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Results
Abstract Advances in drilling and fracturing technologies in Woodford Shale have attracted the operators todrill horizontal wells with long laterals (up to 5,000 ft), and to fracture using multiple stages (upto 22) using large amounts of slickwater and sand. It has been observed that exploitation of shale plays relies on the ability to contact as much of the reservoir as possible using fracturing techniques by creating a network of interconnecting fractures between laterals placed as close as 660 ft apart. As the spacing gets closer, the operators have a vested interest in knowing the optimal spacing of infill wells. Ideally, an infill well should haveas little interference with the existing wells as possible. In this paper, we examine fracture data, and daily gas and water production data of 179 horizontalgas wells over five years in the Arkoma Basin to quantify the impact of interference between wells ontheir performance. We quantify the lost gas production from the surrounding wells; calculate the probability of interference as a function of distance and age of the surrounding well; determine the preferential direction of interference, and develop a new measure of spacing to understand the relationship between performance of the well and its surrounding wells. Finally, we provide recommendations regarding the spacing of infill wells.
- North America > United States > Texas (1.00)
- North America > United States > Oklahoma (1.00)
Integrated Methodology for Optimizing Development of Unconventional Gas Resources
Gupta, Jugal K. (ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company) | Zielonka, Matias G. (ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company) | Albert, Richard A. (ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company) | El-Rabaa, Wadood (ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company) | Burnham, Heather A. (XTO Energy) | Choi, Nancy H. (XTO Energy)
Abstract Fracture nucleation and propagation are controlled by in-situ stresses, fracture treatment design, presence of existing fractures (natural or induced), and geological history. In addition, production driven depletion and offset completions may alter stresses and hence fracture growth. For unconventional oil and gas assets the complexity resulting from the interplay of fracture characteristics, pressure depletion, and stress distribution on well performance remains one of the foremost hurdles in their optimal development, impacting infill well and refracturing programs. To this end, ExxonMobil has undertaken a multi-disciplinary approach that integrates fracture characteristics, reservoir production, and evolution of the stress field to design and optimize developments of unconventional assets. In this approach, fracture modeling and advanced rate transient techniques are employed to constrain fracture geometry and depletion characteristics of existing wells. This knowledge is used in finite element geomechanical modeling (coupling stresses and fluid flow) to predict fracture orientation in nearby wells. In this paper, an integrated methodology is described using case studies for two shale gas pads. The study reveals a strong connection between reservoir depletion behavior and the spatial and temporal distribution of stresses. These models predict that principal stresses are influenced far beyond the drainage area of a horizontal well and hence play a critical role in fracture orientation and performance of neighboring wells. Strategies for manipulating stresses were evaluated to control fracture propagation by injecting, shutting-in, and producing offset wells. Collective interpretation of completion, reservoir depletion and changes in stresses explained varying performances of wells and enabled evaluation of infill potential on the pad. This workflow can be used to develop strategies for (1) optimal infill design, (2) controlling propagation of fractures in new neighboring wells, and (3) refracturing of existing wells.
- Geology > Geological Subdiscipline > Geomechanics (1.00)
- Geology > Rock Type > Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Rock (0.51)