N508 Optimizing Development of Unconventional Reservoirs: Well Spacing, Stacking and Sequencing of Wells
N508 Optimizing Development of Unconventional Reservoirs: Well Spacing, Stacking and Sequencing of Wells
Business Impact: This multidiscipline course provides engineers and geoscientists with a set of principles and processes that will enable them to plan, evaluate and subsequently optimize the spacing, stacking and sequencing for wells in multi-well pads in unconventional and tight resource plays. This optimization of wells in participant’s areas of responsibility will enhance value and reduce costs even when criteria set by management and external constraints by land-owners or regulatory bodies are included.
The course will address field development optimization, landing horizontal wells and their sequencing at a high level. Discussions on reservoir engineering, geomechanics, completions and the technologies to evaluate the stimulations are key parts of this course. Besides the basics of field development related to well spacing, the training focuses on specific technologies to better understand the stimulation and its effectiveness. Integrated data sets are used to highlight key understandings of what controls EUR for unconventional wells. A data set working through well landing zone selection will also be utilized.
Beyond understanding key aspects of the reservoir and where to land wells, we will discuss the dynamics of offsetting completions affecting reservoir pressures and stress shadows. Participants will learn how to interpret key reservoir engineering and geoscience data to help control stimulation effectiveness.
This three-day classroom course includes lectures with discussion of case studies, worked examples, hands-on exercises, pre- and post-training self-assessment, and a group exercise.
Instructor Robert Hull is a geoscientist; instructor Ray Flumerfelt is a reservoir engineer.
Participants will learn to:
Daily Agenda
Day 1:
Day 2:
Day 3:
This course is designed for:
There are no prerequisites, but a basic understanding of petroleum subsurface design concepts is assumed.
Other courses with a complementary focus include N313 (Evaluating Resource Plays: The Geology and Engineering of Low Permeability Oil and Gas Reservoirs), N957 (Forecasting Production and Estimating Reserves in Unconventional Reservoirs), N973 (Reservoir Engineering for Unconventional Gas and Tight Oil Reservoirs), N406 (Unconventional Resource Assessment and Valuation), and N481 (Fiber-Optic Sensing: Introduction to the Technology and In Well Sensing Applications).
Background
Robert Hull is a Geoscience and Innovations Advisor for Geophysical Imaging. Geophysical Imaging provides consulting services to better understand reservoir and completions interactions observed though various technologies with a goal of better optimizing and developing unconventional resources, both domestically and internationally. With his extensive experience in development, exploration, and exploitation geosciences, as well as his background in the geophysics of unconventional shales, he has become a theme lead for the Unconventional Resources Technology Conference (URTeC) in the US. Over the past few years, Hull has been working in Australia as well as other international unconventional projects for best-in-class operators. He is also currently a Geophysical Advisor to Silixa, providing knowledge of reservoir and completions interactions observed though various fiber optic technologies to better understand, optimize, and develop unconventional resources.
In his various roles, Robert Hull has focused on developing unconventional resources from frontier plays to more mature basins, utilizing seismic, microseismic, geomechanical calibration, and fiber optic systems for hydraulic fracture imaging and mapping. He has extensive presentations and publications on reservoir geophysics, with specializations in microseismic and fiber optics.
Before starting his own company, he was a Geotechnical Specialist at Pioneer Natural Resources for 19 years. At Pioneer, Hull worked at the senior level in the Geophysical Technology Group and interpreted significant geophysical datasets to aid in understanding parent-child and well spacing relationships. He has been a leader in 3D seismic, microseismic, geomechanics and fiber optics. He also provided interpretations for the Permian Basin, Barnett Shale, West Africa, and South Africa. Prior to Pioneer, Hull worked as a geophysical specialist for Maxus Energy - YPF- Repsol in the US and Indonesia. He holds a Bachelors in Geology from the University of Rochester and an M.S. in Geosciences from the University of Texas at Dallas. Robert Hull is also a member of SPE, AAPG, and SEG.
Affiliations and Accreditation
MSc University of Texas in Dallas - Geosciences
BA University of Rochester - Geology
Courses Taught
N508: Optimizing Development of Unconventional Reservoirs: Well Spacing, Stacking and Sequencing of Wells
Background
Ray Flumerfelt is owner of Dallas-based Digital Reservoir LLC. In this capacity, Ray and his staff assist various oil and gas companies improve subsurface workflows by leverage modern data technologies. In addition, Ray regularly provides consulting services and reviews projects for various senior management teams focused on unconventional resource development in the Permian Basin Wolfcamp shale and Neuquin Basin Vaca Muerta shale (Argentina).
Prior to Digital Reservoir, Ray was Engineering Director in Pioneer Natural Resources’ Permian asset team, where he and his team were responsible for well performance analysis, well spacing strategies, completions design and optimization, and artificial lift design in the Permian Basin Wolfcamp shale. Prior to this role, Ray held various technical and leadership roles at Pioneer including Manager, Corporate Engineering; Manager, Corporate Reservoir Engineering; and Manager, Permian Reservoir Engineering. Ray and his team were instrumental in developing many new techniques for analysing rate and pressure transient data in unconventional resources including the understanding of well interference through the application of Chow Group (JPT July 2020). Ray’s primary technical background is reservoir engineering. He developed and honed his reservoir engineering skills while working for Shell Oil Company and the prestigious consulting firm, S.A. Holditch and Associates. At Holditch, Ray provided consulting services in the areas of reservoir simulation, rate and pressure transient analysis, and large-scale field studies.
Ray’s current areas of research include the application of digital workflows and modern database technologies in the field development of unconventional shale reservoirs.
Affiliations and Accreditation
MSc Texas A&M University - Petroleum Engineering
BS Texas A&M University - Petroleum Engineering
Courses Taught
N508: Optimizing Development of Unconventional Reservoirs: Well Spacing, Stacking and Sequencing of Wells
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