Helium One Global, the primary helium explorer in Tanzania, is pleased to announce that it has completed the first phase of the extended well test ("EWT") at Itumbula West-1 ("ITW-1") and has successfully flowed up to 7.6% helium to surface.
Highlights
· Successful completion of the EWT on the faulted Karoo Group interval flows up to 7.6% helium
· The well flowed an average of 786 barrels per day ("bpd") of fluid on a 22/64ths of an inch choke setting
· The well naturally flowed for a period of five days with helium gas in solution, and little to no air contamination in what has been determined to be a pure helium/nitrogen mix
· Onsite pressure-volume-temperature ("PVT") laboratory and portable Mass Spectrometer measured helium concentrations
· The Company is now in the process of undertaking the second EWT in the fractured Basement
Details
After running and cementing the slotted casing, the Company commenced the planned EWT operation across the first of two intervals in the ITW-1 well. As reported in February 2024, this well previously flowed 4.7% helium to surface from Basement during a Drill Stem Test.
Through the EWT, the Company has now successfully flowed the well across the faulted Karoo Group interval for a period of five days, and the maximum helium gas measured from solution yielded a compositional mix of 7.6% helium (uncorrected for air contamination), 1.7% argon, 0.7% oxygen and 90% nitrogen. These results were evaluated using an onsite Mass Spectrometer and verified from downhole samples by a field PVT laboratory at the well site. The 7.6% helium was air corrected to 7.9% helium, giving confidence in the onsite measurement process. A measured helium concentration of 7.6% equates to over fourteen thousand times above background levels (5.3parts per million).
Over the five-day test period, the well flowed an average of 5% helium (uncorrected). It was also observed that the concentration of hydrogen decreased as helium increased, yielding a maximum measured hydrogen concentration of 1.2%.
The well was initially choked to 20/64ths and flowed for ~22.5 hours with an average flow rate of ~688 bpd of fluid. The well was then choked back to 22/64ths and then flowed for ~16 hrs with an average flowing rate of ~786 bpd of fluid.
The data is currently being evaluated by the Company's subsurface team and a maximum flow rate will be determined following the completion of the Basement EWT.
The Company has now moved to the Basement to continue the EWT at that interval, including opening up the well fully to obtain a maximum flow rate. The Company looks forward to providing further updates in due course.
Lorna Blaisse, Chief Executive Officer, commented:
"We are very pleased with these results from the EWT in the faulted Karoo interval. This is a globally unique helium play and it has taken a lot of hard work and collective effort across multiple disciplines to establish how this system works in the southern Rukwa Basin.
We have gained a huge amount of information from this Karoo EWT and look forward to seeing what the fractured Basement EWT is going to yield. Once we have completed testing on this second interval, we plan to finalise our integrated subsurface modelling and resource estimates to complete our feasibility study."