Shale gas : new technologies for exploration, development and production

1. Sviluppo di specifiche tecnologie
innovative nel campo della
esplorazione e produzione
Fabio Brambilla
Sr. Geoscientist
Baker Hughes, Continental Europe

2. TOPICS
•Reserves vs Resources
•The shale gas unconventional reservoir and its
exploitation
•Understand shale gas reservoir
– Collect data
– Analyze data
•Put shale gas reservoir in production
– Well design
– Drill the well
– Completion
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3. 3
Reserves vs Resources
I D E N T I F I E D
U N D I S C O V E R E D
Economic
Sub
economic
Petrophy.
Well Eng.
Gas market
Geological
Geophysical
Knowledge

4. 4
Innovation increases Reserves
Economic
Sub
economic
I D E N T I F I E D
Petrophy.
Well Eng.
Gas market
U N D I S C O V E R E D

5. The Shale Gas Reservoir
• Unconventional natural gas reservoir composed of fine-grained
sedimentary rocks, dominated by shale containing clay and other
minerals like quartz, calcite
• No trap - gas sourced and remains in same rock
• Total Organic Carbon (TOC) , Thermal Maturity, Mineralogy,
and Natural Fractures are Key
- Micro-Porosity & micro/nanoDarcy-Permeability, secondary permeability
•
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6. The Shale Gas Reservoir
• Unconventional natural gas reservoir composed of fine-grained
sedimentary rocks, dominated by shale containing clay and other
minerals like quartz, calcite
• No trap - gas sourced and remains in same rock
• Total Organic Carbon (TOC) , Thermal Maturity, Mineralogy,
and Natural Fractures are Key
- Micro-Porosity & micro/nanoDarcy-Permeability, secondary permeability
• Gas stored in three ways:
1. Free Gas
a. In rock matrix microporosity
b. In natural fractures
2. Sorbed Gas
a. Adsorbed on organic and mineral surfaces w/in nat Fractures
b. Absorbed on organic and mineral surfaces w/in matrix
3. Dissolved - In HC liquids present (bitumen)
Total Gas (GIP) = Free + Sorbed + Dissolved
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7. Developing Shale Gas
•Two Key Elements of economic shale gas development:
1. Horizontal Wells
2. Multi-Stage Fracturing Shales must be fracture stimulated to produce commercially
(These two keys maximize reservoir volume connected to the well)
• All Shale Gas Reservoirs are not the same
• Vertical wells to define play, collect reservoir data
• Analyze data and design and plan development
• Horizontal wells to develop
– Laterals 3,000 - 6,000 ft (900 - 1800 m)
– Well spacing avg. 80 acres (0.323 Km2)
• Effectiveness of hydraulic fracturing determines:
- Production rates
- Drainage area
- Recovery
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8. •Collect reservoir data
– Logging while drilling
(LWD)
– Wireline logging (WL)
– Coring
• necessary for
– Identify formations to
drill horizontal
– Identify optimal fracture
intervals
– Identify potential
barriers for fracture
containment
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BHI Shale Gas Reservoir Evaluation Suite

9. BHI Shale Gas Evaluation Suite – An Integrated
Petrophysical approach to characterize highly
complex shale gas reservoirs
Geochemistry
Mineralogy
Total Organic Content
Lithofacies classification
Total Porosity
Siliceous Brittleness Index
FLeX / RockView
Spectralog
Mineralogy
Structural
Sedimentary analyses
Stress regime
STAR / EI /
CBIL/StarTrak/
Image logs
Porosity
Permeability
Fluid typing
Total Organic Content
Resistivity / Density / Neutron
Fracture
characterization
Illustration: Marcellus shale outcrop - Pennsylvania
Core analyses
PowerCOR
MaxCOR
Rotary core
XMAC-F1
Acoustic
FracExplorer
Microseismic
MReX
NMR
Dynamic & Static
Geomechanical
Properties
Pressure Gradient
Seismic studies
Basic data
Monitor fracturing

10. Integrated Approach to Optimizing Shale Gas Recovery
• Model Simulation Data
– Image logs
– Acoustic and Geochemical logs
– Seismic data
– Advanced Microseismic data
– Production Data
•Stimulation design and
production prediction
– 3D Geomechanics
– Geochemistry
– Seismology
– Natural Fractures
3D Geomechanics
Stimulating
Natural Fractures
Microseismic
Stimulation Program
Image Data
RockView

11. The mineralogy varies in shale gas reservoirs
BarnettHaynesvilleMontney MarcellusEagle Ford

12. Well design
Well Profile Woodford Shale-Anadarko Basin
450 m
3130 m
3765 m

13. Drill faster and better
Smoother, more efficient
a century of innovation

14. Drilling Optimization: Barnett Shale Example
Reducing costs & Reducing footprint
Before 6 wells drilled @ 32 ft/hr
After 8 wells drilled @ 57 ft/hr
80% increase in average
ROP, spud to TD
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OPTIMIZATION
• Modified PDC Bits
• Model Re-design BHA - torque, drag,
hydraulics
• Optimized Parameters -WOB, Rotation
• Critical Speed Analysis to Reduce Vibration
• Result: increase ROP
5+ days saved
1 week

15. Other Production Drivers:
Geomechanics and Hydraulic Fracture Complexity

16. FracPoint™ Completion System
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• One-trip system – 24 stages
• Rotational capabilities
• Increase reservoir productivity fracture
control
• Versatile system
– Primary and re-fracturing applications
– Open or cased hole and vertical or
horizontal
– Modular components – customizable
system
• Increased reservoir contact
• Reduced CAPEX
• Minimizes surface constraints
• Minimizes footprint
FracHOOK™ Multilateral System

17. Planning, observation and monitoring of
fracturing job

18. Fracture Migration & Microseismic Integration
sh,max
sh,maxsh,min
sh,min
Horizontal Wellbores: Fracture Geometries

19. Proppants
• Proper placement creates a
conductive pathway from the
reservoir to the wellbore
• Proppant is the only material
intended to remain in the
reservoir after a hydraulic
fracturing treatment completion
and cleanup

20. Innovative solutions to minimize or not use
water in frac jobs
•FOAMED AQUASTAR® SYSTEM (US6410489)
– Two surfactant system
•VAPORFRAC® SYSTEM
•POLY CO2 FRAC SYSTEM
– 25 % gelled fluid 40% Methanol
•Aqueous Methanol Based Systems
•Hydrocarbon Based Systems
– SUPER RHEOGEL® FRAC SYSTEM - Gelled Oil
•Non-Aqueous Methanol Based Systems
– METHOFRAC® SYSTEMS
•CO2 Based Systems, Liquid CO2 / N2 Super CO2 Foam

21. Thank you
Grazie
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