Producing unconventional reservoirs characterized by low porosities and permeabilities during early stages of exploration and field appraisal can be challenging, especially in high temperature and high pressure (HPHT) downhole conditions. In such reservoirs, the natural fracture network can play a significant role in flowing hydrocarbons, increasing the importance of encountering such network by the boreholes. Consequently, the challenge would be to plan wells through these corridors, which is not always easy. To add to the challenge, well design restrictions dictate, the drilling of only vertical and in minor cases deviated wells. This can reduce the possibility of drilling through sub-vertical fracture sets significantly, and once seismic resolution is considered, it may seem that all odds are agents encountering a fracture network. This article addresses a case where a vertical well is drilled, in the above-mentioned reservoir setting, and missed the natural fracture system. The correct mitigation can make a difference between plugging and abandoning the well or putting it on production. The technique utilized is based on a borehole acoustic reflection survey (BARS) acquired over a vertical well to give a detailed insight on the fracture network 120 ft away from the borehole. Integrating this technique with core and high-resolution borehole image logs rendered an excellent match, increasing the confidence level in the acoustically predicted fracture corridors. Based on these findings new perforation intervals and hydraulic stimulation are proposed to optimize well performance. Such application can reverse the well decommissioning process, opening new opportunities for the rejuvenation of older wells.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.