W.F. James No. 1 (Hunton-Arbuckle) Mills Ranch Field, Wheeler County, Texas

Abstract The Mills Ranch (Hunton) Field was discovered in 1972, and a total of seven Hunton producers were drilled prior to spudding the producers were drilled prior to spudding the James No. 1 on 2-14-75. The James was drilled to 21,670' as a Hunton development well and deepened on 24,482' as an Arbuckle exploratory hole. The well reached total depth in December, 1975; 318 days after spudding. Drilling operations were reasonably trouble free except for a voluntary sidetrack that occurred at 22,308' while on a trip for a new bit at 24,092'. The well was completed as a dual gas producer with the Hunton potentialing for producer with the Hunton potentialing for 72,000 MCFD from perforations 20,747'-21,330' and the Arbuckle potentialing for 31,000 MCFD from perforations 22,918'-23,937'. Although at least one other well has produced from a greater depth, the James is believed to be the world's deepest commercial gas well. Drilling problems encountered in drilling later Arbuckle problems encountered in drilling later Arbuckle wells in the field are also discussed. Introduction The Mills Ranch Field is located in southeastern Wheeler County, Texas, in the Texas Panhandle and approximately five miles west of Panhandle and approximately five miles west of the Oklahoma state line (Fig. 1 and 2). Chevron U.S.A. Inc. is operator for the field and owns approximately 38% of the Hunton production and 43% of the Arbuckle production. The field lies to the north and adjacent to the buried Amarillo Mountains but separated by large normal down-to-the basin (Anadarko) faults, which preserved the Pre Pennsylvanian sediments. Pennsylvanian sediments covered the down-faulted blocks with conglomerates, sands and granite washes as a result of erosion of the Amarillo Mountains. Wolfcamp sediments overlie the Pennsylvanian formations (Fig. 3). Overthrusting of the Pre Penn sediments in early Pennsylvanian time formed fault blocks which Pennsylvanian time formed fault blocks which were later buried by sediments. Accumulation of hydrocarbons migrating from the Anadarko Basin were trapped in the updip fault blocks. The Mills Ranch Field is an asymetrical northwest-southeast aligned structure, with the primary pay zones being the carbonate Hunton and Arbuckle formations. The Mills Ranch (Hunton) Field was discovered in 1972, and a total of seven Hunton producers were drilled prior to the James No. 1 producers were drilled prior to the James No. 1 well. The Hunton producers are completed with a total depth of approximately 21,500'.