Horizontal oil well applications and oil recovery assessment. Technical progress report, July--September 1993
The primary objective of this project is to examine factors affecting technical and economic success of horizontal well applications. The project`s goals will be accomplished through five tasks designed to evaluate the technical and economic success of horizontal drilling, ascertain its limitations, and outline technical needs to overcome these limitations. Data describing operators` experiences throughout the domestic oil and gas industry will be gathered and organized. MEI databases containing detailed horizontal case histories will also be used. All these data will be categorized and analyzed to assess the status of horizontal well technology and determine the impact of horizontal wells on present and future domestic oil recovery and reserves. A spreadsheet data file was constructed from well data describing 3885 domestic horizontal wells, the total as of the summer of 1993. Most domestic effort in horizontal drilling has been focused on fractured carbonate formations. Three principal formations are the focus of this activity: The Austin Chalk in Texas, the Bakken Shale in North Dakota, and the Niobrara in Colorado and Wyoming. Results from this formation type are well known and a large volume of published results is available. Given the scope of the present study, it was decided to limit the analyses to formations other than these three fractured carbonates. Based on domestic well data, 431 horizontal wells have been completed in other formations. These wells were highlighted for detailed study.
- Research Organization:
- Maurer Engineering, Inc., Houston, TX (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC22-93BC14861
- OSTI ID:
- 10106414
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/BC/14861-1; ON: DE94003597; BR: AC1505100
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: [1993]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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