As a member of the JPT Editorial Committee, I review several SPE technical papers each year selecting them for publication in JPT in the Technical Synopses section. This section provides synopses of selected papers in the print JPT and JPT website, with the full paper available for download for SPE members for a short period of time.
The papers I review cover current and cutting-edge technologies and keep the readers informed on the latest in their disciplines. In an attempt to take SPE’s technical papers to wider audience and younger members, I have recently started an initiative to write short (and hence the word “minute” in the title), interactive blogs to emphasize technical content and highlight new technology. My blogs will cover SPE technical papers, and when they can, will link back to their synopses published in JPT.
To start the series, here’s a technology poll:
A good paper I read recently was SPE-188231-MS Modelling Early Time Rate Decline in Unconventional Reservoirs Using Machine Learning Technique by Vyas A., et al. Check it out.
Horizontals and multilaterals are certainly the completion design of choice in most unconventional plays. The key uncertainties with which to optimize the completion are the lateral spacing, length, and stimulation strategy.
Multiple technologies exist to evaluate performance and make these choices
Using proppant with electromagnetic coating to understand proppant distribution (SPE 184880)
DNA fluid tracing to understand fracture height, lateral placement and zone performance (URTEC 2671117)
Distributed temperature surveys to understand fracture placement and short-term zone contribution (SPE 175211)
High-fidelity microseismic imaging (SPE 178715) to understand fracture geometry
Wireless surveillance methods to understand longer term zonal contribution with time (SPE 181900).
If your management could only let you choose one of these with which to optimize your next well, which would it be?
Vote below and compare your choice with others:
Simon Chipperfield, SPE, is Manager–Technology at Santos. During the past 20 years, he has held positions in petroleum engineering (drilling, completions, and stimulation), production engineering, and reservoir engineering. Chipperfield has held leadership positions in asset management, production engineering, completions, stimulation, reservoir engineering, and field development planning. He previously worked for Shell International Exploration and Production. Chipperfield was awarded the 2007 SPE Cedric K. Ferguson Medal for his contributions to hydraulic fracturing. He is the author or coauthor of more than 20 technical publications in the areas of hydraulic fracturing, reservoir engineering, completion technology, and sand control. Chipperfield serves on the JPT Editorial Committee, serving as the hydraulic fracturing feature editor from 2006 to 2011, and on the SPE International Awards Committee and has served as a reviewer for SPE Production & Operations. He holds a petroleum engineering degree with honors from the University of New South Wales. He can be reached at simon.chipperfield@santos.com.
