Revolution in Real Time Well Site Rock Properties

Lucy Plant¹, Guy Oliver¹, Graham Spence¹, and Ken Pfau²
¹ Fugro Robertson, Houston, TX [email protected]
² Chief Oil & Gas, LLC, Dallas, TX

One of the key challenges associated with shale play exploration and production involves understanding the reservoir characterization in order to effectively manage a cost-effective development program.

In a 2011 field test Forest Oil Corporation successfully tested a portable well site SEM system on a vertical and lateral well pair in the Wolf Camp play, Permian Basin West Texas. A vertical pilot well and horizontal well were drilled successfully and key formations of the Permian, focusing on the Wolfcamp Shale Formation were sampled and analyzed. Over a 10-week period, more than 600 samples were collected, analyzed and interpreted at the well site in real-time. During drilling of the subsequent lateral well, cuttings data was collected every 10-30 ft.

The real-time mineral information helped identify formations tops and variations within formations as well as generating additional rock properties data on brittleness versus ductility providing Forest Oil Corporation with additional mineralogical-based data to assess the artificial fracture capability over the entire length of the lateral target interval. This additional data allowed Forest Oil Corporation to 'tactically frac' the target interval based on mineralogy and, when combined with petrophysical attributes, elastic properties of the rocks. Tactical fracing may lead to a reduction in operating expenses as the number of contributing fracing stations may be reduced.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90167©2013 GCAGS and GCSSEPM 63^rd Annual Convention, New Orleans, Louisiana, October 6-8, 2013