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Why BHA Run Numbers Matter

Why BHA Run Numbers Matter

30,368 is the key number number here.

Peter Brecht
July 11, 2025

Fifteen minutes and fifteen seconds into last week’s Q&A we asked

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“What’s the record TVD and MD drilled in the lower 48 states?”

We’ll admit it — we asked but then couldn’t find a verified answer.

Then Juan came through in the comments with the recent record-breaking headline we needed. Sending him a Local Energy care package as promised. 😎

Expand Energy’s Record-Breaking Stats:

Longest lateral in U.S. Land (27,657 feet)
Longest well in U.S. Land (34,507 feet)
Longest single bit/BHA run in U.S. Land (30,368 feet)
48-hr footage world record (21,314 feet)

Wade gives an update on their Oklahoma well at 6000 feet vertical, describing typical timelines from spud to production
Why BHA run numbers matter, and why 60 feet… sucks.
Discussion of torque management, stick-slip, and backwards whirl in the drill string.
Advances in drill bit design, including AI analysis of wear patterns using 3D imaging.
Oilfield risk management and field knowledge through engineering

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Every machine is a smoke machine if you operate it wrong enough.

Now the fun part - Using Claude Opus 4, I used AI-assist coding to build a tool that automatically finds the correct refrac date, solves for the pre-refrac forecast, the post-refrac forecast, and the incremental rate and EUR. Here are some examples:
— Ken Day (@kenwday)
4:46 AM • Jul 10, 2025

Oil Markets Tighten Despite OPEC+ Production Increases

OPEC+ announced its fourth consecutive monthly production increase of 548,000 barrels per day for August, totaling 1.8 million bbl/d in new quotas since April.

However, WTI crude prices have risen over 10% during this period, signaling underlying market tightness.

The disconnect stems from several factors:

Many OPEC+ members are already producing above quotas while others struggle to meet targets, effectively reducing actual new supply.
Russia's aging infrastructure may prevent it from reaching its August quota.
OPEC+ is reframing these levels as "production ceilings" rather than required output, suggesting minimal spare capacity remains.

Meanwhile, U.S. drilling activity is declining sharply, setting up potential supply shortfalls. Saudi Arabia's recent price increases signal tight market conditions. This classic oil cycle, where low prices suppress investment, typically leads to higher prices in the 1-3 year timeframe.

See you out there,
Peter Brecht & Wade Spear