Explicit Fracture Modeling Of Eagle Ford Shale Gas Condensate Reservoir

Alpay Erkal and John Blair knowledge reservoir

Agenda
Introduction Shale Gas Modeling Fundamentals Modeling Approaches Today Explicit Hydraulic Fracture Modeling Application to Eagle Ford Condensate Window

Introduction
Natural fractures are generally mineralized Hydraulic fracture networks are created for each stage Proppants are placed in the main fairway and gravity effects influence the settlement Clean-up efficiencies determine productive volume and surface area

Shale Gas Modeling Fundamentals

Productive volume is less than the stimulated volume typically associated with the microseismic information Dual porosity system has very small interporosity flow parameter lambda
essentially single porosity system

Transient system at all times

not reflected in underlying mathematical models used today (Warren & Root)

Mostly free gas so adsorpted gas is not as significant

Modeling Approach Today

Dual porosity conventional models Modifications from coal-bed-methane
Langmuir isotherms for adsorption

Modifications to incorporate transient nature of the system numerically

sub-discretization of matrix cells; exponential increase in the cost of computing

Analytical models to estimate Initial Rate (IR) and Expected Ultimate Recovery (EUR)

Explicit Hydraulic Fracture Modeling

Single porosity model
both matrix and fracture cells are in the same continuum

Hydraulic fractures modeled explicitly

hydraulic fractures exist in the model representing actual physical characteristics such as length, height and width no scaling of properties required

Application to Eagle Ford Condensate Window

Baseline model with expected characteristics Sensitivity of selected parameters Impact on Initial Rate (IR) and Expected Ultimate Recovery (EUR)

Baseline model characteristics

Blackoil with no re-vaporization of condensate Single porosity system with explicit fractures Fracture widths = 0.001 ft or ~3 mm Fracture porosity = 0.40 Fracture permeability = 10 D Matrix porosity = 3.5 % Matrix permeability = 100 nD

Completions - Hydraulic fractures

IR Clean-up Early production

IR impacted by fracture permeability

fracture complexity

Expected ultimate recovery EUR

Impact of yield on EUR

~200 stb/mmscf

100 stb/mmscf

Impact of condensate drop-out

condensate dominated flow in fractures

Estimated drainage region after 40 years

Significant pressure drop away from the stimulated volume is limited to ~50-100 ft Recovery efficiencies: 10-15% range

~50-100 ft ~700-800 ft

Questions?