First discovered in 1951, development of the Bakken formation in the Williston Basin has been problematic and inconsistent. However, technological advancements in horizontal drilling and completions in the past decade have steadily improved production results and consistency on a well by well basis. So much so, that the United States Geologic Survey (USGS) reported in 2008 that the undiscovered, technically recoverable oil in the Bakken was between 3 to 4.3 billion barrels.How many fracture stages to run and how far apart to space stages in horizontal wells are prevalent questions asked by the oil and gas industry. This study provides insight into the advantages of various stage numbers and optimum stage spacing by analyzing up to 15 months of production results from horizontal wells targeting the Bakken in the Stanley Field, North Dakota. These wells were completed with open hole, multi-stage fracturing systems (OHMS) and production is compared to offset wells and field averages.Advancements in OHMS completion and fracturing technology have enabled maximized production from this asset. The lessons learned and methodology can be utilized for other unconventional oil and gas plays around the world.
TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435.
AbstractIn 1996, Williston Basin Interstate Pipeline Company (WBI), a wholly owned subsidiary of MDU Resources Group, Inc., implemented a pilot program to improve production from the Eagle Gas Sands in Southeastern Montana. The program included running Formation Micro-Scanner ™ Logs (FMS) logs to identify natural fractures and permeable pay intervals and using three-dimensional fracture modeling to determine the optimum fracture treatment size. By applying technologies and multi-stage fracture treatments, WBI has more than tripled gas production rates. While the optimal completion program has yet to be determined, especially in the deeper (1700+ft) horizons, all wells drilled and completed in 1996 are producing gas. This 100 percent success ratio is a significant improvement over previous years when less than 60% of the wells responded to stimulation. A savings of $420,000 was realized in 1996 by eliminating the need to restimulate 50% of the wells. First year incremental NPV increased by 20% or $11,600 per well for the 24-well program in 1996. This equates to an incremental 10-year NPV of over $335,000 per well and over $8.8 million for the drilling program.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.