Real-Time Azimuthal Laterolog Image Interpretation for Successful Horizontal Drilling in a Carbonate Reservoir in the U.A.E.

Horizontal well performance in shale gas plays is highly dependent on placing the well in the preferred target zone of the reservoir interval. Some operators who drill in shale plays do not have seismic data and depth structural maps. They plan their horizontal wells with only offset well data. Sometimes, their wells land outside of the preferred target because they blindly place horizontal wells by using only non-directional gamma ray (GR) log data. For optimal well planning and placement for optimized production, it is important to minimize uncertainty about reservoir structure and placement. Usually, operators create a depth map from identified markers such as well tops correlated across available wells in the field. The generated map is limited and often leads to landing laterals outside the target zone, especially when well control is not ideal. The aim of this paper is to illustrate a method of building structural maps and 3D geologic models for drilling in shale gas reservoirs. This methodology lends itself particularly well (but not exclusively) to the pad drilling approach common in shale gas development. The use of logging-while-drilling (LWD) technology can be strategically planned from pad to pad to help mitigate structural uncertainty. Data from 42 horizontal and 6 vertical wells in the project area allowed real-time density image and azimuthal logs to be coupled with vertical offset well information to model the structure along the drilled horizontal well trajectory. The model integrated all the well tops and real-time bedding dip information to produce modeled surfaces. The structural model generated during this study can be used for new well landing-point planning with limited true vertical depth uncertainty and for other fieldwide reservoir characterization. If structure information becomes available from seismic data, this technique also can be used to update the structural model derived from seismic interpretation, thereby delivering enhanced structural control of the field.

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Heavy Oil Secondary Production Optimization - Successful Application of New Horizontal Well Drilling Pattern Strategy and Fit for Purpose Technology in Nearly Obsolete Mature Heavy Oil Reservoir in North East China

Xiang

Sun

Zhong

et al. 2012

All Days

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XH27 is a heavy oil reservoir with a high oil/water viscosity ratio that incurs bottom water coning effects. To enhance the primary heavy oil production, 59 vertical wells with a 141-m square well pattern have been drilled since 1992. The highest primary oil production of 360 tons/day was reached in 1994. Starting in 1996, the reservoir fell into a significant production decline phase. The reservoir was on the brink of obsolescence in 2006 when a 93.6% water-cut discharge and a 0.26% annual oil recovery factor were recorded. Based on detailed static reservoir characterization and updating of the dynamic reservoir model, the square vertical well pattern development strategy was shifted to a horizontal well drilling venture with a net-remaining-oil-distribution pattern. The major shortcoming to overcome was accurate placement of the horizontal section trajectory close to the reservoir top for the injector-producer wells. The thin oil-column target of less than 5 m added to the challenge. To overcome these challenges, real-time well placement monitoring using high-resolution resistivity images, along with near-bit measurements, has been applied in all horizontal wells drilled. Clear identification of structural dips enabled the accurate reservoir model adjustment and allowed decisions on accurate trajectory corrections to be made while drilling. A total of 33 horizontal injector-to-producer wells have been executed successfully. Three years from the inception of the new strategy, the average secondary production improved to 380 tons/day, which is higher than the best daily production during the course of primary production. The oil recovery is expected to double. The application of the new horizontal well drilling pattern strategy, along with fit-for-purpose well placement technology, in the XH27 heavy oil reservoir has significantly increased the oil production and enhanced the recovery factor. The nearly obsolete heavy oil reservoir can be turned into an economically developed field.

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Real-Time Azimuthal Laterolog Image Interpretation for Successful Horizontal Drilling in a Carbonate Reservoir in the U.A.E.

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Real-Time Image Data for Successful Horizontal Drilling in Carbonate Reservoirs Onshore Abu Dhabi, UAE

Real-Time Image Data for Successful Horizontal Drilling in Carbonate Reservoirs Onshore Abu Dhabi, UAE

Multi-Well Real-Time 3D Structural Modeling and Horizontal Well Placement: An Innovative Workflow for Shale Gas Reservoirs

Heavy Oil Secondary Production Optimization - Successful Application of New Horizontal Well Drilling Pattern Strategy and Fit for Purpose Technology in Nearly Obsolete Mature Heavy Oil Reservoir in North East China

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