil.—Outside Butler County, only 11 producers were drilled, with a total initial of 221 bbl. The best of these was in a portion of Gilmore township, Greene County, which ordinarily produces gas. This well flowed 77 bbl. in 11 hr., along with about one million cubic feet of gas from the Fourth (U.Dev.) sand. Washington County had a 10.20 and a 25-bbl. well in Morris township and a 20-bbl. well in South Franklin township. These were all in the Fifth Sand. The price of oil to Jan. 27 was $1.80 per barrel, when a 15¢ increase was made. This was followed by a raise of 20¢ on Apr. 23, 15¢ on May 21, 20¢ on June 18 and 25¢ on Aug. 14. The last increase was canceled on Aug. 23 by the Office of Price Administration, which pegged southwestern Pennsylvania crude at $2.40 per barrel. Gas.—An almost doubled initial production of natural gas is the result of the large increase in number of wells drilled. The outstanding discovery of the year was in the vicinity of Armbrust, Hempfield township, Westmoreland County, where a well drilled to what at first was considered the Bayard sand, but what is now known to be the Fifth (U.Dev.) sand, at 2100 ft. found nearly 5 million cu. ft. of gas. Since this completion 14 wells have been finished, only one of which was dry, giving a combined total open flow of approximately 15 million cu. ft. The sand is 35 to 40 ft. thick and the saturation extends through most of that thickness. Rock pressure, which is 1040 lb. per sq. in., is abnormally high. An area of only about one square mile has been proven but some of the 24 new wells drilling as of Dec. 31 will no doubt extend it considerably. This development has taken place in an area heretofore considered to have had little prospect. There were three good wells in other parts of Westmoreland County. One well in Franklin township, which had 12 million cu. ft, of gas in the Fifth sand, was entirely surrounded by dry holes but is still pro- . ducing at a high rate. In Bell township a 1.6 million cu. ft. well was found in the Speechley (U.Dev.) sand and in Washington township the same sand produced 2.7 million cu. ft. with shut-in pressure of 970 Ib. at 2820 ft. This well is offset by two dry holes and one well with a capacity of only 10 M cubic feet.

Jan 1, 1942

By C. E. Shoenfelt

Jan 1, 1942

By Kendall E. Born

Production of crude oil in Tennessee during 1941 was slightly more than 15,000 bbl., about the same as in the preceding year. Two thirds of the total was from the Mississippi limestone pools in Scott and Morgan Counties. About a dozen small scattered wells in Clay, Pickett, and Fentress Counties, pumped irregularly, produced approximately 5000 bbl. Natural gas was marketed from wells in Morgan and Fentress Counties for consumption in the Sunbright and Jamestown areas, respectively. The production by counties is shown in Table I. Drilling activities in the state fell to the lowest stage since 1933. Twenty-seven wells were spudded in during 1941, of which six were drilling or only temporarily suspended on Dec. 37, 1941. Of the 22 completions, four were gas wells of undetermined quantity, but are classed as commercial, and 17 were dry or near-dry holes. One well encountered oil, but it has not been tested. The total footage drilled during the year was 29,916 ft.; the average depth of wells was 1359 ft. The more important wildcats are listed in Table 2; the distribution of tests according to physiographic divisions is given in Table 3. East Tennessee.—One well was drilled to 3480 ft. in northwestern Anderson County, in the highly disturbed Appalachian area, a region long considered the most unfavorable in the state for the accumulation of oil and gas. Another test is now drilling below 2000 ft. in this general area. Cumberland Plateau.—There were two completions in the Cumberland Plateau area. One test, drilled in northwestern Scott County in an area of former Mississippi limestone production,' encountered a considerable amount of free oil at 850 ft., about the same horizon as in the old abandoned wells. No pumping tests have been made to date. A well at Oneida, Scott County, found gas at 1579 ft. in a sandy limestone of lower Mississippian age. The volume was reported doubled by a shot, although no open-flow measurement is available. Eastern Highland Rim.—Six completions on the eastern Highland Rim resulted in two small gas wells in Fentress County, which will be used to augment the supply for Jamestown. The producing horizons are shaly limestones of Ordovician (Trenton) age. Two wells in this area tested the upper part of the Knox dolomite group, one of which encountered some free oil in a sandy dolomite at 1670 to 1681 ft. A test high on a well-defined structure in Clay County found a considerable amount

Jan 1, 1942

By Jr. D. C. Williams, D. V. Carter

The four new oil-field discoveries made in the East and East Central Texas districts during 1941 were the East Long Lake field, Anderson County; Pickering field, Shelby County; Pleasant Grove field, Rusk County, and Tri-Cities field, Henderson County. The discovery of oil production in the Pettit lime of the Lower Glen Rose was made in the Groesbeck (Barron) field in Limestone County and the Willow Springs field in Gregg County. Important extensions were made to the Pittsburg field, in Camp County, the Chapel Hill field, in Smith County, and the Hawkins field, in Wood County. The Hawkins field was extended sufficiently to more than double the number of proved surface acres. As usual the East Texas field led the district in the number of completions for the year. The second most active field during the year was the Hawkins field, with 250 new wells completed. The third most active was the Long Lake field, in which 50 wells were completed. Approximately 964 wells were completed in the district during 1941. Production and Probation The district is credited with having produced 163,566,695 bbl. of oil and distillate during the year. This represents a decrease of 4 per cent from the 170,424,685 bbl. of oil and distillate produced during the preceding year. The production of 130,378,620 bbl. of oil and distillate from the East Texas field represents 79.7 per cent of the total production of the district; that is, 6.3 per cent less than the production for the year 1940, The district had an estimated basic daily allowable of 614,982 bbl. of oil on Dec. 31. Approximately 33 per cent of the state's annual production was produced in the district, compared with 34.9 per cent for 1940. Since the majority of the fields in this district are subject to proration, any change in the annual production is attributable largely to changes in proration schedules and number of shutdown days. Fields subject to shutdown days were closed in for 113 days during the year, with the exception of the East Texas field, which was shut down 111 days. An order was promulgated by the Oil and Gas Division of the Texas Railroad Commission for encouraging the disposal of salt water and reservoir-pressure maintenance in the East Texas field. Discoveries Tex Harvey Oil Company'sNo. I S. E. J. Cartmel was completed as the discovery well for the East Long Lake field, Anderson County. Production was found in the Woodbine sand, the horizon from which the Long Lake field produces. The Pickering field, Shelby County, secures its production from the Nacatoch sand, found at an approximate depth of 1510 ft., in A. E. McKiernan's No. I, Pickering Lumbering Co. This field is in an area near the state line in which a number of relatively unimportant and

Jan 1, 1942

By Jack F. Harang, P. B. Leavenworth

Development during the year 1941 on the Texas Gulf Coast resulted in the dis covery of 27 new fields as compared to 26 fields for the year 1940. Drilling.—During the year, 1405 wells were drilled. Of this number, 1031 were completed as oil wells with 375,000 bbl. daily of new production; 50 were com pleted as gas wells and 324 were failures. The most active area was Jackson County, where 375 wells were drilled and 336 of them accounting for 190,000 bbl. daily of new production. Types of Fields.—Of the 2 7 new fields, 14 are considered to be oil fields, 8 are listed as gas-distillate fields and 5 as gas fields. This may be compared to 26 fields found in 1940, of which 14 were oil fields and 12 gas-distillate fields. Producing Sections.—Frio discoveries retained their predominant position by having 10 Frio fields discovered in comparison to 6 fields in the Wilcox, 4 in the Yegua, 5 in the Miocene and 2 in the Jackson. In the previous year 15 Frio fields were found, 4 in the Wilcox, 2 each in the Yegua, Cook Mountain and Miocene, and I in the Jackson. Production.—Production increased over 1940 approximately 10 per cent, being 113,726,893 bbl. for the year 1941 and 104,127,247 bbl. for 1940. The statistics in Tables I and 2 include distillate and condensate as oil production because no separate reports have been compiled. It is hoped that this separation may be possible some day, but as a great many fields produce both oil and distillate and these arc commingled in pipe lines, separation of statistics will be more difficult than for other areas. New Fields Big Hill, Jefferson County.—Stanolind Oil and Gas Company's No. I George D. Anderson was completed as a gas well from a Frio sand at 8705 to 8720 ft., on Dec. 24, 1941, after having been drilled to a depth of 9500 ft. Additional development is being carried on but it is not possible to evaluate this discovery at this time. Brushy Creek Field, Lavaca County.— Shell Oil Corporation's No. I D. G. McManus was completed as the discovery well in the Brushy Creek field on Oct. 29, 1941, from a Wilcox sand through perforations at 7225 to 7230 ft., making gas and 180 bbl. of 59° gravity distillate. This well was bottomed at 10,998 ft. in the Wilcox. No statement can be made at this time as to the importance of this discovery. Chenango Field, Brazoria County.—J. N. Rayzor et al. completed their No. I Sarah J. Christian through perforations at 8564 to 8572 ft. in a Frio sand, for 453 bbl. of 37.7° gravity oil, on Feb. 6, 1941, after having drilled to 9564 ft. Several wells were drilled in this area during the year but failed to establish important production. This is considered a minor discovery. Clodine Field, Fort Bend County.—Providence Oil Company's No. I Hatfield was the discovery well of the Clodine field, being completed through perforations at 7499 to 7502 ft. for 108 bbl. of 51.2° gravity distillate, on June 19, 1941. The well was bottomed at 8090 ft. Several wells

Jan 1, 1942

By Edgar G. Hill

Much has been written and said recently about the methods used and materials and equipment employed in building the long tubes that criss-cross a great part of the United States, like the pattern of a spider's web. This paper will discuss the fundamentals of design of these lines from the economic as well as the engineering viewpoint, pointing out the effect of the volumes transported, and the load factor, on the unit costs of transportation, as well as the effects on costs of the character 01 the fluids the lines are called upon to handle. Generally speaking, crude-oil pipe lines carry oil from the producing fields to the refineries. Sometimes part of the journey is by pipe line to a coastal point and tank ships are employed for the rest of the trip. The main lines of directional flow of crude oil through pipe lines in the United States are shown on Fig. I, but this, of course, does not always show individual pipe lines. Basic Formula for Flow OF Crude Oil The laws governing the flow of crude oil through pipes are well known. The basic

Jan 1, 1942

By R. V. Whetsel, V. R. Gargias, J. W. Ristori

WoRld consumption of petroleum and its substitutes in 1941, the amount of which obviously is largely conjectural, is estimated at 2,066,653,000 bbl. This is 48,689,000 bbl. more than the previous year and is an all-time high. Except for the United States, this figure does not include consumption for military purposes. Consumption in the United States also reached an all-time high during 1941, totaling 1,492,000,000 bbl., or 158,230,000 bbl. more than the previous peak year of 1940. On the other hand, it is estimated that civil consumption in countries outside of the United States decreased 109,541,ooo bbl. as compared with the previous year. Demand for military purposes and/or additions to stocks in countries outside of the United States is estimated at 304,507,000 bbl. during 1941, compared with 209,635,000 bbl. in 1940. This increase was due largely to blitzkrieg warfare on several fronts. especially Russia; entailing large expenditures of petroleum by both sides because of the immense area covered by the fighting forces, the long supply lines necessary and the intensity of the fighting. It is interesting to note in this connection that Axis-controlled countries, excluding Japan, had an estimated production of approximately 89,000,000 bbl. of petroleum and its substitutes in 1941. The peacetime consumption of these countries in 1938, for example, was about 183,000,000 bbl. It is believed that the minimum to which civil consumption could possibly be re-duced in wartime is 20 per cent of that of peacetime, which would call for a minimum consumption of 37,000,000 bbl. in these countries in 1941 for civil purposes. This

Jan 1, 1942

By William H. Spice

The area on which oil and gas development is reported covers 30 counties, which are included in the Texas Railroad Commission's District No. I. This area not only includes the old established Balcones fault-line group of producing fields but also includes the southwest extension of this trend and some of the deeper Wilcox (Eocene) exploratory development. (Fig. J.) In the old Balcones fault-line zone, three new fields were discovered during 1941. These fields are comparatively small, producing from Dale limestone or Austin chalk. No new fields were discovered during the year in the Edwards (Lower Cretaceous) limestone horizon. One new shallow field was discovered in the Reklaw (Eocene) sand horizon and, in the southwestern part of the district, one oil field and one gas field were discovered in the Navarro (Upper Cretaceous) sand horizon. An extremely important extension was made to the one producing Wilcox (Eocene) field of the district in the Washburn Ranch field of La Salle County. The district produced 6,650,357 bbl. during 1941, which was a 12 per cent decrease under production for 1940. Approximately 4,954,000 bbl. of this total production was produced by the three Edwards limestone fields, Luling, Salt Flat and Darst Creek, the remaining production coming from the other 43 active fields in the district. In all, 3694 wells were producing at the end of 1941, compared with 3559 wells at the end of the previous year. During the year, 139 new producing wells were completed and 29 wells were abandoned in the producing fields. The increase in producing wells represents an increase in new wells over abandonments in these fields, together with a decrease in wells temporarily shut down as of the end of 1941. The majority of production drilling was carried on in the following fields; Bee Creek, Chicon Lake, Elm Creek, Gas Ridge, Pearsall and Tenney Creek. Approximately 250 wells were drilled during 1941, of which 110 were exploratory wells completed as failures throughout the district. Considerable exploratory work was continued during 1941 along the Wilcox trend. Geophysical work employing various types of geophysical methods and leasing activity was continued along this trend, particularly by the major companies. The significance of this activity is apparent from the successful extension and development in the Washburn field of La Salle County, where several well-developed gas-and-oil producing horizons have been developed in the lower Wilcox section between 5100 and 5600 ft. as noted in the following paragraphs. Continued exploratory activity along this general trend as far as present conditions will permit is predicted for 1942. New Fields Elgin Field, Bastrop County.—No. I-A Hiram Walker, Marts and Beaven, Inc., discovery well of the Elgin field, was com pleted on Apr. 22, 1941, in broken Austin chalk from 2820 to 2840 ft., pumping 105 bbl. per day, 36.8°A.P.I. gravity. The well apparently is producing from a crevice in

Jan 1, 1942

By James J. Halbouty, Michel T. Halbouty

Drilling activity in the South Texas area, which includes the South Corpus Christi and Laredo districts, showed a marked decline during 1941 from that of the preceding year. The rate of new discoveries, however, 'compared favorably with exploratory results of 1940 because of the many new productive sands opened in existing fields. South Texas completions for 1941 were about 12.3 per cent below the 1940 figure, compared with an increase of approximately 5.5 per cent in the total number of completions in the United States during 1941 over the 1940 total. During the year, 1452 wells were drilled in this area; of these, 1205 were drilled in or as extensions to the proven fields, and 247 were rank wildcats drilled in search of new producing pools. The comparable 1940 figures were: 1320 field or extension wells and 336 rank wildcats, a total of 1656 completions. This represents a decline in 1941 of approximately 8.7 per cent in proven-area wells, and of about 26.5 per cent in rank wildcats. It must be stressed that wells that were considered rank wildcats at the beginning of operations, but which opened production later classified as additions to existing fields, are not regarded as rank wildcats in this and previous annual reports on this same area. These wells are classified as semiwildcats (Table 2). There were 13 new oil or distillate fields and 4 new gas areas opened during the year, as listed in the next column. This listing represents a decline of 32 per cent from the 25 new areas found during the previous year, and to a great extent can be attributed to the 26.5 per cent decline in wildcatting. The rate of new discoveries based on the 247 wildcats was 14.5 to I, which compares somewhat unfavorably with the 13.4 to I ratio obtained in 1940 (Table 5). Dry wildcats totaled 230. The proof of the prolific character of the South Texas area as a source of petroleum reservoirs is to be found in the fact that of the 1205 field or extension (semiwildcat) wells completed during the past year 61 opened production from new sands or found crude in formerly distillate-producing sands. The 1940 total of 1320 such wells accounted for 50 horizons that provided either new production or crude in distillate sands, and in this respect the 1941 rate of discovery shows to greater advantage, the ratios for new sands being 19.7 to I for 1941 and 26.4 to I for 1940. The 1205 field or semiwildcat wells completed in 1941 resulted in 926 oil or dis-

Jan 1, 1942

By William T. Schneider, Taylor Cole

Drilling in West Texas during 1941 was more active than in any year since 1937, a total of 2325 wells having been drilled. Pre-Permian exploration was the greatest in the history of the area; 106 wells tested pre-Permian formations during the year. Wildcatting reached the peak since 1937, with 135 wildcats, of which 20 per cent were producers. The wells were drilled to a greater average depth than in any previous year. Slim-hole drilling was the common practice, using drilling equipment that is largely portable. Because of deeper drilling, more attention was paid to mud fluids, especially the use of materials to reduce water filtration. There has been slight improvement in the protection of the pay horizons while drilling by the use of reverse circulation, and drilling-in with oil as well as low water-filtration muds. The practice of setting and cementing the oil strings through the producing formation and perforating opposite the pay zones has increased in the fields producing from sands. It is doubtful whether this practice is of unusual value in dolomitic limestone fields. There have been few if any technological improvements in obtaining necessary information on the pay sections penetrated, by coring, core analyses, better sampling, and more detailed drilling time. However, more operators are beginning to realize the necessity of good samples. For a proper study of the reservoirs in West Texas, it is essential that better samples be obtained, that more core analyses be run, and that better methods of obtaining drilling time be initiated. It should be noted that increased drilling speeds and slim-hole drilling have tended to reduce coring and core recovery and have not aided in obtaining good subsurface samples. In fact, fast drilling speeds and slim-hole drilling have reduced the cost of drilling operations, but with the sacrifice of much needed subsurface information. Larger quantities of slower-reacting acid are being used per well. There has been improvement in shooting, in that a greater number of quarts per foot have been used and an attempt has been made to concentrate the shots opposite the pay zone. The use of mud logging to determine the characteristics of the pay section increased considerably over the year 1940. There has been a slight increase in obtaining reservoir information in the new fields, such as bottom-hole sampling, bottom-hole pressures, and records of gas, oil, and water withdrawals. However, there is great need for more data on these subjects, particularly accurate information regarding gas and water volumes. There are three repressuring projects and a fourth is nearly ready for operation in the Kermit field. There is one repressur-ing project in the Payton field and one in the North Ward field. So far, the gas-injection projects have not shown very impressive results. As yet, there are no water-flooding projects or water-disposal projects in West Texas. Not including gathering lines within the fields, 222 miles of feeder pipe lines were

Jan 1, 1942

By David B. Reger

The expansion of the previously discovered gas pools and an intensified search for additional pools in the Oriskany and deeper sands were the principal petroleum activities in West Virginia during 1941. One small oil pool was discovered and another was considerably extended. One small gas pool was discovered, several isolated well discoveries were expanded into definite pools, and various recognized pools were substantially increased. The proved oil territory of the state was increased about 600 acres and the proved gas territory about 45,000 acres. The new discoveries of oil did not equal withdrawals but gas reserves added were greater than gas withdrawals. Oil activity, as in the past several years, was slight because of unfavorable crude prices. Most operators prefer to leave oil in the ground rather than to drill for it without a better return. Gas activity increased greatly because of better demand, even though the price of gas did not improve. The account of operations, as gathered from trade journals and other reporting services, shows that 838 new wells were drilled, resulting in 114 new oil wells with 2606 bbl. of daily new production; 558 new gas wells with 949,226,000 cu. ft. of daily open flow; and 166 dry holes. Also, 86 old wells were drilled to deeper sands with 9 bbl. and 56,030,000 cu. ft. of added production. On the new wells the oil average was 22.86 bbl. per well per day; and the gas average was 1,701,000 cu. ft. per well per day. On new wells the ratio of dry holes to completions was 13.61 per cent. On deeper drilling to other sands the ratio of failures was 15.12 per cent. From an exploratory standpoint one strictly new oil pool (Higginbotham Run) was opened in Kanawha County and one strictly new gas pool (Lost Run) in Taylor County. One entirely isolated wildcat gave commercial Oriskany-sand gas production and may open a pool. Various other wildcats greatly extended the boundaries of known Oriskany-sand gas pools and various others may have opened new pools in the shallow sands. On the other hand, various Oriskany tests in Harrison, Monongalia, Roane and Wood Counties were dry and all five tests to the White Clinton sand (Sil.) in Boone, Harrison, Kanawha and Wood Counties failed to find commercial production. The principal oil wells completed, by counties, were: Calhoun, 24; Clay, 7; Gilmer, 6; Hancock, 9; Kanawha, 9; Pleasants, 10; and Ritchie, 14. Production for the year was estimated by the Oil Weekly as 3,421,000 bbl., compared with U. S. Bureau of Mines final figures of 3,444,000 bbl. in 1940. The leading counties in gas-well completions were: Boone, 32; Braxton, 19; Cabell, 16; Calhoun, 46; Clay, 20; Gilmer, 37; Jackson, 94; Kanawha, 82; Lincoln, 17; Putnam, 46; Ritchie, 33; Upshur, 20; and Wayne, 33. Production for the year is estimated by the author as 210,000,000,000 cu. ft., as compared to the U. S. Bureau of Mines' final figures of 188,751,000,000 cu. ft.* in 1940.

Jan 1, 1942

By T. R. Armstrong

Total crude oil production in Mexico in the year 1941 is estimated at approxi- mately 41,000,000 bbl.; a daily average of 112,700 bbl. and a decrease of about 5 per cent as compared with the daily average of 120,000 bbl. produced in the year 1940, and nearly 11 per cent decrease as com-

Jan 1, 1942

By G. S. Hume

The largest development program in the history of Alberta was undertaken in 1941 in an effort to increase oil production. The drilling record is as follows: In Alberta there was the largest exploratory campaign for oil in the history of the Province, although drilling of wildcat wells was somewhat less than in the previous year. A great deal of geophysical work was done. This included three gravimetric and five seismic parties as well as a number of geological survey parties by the major oil companies and by the Geological Survey of Canada. Seismic work was done by one party in southern Saskatchewan. The production of petroleum in Canada is shown in Table I. About 98 per cent of the total production comes from Alberta and the yield of the various fields is shown in Table 2. The greatest developments in Turner Valley have been in the north end. In 1941 about two miles of new productive area was proved by drilling, extending the field to a length of 20 miles. The wells at the

Jan 1, 1942

By J. E. Brantly

In October 1939, a drilling program was commenced on the Atlantic seaboard of Brazil, with three steam rotary rigs of medium capacity. One of these was assigned to the State of Alagbas and the other two to the State of Bahia. During the remaining few months of 1939 and during the year 1940, some eight wells were drilled, two in Alagbas and six in Bahia. Two small producers were found in the latter state. In early 1941 three medium-weight Diesel rigs were added to the equipment, thus permitting the drilling of some 15 wells during the year 1941. The two small producers found in 1940 in the State of Rahia were near the city of Silo Salvador. In 1941 three additional small wells were brought in, in the same area, and a further producer on an isolated structure some 75 km. to the northwest of this production. No commercial production has been found in the State of Alagbas. Approximately 26 wells have been drilled or are drilling, six of which are producers— five in one area and one in another. The program for 1942 calls for the development of the two areas in which wells have been found and also the drilling of several wildcat structures located either by geophysics or surface geology. All production in the area of the several producing wells is somewhat less than 2000 ft. and in the other area about 3800 ft. The area of the several wells is known as the Lobato field, and is practically within the city limits of Sao Salvador. The area 75 km. northwest of the city will be known as the Candeias field.

Jan 1, 1942

By Mario L. Villa

During the year 1941, there was another increase in the production of oil in Argentina, to which the fields in the Comodoro Rivadavia zone in the Territory of Chubut and those of the Provinces of Salta and Mendoza all contributed. The total production for this period reached 22,013,472 bbl., which represents an increase of 6.8 per cent over that of 20,609,538 bbl. in the preceding year. This result is again attributable to the Government oil company, the Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales, which had a total production of 14,006,559 bbl. representing an increase of 1,531,904 bbl., or 12.3 per cent over that of the 12,474,655 bbl. of the year before. The other companies

Jan 1, 1942