Unconventional resources include coalbed methane, tight gas, and source-rock-based (often shale-based) reservoirs. In this paper, a consistent method for gathering data is proposed to minimize excess costs and maximize net present value. Approaches to optimize development are applied to shale plays with synthetic properties established on observed heterogeneities but with reservoir characteristics for some international shale prospects.
Introduction
The commercialization and widespread development of shale resources in North America is dramatic and substantial, reversing longstanding declines in oil production and reserves and yielding sharp increases in natural-gas production. However, massive risks are associated with commercializing international resources; approximately three million new wells must be drilled to translate the level of technically recoverable resources (TRR) into producing reserves.
