The objectives of Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) initiated in 2015 are to provide a long-term field site and publicly available data and to develop and validate new knowledge and technology to improve recovery efficiency and minimize environmental implications of unconventional resource development.
In the first phase during 2015-18, a pad at the Morgantown Industrial Park (MIP) with two legacy horizontal production wells drilled in 2011was used to drill two new logged and instrumented horizontal production wells, a cored vertical pilot bore-hole, a microseismic observation well, and surface geophysical and environmental monitoring stations. The extremely large and diverse (multiple terabytes) datasets required a custom software system for analysis and display of fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) and distributed temperature sensing (DTS) data that was subsequently integrated with microseismic data, core data and logs from the pilot holes and laterals.
One of the wells MIP-3H was cored, monitored for microseismic, extensively logged in both the vertical pilot hole and the lateral, and instrumented with a permanent fiber optic cable for monitoring distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) and distributed temperature sensing (DTS) during completion, and a production log and DTS was monitored during production.
A working conclusion that came at the end of the first phase of the MSEEL project was that vertical and sub-vertical calcite cemented fractures in the Marcellus formed during hydrocarbon generation, are abundant (average 3-4 per foot), occur in swarms along the lateral, and exert a strong influence on fracture stimulation. Recognition of the numerous fractures is possible with LWD image logs and supplemented with geomechanical logs and the influence understood on fracture stimulation with DAS and DTS data.
The learnings from the first phase were incorporated into MSEEL second phase at the Boggess Pad just west of Morgantown, WV, to attempt to better design completions to test next-generation cost-effective logging while drilling (LWD) technologies determine and the feasibility of applying lessons learned on an "every well" development basis to produce more gas from each well. The six wells were drilled, and fracture stimulated during 2019, and production started on 18 November 2019. We monitored the distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) and distributed temperature sensing (DTS) during stimulation and DTS from initial production until 23 November. DTS monitoring has continued through production. LWD technologies consisted of image and derived geomechanical logs for subsurface X-Y-Z vibrations obtained while drilling.
We continue to monitor production from the MSEEL Phase 2 wells at the Boggess Pad. As of this report (1/28/2020), total production ranges from 6.8 to 8 MMscf/day/thousand feet. Two wells were geometrically completed, two wells were engineered by a private consultant, and two wells were engineered using software developed by the MSEEL team. Engineered stages using MSEEL algorithms incorporate sparse low-cost data during the drilling process (e.g., LWD geomechanics) to recognize fracture swarms and geomechanical properties appear to have a better completion and more importantly production efficiencies. We are working to analyze the core and log data, improve the modeling to understand stimulation within individual fracture swarms and history match at the individual stage. We are undertaking research on machine learning for improved production efficiency with various labs and have provided data and consultation to other research groups.
The current MSEEL well pad incorporates advanced and cost-effective technology that can provide the necessary data to improve the engineering of stage and cluster design, pumping treatments and optimum spacing between laterals, and imaging of the stimulated reservoir volume in the Marcellus and other shale reservoirs.
7 сен 2024
