In heterogeneous tight sand formations, horizontal wells encounter intervals deposited under varying depositional environments along the lateral portion of the wellbore between landing point and total depth. Horizontal wells in this study were drilled in tight sands deposited in a marine environment where lateral depositional facies changes are common, and hydraulic fracture stimulation is necessary to achieve economic hydrocarbon extraction due to the relatively low permeability of the formation. Without geomechanical logs currently derived from wireline logging, it is not possible to optimize cluster spacing and placement. This step provides necesary information used to optimize completion design, which is crucial to the ultimate productivity of a well. Due to formation heterogeneity, expensive wireline logs must be collected in order to optimize fracture stimulation or else new methods to estimate these logs must be employed. This paper presents a technique to optimize cluster selection for hydraulic fracturing in unconventional tight gas development horizontal wells without wireline logging by leveraging Measure While Drilling (MWD) Gamma Ray logs and surface drilling parameters together with Artificial Intelegence (AI) algorythms to predict density, compressional and shear slowness logs for use in geomechanical evaluation.

The geological structures to drill and reach the producing reservoir of the South region of Mexico are very complex. They can vary from deep fractured carbonates reservoir at more than 7000 m true vertical depth, anticline uplifted by salt or/and shale dome themselves inducing abnormal pressure up to 2.2 gr/cc of equivalent density in the overlying formation. The geological complexity of the south region is reflected also in its geo-pressures, geo-stresses and geomechanical properties. Since early 2000 Petrόleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) has considered the Geomechanics discipline as a key component for their future economic success. With the urgent need to improve recovery, more complex wells are being drilled and PEMEX has taken the challenge to have geomechanics analysis for any well that will cost more than 10 Million of dollars. This strategy has been translated with training of key personnel, geomechanical core campaign and geomechanics studies included into their drilling program. Since 2006, more than fifty geomechanics studies (analytical and numerical) have been carried out in the south region of Mexico and have been incorporated to mitigate drilling risk and optimize well design. Velocity analysis, Geomechanics core test interpretation, caving interpretation, breakouts and induced fracture analysis from image logs, direct pressure measurements, leak off test and mini-frac interpretation are some of the different information used to calibrate the geomechanics studies. This paper refers to the regional compilation, findings and results of the 50 geomechanics studies conducted in the different fields of the south region between 2006 and 2010 and its impact on the well design of exploratory and development locations. The paper presents to the industry, the methodology used for their construction, illustrated by the data used for their calibration and how they were successfully used for well design and real time decision with selected post mortem analysis for some well. Finally the results of the geomechanical studies (Strength, overpressure and stress anisotropy) have been mapped regionally to forecast the geomechanics behavior in the entire south region of Mexico to optimize the drilling of future well locations.