Abstract
Unconventional plays present a challenging case to design an optimized stimulation program and to maximize reservoir contact and hydrocarbon production. In this regard, conducting a reliable well spacing optimization study demands realistic and explicit fracture descriptions. This work applies an integrated technique to a multi-well case study in the Permian Basin to extract fracture dimensions based on microseismicity-derived behavioral fracture maps, while honoring the RTA-based estimates of the contributing fracture volume. The fracture dimensions are then used to conduct analytical and numerical studies to decide the optimal well spacing/placement design in the target formation. The numerical simulations in two stacked and staggered configurations confirm that although the staggered development causes a marginal decrease in the individual wells' performance, if successfully accomplished, it contributes to a higher vertical sweep efficiency from the section. Furthermore, comparing the approximations of failure planes, constructed based on the spatiotemporal analysis of microseismic events, with those achieved through seismic moment tensor inversion confirms that the collective behavior analysis gives fair estimates of fracture spatial evolutions.
