Advances in the technology of drilling, completion and multi-stage fracturing of horizontal wellbore have contributed to vast increases in oil and gas production in unconventional reservoirs. Oil and gas production from ultra-low-permeability reservoirs is economically feasible and accomplished using these technologies, which substantially increase reservoir contact with horizontal wellbores. However, as the length of horizontal wellbore and the number of fracturing stages increase, so do the challenges in drilling, completion and multi-stage fracturing treatment operations.
Collecting data and evaluating ongoing planning, drilling, completion, stimulation treatment, and production data enable operators, service companies and all parties involved to gain valuable insights for improvement of each category involved in the operations.
In this paper, the authors have analyzed drilling and well data, completion, fracturing treatments and production data from a large number of wells in two fields producing from the Bakken Shale in the Williston Basin of North Dakota. The results reveal trends of well performance against various well data, completion and fracturing treatment parameters. The evaluation and insight from this study can be used for optimization and is applicable for future drilling plans, completion plans, and multi-stage fracturing treatment designs in the Bakken shale and in other analogous reservoirs.
