Developing a tight gas sand advisor for completion and stimulation in tight gas reservoirs worldwide

Abstract

As the demand for energy worldwide increases, the oil and gas industry will need to increase recovery from unconventional gas reservoirs (UGR). UGRs include Tight Gas Sand (TGS), coalbed methane and gas shales. To economically produce UGRs, one must have adequate product price and one must use the most current technology. TGS reservoirs require stimulation as a part of the completion, so improvement of completion practices is very important. We did a thorough literature review to extract knowledge and experience about completion and stimulation technologies used in TGS reservoirs. We developed the principal design and two modules of a computer program called Tight Gas Sand Advisor (TGS Advisor), which can be used to assist engineers in making decisions while completing and stimulating TGS reservoirs. The modules include Perforation Selection and Proppant Selection. Based on input well/reservoir parameters these subroutines provide unambiguous recommendations concerning which perforation strategy(s) and what proppant(s) are applicable for a given well. The most crucial parameters from completion best-practices analyses and consultations with experts are built into TGS Advisor’s logic, which mimics human expert’s decision-making process. TGS Advisor’s recommended procedures for successful completions will facilitate TGS development and improve economical performance of TGS reservoirs.