Application of a one dimensional nonlinear model to flow in hydrofractured shale gas wells using scaling solutions

Abstract

Estimations of shale gas reserves rely heavily on decline analysis of existing wells. In this work, I describe a new method of production analysis for shale gas reservoirs using a minimal model. This method relies on formulating a universal production curve for wells in each shale gas field such that production from a hydrofractured shale gas well in a particular field is only distinguished from other wells by two scaling parameters: the time to boundary-dominated flow and the total hydrocarbon in place. This technique bridges the gap between the simple empirical models often used for decline analysis and the complex analysis offered through full 3-dimensional reservoir simulations. I provide production forecasts and estimated ultimate recoveries for wells in the Barnett, Fayetteville, Haynesville, and Marcellus shale gas plays, and propose an extension to the method to facilitate analysis of the Eagle Ford and Bakken shale oil plays. The simplicity and power of this method makes it ideal for performing decline analysis on large numbers of wells.