| dc.description.abstract | The objectives of this study are to quantify the influence of individual completion parameters on the production in complex shale/tight gas formations and to predict production from large completion datasets of public domain information without having in-depth reservoir characterization.
Shale gas has become an increasingly significant source of energy in the last decade especially in the U.S. and Canada. Improving completion technologies in long horizontal wells makes these plays one of the most attractive investment opportunities in oil and gas industry. The Montney is one of largest shale gas plays in Canada covering a large area in northeast British Columbia and Alberta.
Advanced horizontal drilling technology makes unconventional resources economically viable in the Montney formation, which now has a production rate of 1.5 Bcf/day. Well quality, well costs and the provincial government royalty programs vary throughout the play. In addition, various operators are attempting a variety of horizontal leg lengths and completion techniques. All these variables, in combination, create difficulty in adequately comparing economic outcomes in different areas. In this research, more than 430 completion reports of horizontal wells in British Columbia have been reviewed. Multivariate regression analysis has been applied to study correlations between production rate indicators (Initial Production, EUR) and completion attributes (Lateral length, number of fracture stages, number of perforation clusters, fracture fluid). Using regression analysis on completion parameters and best average 12 consecutive months of production showed that number of fracture stages and perforation clusters have the most impact on the well performance. More fracture sand results in more production, but a large amount of uncertainty exists. Fluid and lateral length do not have a strong positive correlation with production rate. Applying regression analysis, the best model for predicting production rate was selected and used in an economic analysis performed using Value Navigator software to calculate and map net present value and rate of return maps.
Our goal is to present a solution technique to help optimize completions in complex shale reservoirs. Since many undrilled locations remain, completion optimization has significant value. | en |
