Horizontal wells have become the industry standard for unconventional and tight formation gas reservoirs. Because these reservoirs have poorer quality pay, it takes a good, well-planned completion and fracture stimulation(s) to make an economic well. Even in a sweet spot in the unconventional and tight gas reservoir, good completion and stimulation practices are required; otherwise, a marginal or uneconomic well will result.  But what are good completion and stimulation practices in horizontal wells? What are the objectives of horizontal wells and how do we relate the completion and stimulation(s) to achieving these goals? How many completions/stimulations do we need for best well performance and/or economics? How do we maximize the value from horizontal wells? When should a horizontal well be drilled longitudinally or transverse? These are just a few questions to be addressed during this workshop.

This workshop focuses on some of the key elements of well completions and stimulation practices as they apply to horizontal wells. Optimization studies will be shown and used to highlight the importance of lateral length, number of fractures, inter-fracture distance, fracture half-length, and fracture conductivity. These results will be used to discuss the various completion choices such as cased and cemented, open hole with external casing packers, and open hole “pump and pray” techniques. This workshop will also address key risks to horizontal wells and develop risk mitigation strategies so that project economics can be maximized. In addition, tight and unconventional gas field case studies will be used to illustrate the application of these design, optimization, and risk mitigation strategies for horizontal wells in tight and unconventional gas reservoirs.

Some of the topics covered during this workshop will include:

1) What Makes a Shale Prospective or Unconventional?

2) Introduction to Stimulated Horizontal Wells

3) Horizontal Well Objectives

4) The Geomechanics of Horizontal Wells

5) Basis of Fracture Design in Horizontal Wells

6) Horizontal Well Stimulation Objectives

7) Completion Planning for Horizontal Wells

8) Horizontal Well Risks & Risk Mitigation Strategies

9) Horizontal Well Case Histories

Speaker Bio

Larry K. Britt, is an engineering consultant with NSI Fracturing and President of Britt Rock Mechanics Laboratory at Tulsa University. Since joining NSI in early 1999, Larry has specialized in the development and application of tools for the post appraisal of hydraulic fracturing stimulations. Britt’s experience includes the optimization, design, and execution of fracture stimulations and integrated field studies throughout the world. Prior to joining NSI he worked for Amoco Production Company for nearly twenty years. During the last seven years with Amoco, he was fracturing team leader at Amoco’s Technology Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he was charged with managing the development and application of fracturing technology for Amoco’s worldwide operations. Larry is the co-author of the SPE book “Design and Appraisal of Hydraulic Fractures.” He has served twice as an SPE Distinguished Lecturer, as a JPT editor on “Hydraulic Fracturing” and on numerous SPE Forum Committees on Gas Reservoir Engineering and Hydraulic Fracturing. In addition, Larry has authored over thirty technical papers on reservoir management, pressure transient analysis, hydraulic fracturing, and horizontal well completion and stimulations. He is a graduate of the Missouri University of Science & Technology where he has a B.S. in Geological Engineering and a Professional Degree in Petroleum Engineering. He is an adjunct professor in the Petroleum Engineering Department and serves on both the Department and University Advisory Boards.

PTTC gratefully acknowledges support of industry, academia and the DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy under award No. DE-FE0001175.