Investigation and Optimization of Infill Well Spacing Using Geomechanical and Simulation Studies on Shale Gas Reservoir to Maximize Performance and Financial Return

Haijun Fan; Mamoudou Kouma; Najmudeen Sibaweihi

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13

| Peer-Reviewed

Investigation and Optimization of Infill Well Spacing Using Geomechanical and Simulation Studies on Shale Gas Reservoir to Maximize Performance and Financial Return

Haijun Fan, Mamoudou Kouma, Najmudeen Sibaweihi

Published in International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Engineering (Volume 10, Issue 4)

Received: 4 September 2022 Accepted: 19 September 2022 Published: 27 September 2022

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

The process of developing shale reservoirs has proceeded to the point where new wells are drilled in close proximity to the "parent" well. These new wells pose a problem for operators because they can lead to complicated interactions between wells, reducing the performance of either one or both of the parent and child wells. A successful field development near producing wells requires careful consideration of the distance between wells to minimize the volume of unproduced gas and loss of revenue. In the oil and gas industry, appropriate horizontal well spacing is often determined by a combination of geological modeling with reservoir simulation. The goal of this research is to identify the best field development approach that maximizes both gas production and financial return. In the course of our study, a shale gas reservoir is modeled using flow simulation-based reservoir simulation, to carry out a sensitivity analysis that will help optimize shale gas production in the future, and we took into account the adsorption/desorption phenomenon, the geomechanics effect coupled with the heterogeneity property, which are very characteristic of real shale gas reservoirs. For 20 years of gas production, we sought first to find optimal well numbers and geometries scenarios. Then we decided to intelligently down space the horizontal wells with multiple hydraulic fracturing stages by adjusting the distance at different completion times between parent well(s) and child well(s). We investigated both lateral and vertical well spacing in order to achieve the highest possible volume of gas production and amount of net present value (NPV). According to the findings of our simulations, ten wells with aligned well geometry provide the most economic benefit for the optimization strategy. In order to maximize the gas recovery, the lateral well spacing needs to be greatly increased, and the vertical well spacing needs to be decreased to a point where more gas can be produced from each well. In addition, the findings of the economic analysis indicated that increasing the distance between wells may result in more great financial value for the lateral wells spacing. However, all wells must be drilled in the same pay zone for vertical well spacing to provide a better economic return. In spite of the fact that the outcomes of our work depend on the selected asset, they provide a significant illustration for determining the optimal spacing between hydraulically fractured horizontal wells for shale gas reservoirs.

Published in	International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Engineering (Volume 10, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13
Page(s)	101-114
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Shale Gas, Multistage Hydraulic Fracturing, Numerical Simulation, Multiple Horizontal Well, Well Spacing Optimization, Sensitivity Analysis, NPV

References

[1]	Hwi Jun Eom, Seung Hee An & Bo Hyun Chon (2014) Evaluation of shale gas reservoirs considering the effect of fracture half-length and fracture spacing in multiple hydraulically fractured horizontal wells, Geosystem Engineering, 17: 5, 264-278, DOI: 10.1080/12269328.2014.988296.
[2]	J. Chen, Y. Wei, J. Wang et al. (2021). Inter-well interference and well spacing optimization for shale gas reservoirs, Journal of Natural Gas Geoscience, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnggs.2021.09.001.
[3]	Alireza Shahkarami, Guochang Wang, Hoss Belyadi. (2016). “Horizontal Well Spacing and Hydraulic Fracturing Design Optimization: A Case Study on Utica-Point Pleasant Shale Play”. DOI 10.15530-urtec-2016-2459851.
[4]	Sahai, V., Jackson, G., Rai, R., and Coble, L. (2012). Optimal Well Spacing Configurations for Unconventional gas Reservoirs. Paper SPE 155751.
[5]	M. Suarez, S. Pichon. (2016). Completion and well spacing optimization for horizontal wells in pad development in the Vaca Muerta shale.
[6]	Dongbo HE, Lijuan WANG, Guang JI, Yunsheng WEI, Chengye JIA. (2012). Well Spacing Optimization for Sulige tight sand gas field, NW China, Petroleum Exploration and Development. 39 (4). 458-464.
[7]	Lalehrokh, F., and Bouma, J. (2014). Well Spacing Optimization in Eagle Ford. Paper SPE 171640. DOI: 10.2118/171640-MS.
[8]	Awada, A., Santo, M., Lougheed, D., Xu, D., & Virues, C. (2016). Is That Interference? A Work Flow for Identifying and Analyzing Communication Through Hydraulic Fractures in a Multiwell Pad. SPE Journal. doi: 10.2118/178509-PA.
[9]	Barree, R., Cox, S., Miskimins, J., Gilbert, J., & Conway, M. (2014). Economic Optimization of Horizontal Well Completions in Unconventional Reservoirs. SPE Journal. DOI: 10.2118/168612-MS.
[10]	Ali S. Ziarani; Cheney Chen; Albert Cui; David James Quirk; Dana Roney. (2014). Fracture and Wellbore Spacing Optimization in Multistage Fractured Horizontal Wellbores: Learnings from Our Experience on Canadian Unconventional Resources. SPE journal. IPTC-17853-MS. DOI: 10.2118/181788-MS.
[11]	Frick, T. C. (1958). Importance of Economics in Production and Reservoir Engineering. Journal of Petroleum Technology, 10 (09), 11-12. DOI: 10.2118/1026-G.
[12]	Khodabakhshnejad, A., Aimene, Y., Mistry, N., Bachir, A. and Ouenes, A. (2017). A Fast Method to Forecast Shale Pressure Depletion and Well Performance Using Geomechanical Constraints-Application to Poro-Elasticity Modeling to Predict Mid and Far Field Frac Hits at an Eagle Ford and Wolfcamp Well. SPE Journal. SPE-187535-MS. http://doi.org/10.2118/187535-MS.
[13]	Rafiee, M. and Grover, T. (2017). Well Spacing Optimization in Eagle Ford Shale: An Operator's Experience. SPE Journal. URTEC-2695433-MS. DOI 10.15530/urtec-2017-2695433.
[14]	F. Ajisafe, I. Solovyeva, A. Morales, E. Ejofodomi, and M. M. Porcu. (2017). “Impact of well spacing and interference on production performance in unconventional reservoirs, Permian Basin,” in SPE/AAPG/SEG. URTEC-2690466-MS. DOI 10.15530/urtec-2017-2690466.
[15]	P. Pankaj. (2018). “Characterizing well spacing, well stacking, and well completion optimization in the Permian Basin: an improved and efficient workflow using cloud-based computing,” in SPE/AAPG/SEG. URTEC-2876482-MS. DOI 10.15530/urtec-2018-2876482.
[16]	Bansal, Neha, Jichao Han, Yongduk Shin et al. (2018). Reservoir Characterization to Understand Optimal Well Spacing – A Wolfcamp Case Study. Proc., SPE/AAPG/SEG. URTEC-2901322-MS. DOI 10.15530/urtec-2018-2901322.
[17]	Lorwongngam, A. O., Cipolla, C., Gradl, C., Gil Cidoncha, J. and Davis, B., 2019, January. Multidisciplinary Data Gathering to Characterize Hydraulic Fracture Performance and Evaluate Well Spacing in the Bakken. SPE Journal. SPE-194321-MS. http://doi.org/10.2118/194321-MS.
[18]	Tanner, K. V., Dobbs, W. C. and Nash, S. D. (2019). Right-Sized Completions: Data and Physics-Based Design for Stacked Pay Horizontal Well Development. SPE Journal. SPE-194312-MS. http://doi.org/10.2118/194312-MS.
[19]	Stan Valdez, Rob Quigley, Tori Najvar, Austin Beckendorf, Adam Taberner, Louis Skrobarczyk, Grant Olsen, John Lee. (2021). “Spacing Classification System Delivers Enhanced Confidence in Modeling Unconventional Resource Plays”. SPE Journal. URTeC: 5058. https://doi.org/10.15530/urtec-2021-5058.
[20]	CMG-GEM. multidimensional, equation-of- state (EOS) compositional simulator. Version 2020 User’s Guide. Computer Modeling Group Ltd., Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
[21]	Barry Rubin. (2010). Accurate Simulation of Non-Darcy Flow in Stimulated Fractured Shale Reservoirs. SPE Journal. SPE 132093. https://doi.org/10.2118/132093-MS.
[22]	Cipolla, C. L., Lolon, E. P., Erdle, J. C., and Rubin, B. (2010). Reservoir Modeling in Shale-Gas Reservoirs. SPE Res. Eval. & Eng. 13 (4): 638-653. SPE-125530-PA. https://doi.org/10.2118/125530-PA.
[23]	Tavassoli, S., Yu, W., Javadpour, F., and Sepehrnoori, K. (2013). Selection of Candidate Horizontal Wells and Determination of the Optimal Time of Refracturing in Barnett Shale (Johnson County). SPE Journal. SPE-167137-MS. https://doi.org/10.2118/167137-MS.
[24]	Yu, W., and Sepehrnoori, K. (2014). An Efficient Reservoir Simulation Approach to Design and Optimize Unconventional Gas Production. J. Can Petrol. Technol. 53 (2): 109-121. SPE-165343-PA. https://doi.org/10.2118/165343-PA.
[25]	James R. Gilman; Hossein Kazemi. (1983). Improvements in Simulation of Naturally Fractured Reservoirs. SPE J. 23 (04): 695–707. SPE-10511-PA. https://doi.org/10.2118/10511-PA.
[26]	Barton, Nick, Bandis, S, and Bakhtar, K. (1985). Strength, deformation and conductivity coupling of rock joints. Proc., International journal of rock mechanics and mining sciences & geomechanics abstracts 3, 121-140. https://doi.org/10.1016/0148-9062(85)93227-9.
[27]	Tran, David, Nghiem, Long, and Buchanan, Lloyd. (2009). Aspects of coupling between petroleum reservoir flow and geomechanics. Proc., 43rd US Rock Mechanics Symposium & 4th US-Canada Rock Mechanics Symposium. ARMA-09-089.
[28]	Langmuir, I. (1918). The adsorption of gases on plane surfaces of glass, mica and platinum. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 40 (9), 1361–1403. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja02242a004.
[29]	Schweitzer, R.; Bilgesu, H. I. (2009). The Role of Economics on Well and Fracture Design Completions of Marcellus Shale Wells. SPE Journal. SPE-125975-MS. https://doi.org/10.2118/125975-MS.

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Haijun Fan, Mamoudou Kouma, Najmudeen Sibaweihi. (2022). Investigation and Optimization of Infill Well Spacing Using Geomechanical and Simulation Studies on Shale Gas Reservoir to Maximize Performance and Financial Return. International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Engineering, 10(4), 101-114. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Haijun Fan; Mamoudou Kouma; Najmudeen Sibaweihi. Investigation and Optimization of Infill Well Spacing Using Geomechanical and Simulation Studies on Shale Gas Reservoir to Maximize Performance and Financial Return. Int. J. Oil Gas Coal Eng. 2022, 10(4), 101-114. doi: 10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Haijun Fan, Mamoudou Kouma, Najmudeen Sibaweihi. Investigation and Optimization of Infill Well Spacing Using Geomechanical and Simulation Studies on Shale Gas Reservoir to Maximize Performance and Financial Return. Int J Oil Gas Coal Eng. 2022;10(4):101-114. doi: 10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13,
  author = {Haijun Fan and Mamoudou Kouma and Najmudeen Sibaweihi},
  title = {Investigation and Optimization of Infill Well Spacing Using Geomechanical and Simulation Studies on Shale Gas Reservoir to Maximize Performance and Financial Return},
  journal = {International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Engineering},
  volume = {10},
  number = {4},
  pages = {101-114},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ogce.20221004.13},
  abstract = {The process of developing shale reservoirs has proceeded to the point where new wells are drilled in close proximity to the "parent" well. These new wells pose a problem for operators because they can lead to complicated interactions between wells, reducing the performance of either one or both of the parent and child wells. A successful field development near producing wells requires careful consideration of the distance between wells to minimize the volume of unproduced gas and loss of revenue. In the oil and gas industry, appropriate horizontal well spacing is often determined by a combination of geological modeling with reservoir simulation. The goal of this research is to identify the best field development approach that maximizes both gas production and financial return. In the course of our study, a shale gas reservoir is modeled using flow simulation-based reservoir simulation, to carry out a sensitivity analysis that will help optimize shale gas production in the future, and we took into account the adsorption/desorption phenomenon, the geomechanics effect coupled with the heterogeneity property, which are very characteristic of real shale gas reservoirs. For 20 years of gas production, we sought first to find optimal well numbers and geometries scenarios. Then we decided to intelligently down space the horizontal wells with multiple hydraulic fracturing stages by adjusting the distance at different completion times between parent well(s) and child well(s). We investigated both lateral and vertical well spacing in order to achieve the highest possible volume of gas production and amount of net present value (NPV). According to the findings of our simulations, ten wells with aligned well geometry provide the most economic benefit for the optimization strategy. In order to maximize the gas recovery, the lateral well spacing needs to be greatly increased, and the vertical well spacing needs to be decreased to a point where more gas can be produced from each well. In addition, the findings of the economic analysis indicated that increasing the distance between wells may result in more great financial value for the lateral wells spacing. However, all wells must be drilled in the same pay zone for vertical well spacing to provide a better economic return. In spite of the fact that the outcomes of our work depend on the selected asset, they provide a significant illustration for determining the optimal spacing between hydraulically fractured horizontal wells for shale gas reservoirs.},
 year = {2022}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Investigation and Optimization of Infill Well Spacing Using Geomechanical and Simulation Studies on Shale Gas Reservoir to Maximize Performance and Financial Return
AU  - Haijun Fan
AU  - Mamoudou Kouma
AU  - Najmudeen Sibaweihi
Y1  - 2022/09/27
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13
T2  - International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Engineering
JF  - International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Engineering
JO  - International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Engineering
SP  - 101
EP  - 114
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2376-7677
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13
AB  - The process of developing shale reservoirs has proceeded to the point where new wells are drilled in close proximity to the "parent" well. These new wells pose a problem for operators because they can lead to complicated interactions between wells, reducing the performance of either one or both of the parent and child wells. A successful field development near producing wells requires careful consideration of the distance between wells to minimize the volume of unproduced gas and loss of revenue. In the oil and gas industry, appropriate horizontal well spacing is often determined by a combination of geological modeling with reservoir simulation. The goal of this research is to identify the best field development approach that maximizes both gas production and financial return. In the course of our study, a shale gas reservoir is modeled using flow simulation-based reservoir simulation, to carry out a sensitivity analysis that will help optimize shale gas production in the future, and we took into account the adsorption/desorption phenomenon, the geomechanics effect coupled with the heterogeneity property, which are very characteristic of real shale gas reservoirs. For 20 years of gas production, we sought first to find optimal well numbers and geometries scenarios. Then we decided to intelligently down space the horizontal wells with multiple hydraulic fracturing stages by adjusting the distance at different completion times between parent well(s) and child well(s). We investigated both lateral and vertical well spacing in order to achieve the highest possible volume of gas production and amount of net present value (NPV). According to the findings of our simulations, ten wells with aligned well geometry provide the most economic benefit for the optimization strategy. In order to maximize the gas recovery, the lateral well spacing needs to be greatly increased, and the vertical well spacing needs to be decreased to a point where more gas can be produced from each well. In addition, the findings of the economic analysis indicated that increasing the distance between wells may result in more great financial value for the lateral wells spacing. However, all wells must be drilled in the same pay zone for vertical well spacing to provide a better economic return. In spite of the fact that the outcomes of our work depend on the selected asset, they provide a significant illustration for determining the optimal spacing between hydraulically fractured horizontal wells for shale gas reservoirs.
VL  - 10
IS  - 4
ER  -

Copy | Download

Author Information

Haijun Fan

Department of Oil and Gas Field Development, School of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, China
Mamoudou Kouma

Department of Oil and Gas Field Development, School of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, China
Najmudeen Sibaweihi

Petroleum Engineering Program, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Haijun Fan, Mamoudou Kouma, Najmudeen Sibaweihi. (2022). Investigation and Optimization of Infill Well Spacing Using Geomechanical and Simulation Studies on Shale Gas Reservoir to Maximize Performance and Financial Return. International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Engineering, 10(4), 101-114. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Haijun Fan; Mamoudou Kouma; Najmudeen Sibaweihi. Investigation and Optimization of Infill Well Spacing Using Geomechanical and Simulation Studies on Shale Gas Reservoir to Maximize Performance and Financial Return. Int. J. Oil Gas Coal Eng. 2022, 10(4), 101-114. doi: 10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Haijun Fan, Mamoudou Kouma, Najmudeen Sibaweihi. Investigation and Optimization of Infill Well Spacing Using Geomechanical and Simulation Studies on Shale Gas Reservoir to Maximize Performance and Financial Return. Int J Oil Gas Coal Eng. 2022;10(4):101-114. doi: 10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13,
  author = {Haijun Fan and Mamoudou Kouma and Najmudeen Sibaweihi},
  title = {Investigation and Optimization of Infill Well Spacing Using Geomechanical and Simulation Studies on Shale Gas Reservoir to Maximize Performance and Financial Return},
  journal = {International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Engineering},
  volume = {10},
  number = {4},
  pages = {101-114},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ogce.20221004.13},
  abstract = {The process of developing shale reservoirs has proceeded to the point where new wells are drilled in close proximity to the "parent" well. These new wells pose a problem for operators because they can lead to complicated interactions between wells, reducing the performance of either one or both of the parent and child wells. A successful field development near producing wells requires careful consideration of the distance between wells to minimize the volume of unproduced gas and loss of revenue. In the oil and gas industry, appropriate horizontal well spacing is often determined by a combination of geological modeling with reservoir simulation. The goal of this research is to identify the best field development approach that maximizes both gas production and financial return. In the course of our study, a shale gas reservoir is modeled using flow simulation-based reservoir simulation, to carry out a sensitivity analysis that will help optimize shale gas production in the future, and we took into account the adsorption/desorption phenomenon, the geomechanics effect coupled with the heterogeneity property, which are very characteristic of real shale gas reservoirs. For 20 years of gas production, we sought first to find optimal well numbers and geometries scenarios. Then we decided to intelligently down space the horizontal wells with multiple hydraulic fracturing stages by adjusting the distance at different completion times between parent well(s) and child well(s). We investigated both lateral and vertical well spacing in order to achieve the highest possible volume of gas production and amount of net present value (NPV). According to the findings of our simulations, ten wells with aligned well geometry provide the most economic benefit for the optimization strategy. In order to maximize the gas recovery, the lateral well spacing needs to be greatly increased, and the vertical well spacing needs to be decreased to a point where more gas can be produced from each well. In addition, the findings of the economic analysis indicated that increasing the distance between wells may result in more great financial value for the lateral wells spacing. However, all wells must be drilled in the same pay zone for vertical well spacing to provide a better economic return. In spite of the fact that the outcomes of our work depend on the selected asset, they provide a significant illustration for determining the optimal spacing between hydraulically fractured horizontal wells for shale gas reservoirs.},
 year = {2022}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Investigation and Optimization of Infill Well Spacing Using Geomechanical and Simulation Studies on Shale Gas Reservoir to Maximize Performance and Financial Return
AU  - Haijun Fan
AU  - Mamoudou Kouma
AU  - Najmudeen Sibaweihi
Y1  - 2022/09/27
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13
T2  - International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Engineering
JF  - International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Engineering
JO  - International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Engineering
SP  - 101
EP  - 114
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2376-7677
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ogce.20221004.13
AB  - The process of developing shale reservoirs has proceeded to the point where new wells are drilled in close proximity to the "parent" well. These new wells pose a problem for operators because they can lead to complicated interactions between wells, reducing the performance of either one or both of the parent and child wells. A successful field development near producing wells requires careful consideration of the distance between wells to minimize the volume of unproduced gas and loss of revenue. In the oil and gas industry, appropriate horizontal well spacing is often determined by a combination of geological modeling with reservoir simulation. The goal of this research is to identify the best field development approach that maximizes both gas production and financial return. In the course of our study, a shale gas reservoir is modeled using flow simulation-based reservoir simulation, to carry out a sensitivity analysis that will help optimize shale gas production in the future, and we took into account the adsorption/desorption phenomenon, the geomechanics effect coupled with the heterogeneity property, which are very characteristic of real shale gas reservoirs. For 20 years of gas production, we sought first to find optimal well numbers and geometries scenarios. Then we decided to intelligently down space the horizontal wells with multiple hydraulic fracturing stages by adjusting the distance at different completion times between parent well(s) and child well(s). We investigated both lateral and vertical well spacing in order to achieve the highest possible volume of gas production and amount of net present value (NPV). According to the findings of our simulations, ten wells with aligned well geometry provide the most economic benefit for the optimization strategy. In order to maximize the gas recovery, the lateral well spacing needs to be greatly increased, and the vertical well spacing needs to be decreased to a point where more gas can be produced from each well. In addition, the findings of the economic analysis indicated that increasing the distance between wells may result in more great financial value for the lateral wells spacing. However, all wells must be drilled in the same pay zone for vertical well spacing to provide a better economic return. In spite of the fact that the outcomes of our work depend on the selected asset, they provide a significant illustration for determining the optimal spacing between hydraulically fractured horizontal wells for shale gas reservoirs.
VL  - 10
IS  - 4
ER  -

Copy | Download