Interference Study in Shale Plays

Abstract

Abstract Advances in drilling and fracturing technologies in Woodford Shale have attracted the operators todrill horizontal wells with long laterals (up to 5,000 ft), and to fracture using multiple stages (upto 22) using large amounts of slickwater and sand. It has been observed that exploitation of shale plays relies on the ability to contact as much of the reservoir as possible using fracturing techniques by creating a network of interconnecting fractures between laterals placed as close as 660 ft apart. As the spacing gets closer, the operators have a vested interest in knowing the optimal spacing of infill wells. Ideally, an infill well should haveas little interference with the existing wells as possible. In this paper, we examine fracture data, and daily gas and water production data of 179 horizontalgas wells over five years in the Arkoma Basin to quantify the impact of interference between wells ontheir performance. We quantify the lost gas production from the surrounding wells; calculate the probability of interference as a function of distance and age of the surrounding well; determine the preferential direction of interference, and develop a new measure of spacing to understand the relationship between performance of the well and its surrounding wells. Finally, we provide recommendations regarding the spacing of infill wells.