Abstract

Tight oil and shale gas plays represent many of the most economically attractive plays in North America today. A significant challenge to our industry is to explain and, ultimately mitigate, the highly variable production rates observed from these reservoirs. We believe that accurate reservoir quality assessment is critical so that well placement and completion strategies can be developed so that overall completion effectiveness can be assessed.

Estimation of the production potential of the rock matrix in tight oil and shale plays can be difficult due to the complex and heterogeneous mineralogy as well as the pore/fluid system, including variation in hydrocarbon type.

Unraveling much of the complexity that is associated with tight oil and shale plays is made possible through the integration of novel logging technologies and their application through interpretation methods. A rapid, process driven, evaluation is done to assess the zones of highest potential where the integration of measured in-situ Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements is key.

Using field examples of the Eagle Ford Shale and Avalon Shale-Bone Springs plays, this paper will demonstrate how the combination of a new geochemical tool, NMR, dielectric measurements and this novel interpretation technique can help operators take decisions that decrease uncertainty and increase their chances of success.