Optimising well numbers in oil and gas fields

摘要

A process for exploiting oil and gas fields in an economically optimal manner. The process involves determining the approximate economically optimal number of wells to drill and producer:injector ratio to use, and the expected Net Present Value that will result. The process uses simple mathematical formulae derived by simplifying the oil-field economics to linear factors and discounting, and by combining discounting and a decline function into a single expression, which is then analytically optimised. The economic optimisation can be either simply to maximise Net Present Value or to maximise Net Present Value subject to a corporate limit on capital employed.