Abstract
Haynesville Shale gas production (per day) decreased by half between late 2011 and mid-2016. This resulted from a combination of factors, including steeper declines in production per well than in other unconventional plays and reduced activity related to economic conditions. In 2016, however, drilling activity increased in the Haynesville Shale play as economic conditions improved because of higher natural gas commodity prices and new completion techniques were employed resulting in larger stimulated reservoir volume and more fracture initiation points along the wellbore.
Haynesville completions have continued to progress toward optimization, despite experiencing a lull in activity. Completion design parameters that have been altered to optimize production include lateral length, proppant volumes, proppant size, proppant type, and base fluid chemistry. Further, new technologies, such as intrastage degradable diverters and dissolvable plugs, have also been used to help increase production and improve asset utilization.
A comprehensive study was conducted comparing completion techniques used during original completions of early Haynesville Shale development to those deployed during the past year. The increase in normalized proppant volumes used per well is one of the most significant changes documented. By evaluating an acreage positon that was originally completed by multiple operators over a multiyear timeframe, an in-depth investigation of the impact of proppant volume on production in similar acreage can be completed. The effect of other completion parameters can also be evaluated.
