Old Problems, New Challenges: Evaluating a Horizontal Well in Naturally Fractured Carbonate Reservoirs

Abstract

Extracting oil from horizontal wells in naturally fractured carbonate reservoirs (NFR) is challenging. To properly evaluate the formation, a solution was developed that integrates key formation evaluation technologies with stimulation systems and which has proved to be effective in holistically solving such challenges.The holistic well analysis included evaluation of static data by integrating all available openhole data and special logs. To locate the most productive zones, fracture characterization was conducted using advanced interpretation techniques. Dynamic evaluation also included the analysis of measurements obtained using a formation tester. An integrated technical solution included a proper matrix stimulation design that considered all these data to reduce formation damage and connect the fracture networks.This study successfully confirmed the presence of hydrocarbons in the T field in southern Mexico for the first time. Production not only exceeded expectations, but also added reserves to this new exploration area, aiding in the development of the Upper Cretaceous formation referred to locally as the KM.