Increase Reservoir Contact in Shales
In shale reservoirs, success depends on maximizing the amount of reservoir rock in contact with the well. Towards that end, operators rely heavily on horizontal wells and hydraulic fracturing. And while recent advances in these technologies have been key to the economic viability of these developments, said Doug Pferdehirt, Schlumberger reservoir production group president, there is considerable room for improvement.
Deep Thinking in Deep Water
In 2001, with construction underway on its massive deepwater Mars tension leg platform, Shell concluded major design adjustments were needed. The operator had just learned of advances in well completion technology that would boost production beyond the facility's original design capacity. Typically, changing plans during construction is a logistical nightmare. But because the Mars team was made up of experts from across all disciplines involved in project planning and execution, Shell was able to implement all necessary changes in the construction yard before the giant floating platform sailed off.
Electromagnetic Sounding Comes of Age
E&P companies are now using the latest generation of electromagnetic geophysical devices to examine the resistivity of the Earth's subsurface layers. Hydrocarbon-bearing zones are more resistive than surrounding water-bearing zones. Additionally, formations such as salt and basalt have different resistivities than their surrounding sediments. These resistivity contrasts can be probed by examining propagation of electromagnetic waves through the Earth's surface. This technique, developed early in the last century, has only recently become commercially feasible. The new-generation devices are designed to help reduce risk in deepwater exploration.
