The dominant methods of geosteering and horizontal formation evaluation in most organic source rock reservoirs has been limited to the use of logging-while-drilling (LWD) gamma ray and conventional mud logging. This limitation is primarily attributable to cost constraints and the historical preference for geometric fracture-stage placement. This process has resulted in varied performance between closely spaced wells thought to be drilled in similar stratigraphic positions and like rock. Very little new vertical well data is typically acquired in the development phases of most of these plays to document any changing physical rock properties that may contribute to the variable performance between wells. The perceived cost of additional pilot wells or additional horizontal LWD, open hole, or cased-hole measurements restricts most operational teams to a situation in which best practices may be recognized but are rarely implemented. To address this issue, this paper proposes and presents a cost effective cuttings analysis workflow, using a new combination of available technologies that is calibrated to vertical and horizontal petrophysical and mechanical properties. An automated fracture-stage and cluster placement method using this analysis workflow is applied to validate well treatment and post-fracture performance. In recent years, several tools have been developed to analyze drill cuttings from oil and gas wells. The most commonly used tools include X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), bulk density, and pyrolysis. Although each of these tools can be used to develop a limited determination of the in-situ rock character, the combination of three of these tools (XRF, SEM/EDX, and pyrolysis) can provide a more comprehensive picture of formation properties. The combination of XRF analysis with the SEM/EDX analysis is the key to the cuttings workflow. The exact location within the borehole can be determined and a robust mineralogy developed that is independent of normative mineralogy (typical XRF) or operator-interpretive mineralogy (XRD). Additional outputs include relative brittleness index, bulk density, lithology, fractional and textural relationships, total organic carbon (TOC) proxy, and a new porosity index. Trace and major elemental ratios are also available for precise stratigraphic placement. The addition of cuttings pyrolysis enables hydrocarbon typing, producible hydrocarbons, TOC, and total inorganic carbon (TIC) within each sample to be established. In this paper, outputs from the XRF-SEM/EDX-pyrolysis analysis of two vertically cored wells are benchmarked against complete vertical log suites for the modeling of petrophysical and mechanical properties. Subsequent horizontal cuttings properties for the two area examples, Marcellus and Eagle Ford Shales respectively, are presented and analyzed with the vertical modeling applied. In addition, the Eagle Ford horizontal cuttings analysis results are compared and contrasted with a through-casing pulsed neutron log (PNL) for potential upscaling of the sample frequency for continuous physical properties evaluation, including effective porosity. The exact stratigraphic placement from only a cuttings analysis is also demonstrated. Finally, the calibrated Eagle Ford and Marcellus horizontal cuttings analyses are used as inputs for an optimized fracture-stage and perforation cluster placement design for each of the wells. For validation, individual fracture-stage pumping performance is compared to the predicted formation properties from the Eagle Ford cuttings analysis example.

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Since the advent of improved telecommunications in the early 1990s, operators and service providers have sought to reduce non-productive time (NPT) through remote operation capabilities delivered using real-time centers (RTC) or with a combination of remote expertise and computing power to monitor operations and provide technical advice to the field. Although the RTC concept has delivered tangible benefits, these benefits were less than anticipated and have been more difficult and expensive to implement than initially expected. Currently, advances in RTC and research and development (R&D) focus on integrated workflows to address specific problems. The goals are to safely reduce NPT, risk, and uncertainty to improve decision making and performance of the entire operation and to facilitate the prospect of remote, automated operations.This paper presents two examples of workflows (i.e., geosteering and stimulation workflow) that can enhance operations for both the operating and the service company. This paper will also discuss some of the challenges in applying these integrated operations. These workflows, also known as 3-D collaborative environments, demonstrate the use of real-time information to model, measure, and optimize field performance, efficiency, and safety through the use of remote, closedloop, real-time data and knowledge transmission. The 3-D collaborative environment for the stimulation workflow allows operators to use the data available from several product service lines to make decisions in real time that will improve production rates and reduce NPT. This particular workflow allows the use of geological, geophysical, stimulation, and microseismic data to visually understand actual fracture growth during a stimulation treatment. Knowing the location of microseismic events as they relate to geological boundaries and surfaces allows the fracture engineer to quickly make decisions during pumping to reduce undesirable results. The "geosteering workflow" provides a 3-D collaborative effort between the customer's geological and geophysical software and the service company's geosteering software. This workflow resolves structural solutions in complex geological situations in real time, where the solution cannot be resolved by either system alone. Structural grids, faults, well picks, fault picks, and control points move between the software using a WITSML proprietary code. The results include fewer sidetracks, redrills, and maximizing reservoir exposure to the wellbore.