Collaboration Across all Domains for Optimized Unconventional Resource Development Programs

Oren, KC
Landmark, Denver, CO

     The development of unconventional resources prior to the end of the last century was overlooked for many reasons – most of which were due to lack of understanding of these complex and challenging reservoirs along with the lack of mainstream technologies necessary to develop them. Now, with the arrival of what have become widely available advanced drilling systems, as well as quickly evolving innovations in completions practices, the exploitation of unconventional resources has moved to the forefront with promises of significant contributions to worldwide oil and gas supplies.
     Collaboration among the geoscientists and reservoir engineers has been critical in understanding these complex reservoirs and enabling recent breakthroughs allowing these unconventional resources to be developed. But often overlooked is the key role that the drilling and evaluation domains have brought into the mix to enhance overall resource production while reducing drilling, completions and operating costs.
     This paper will detail one workflow where an earth model developed by integrated geosciences and engineering teams is used to design an unconventional greenfields development project. By working in a collaborative environment, the team can quickly optimize reservoir target positioning, work through different surface location scenarios and minimize costs while avoiding various “hazards” including sensitive environmental areas and restricted surface owner's off-limits locations.
     Once the targets and surface pad locations are defined, then individual wellbore designs can be considered further reducing the drilling and completions costs and maximizing the design integrity of the overall field development program.
     Optional: The paper will then discuss how continued collaboration throughout the implementation phase of the drilling and completions program can enhance definition of the earth model and enable near real-time re-design – “on-the-fly” – of the field development plan. Team collaboration environments and report-time planning processes will be highlighted.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90071 © 2007 AAPG Rocky Mountain Meeting, Snowbird, Utah