SPE General Meeting

Topic:       Releasing Shale-Reservoir Potential with Fractured Horizontal Wells

Speaker:    Erdal Ozkan, Colorado School of Mines

Date:              Wednesday - February 16, 2011

Time:         11:30 am

 Place:         Denver Athletic Club

4th Floor 1325 Glenarm Place Denver, CO80204 303-534-1211

Map of 1325 Glenarm Pl Denver, CO 80204-2114

 Cost:    $25.00 with reservations, $30.00 at the door if space is available.

 Abstract: 
 In the last decade, our understanding of shale reservoirs has progressed significantly. It is now agreed that a major factor for the productivity of shale reservoirs is the existence of a pervasive reservoir fracture network around the well. Accordingly, a common practice is to use hydraulically fractured horizontal wells to improve the connection with the reservoir fractures. Flow in these unconventional systems is considered linear in the fractured volume around the well and usually interpreted with conventional reservoir engineering wisdom. What is currently imperfect in this interpretation is an accurate accounting of the matrix contribution due to the unconventional nature of flow in nanodarcy shale matrix.
This presentation discusses the characteristics of shale reservoirs and their impact on the performances of fractured horizontal wells. Various flow mechanisms in shale matrix and fluid transfer from matrix to fracture network are explained. Key parameters of productivity are delineated. Emphasis is given to the estimation of the extent of reservoir fracture network, prediction of the efficiency of matrix drainage, and their impact on the estimation of well's drainage volume. The main idea to take away from this presentation is that some conventional reservoir engineering interpretations and practices derived from them may not be adequate for shale reservoirs. For example, unlike tight-gas reservoirs, hydraulic fracture conductivity may not be a key parameter for productivity in shale reservoirs. Examples are presented to highlight common practices and problems in the interpretation of performances of fractured horizontal wells in shale reservoirs. Bottlenecks of flow are delineated to emphasize the key parameters for the design of fractured horizontal well completions in shale.

Biography:

Erdal Ozkan is a professor of Petroleum Engineering and co-director of Marathon Center of Excellence for Reservoir Studies at Colorado School of Mines. Previously, he was on the faculty at Istanbul Technical University. He has BS and MS degrees from Istanbul Technical University and a Ph.D. degree from the University of Tulsa, all in Petroleum Engineering. His research interests are horizontal well technology, pressure-transient analysis, modeling fluid flow in porous media, and shale reservoirs. Erdal Ozkan has authored or co-authored over one hundred technical papers, co-authored a book, and contributed chapters to the Well Testing Monograph and Reservoir Engineering Handbook of SPE. He has served as the Executive Editor of SPEREE, Technical Director of the SPE Research and Development Technical Section, Chief Editor of The Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, and the Associate Editor of JERT. He was involved in the organization of several SPE conferences, forums, and workshops including the meetings on shale reservoirs. Erdal Ozkan is a member of the SPE RD&D Advisory Committee, a Distinguished Member of the SPE, and the recipient of the 2007 SPE Formation Evaluation Award.