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AAPG Methods in Exploration No. 14, Chapter 14: Cost-effective Techniques for the Independent Producer to Identify Candidate Reservoirs for Horizontal Drilling in Mature Oil and Gas Fields , by S. Bhattacharya, P. M. Gerlach, and T. R. Carr, Pages 205 - 223
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 copyrght.jpg (4253 bytes)2003 by The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

Chapter 14
Cost-effective Techniques for the Independent Producer to Identify Candidate Reservoirs for Horizontal Drilling in Mature Oil and Gas Fields

S. Bhattacharya
P. M. Gerlach1
T. R. Carr
Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas, U.S.A.

 

1Present affiliation: Charter Development Inc., Wichita, Kansas, U.S.A.

ABSTRACT

Horizontal wells have exploited successfully the remaining oil potential in mature reservoirs around the world. Because a typical horizontal well costs 1.3 to 4 times that of a vertical well, it must produce significantly greater volumes of oil to be considered an economic success. Previous studies have concluded that poor selection of target reservoirs has been the principal cause of failure of horizontal wells. Many mature fields in the Midcontinent of the United States have significant volumes of residual reserves, and vertical wells have proved to be uneconomic for producing these unswept assets. Small independent producers with limited financial and technological resources operate most of these fields. In Kansas, few horizontal infill wells have been drilled, and results have been mixed. Previous HitOperatorTop concerns for an appropriate economic return and the difficulty in cost-effectively identifying candidate reservoirs have restricted application of horizontal-drilling technology in many mature production areas of the Midcontinent.

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