Southern North Sea Tight-Gas Field Development Planning Using Hydraulic Fracturing

Abstract

Abstract This paper presents an overview of the subsurface economic and technical issues involved in developing a Southern North Sea (SNS) tight-gas field using hydraulic fracturing. The paper investigates different kinds of wells (vertical vs. horizontal) and different completions; fracture spacing, fracture orientations (longitudinal vs. transverse). The investigation was performed using a range of different reservoir qualities with appropriate completion and stimulation designs. Production and Net Present Value (NPV) estimates were developed for the different scenarios for qualitative and quantitative evaluation. The result is a generic strategy to evaluate a Field Development Plan (FDP) using hydraulically fractured horizontal wells. The paper concludes with general guidelines on what type of recoveries are possible using different completion and stimulation solutions in situations with different kh distributions. The guidelines will help in initial screening of prospects to determine whether the tight gas reservoirs have significant potential for economic development. The latter is also a function of the actual development costs of pipelines and platforms, which is different for different companies and different locations. This paper also demonstrates why stimulation considerations should be put on the agenda early on in the construction of an FDP.