An integrated, multi-disciplinary approach utilizing stratigraphy, petrophysics, and geophysics to predict reservoir properties of tight unconventional sandstones in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA

Abstract

Numerous unconventional resources have become economically viable with the development of horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing. Unconventional reservoirs have variable degrees of heterogeneity and identification of good and poor reservoir properties is essential for efficient development to define the economic limits of a resource play. An integrated, multidisciplinary approach of correlating core facies to petrophysical wireline facies to seismic facies for tight unconventional sandstones is presented in this paper along with the results of a simultaneous, geostatistical seismic inversion. Seismic facies and reservoir rock properties, which are calibrated to wireline logs and core data, are mapped from 3D seismic inversion volumes. The maps provide a detailed understanding of the characteristics of the reservoirs, namely their spatial distribution, geometry, and internal architecture. This methodology demonstrates the tremendous value of incorporating stratigraphic, petrophysical, and geophysical data into a quantitative, integrated reservoir model.

Semi-Analytical Modeling of Fractured Horizontal Wells in Heterogeneous Formations Considering the Interference between Hydraulic Fractures

“…Therefore, the productivity of a horizontal well is affected by characteristics of the well including the wellbore length, hydraulic fracture conductivities, and number of fracture stages as well as reservoir properties such as including porosity, permeability, rock compressibility, and natural fractures, etc. (Zawila et al, 2015). Many of the low-permeability unconventional formations where multi-stage hydraulic fracturing operations are generally utilized exhibit heterogeneity in reservoir properties.…”

Pressure-Transient Performances of Fractured Horizontal Wells in the Compartmentalized Heterogeneous Unconventional Reservoirs

“…The other assumption is that the formation properties around each fracture are assumed to be the same, and the interference between different fractures is not investigated. However, Zawilla [13] and Liu [14] indicated that heterogeneous properties are commonly existed in the unconventional reservoir formation and different fracturing stages.…”