This presentation will show how Bakken/Three Forks multi-stage completion practices have evolved through time, and the corresponding production associated with these completions.

Over 1,000 wells have been used in this analysis.  The NDIC (North Dakota Industrial Commission) is the main source of data; however, data from press releases and wells currently not released are also used.  Neither individual wells nor companies will be identified.  Only multi-stage completions will be discussed.

The data shows how the number of fracture stages has increased through time from 2009 until early 2011.  Several companies pumped 40 stage stimulation jobs (March 2010 - March 2011), and it would appear that 40 stages may be too many.  The data seems to suggest a convergence towards 32-38 stages for a 1280 acre DSU (Drilling Spacing Unit).

Production data is plotted at 30 days, 90 days, 180 days, 270 days and one year. The data shows a very good relationship of total oil produced to number of stages pumped (wells identified as being in Parshall Field have been removed).  Normalized production volumes by the number of frac stages pumped is also plotted.

When these same wells are plotted using BOPD/Stage versus Number of Stages, the two types of fracture stimulations (sleeves and plug and perf) show comparable production rates.  Early on, the plug and perf method enabled the operator to pump many more stages than available frac sleeve technology. However, today it is possible to pump 34-40 stages using frac sleeves.