Shale Reservoir Development

Report from the Field

This month’s issue focuses on two unconventional plays (the Marcellus and Eagle Ford) that are critical in arresting the decline of North American liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon production. Both plays have unique defining characteristics that require up-front science prior to positioning wells and designing a completion schema.

Figure 1. Plan view, typical manufacturing development, showing fracture half-length terminology

Stimulation practice cannot be “cook-booked” across either play, as variation exists with respect to geological, geophysical, geochemical and reservoir parameters. However, localized practice may be standardized so that the acceleration of reserve recovery is optimum under some pre-defined net present value (NPV) condition. In a localized segment of the Marcellus or the Eagle Ford, natural parameters may be statistically similar, enough so that consistent drilling and completion (D&C) practices define what many industry participants define as field development plan, standardized practices or manufacturing mode.

Manufacturing process as it relates to standardized D&C practice involves numerous inter-related exercises. However, as in other industrial segments, application of the Pareto Principle suggests that focusing on a few core principles and practices results in “dovetailing” toward an optimum process. Both the Marcellus and the Eagle Ford are impacted by these critical process decisions: