Considerable effort has been made by various research groups and exploration companies to improve completion techniques in the Devonian Shale. Completions in the Devonian Shale in the Big Sandy Field run the gamut from natural completions, shot-hole completions, Nitrogen fracturing, Nitrogen foam fracturing, CO2 foam fracturing, and gelled water fracturing, to the latest technique promoted by the DOE, sand-laden CO2 fracturing. Production rates from wells using the different completion techniques in this field vary widely. Of these techniques, Nitrogen foam fractured wells have been observed to have by far the lowest production rates. This paper compares production rates and well test results of the various completion techniques and attempts to quantify the problem with the Nitrogen foam fractured wells in terms of reservoir parameters. This will establish a base from which any improvement can be measured. The conclusions will be drawn from the case histories of approximately 105 wells located within the Big Sandy Field. A summary comparison of production data will allow a fair analysis of the techniques investigated. Well test data from a sampling of these wells will help define reservoir parameters and fracture geometry. Introduction Designing fracture treatments for the Devonian Shale in the Big Sandy Field has always posed a formidable challenge for research groups, exploration and production companies as well as service companies. Since activity in the field dates back to almost the turn of the century, several different stimulation methods have been tried with changing levels of technology. Extensive production records are available for comparing the various completion methods. The focus of this study is a group of wells located in eastern Martin and northern Pike Counties in Kentucky and western Lincoln and eastern Wayne Counties in West Virginia. This area was chosen because of the variety of stimulation methods used on these wells. The wells in Kentucky have been natural completions, shot-hole completions, fractured with Nitrogen, fractured with Nitrogen foam and sand, and fractured with CO2 foam and sand. P. 111

Columbia Gas and the United States Department of Energy (DOE) have successfully completed field work on a horizontally drilled Devonian shale well located in Martin County, Kentucky.

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