Summary:

Thousands of hydrocarbon compounds naturally occur in produced oil and oil extracted from core or cutting samples, these compounds carry a tremendous amount of information on reservoir properties and subsurface fluid flow. A unique geochemical data-driven method is introduced that reveals both static reservoir characteristics such as permeability and oil saturation, as well as dynamic reservoir performance such as hydrocarbon contribution by zone, drainage height, and well communication. This methodology has proven beneficial throughout the lifecycle of unconventional reservoir development, aiding in answering many questions for optimal full field development.

In this presentation, we present a two-part workflow using geochemical information collected from both rock (cuttings/core) and produced oil. In the first part, bulk geochemical compound data collected from rock samples were used to generate a group of Reservoir Characterization Indices (RCI) to provide key reservoir properties such as permeability and oil saturation.  In the second part, time-lapse produced oil samples were allocated back to its contributing zones using regression models, based on geochemical fingerprint data of the rocks and oils, to reveal the temporal and spatial variation of the effective drained rock volume (DRV) surrounding horizontal wells in unconventional plays.  The probability of inter-well fluid communication between well pairs is also calculated based on the similarity of the geochemical fingerprints in the produced oils of the corresponding wells.

Case studies and data integration examples from Permian are presented that demonstrate: 1) geochemical reservoir characterization correlates with petrophysical analysis and when combined with time-lapse production allocation we gain an understanding of how targeting and reservoir properties effect zonal contribution through the life of the well; 2) production allocation based on high-resolution GCXGC data provides quantitative zonal contribution and vertical drainage height information, identifying shared contribution between stacked wells and quantifying the impact of frac hits to parent wells; 3) the landing zone can contribute anywhere from ~30% up to ~100% to the production, having this knowledge can lead to different infill and well management decisions; 4) P90 Drainage Frac Height can be utilized to understand SRV; and 5) significantly overlapped DRV can impair well performance. Results from these studies have also facilitated optimizing of several current landing zones and well spacings that lead to improved economic recovery of stacked plays in Midland basin.

This presentation will cover the fundamentals of geochemical fingerprint technology and its key applications to improve unconventional reservoir economics and reserves calculation by guiding well stacking & spacing, completion design, as well as EOR decisions. 

Event Format:

Lunch-and-Learn  at NexTiers Headquarters West-side of Houston. Several food options will be provided for those with various dietary needs. Parking is free. Doors open at 11:30 AM for networking.