Integrated Petrophysical Evaluation of Shale Gas Reservoirs

Jacobi, David; Gladkikh, Mikhail; LeCompte, Brian; Hursán, Gábor; Mendez, Freddy; Longo, J.M.; Ong, Seehong; Bratovich, Matt; Patton, G.L.; Shoemaker, Phillip

doi:10.2118/114925-ms

Cited by 71 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…For example, in the Barnett shale, the most brittle sections were found to be those rich in silica and low in clay. These compositions are generally found by core analysis (Jacobi et al, 2008). Brittleness can be determined from the Young's Modulus, Poisson's Ratio, and Brinell hardness of the shale, all of which are determined from core samples (Kundert et al, 2009).…”

Section: Prospectingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Porosity and permeability are determined by core analysis or in-situ nuclear magnetic resonance. Other porosity measurements, such as acoustic and neutron-density methods, are affected by variations in composition and organic content of the reservoir rock and are therefore less accurate (Jacobi et al, 2008). Fracture orientation and density can be determined using Logging-WhileDrilling (LWD) imaging; this allows rapid decisions to be made regarding the direction of drilling and the potential efficacy of fracture stimulation (Quinn et al, 2008).…”

Section: Prospectingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A critical evaluation of unconventional gas recovery from the marcellus shale, northeastern United States

et al. 2011

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The Marcellus tight gas shale represents a significant resource within the northeastern United States. It is both a large reserve, with an estimated 30 to 300 TCF of recoverable gas, and is close to some of the largest prospective markets in the country. However, production is fraught with technological obstacles, the most significant of which include prospecting, access by drilling, stimulation, and recovery. Prospecting is difficult because viability of the reservoir relies both on the original gas in place and in the ability to access that gas through pre-existing fractures that may be developed through stimulation. Drilling is a challenge since drilling costs typically comprise 50% of the cost of the wells and access to the reservoir is improved with horizontal drilling which may access a longer productive zone within the reservoir than cheaper vertical wells. Finally, stimulation methods are necessary to improve gas yields and to reduce the environmental impacts of both consumptive water use and the subsequent problems of safe disposal of fracwater waste. We discuss the challenges involved in the economic recovery of gas from tight gas shales in general and the Marcellus in particular.

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Section: Prospectingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Prospectingmentioning

confidence: 99%

A critical evaluation of unconventional gas recovery from the marcellus shale, northeastern United States

et al. 2011

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“…Favorable intervals are usually the more siliceous lithofacies because they are geomechanically more brittle and, as a result, are good zones for fracture initiation. It has also been reported that there exists a strong relationship between the thermal maturity of the kerogen and the corresponding brittleness of the rock (Jacobi, et al, 2008), which makes targeting these lithofacies crucial for maximizing reservoir production. On the other hand, it is extremely crucial to avoid lithofacies that might act as fracture barriers due to their geomechanical makeup.…”

Section: Need For a Shale Gas Facies Expert Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A shale gas facies expert system has been developed (Jacobi, et al, 2008) incorporating an integrated petrophysical reservoirevaluation approach for characterizing shale gas reservoirs utilizing downhole wireline log measurements. An integrated petrophysical approach enables a comprehensive characterization of the reservoir in terms of its various properties.…”

Section: The Shale Gas Facies Expert Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of Lithofacies Models to Characterize Unconventional Shale Gas Reservoirs and Identify Optimal Completion Intervals

2010

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Unconventional shale gas reservoirs are economically viable hydrocarbon prospects, and their development has rapidly increased in North America. These reservoirs must be routinely drilled horizontally and hydraulically fracture stimulated to maximize production rates. Identification of the different chemostratigraphic units or lithofacies that make up these reservoirs is crucial for devising completion strategies because some lithofacies are more favorable to gas recovery due to their organic content and geomechanical characteristics.Lithofacies are indicative of eustatic changes during deposition and are typical geo-markers related to the preservation and amount of accumulated Total Organic Carbon (TOC) for a given basin. Gas content is related to TOC and varies according to lithofacies. Based on the mineralogical and TOC content, some lithofacies are favorable for gas production (e.g., siliceous lithofacies) and the geomechanical properties of these lithofacies often possess low fracture gradients that are conducive to forming extensive fracture fairways for recovery of gas. Other lithofacies can be fracture barriers and zones of fracture propagation attenuation (e.g., carbonate lithofacies).A shale gas facies expert system was developed with the goal of chemostratigraphically characterizing different shale plays and utilizing an integrated petrophysical reservoir evaluation approach to identify optimal completion intervals. This system can aid operators design selective completion strategies, which can potentially reduce fracturing expenses and optimize well productivity. The expert system incorporates a combination of density, neutron, acoustic, nuclear magnetic resonance and geochemical logging measurements. This system first characterizes the lithofacies based on their geochemical makeup and then flags the most favorable and unfavorable zones using a simple "stop-light" approach based on the petrophysical and geomechanical properties.

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“…Furthermore, understanding deformational properties becomes a fundamental task to better optimize operational procedures in shale gas reservoirs (Jacobi et al 2008;Britt and Schoeffler 2009;Sone 2012;Ghassemi and SuarezRivera 2012). Shales are the most ubiquitous sedimentary rock, and they have been characterized in the past.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geomechanical Characterization of Marcellus Shale

2016

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Understanding the reservoir conditions and material properties that govern the geomechanical behavior of shale formations under in situ conditions is of vital importance for many geomechanical applications. The development of new numerical codes and advanced multiphysical (thermo-hydro-chemo-mechanical) constitutive models has led to an increasing demand for fundamental material property data. Previous studies have shown that deformational rock properties are not single-value, welldefined, linear parameters. This paper reports on an experimental program that explores geomechanical properties of Marcellus Shale through a series of isotropic compression (i.e. r 1 = r 2 = r 3 ) and triaxial (i.e. r 1 [ r 2 = r 3 ) experiments. Deformational and failure response of these rocks, as well as anisotropy evolution, were studied under different stress and temperature conditions using single-and multi-stage triaxial tests.Laboratory results revealed significant nonlinear and pressure-dependent mechanical response as a consequence of the rock fabric and the occurrence of microcracks in these shales. Moreover, multi-stage triaxial tests proved to be useful tools for obtaining failure envelopes using a single specimen. Furthermore, the anisotropic nature of Marcellus Shale was successfully characterized using a three-parameter coupled model. Keywords

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Integrated Petrophysical Evaluation of Shale Gas Reservoirs

Cited by 71 publications

References 18 publications

A critical evaluation of unconventional gas recovery from the marcellus shale, northeastern United States

A critical evaluation of unconventional gas recovery from the marcellus shale, northeastern United States

Application of Lithofacies Models to Characterize Unconventional Shale Gas Reservoirs and Identify Optimal Completion Intervals

Geomechanical Characterization of Marcellus Shale

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