Norwest Energy Completes Hydraulic Fracture in Irwin River Coal Measures

Norwest Energy has said that the hydraulic fracture stimulation of Stage 2 targeting the Irwin River Coal Measures (IRCM) is now complete, with the well currently undergoing clean-up and flow back operations on this zone.

The primary objectives for the Arrowsmith-2 well are to test the shale gas potential in both the Carynginia Formation and the IRCM, with secondary objectives of shale gas in the Kockatea Shale, and tight gas in the High Cliff Sandstone Formation (HCSS). Stage 1 of this program targeted the HCSS, now successfully completed. In the limited time available for clean-up and flow back for this interval, the HCSS zone gave good indications of sustainable gas flow, with a peak rate of 777 Mscf/d, and an average rate of 446 Mscf/d reported by Expro over a 40 minute period when the well was diverted through the separator.

Norwest is now preparing for Stages 3 & 4 of the hydraulic fracture stimulation program – the Carynginia Formation. Two intervals will be fracced within the Carynginia, the Lower Carynginia (2890 – 2940m) and the Middle Carynginia (2824 – 2875m). Each of these two intervals will be fracced separately, and then flowed back together, with diagnostics used to identify the source of flowback at surface.