--> The Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL)

AAPG Eastern Section Meeting

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The Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL)

Abstract

The Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) consists of a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional team undertaking integrated geoscience, engineering and social science research in cooperation with the operator, Northeast Natural Energy, numerous industrial partners and the National Energy Technology Laboratory of the US Department of Energy. MSEEL consists of two legacy horizontal production wells, two new instrumented horizontal production wells, a vertical pilot bore-hole, a microseismic observation well and surface geophysical and environmental monitoring stations. Production from the new horizontal wells began in December 2015. The MSEEL approach is data driven with a platform to store, manage, publish and share very large and diverse (multiple terabyte) datasets among researchers. MSEEL integrates drilling and fracture stimulation operations, geophysical observations, fiber-optic monitoring of high-resolution temporal and spatial flow of injected and produced fluids during completion and production, mechanical properties logs, microseismic and core data to better characterize subsurface rock properties, stimulated reservoir volumes, faults and fracture systems. Surface monitoring of operating machinery emissions was undertaken at the exhaust pipe, pad and regional scales. Produced fluids and gases are being monitored during completion and production. The MSEEL goal is to develop and validate new knowledge and technology and identify best practices for field implementation that can optimize hydraulic fracture stimulation, minimize environmental impacts of unconventional resource development.

We provide several examples that illustrate technologies and approaches that are being developed to store, query, display, and analyze large and diverse data sources and new data types derived from surface and subsurface to evaluate stimulation effectiveness, cluster-by-cluster and design innovative stage spacing and cluster density practices that can be used to optimize recovery efficiency.