Helium One Global Ltd (AIM:HE1, OTCQB:HLOGF) said scans on drill cuttings from the Tai-1 and 1A wells at its Rukwa project in Tanzania confirm the presence of hardened clay at several levels that could allow the potential for helium to be found.
Consultants Rocktype have carried out a QEMSCAN study, which stands for quantitative evaluation of minerals by scanning electron microscopy, on the drill cuttings collected at 100%-owned Rukwa to provide information on the reservoir quality, mineralogy, seal potential and grain size distribution of entire sedimentary sequence.
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The study indicated a good-to-excellent quality reservoir, demonstrating clean sands with very low clay content, Helium One said, while also confirming the presence of thick claystone units at two levels, as well as multiple intraformational claystone units.
“The identification of claystones within a predominantly reservoir rich and sandy sequence offers potential sealing horizons throughout our target stratigraphy,” said chief executive David Minchin.
He said the claystone units are best developed at the Top Karoo Group and Base Lake Bed Formation, with several intraformational clays.
This would also “allow the potential for stacked seals to develop within these formations and helium to be encountered on multiple horizons from near surface to basement - as it was at Tai”.
Minchin added: “The correlation of claystone horizons to specific seismic reflectors enables us to map the lateral extent of these potential sealing units across to other mapped leads and prospects. Mineralogical and grain size distribution information also allows us to develop our understanding of the depositional model and better understand variation in seismic character to aid future exploration efforts.”
Helium One is already integrating this new information with recently acquired 2D seismic data to reduce risk in planning the 2022 drilling campaign, he said.