Steam injection has quick payout in Wilmington field

One of the industry's most successful steam-injection operations is a year-old project being conducted in California's huge Wilmington field. With a 50-well history to date, the operators have found that: (1) Payout on $14,000 to $16,000 steam jobs is averaging about 3 1/2 mo. with some returning the cost in 4 weeks. (2) Six months after steaming, long after the injected heat has been dissipated, the typical well has a settled production 2 1/2 to 5 times its presteaming rate. (3) Because of the good well-bore cleanup, a second round of steam injection is not needed for a year. It is more profitable to put the steam into wells which have not yet been stimulated. (4) There have been no failures, either mechanical or economic. With 50 wells already steamed, the operators now have 20 more scheduled, and the limit to the expanding project is not in sight. Typical well being steamed is a 12 to 15-yr-old Tar zone pumper with a presteam output of 25 bpd of 14.5$-gravity oil and a water cut of about 50%.