Almost all notable advancements in hydraulic fracturing technology over the past 2 decades have stemmed from the rise of the tight-oil and -gas industry.
During this time, completions equipment evolved from the analog workhorses of yesteryear into increasingly sophisticated, digitized, and efficient machines that rival anything found in the oilfield technology portfolio. The transformation also includes mountains of scientific research that have enabled engineers and specialists to model and stimulate tight reservoirs with greater confidence and accuracy.
But amid all this success, a question has been brewing for years: Can modern fracturing technology be effectively applied beyond the tightest, lowest-quality rocks?
Martin Rylance and a team of completions experts from independent oil producer Liberty Resources and modeling firm ResFrac Corp. argue that the industry has developed a “blind spot” when it comes to low—but not ultralow—permeability conventional reservoirs. They believe these formations could be effectively developed using modern fracturing techniques, but they have largely been overlooked.
According to Rylance, industry veteran and managing director of IXL Oilfield Consulting, this blind spot exists because North American onshore operators became focused on fracturing hard, tight rock in the 1970s and 1980s with fractured vertical wells.
“We skipped a step,” Rylance explained.
