The Austin Chalk—Drilling and Completion Techniques—Marcelina Creek Field Study

Abstract Exxon Company, U.S.A. has spent considerable time and effort learning how to minimize formation damage in the lost returns prone and clay sensitive Austin Chalk formation. To date, Exxon has successfully drilled 24 Austin Chalk wells in the Marcelina Creek Field in Wilson County, Texas, utilizing a variety of drilling and completion techniques in an effort to determine the optimum method of drilling and completing Austin Chalk wells. This paper describes these different techniques and reviews actual results. Although Exxon has not concluded which drilling and completion technique yields optimum Austin Chalk wells in this field, this paper attempts to develop a correlation between well productivity and the type of drilling and completion technique used.