Completion design for horizontal wells is typically performed using a geometric approach where the fracturing stages are evenly distributed along the lateral length of the well. However, this approach ignores the intrinsic vertical and horizontal heterogeneity of unconventional reservoirs, resulting in uneven production from hydraulic fracturing stages. An alternative approach is to selectively complete intervals with similar and superior reservoir quality (RQ) and completion quality (CQ), potentially leading to improved development efficiency. In the current study, along-well reservoir characterization is performed using data from a horizontal well completed in the Montney Formation in western Canada. Log-derived petrophysical and geomechanical properties, and laboratory analyses performed on drill cuttings, are integrated for the purpose of evaluating RQ and CQ variability along the well. For RQ, cutoffs were applied to the porosity (>4%), permeability (>0.0018 mD), and water saturation (<20%), whereas, for CQ, cutoffs were applied to rock strength (<160 Mpa), Young’s Modulus (60–65 GPa), and Poisson’s ratio (<0.26). Based on the observed heterogeneity in reservoir properties, the lateral length of the well can be subdivided into nine segments. Superior RQ and CQ intervals were found to be associated with predominantly (massive) porous siltstone facies; these intervals are regarded as the primary targets for stimulation. In contrast, relatively inferior RQ and CQ intervals were found to be associated with either dolomite-cemented facies or laminated siltstones. The methods developed and used in this study could be beneficial to Montney operators who aim to better predict and target sweet spots along horizontal wells; the approach could also be used in other unconventional plays.
This paper provides a comprehensive analysis and documentation of a popular outcrop (roadcut) of the Woodford Shale, known as the I-35 outcrop. At the bed scale, based on outcrop weathering responses, the lithology of the Woodford Shale is cyclically represented by two distinctive, intercalated rock types: soft (incompetent, ductile) siliceous shales and hard (competent, brittle) cherts. The detailed geologic characterization integrated results from several laboratory techniques: X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, total organic carbon (TOC), thin-section petrography, scanning electron microscopy, rock hardness, and uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) tests. Experimentally, soft beds are ductile because they sustained significant plastic deformation before failure on UCS tests; these beds are finely laminated, clay-rich ([Formula: see text]), have very high TOC content ([Formula: see text]), very high concentrations of organic proxies (Mo, U) and detrital proxies (Ti, Zr, K, Al), and low Si/Al ratios. In contrast, hard beds are brittle because they sustained little to no plastic deformation before failure; these beds are massive (not visibly laminated), quartz-rich ([Formula: see text]), and have lower TOC content ([Formula: see text]), lower organic proxies (Mo, U), and lower detrital proxies (Ti, Zr, K, Al). The results from our study attest the outcrop-based distinction between soft and hard beds, as determined by systematic contrasts in composition, rock fabric, and mechanical properties. In addition, our results provide insights for the prediction of rock properties for the two principal rock types within the Woodford Shale, giving rise to speculation that if a proper physical distinction is made between soft and hard beds in cores or outcrops, few samples would work well for upscaling rock properties within larger intervals with incomplete sets of data, thus helping to reduce the costs/time related to acquiring large data sets. In addition, observations from this and other outcrops indicate the potentially best horizontal targets are those with approximately equal proportions of the two rock types.
We have developed a detailed rock-based documentation of a previously undescribed Woodford Shale outcrop in South Central Oklahoma. The complete exposed section provided the opportunity to investigate lithologic attributes across the complete Woodford Shale thickness, as well as on its under- and overlying formational contacts. Within the Woodford Shale strata, seven lithofacies were recognized honoring textural and compositional attributes, and they were grouped based on their weathering response into soft (incompetent) and hard (competent) beds. Internally, across the Woodford interval, there is an overall upward increase in quartz content, represented by higher proportions of siliceous shales and chert around the middle and upper members, whereas the lower member is mostly dominated by organic and clay-rich shales interbedded with minor proportions of cherty beds. However, most notable was the rhythmic cyclicity between hard (brittle) and soft (ductile) lithofacies throughout the Woodford, from which systematic measurements of bed thickness and soft-to-hard ratios are examined to illustrate multiple scenarios of stratigraphic anisotropy. The geologic assessment of reservoir quality was assessed using the vertical arrangement of lithofacies, from which we hypothesized that potential target zones are interpreted to be composed by high-frequency interbeddings of organic-rich “soft” beds (acting as a local source) and “hard” brittle beds (acting as more frackable or fractured rocks). According to this model and the vertical stratigraphy, a potential target zone is interpreted to lie in between the upper half of the middle Woodford and lower half of the upper Woodford member, where the soft-to-hard ratio is approximately 50/50 and the beds are thinner.
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