Increasing Production with Better

Well Placement in Unconventional

Shale Reservoirs - Challenges and
Solutions
Jason Pitcher

Society of Petroleum Engineers

Distinguished Lecturer Program
www.spe.org/dl
1
 Primary funding is provided by

The SPE Foundation through member donations

and a contribution from Offshore Europe

The Society is grateful to those companies that allow their

professionals to serve as lecturers

Additional support provided by AIME

Society of Petroleum Engineers

Distinguished Lecturer Program
www.spe.org/dl
Brief Introduction to Shales

3
 Timing Conventional Petroleum System
Gravity (Density) Dominates

Depth
Top of Oil Gen Primary Migration = Oil out of the Source Rock
Top Gas Gen Secondary Mig. = Movement to Trap
Tertiary Mig. = Spill out of the Trap & Loss
Geol Time

Conventional
Trap

Top of Oil Gen

Top Gas Gen

Seal
Depth
Top Trap

Seal
Source
Field
Source Geol Time
Reservoir
Timing
PetSys Type 1
 Tight Gas Sands
(Relative Permeability Dominates)
Tight Gas: Low permeability in the reservoir sands and
seals are sufficient to retard migration

CBM

Tight Gas seal &

updip gas/water
Conv. Trap w/i Tight contact
Gas area

Seal

Trap
Source
Field

Reservoir
Timing

Continuous reservoirs have a

Sweet Spots downdip economic limit
PetSys Type 2 (they must be hydraulically fractured)
not a geologic limit
 Gas Source Rock Reservoir
(Electromagnetic (Molecular) Forces Dominate)

SRRs (Gas Shales): Unexpelled gas in the source

rock can be produced if sufficient fractures are
introduced in long horizontal wellbores

Oil
Shale

SRR Seals are the

Low Perm Source
Seal
Rocks
Trap
Source
Field

Source Timing Reservoir

Continuous reservoirs have a downdip economic limit

PetSys Type 3 (they must be hydraulically fractured) not a geologic
limit 6
7
Shale Reservoirs Have High Vertical Variability and
are Laterally Consistent and Correlatable

Eagle Ford (Boquillas) Outcrop Slatt et al, 2009

west of Del Rio, Tx Barnett Sh, Newark East Field

Buller & Dix,

2009

Haynesville Shale

8
 Presentation Outline
What happens when you assume the frac will get it
Current Best Practice in North America
Geomechnical Properties that affect Production
Using Data through the Life Cycle
Drilling
Completion
Stimulation

Discussion Points
Advances from 2012 / 2013
 What happens when you
assume the frac will get it
8 Month Cum vs # of Stages (Entire Play)

Core Area
Non Core
Area

Modeland, N., Buller, D. and Chong, K.K. 2011. Statistical Analysis of Completion Methodology on Production in the Haynesville Shale. Paper SPE
144120 presented at the SPE North American Unconventional Gas Conference and Exhibition, The Woodlands, Texas, 14-16 June 10
 What happens when you
assume the frac will get it
8 Month Cum vs # of Stages (Core Area)

Core Area

Modeland, N., Buller, D. and Chong, K.K. 2011. Statistical Analysis of Completion Methodology on Production in the Haynesville Shale. Paper SPE
144120 presented at the SPE North American Unconventional Gas Conference and Exhibition, The Woodlands, Texas, 14-16 June 11
 What happens when you
assume the frac will get it
8 Month Cum vs # of Stages (Bull Bayou Field)

Core Area

Modeland, N., Buller, D. and Chong, K.K. 2011. Statistical Analysis of Completion Methodology on Production in the Haynesville Shale. Paper SPE
144120 presented at the SPE North American Unconventional Gas Conference and Exhibition, The Woodlands, Texas, 14-16 June 12
Old Problem Old Solution
1998
$0.80
Pre-Reservoir Description Usage
$0.70
Frac Finding Costs, $/EUR mcf

Average = $0.21 STD Dev = $0.18

Post-Reservoir Description Usage
$0.60
Average = $0.10 STD Dev = $0.05
$0.50

$0.40

$0.30

$0.20

$0.10

$-
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31

Well List
Fig. 10 - Frac Finding Costs for Project Wells

Schubarth, S., Mullen, M., Seal, C. and Woodall, R. 1998. Reservoir Description Techniques Improves Completion Economics in Piceance Basin
Mesaverde Project. Paper SPE 39918 presented at the SPE Rocky Mountain Regional/Low-Permeability Reservoirs Symposium, 5-8 April,13 Denver,
Colorado
 Presentation Outline
What happens when you assume the frac will get it
Current Best Practice in North America
Geomechnical Properties that affect Production
Using Data through the Life Cycle
Drilling
Completion
Stimulation

Discussion Points
Advances from 2012 / 2013
15
Drill an Evaluation Well

Open Hole Logging

Coring
Characterize the Reservoir
Define the Target
Dfit or MiniFrac

16
Drill a Horizontal / High Angle Well
LWD consists of Gamma
Ray
Well is geosteered to
stratigraphy
Pattern match gamma
response to offset logs

SPE 152580

17
Complete the Well
Equally spaced packers
or perf intervals
Spacing between
intervals has been
decreasing from 400
(122m) to as low as
100 (30m).

18
Stimulate the Well
Stimulation Design is a
one size fits all
approach, iterated on
empirical data.

19
 Presentation Outline
What happens when you assume the frac will get it
Current Best Practice in North America
Geomechnical Properties that affect Production
Using Data through the Life Cycle
Drilling
Completion
Stimulation

Discussion Points
Advances from 2012 / 2013
Shale Brittleness Index

Rickman et al. Paper SPE 115258 21

 Rock Mechanics from Sonic
Dynamic Youngs Mullen et al. SPE 108039
modulus

Poissons ratio

Convert to Static:

+
Brittleness Index: =

Rickman et al. SPE 115258
 For Anisotropic Media:
( _ ) ( _ )
= + /
(_ _ ) (_ _)
Mavko, G. et al. The Rock Physics Handbook 2009

= /

Buller, D. et al. 2010 SPE 132990 Petrophysical Evaluation for Enhancing Hydraulic Stimulation 23
in
Horizontal Shale Gas Wells
 Brittleness Index vs
Gas Production

Post Frac Production Log day 45, well flowing 9MM

Buller, D., Suparman, F., Kwong, S., Spain, D. and Miller, M. 2010. A Novel Approach to Shale-Gas Evaluation Using a Cased-Hole Pulsed Neutron Tool.
24
 Frac Results

Near WellBore Region

3 (1m)

Higher Clay Interval Lower Clay Interval

Buller, D. et al. 2010 SPE 132990 Petrophysical Evaluation for Enhancing Hydraulic Stimulation in
Horizontal Shale Gas Wells 25
 Haynesville #1

Buller, D. et al. 2010 SPE 132990

Petrophysical Evaluation for Enhancing Hydraulic
Stimulation in Horizontal Shale Gas Wells

26
 Haynesville #2

768 376 0 0 1 162 0 0 15 379 64 137 0 0 298 0 0 0 0 0 100 408 0 0 0 0 0 301 0 214 67 1 137 0 0 0 768 266 0 7

Prop Prop Prop Prop Prop Prop Prop Prop Prop Prop
62.2% 85.3% 79% 29.5% 2.6% 89.5% 100% 3% 55.4% 35%

Buller, D. et al. 2010 SPE 132990

Petrophysical Evaluation for Enhancing Hydraulic
Stimulation in Horizontal Shale Gas Wells 27
 Haynesville #1 9 of 10 Water Fracs Placed PL rate 8.2 MMCF/D

Haynesville #2 6 of 10 Fracs Placed > 50% PL rate 4.5 MMCF/D

28
 Presentation Outline
What happens when you assume the frac will get it
Current Best Practice in North America
Geomechnical Properties that affect Production
Using Data through the Life Cycle
Drilling
Completion
Stimulation

Discussion Points
Advances from 2012 / 2013
 Haynesville #2

768 376 0 0 1 162 0 0 15 379 64 137 0 0 298 0 0 0 0 0 100 408 0 0 0 0 0 301 0 214 67 1 137 0 0 0 768 266 0 7

Prop Prop Prop Prop Prop Prop Prop Prop Prop Prop
62.2% 85.3% 79% 29.5% 2.6% 89.5% 100% 3% 55.4% 35%

30
 Haynesville #2

768 376 0 0 1 162 0 0 15 379 64 137 0 0 298 0 0 0 0 0 100 408 0 0 0 0 0 301 0 214 67 1 137 0 0 0 768 266 0 7

Prop Prop Prop Prop Prop Prop Prop Prop Prop Prop
62.2% 85.3% 79% 29.5% 2.6% 89.5% 100% 3% 55.4% 35%

31
 Shale Completion Strategy: Based on
Formation Brittleness Index

Youngs Proppant Fluid Proppant

FractureWi
Modulus Concentration Volume Volume
Brittleness Fluid System Fracture Geometry Closure Pro
7E6 70% Slick Water Low Barnett High Low
6E6 60% Slick Water
5E6 50% Hybrid Marcellus
4E6 40% Hybrid
Linear
3E6 30% X-Linked Eagleford
2E6 20% X-Linked Haynesville
1E6 10% X-Linked High Low High

SPE 115258
32
 Presentation Outline
What happens when you assume the frac will get it
Current Best Practice in North America
Geomechnical Properties that affect Production
Using Data through the Life Cycle
Drilling
Completion
Stimulation

Discussion Points
Advances from 2012 / 2013
Discussion Points
Shale reservoirs are statistical plays
Current Practice has limitations

Well placement strategy dictated by geomechanics

Geosteering enhances production by maximizing fracable
reservoir contact
Data acquired while drilling has a long shelf life
Data used in completion and stimulation optimization
Used in reservoir scale production models

34
 Presentation Outline
What happens when you assume the frac will get it
Current Best Practice in North America
Geomechnical Properties that affect Production
Using Data through the Life Cycle
Drilling
Completion
Stimulation

Discussion Points
Advances from 2012 / 2013
 Advances from 2012/13

36
SPE 170764 Pioneer EFS 2014
 Thank You

Gracias
Merci

Grazie
Takk

Saol

Jason Pitcher
Jpitcher@greystonenorth.com
Obrigado
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Distinguished Lecturer Program
www.spe.org/dl 38