Parent Well Strategies in the Bakken, Trends and Outcomes

Abstract

Significant attention has been placed on well-to-well interactions since the beginning of infill development in unconventional plays. Asymmetry of hydraulic fractures toward pressure-depleted parent wells has been attributed to poor performance of early in-fill completions (Xuyang et al., 2019). Factors include well spacing, timing, and specifics of colocation. Various operators have developed strategies to mitigate these effects and improve production for new spacing units. This paper reviews the historical response to parent–child well development in the Bakken, characterizes trends, and examines the techniques that have been applied and their efficacy. Results provide evidence that development decisions continue to be largely driven by surface constraints, suggesting there is more work needed to improve future child well performance. There is a trend away from refracturing for most operators, particularly as part of drilling spacing unit (DSU) redevelopments involving drilling of multiple child wells. Common mitigation techniques include fracturing the child well closest to the parent well first and increasing well spacing.

Advancements and Operational Insights in the Bakken Shale: An Integrated Analysis of Drilling, Completion, and Artificial Lift Practices

“…They also conducted an economic analysis of refracs potential revenues and identified 400 potential wells as candidates for refracs. Following the study, Schmidt et al [29] reported that 184 wells have been refrac'ed. between 2017 and 2021 with a decreasing trend from the highest levels in 2017.…”

“…Halliburton [26] discussed a customized water-based fluid system for drilling, focusing on wellbore stability and contamination prevention, while Halliburton [27] introduced NitroForce®, a high-torque motor technology that significantly reduced well time and increased drilling efficiency. Gundersen et al [28] explored the implementation of Wet Shoetrack Completions, a cost-efficient technique for unconventional oil and gas extraction, and Schmidt et al [29] examined well-to-well interactions, suggesting that sacrificial fracs in child wells could optimize production. Lastly, Ouadi et al [30,31] introduced the innovative fishbone drilling method, which increases hydrocarbon recovery and reduces environmental impact by featuring a central wellbore with multiple branching laterals.…”