AAPG Methods in Exploration No. 14, Chapter 13: Horizontal
Drilling in the Northern Reef Trend of the Michigan Basin , by L. A. Pearce, C. M. Hewitt, and L. M. Corder, Pages 193 - 203
from:
AAPG Methods in Exploration No.
14: Horizontal Wells: Focus on the Reservoir, Edited
by T. R. Carr, E. P. Mason, and C. T. Feazel
Copyright 
2003 by The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights
reserved.
Chapter 13
Horizontal Drilling in the Northern Reef Trend of the Michigan Basin
L. A. Pearce
C. M. Hewitt
L. M. Corder
Shell Western E&P Inc., Houston, Texas, U.S.A.
ABSTRACT
For a company operating in a mature province, it is extremely important continuously to
seek new ways to improve recovery from known hydrocarbon accumulations. As the mechanical
process of drilling horizontal wells matured in the mid-1990s, Shell Western E&P Inc.
(SWEPI) was quick to apply this new technology to just such a province, the Northern
Silurian Niagaran Pinnacle Reef Trend (NRT) in the Michigan Basin. To date, SWEPI has
drilled more than 60 horizontal wells in this trend, which accounts for more than 55% of
all horizontal drilling in the NRT and continues to be the industry leader. Much has been
learned in the past decade, and it appears that the application of lateral drainhole
technology can be an effective tool in the NRT in the right geologic and reservoir
situations.
