Technical Evaluation of Resource Plays

摘要

Technical evaluation of a resource play is critical to understanding long term economics and generating meaningful forecasts of future production. Producing wells often exhibit transient flow behavior for extended periods, have limited drainage areas, and produce a majority of their recoverable reserves at low rates. Often closeology or rules of thumb are used with a depressing lack of science in companies' development plans. These mistakes can result in significant economical damage that may take years to materialize. Equally, resource plays can provide a long-term supply of oil and gas to help meet energy demands while providing oil companies with a predictable return and production forecast. The initial production from the Bakken Formation of North Dakota began in 1950's as a back up zone should other primary targets fail to be productive. The play experienced two further development periods prior to the most recent burst of activity as a resource play. Examples of evaluation from the Bakken shale will be considered in this paper.