Well spacing is one of the most critical factors affecting onshore well production. Reservoir teams striving to optimize well spacing can utilize the wealth of data that describe subsurface environments to achieve that goal. In particular, geologists, well planners, and drilling and completion engineers can benefit from 3D visualizations of geologic and petrophysical data, existing…
Offshore well development brings added complexity and costs that vary depending on sea floor depth and distance from onshore resources. Offshore rig time is expensive, ranging anywhere from USD $250K-$300K per day in 2020. Anything that can be done to reduce rig time positively impacts costs. Consequently, every phase of an offshore development project demands…
High-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) wells—characterized by temperatures over 150°C and 10,000 psi at their deepest point—present challenges throughout all phases of the reservoir development cycle. The number of HPHT well completions have grown significantly in the past decade as improvements in data analysis and equipment designs allow operators to overcome the unique challenges of HPHT well…
There are many advantages associated with open hole completion designs. Asset teams may save on time and costs as there is no need to case the entirety of the borehole. They may also benefit from having to use fewer materials, equipment, and operations. With open hole completion designs, inflow is also less impeded so more…
Nearly every step in the development of a reservoir is critical in achieving the goal of maximizing hydrocarbon production. An initial geological analysis provides an understanding of subsurface conditions and an estimated ultimate recovery. Reservoir simulations and cellular gridding provide insight into fluid flows. Wellbore data helps geologists confirm or refine geologic models and completion…
Mature oil fields that have been previously drilled and produced offer an abundance of data generated over their operational life. This data is of great benefit in analysis and visualization for the purpose of determining viability for secondary recovery efforts. Thus, data integration and visualization software is key in understanding and planning secondary recovery for…
Detailed subsurface geological modeling informs and supports asset teams at nearly every stage of the reservoir lifecycle. Geologists strive to create as accurate as possible geological models to allow petroleum engineers and other team members to better assess reservoir viability for further hydrocarbon exploitation. Subsurface geological modeling has many challenges and can be a time-consuming…
Obtaining as accurate as possible an understanding of hydraulic fracture geometry provides many advantages to geologists, geophysicists, and completion engineers as they plan reservoir development. A detailed understanding helps asset teams determine fracking strategies for specific reservoir conditions, evaluate the results of individual frac stages, and continually improve hydraulic fracturing outcomes. Understanding hydraulic fracture geometry…
The life cycle of a typical oil field is defined by the need for oil companies to receive a return on the investment required to develop an oil field. This life cycle follows the five-step process of exploration, appraisal, development, production, and decommissioning. With the production phase being the only one to yield a profitable…
Accurate reservoir characterization benefits every aspect of development and production activities. However, one of the greatest challenges of reservoir characterization concerns the diversity of data used by the individual disciplines of the reservoir team. Each discipline uses specialized software products. Each provides insight into a specific reservoir attribute such as pressure, fluid saturation, net-to-gross, or…