Effect of well scheduling and pattern on project development management in unconventional tight gas reservoirs

The advancements in horizontal drilling combined with hydraulic fracturing have been historically proven as the most viable technologies in the exploitation of unconventional resources (e.g., shale and tight gas reservoirs). However, the number of fractures, well timing, and arrangement pattern can have a significant impact on the project economy. Therefore, such design and operating parameters need to be efficiently optimized for obtaining the best production performance from unconventional gas reservoirs. In this study, the process of selecting the optimal number of fractures was conducted on a section of a tight gas reservoir model (based on data from the Whicher Range (WR) tight gas field in Western Australia). Then, the optimal number of wells per that section was investigated using the net present value (NPV) economic indicator assuming that the production process in all wells starts at the same time (base case). After that, three drilling schedules and patterns namely infill, linear, and hybrid were studied to examine the effect of two timing scenarios known as a fixed point in time and percentage of cumulative production (including the 37.5% EUR (estimated ultimate recovery) and the 62.5% EUR). It was shown that base case and infill drilling have the highest NPV values followed by hybrid and linear patterns in all the timing scenarios. However, the base case and infill drilling scheduling were more sensitive to the development time than hybrid and linear patterns. Additionally, the optimal number of wells per section was found to be a clear function of drilling pattern and lease time. The optimal number of wells (assuming 20 years lease period) was higher in the base case and infill pattern compared to the hybrid and linear pattern. The current study aims to help operators understand how well scheduling and pattern can change the optimal number of wells and thus aid them to reach educated decisions regarding the optimal development plan for the section under the lease. This study can also help operators to develop their management plan by selecting the best drilling pattern and timing to ensure the best return on investment.