With the recent boom in US shale gas production, optimal development of these assets has become a topic of significant interest. In addition to the complex physics typically associated with shale plays, field development optimization can be a challenging problem itself when binary, integer and continuous variables are concurrently present. For complex problems of this nature, it is appropriate ...

In the Junggar basin, northwest China, many high gamma-ray (GR) sandstone reservoirs are found and routinely interpreted as mudstone non-reservoirs, with negative implications for the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas. Then, the high GR sandstone reservoirs' recognition principles, genesis, and log evaluation techniques are systematically studied. Studies show that the sandstone reser...

Although shale gas plays have been in the spotlight recently, natural gas in tight sandstones is actually also an important hydrocarbon resource. In many cases, tight gas sandstone resources can be developed more easily than shale gas reservoirs as the rocks generally have higher quartz content, and are more brittle and easier to complete for production. This chapter first gives an overview of ...

Lowto ultralow-permeability formations require “special” treatments/stimulation to make them produce economical quantities of hydrocarbon, and at the moment, multistage hydraulic fracturing (MSHF) is the most commonly used stimulation method for enhancing the exploitation of these reservoirs. Recently, the slotdrill (SD) completion technique was proposed as an alternative treatment method in su...

In this work, we address the functional-unit based life cycle optimisation of the design and operations of shale gas supply chain networks considering both the economic and environmental performance. The system covers the well-to-wire life cycle of electricity generated from shale gas, consisting of a number of stages including freshwater acquisition, shale well drilling, fracking, and completi...

Complexity in shale-gas reservoirs lies in the presence of multiscale networks of pores that vary from nanometer to micrometer scale. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope imaging are promising tools for a better understanding of such complex microstructures. Obtaining 3D shale images using focused ion beam-SEM for accurate reservoir forecasting and petrophysical assess...

The cross plotting of rock properties for fluid and lithology discrimination was carried out in a Niger Delta oil field using well data from a given oil field. The data used for the analysis consist of suites of six wells. The reservoir was evaluated using gamma ray logs, volume of shale, resistivity and neutron porosity for well-02 and well-06. Sand lithology showed low gamma ray, high resisti...

Author: Diarmuid Torney This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of ECRAN and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union. Executive summary • The exploitation of unconventional fossil fuels, particularly shale gas, has been one of the most significant developments in the glob...