Addressing Key Questions within an Integrated Reservoir Framework to Optimize the Location of Horizontal Shale Wells

Laura A. Banfield, Ron Brogdon, and Mitchell C. Graff
BP America, Houston TX, [email protected]

Integrated conventional reservoir characterization has been conducted on several unconventional US shales (Woodford, Fayetteville, Haynesville, and Eagle Ford). Key components include description of the play fairway, understanding of the controls on high-TOC deposition, and sequence stratigraphic frameworks. Further work on the Woodford Shale has focused on optimizing the location of laterals within the vertical reservoir architecture by addressing questions such as: Where is the gas located? Where is the porosity? How does brittleness vary? What rock types drill quickly? How do natural fractures affect stimulated rock volume? Integration of recent drilling results with the existing reservoir framework is helping to answer these questions. 3D visualization has also been useful for rapidly evaluating different models and efficient communication with multi-disciplinary groups.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90154©2012 AAPG Eastern Section Meeting, Cleveland, Ohio, 22-26 September 2012