GeoFrac Consortium Project Starts

IMER, TRaX and the Australian School of Petroleum have supported the development of an industry consortium to improve the understanding of different geomechanical and geochemical contributions to variations in wellbore productivity from unconventional reservoirs.

Formally called "Variations in Wellbore Productivity from Unconventional Reservoirs - The GeoFrac Consortium Project", the concept arose out of a series of development meetings in May and June 2011. The project began in March this year and is expected to be completed by November 2014. The project brings together a range of disciplines under the Project Leadership of Dr Dennis Cooke (pictured below). A complementary ARC Linkage grant, led by Professor Martin Kennedy was also submitted at the end of 2011.

Development of existing resource plays such as shale gas, coal seam gas and basin-centre or tight gas, is often done with pattern drilling to lower the cost per development well. This is based on the assumption the reservoir is homogeneous with spatially uniform reservoir quality. Performance analysis using production data shows very significant variations in well flow rates.

The GeoFrac project aims also to increase recovery of gas from unconventional reservoirs by enhanced targeting of promising areas in reservoirs. It aims to reduce the cost of drilling for gas production and reduce the environmental and societal impact of developing unconventional reservoirs by minimising the number of wells that need to be drilled.

Companies are still welcome to join the project and are invited to contact Dr Dennis Cooke dennis.cooke@adelaide.edu.au

Dr Cooke also recently attended the EAGE Shale Workshop in Barcelona from January 23-25, 2012. It offered some technical concepts and highlights including microscopic images showing how organic matter is distributed in shales and how that organic matter can provide porosity and permeability.