Shale Assets: Applying the Right Technology for Improving Results

Pitcher, Jason L.¹; Buller, Dan ²
(1) Halliburton, Houston, TX. (2) Halliburton, Shreveport, LA.

The current practice commonly used in shale gas and oil wells is to use very simple tools to position and evaluate wells. This practice follows a statistical approach that accepts a considerable amount of variation in results. With competitive natural-gas pricing, every effort is made to keep costs under control, which precludes applying a more rigorous approach to realizing the value of these assets.

Several alternative approaches have been proposed by interested parties to improve individual well results. The tie-in of petrophysical properties to production results has been elusive, which has made innovation and improving recovery difficult. The unconventional resource is much more complicated than the simplistic models suggest, which, in turn, leads to considerable variation in individual well performance. A review of recent wells in a major U.S. shale play shows that the variation in production results can approach unacceptable levels in terms of risk.

A new model for tackling these plays is proposed. Proactively placing wells to a specific rock property, predetermined to represent the most important characteristic that influences production, can have a significant impact on the ability of individual wells to produce. Using the limited, but focused, data set allows for the optimization of processes throughout the well-construction cycle, thereby impacting the completion process, reducing the risk of a poorly-performing well, and improving asset performance.

This paper describes the process by providing field examples and validation mechanisms and explains how integrating the workflow from pre-drill to post-well production logs can make a substantial impact on unconventional asset value.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90135©2011 AAPG International Conference and Exhibition, Milan, Italy, 23-26 October 2011.