Ontario Well Status Definitions

Used by Ministry Of Natural Resources and Forestry

Well status must be reported annually to the Ministry on Form 3. Any change in status during the year must also be reported within five days to the Ministry. Well status is defined by two criteria; the well type and the well mode. The well type describes the purpose for which the well was drilled and the results of the drilling operation. Well status definitions are used for statistical and administrative purposes by the Ministry. The well mode describes the current mode of operation of the well. Questions about the correct use of the status definitions should be directed to Lee Fortner, telephone 519-873-4628. Some examples of use of the status definitions follows.

OP: A well used to produce oil from a reservoir.
GP-ABD: A well formerly used to produce natural gas from a reservoir and which has been plugged and abandoned.
OSGS-POT: A well classed as exploratory or development which encountered oil and gas and which is being evaluated for potential production
OP-SUS: A well used to produce oil from a reservoir and at which operations have ceased and will not resume for at least 30 days.
DH-ABW: A well classed as exploratory or development which did not encounter any hydrocarbons and which has been plugged back and another hole has been drilled and whipstocked out of the same well bore.

Well Status - Type

Type Symbol Definition
1. Oil OP A well presently or formerly used to produce oil from a reservoir.
2. Natural gas GP A well presently or formerly used to produce natural gas from a reservoir.
3. Oil and gas well OPGP A well presently or formerly used to produce both oil and gas from a reservoir.
4. Injection INJ A well used primarily to inject fluid into a formation as part of a secondary recovery operation approved by the Ministry.
5. Historical Injection HINJ A historical well used primarily to inject fluid into a formation as part of a secondary recovery operation approved by the Ministry.
6. Natural gas storage NGS A well used for injection or withdrawal of natural gas to or from storage in a reservoir.
7. Cavern storage LPG A well used for injection or withdrawal of fluids (hydrocarbons or brine) in a solution-mined storage cavern.
8. Disposal BD A well used for the disposal of oil field fluid into an underground formation.
9. Observation OBS A well used to monitor performance in a natural gas storage reservoir, oil or gas pool, aquifer, hydrocarbon storage cavern, or solution mining cavern.
10. Solution mining SM A well used for injection or withdrawal of fluids (fresh water or brine) into a subsurface salt formation for the purpose of mining salt.
11. Brine BW A well used to produce naturally occurring salty or mineralized formation water (not fresh water)
12. Stratigraphic test STR A well drilled for the purpose of geological evaluation or testing.
13. Dry hole DH A well classed as exploratory or development in which no hydrocarbons have been encountered.
14. Oil show OS A well classed as exploratory or development in which oil has been encountered but has not been proven or judged to be productive.
15. Gas show GS A well classed as exploratory or development in which gas has been encountered but has not been proven or judged to be productive.
16. Oil & gas show OSGS A well classed as exploratory or development in which oil and gas have been encountered but has not been proven or judged to be productive.
17. Private gas PGP A well used by the land and mineral rights owner to produce gas from a reservoir for private, non-commercial use.
18. Historical oil HOP A well used to produce oil from a reservoir designated as a "historical oil field.
19. Location LOC A location for which Ministry records indicate a well has been drilled but for which no status information is available.
20. Source well SW A well used to produce water for injection into a reservoir as part of a secondary recovery project approved by the Ministry.
21. Licensed LIC A location for which a well licence has been issued but no well has been drilled.

Well Status - Mode

Mode Symbol Definition
1. Active ACT A well which is in active operation in accordance with the purpose for which it is licensed.
2. Suspended SUS A well that failed to achieve or is no longer being used for its licensed purpose, and the well has not been plugged.
3. Abandoned ABD A well which is officially plugged and abandoned.
4. Abandoned & whipstocked ABW A well drilled and plugged back and another hole drilled and whipstocked out of the same well bore.
5. Capped CAP A well with proven productivity (by test or judgment) which has not been placed on production.
6. Potential POT A newly-drilled or recompleted well in which suitability for production, injection or storage is assumed but not proven. This mode is applicable for a maximum of 12 months after the TD date or recompletion date of the well.
7. Abandoned & junked (lost) LOS A well abandoned because of mechanical difficulties in the hole.
8. Not drilled NDR A location for which a well licence has been issued but a well has not yet been drilled.
9. Cancelled CAN A location for which a well licence was issued but the licence has been cancelled.
10. Unknown UNK A well for which there is no available information on mode in Ministry records.
11. No Well Found NWF A well that could not be located in the field by a petroleum inspector.

Classification Codes

Wells drilled for the purpose of producing oil or natural gas are classified by the MNR at the time of application using the Lahee system. The Lahee well classification is a measure of the degree of risk of failure when drilling a well for the purpose of oil or gas production.
NPW New-Pool Wildcat Well is a well located 750 metres or more, measured between the centers of the respective drilling spacing units, from a producing well or a well presently or formerly capable of production from the target horizon. Such a well is drilled in a geological environment where other pools have been found but where, in Ministry's opinion, the complexities in geological conditions are such that searching for a new pool has a high risk of failure. The objective of a new-pool wildcat well is the discovery of a new pool in an area known to contain oil or gas. Generally all exploratory wells permitted in southwestern Ontario will be classified as NPW's due to the close proximity of oil and gas fields in the region.
SPT Shallower Pool Test is for wells located within the known or expected limits of an established pool and drilled with the objective of exploiting a pool thought to exist above the established pool. Due to the long drilling history in southwestern Ontario, this well class is rarely assigned.
DPT Deeper Pool Test Well is a well located within the established or expected limits of a pool or pools and drilled with the objective of searching for undiscovered oil or gas below the deepest such pool. Only the interval from the base of the deepest established pool to total depth constitutes exploratory meterage at a deeper pool test; the remainder of the drilled interval is regarded as development meterage.
DEV Development Well is a well drilled within a distance of 750 metres from known production, as measured between the centers of the respective spacing units, and has the objective of further exploiting the known productive zone. Such a well may be inside the pool already outlined by wells, or it may be a relatively short distance outside these limits.

 

Target

Chronostratigraphic system or lithostratigraphic group which include the rock unit which is the primary target of the well being drilled. Seven primary targets are recognized in Ontario.

1. Devonian DEV Devonian
2. Silurian SIL Unsubdivided
3. Silurian SAL Targets within the Salina Group and Guelph Formation in particular, and the Rochester to Bass Islands Formations inclusive.
4. Silurian CLI Targets within the Clinton and Cataract (or Medina) Groups (Whirlpool to Irondequoit Formations inclusive).
5. Ordovician ORD Ordovician
6. Cambrian CAM Cambrian
7. Precambrian PRE Precambrian (usually stratigraphic tests).

Casing and Tubing Record

Abbreviations for how the casing and tubing are set in the well

ANC Anchor Packer
BAR Barefoot
BHP Bottom Hole Packer
CEM Cemented
COL Collar
HAN Hanging
HWP Hook Wall Packer
PAC Packer
PC Packer and Cement
SHO Casing Shoe

Water Record

Abbreviations for type of water encountered while drilling a well

BRA Brackish
BLK Black
FRE Fresh
SAL Salt
SUL Sulfur
MIN Mineral

Geophysical/Petrophysical Log Type Codes

Code Description
ACSL Acoustic
ASL Amplitude Sonic
AV Acoustic Velocity
AVC Acoustic Velocity Compensated
AVD Acoustic Velocity Digital
AVDP Acoustic-diapole Sonic Log
AVL Acoustic Velocity
AVLS Acoustic Velocity Long Spaced
BATS Borehole Audio Tracer Survey
BHC Borehole Compensated
BHCA Borehole Compensated Acoustilog
BHCS Borehole Compensated Sonic
BHGM Borehole Gravity
BHTV Borehole Televiewer
BLKD Bulk Density
BSL Borehole Compensated Sonic
BTL Borehole Televiewer
C O Carbon Oxygen
CA Caliper
CAL Computed Gamma/Caliper/Section Gauge/
CALA Caliper Analysis
CALC Caliper Curve
CALP Caliper
CAMP Compressional Amplitude
CANL Computer Analysis
CASL Computer Acoustic
CAVL Compensated Acoustic Velocity
CB Cement Bond
CBET Cement Bond Evaluation Tool
CBL Acoustic Cement Bond/Cement Bond/Sonic Bond/
CBLK Cyberlook
CBND Cement Bond
CBVD Cement Bond Variable Density/Acstc Cmnt Bnd Vrbl Dnst/
CC Compensated Porosity
CCL Casing Collar Locator
CDC Compensated Density/Caliper/
CDD Continuous Dipmeter Digital
CDL Compensated Density Log
CDM Continuous Dipmeter/Diplog/Resistivity Dip/
CDMD Continuous Dipmeter - Digital
CDS Continuous Directional Survey
CEL Cement Evaluation
CET Cement Evaluation Tool
CFD Compensated Formation Density
CFDC Compensated Formation Density/Caliper/
CFLO Continuous Flowmeter
CG Compensated Gamma
CGRN Compensated Gamma Ray Neutron
CH Completion
CHNL Channel Survey
CI Casing Inspection/Electro Magnetic Detector/
CIS Customer Instrument Services
CL Chloride/Chlorinilog/Salinity/
CLDL Chloride Detection
CMPL Completion
CNDL Compensated Neutron Density
CNFD Compensated Neutron-Formation Density
CNL Compensated Neutron Log
CNP Compensated Neutron Porosity
COAL Coal
COL Carbon/Oxygen
CONL Contact
CORI Coriband
CORL Correlation
CP Computer Processed Log
CPCL Casing Profile Caliper Log
CPL Computed Porosity
CPVD Computer Processed True Vertical Depth
CRBD Coriband - Kerogen Analysis
CSNG Compensated Spectral Natural Gamma
CTL Cement Top Location/Scattered Gamma Ray/
CWL Cyberlook Wellsite Comp
CYBD Cyberdip Log
CZDN Compensated Z - Densilog/Gamma Gamma Wth Pe Index/
DC Depth Control
DCL Dielectric Constant Log
DD1 Gamma Ray Density/Caliper/
DDL Dual Detector Log
DDNL Dual Detector/Neutron Lifetime Log
DENL Density
DFE Dual Focus Electric
DFP Four-arm Dip Fracture Profile
DGFL Dual Guard Forxo Log
DGL Dual Guard Log
DHC Downhole Caliper
DI Dual Induction
DIAL Dia-log
DIFL Dual Induction Focused Log
DIFS Dual Induction Spherically Focussed Laterolog
DIGL Dual Induction Guard Log
DIL8 Dual Induction Laterolog 8
DILL Dual Induction Lateral
DILS Dual Induction/Sonic
DIPM Dipmeter
DIRS Directional Survey
DISF Dual Induction - Spherically Focused
DITE Phasor Induction Log/Dual Induction Model E/
DL Drillers Log
DLL Dual Laterolog
DLLM Dual Laterolog Micro Sfl
DM Dipmeter
DM3 Dipmeter-3 Arm
DM4 Dipmeter-4 Arm
DM4F Dipmeter-4 Arm-frac
DM4S Dipmeter-4 Arm Shdt
DM6 Dipmeter-6 Arm
DN Density
DNC Density Compensated
DNCP Density Compensated-pe Index
DNH High Resolution Density Log
DNL Density Neutron Log
DP Drill Pipe
DPSN Drill Pipe Sidewall Neutron
DR Directional Survey/Drift/
DRI Dual Resistivity Induction Log
DSCN Dual Spaced Compensated Neutron
DSL Dual Spacing Log
DSN Dual Spacing Neutron
DSTD Dual Spaced Thermal Decay Time
DUSD Dual Sand
DWQL Dual Water Quick Look
E Experimental
EAS Epilog Analysis System
EL Electrical Survey
ELPR Electromagnetic Propagation
ELUL Electrical Survey-ultra Long Spacing
EP Dielectric Constant-electromagnetic Propagation
EPA Dielectric Constant-adaptable Ept Tool
EPH Dielectric Constant-half Frequency
EPT Electromagnetic Propagation
ES Electric Survey
ETN Epithermal Neutron
FAL Formation Analysis
FD Formation Density
FDC Formation Density/Caliper/
FDL Fluid Density Log
FED Four Electrode Dipmeter
FF Fracture Finder/Failure Id/
FFLO Full Bore Flowmeter
FIL Sidewall Frac Log
FIT Formation Internal Tester
FL Fraclog
FLO Flow Meter/Fluid Travel/Nuclear Flow/
FLTR Fluid Travel Log
FMF Formation Factor
FMS Formation Micro Scanner
FMTM Formation Multi-tester Log
FOCL Focus
FRID Fracture Identification
FRXL Forxo
FTR Formation Tester-repeat
GASD Gas Detection
GCD Gamma Compensated Density/Gamma Gamma/
GCPR Gamma Collar Perforating Record
GCRD Gamma Guard
GEOP Geophone
GG Gamma Gamma
GGDE Gamma-Gamma Density
GGRD Gamma Guard El
GLT Geochemical Logging Tool
GR Gamma Ray
GRAD Gradiometer
GRAV Gravity
GRDL Guard
GRFD Gamma Ray-Formation Density
GRL Gamma Ray Log
GRMR Gradiomanometer
GRN Gamma Ray-neutron/Synthetic Gamma Ray-neutron/
GRNL Gamma Ray-neutron
GRS Spectral Gamma Ray-natural
GRSC Spectral Gamma Ray-natural-compensated
GRSI Spectral Gamma Ray-induced
GRSL Gamma Ray-sonic
GRTS Gamma Ray-tracer Survey
GSAR Geothermal Saraband
GT Hydrocarbon Or Gas Detection
GYRO Gyro Survey
HCDS Hydrocarbon Or Gas Detection
HEL Hostile Environment
HFDT Half Frequency Dielectric Tool
HI Hydrocarbon Identifier
HRD High Resolution Dipmeter
HRDN High Resolution Density Log
HRI High Resolution Tool
HRT High Resolution Temperature Log
HYD Hydrocarbon Or Gas Detection
I Isotron
IES Induction/Induction Electric/Induction Electro/
I-GD Deep Induction Short Guard
IIL Dual Induction-electric
IL Induction
ILAS Array Induction Shallow Focus
ILD Induction-dual
ILDF Induction-dual-focused
ILDG Induction-dual-guard Log
ILDL Induction-dual-lateral
ILL Induction Lateral
ILSF Induction-spherically Focused
INCL Inclination
ISF Induction-spherically Focused
ISFM Isf Microspherically Focussed
ISOL Isotron
JEEP Jeep
L Focused/Guard/Lateral/
LASR Laser Log
LATL Dual Laterolog
LDT Litho-density Tool/Density With Pe Index/
LI Limestone Device
LII Liquid Isotope Injector
LITH Lithology
LL Latero Log
LLD Latero Log-dual
LLDF Latero Log-dual-forxo
LLFX Latero Log-forxo
LLOG Lifetime Log
LLSF Latero Log-spherically Focused
LPN Linear Porosity Neutron
LS Lost Circulation
LSL Limestone
LSS Long Spaced Sonic
MAGL Nuclear Magnetism
MAIC Multi-arm Inspection Caliper Log
MEL Micro-Electrical Log
MF Microlateral
MFP Microlateral-proximity
MFSF Microlateral-spherically Focused
MGRD Microguard
MICL Micro Log
MICS Microsurvey
MINF Minifocus
MINL Minilog
ML Micro/Mini
MLAL Forxo
MLAT Microlateral/Microlaterolog
MLL Microlateral
MONO Mono Electric
MOP Computed Movable
MP Mobile Picture
MPL Mechanical Properties
MRIL Magnetic Resonance Imaging Log
MS Microsurvey
MSFL Micro Spherically Focus Log
MSG Microsonic-gamma Ray
MSMG Microseismogram
MSN Multi-space Neutron
MSS Multi Shot Survey
MUD Mud Log
N Neutron
NCL Neutron Collar Log
NE Neutron
NEC Neutron Compensated
NECD Neutron Compensated-dual Spaced
NECL Neutron-chlorinilog
NED Neutron-dual Spaced
NEE Neutron-epithermal
NEES Neutron-epithermal-sidewall
NEM Neutron-multispaced
NEUT Neutron
NFD Neutron Formation Density
NFLO Nuclear Flowlog
NGRS Natural Gamma Ray Spectroscopy
NGT Natural Gamma-ray/Spectroscopy/Spectrometry/
NLL Neutron Lifetime
NMI Magnetic Resonance Imaging Log
NML Nuclear Magnetism
NMR Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Log
NPL Pulsed Neutron-lifetime
NPLD Pulsed Neutron-lifetime-dual
NPTD Pulsed Neutron-therman Decay
NUCR Nuclear/Old Gamma Ray Neutron/
NUMR Numar Magnetic Resonance Log
PAL Paleo
PALG Pipe Analysis Log
PCT Production Combination Tool
PDC Gamma Ray Depth Control-perforations
PDK Pulsed Decay Neutron
PDS Collar/Collar Correlation/
PEF Photoelectric Effect
PERF Perforated Log
PFC Perforating Formation Collar
PHCL Photoclinometer
PHOT Photo
PIP Precision Identified Perforations
PL Production Log
PLC Production Log Combination Tool
PLDF Production Log-fluid Density
PLFT Production Log-fluid Travel
PLNO Production Log-audio Tracer(Noise)
PLOG Paramalog/Old Microlog/
PLPD Production Log-perforation Depth
PLRT Production Log-radioactive Tracer
PLSP Production Log-spinner Survey
PML Proximity Mini Log
POR Porosity
PRL Pipe Recovery Log
PRMS Permeability Spinner Survey
PRO Prolog
PROD Production Log
PRSM Prism-prec Radioactive Isotope Spectral Measrmnt
PRXL Proximity
PSS Permeability Spinner Survey
PWAS Prolog Wellsite Analysis System
PXML Proximity Microlog
RAD Radiation Log
RAT Radioactive Tracer
REFR Refracture
RES Residue
REST Resistivity
RFT Repeat Formation Tester
RGL Radiation Guard Log
RTRS Radioactive Tracer
RWA Resistivity
SA Shear Amplitude
SARA Saraband
SBND Saraband
SCAT Scattered Gamma
SCL Sonic/Caliper/
SDBL Seismic Display Bond Log
SDL Spectral Density Log/With Pe Index/
SDT Sonic Digital Tool
SE Structural Exploration
SED Six Electro Dipmeter
SFD Simultaneous Formation Density-mwd Tool
SGR Spectral Gamma Ray
SHDT Shdt Dual Dipmeter Log
SL Sonic/Acoustilog/Acoustic Velocity/
SN Sidewall Neutron
SNGR Sonl-gamma
SNP Sidewall Neutron Porosity
SONA Borehole Audio Tracer Survey
SONL Sonic
SONN Sonan Log
SONR Sonar
SP Spontanteous Potential
SPA Scope Picture Analysis
SPCL Spectralog
SPCT Spectral
SPH Spherical
SPL Samplel
SRPG Surface Recorded Pressure Gauge
SRS Seismic Reference Survey
SRSL Seismic Reference Survey
SRT Signal To Receiver Time
SRVP Seismic-vertical Profile
SS Spinner Survey/Spinner Log/Spinner Flow Meter
SSMG Sonic Seismogram
STRT Strata
SUL Sulfur
SVS Seismic Velocity Survey
SWS Sidewall Sample Record/Sdwll Corng/Core Gun/Cst/
SYGT Synergetic
SYRG Synergetic Log System
T Temperature Survey
TD Temperature Difference
TDL Temperature Difference
TDST Through Drillstem Logging
TDT Thermal Decay Time
TEL Thermal Evaluation
TIME Time Log
TM Temperature Log
TMPL Temperature Survey
TRCR Tracer Survey
TTC Through Tubing Caliper
TV Televiewer
TVD True Vertical Depth
ULSE Ultra Long Spacing
URAN Uranium Log
VD Variable Density
VDL Variable Density
VELS Velocity
VERL Vertilog
VERT Verticality Log
VISC Viscosity
VSP Vertical Seismic Profile
WF Wave Form
WL Water Location Survey
WLS Water Location Survey
WST Well Seismic Recording
XPLL Experimental

Petroleum Well Symbols

petroleum well symbols