Inter-Disciplinary Data Integration for Completions Optimization

Abstract

Oil and gas production in North America is currently dominated by unconventional plays and as such completions drive the economics of most operators’ development. This is true from the perspective of both the percentage of overall project cost dedicated to completions, but also with regards to well productivity - namely Initial Production (IP) and Estimated Ultimate Recovery (EUR). Optimization of completions design is paramount to successful development of a field, and requires a multi-disciplinary approach in order to accurately model and account for the myriad of complexities in each system.

Integration of multi-well geological/petrophysical, geosteering, and completions data into a single dynamic visual environment is currently viable with modern software solutions. Utilizing this integrated approach can help enable peers with different areas of technical expertise to collaborate on development and completions designs by providing an environment where different datasets can be more easily compared and contrasted to each other. All of the datasets mentioned above can be leveraged to enhance understanding of reservoir drainage and more accurately model downhole reservoir conditions, which can help drive improvements in development strategy.

The proposed approach helps to address infill drilling and completions challenges in depleted fields, such as potential destructive frac communication, differential sticking and competitive drainage. Recognizing and planning around these issues is an important first step to remedying inefficiencies caused by previous development strategies. Furthermore, as our fields mature, the integration of data from multiple wells and pads into a single environment allows for modern data analytics techniques to be applied. This is turn enables operators to identify key properties and characteristics that are the main drivers of success in project execution and subsequently production performance. As the industry progresses into the future, leveraging the multitude and variety of data available will be vital to the successful planning and development of resource plays.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90350 © 2019 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, San Antonio, Texas, May 19-22, 2019