Speaker

Viacheslav Guk specializes in field development design and evaluation, production enhancement, hydraulic fracture design and evaluation, pressure/rate transient analysis, and waterflooding. Dr. Guk has worked with IHS Reservoir Engineering, Ruspetro, Rosneft, and Petroceltic, and currently helps DeGolyer and MacNaughton as an independent consultant. Based on his studies Dr. Guk has published multiple technical papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, teaches short courses on production data analysis and well enhancements, and serves as a technical reviewer for SPE Journal.

Guk earned his bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics and Physics in 2005 and master’s degree in Applied Mathematics and Physics with the focus on petroleum engineering in 2007 from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. In 2010, he was awarded a doctorate in the development and exploitation of oil and gas fields by the Russian Academy of Science. Both U.S. and Canadian educational authorities have assessed this qualification as earned doctorate. Dr. Guk is a licensed Professional Engineer in Alberta, Canada. He is a native Russian speaker, fluent in English and Romanian, and knowledgeable in French..

Talk Description

Montney is a major unconventional oil and gas formation in Western Canada. With formation permeability in the order of 100 nanodarcy, massive hydraulic fracturing is employed to ensure commercial production from Montney.

In the present study, Montney production from 6,000+ wells was analyzed by employing a physics-based approach but from the lens of public data. Due to the low permeability, the Montney formation exhibits a long linear flow in a fractured well. Rate-normalized pressure (RNP) in this case exhibited a linear behaviour versus square-root time. Remarkably, the reciprocal of production rate itself exhibited similar type of behavior during a certain time frame for every well.

For every analyzed well, the linear slope on the reciprocal rate plot was manually identified, and deviation from the linear behavior quantified. Per Operator efficiency was assessed. While most data formed a rather-tight cluster, certain operators showed a consistently better performance. Manual review of the publicly available documents revealed that better performers actively manage their wells by installing and changing tubing configurations as well as employing plunger lifts. Such practices are believed to contribute to sustaining linear-flow behavior for longer, and improved gas rates. 

It was found that liquid-gas-ratio was the major factor affecting the well performance in Montney. Well producing with liquids had much lower performance based on the slope, than dry gas wells. The theoretical relationship between liquid-gas ratio and performance was developed and fitted to the actual data.  The performance factor was mapped, and its variation with area and operator was studied. 

During this presentation, it will be demonstrated how performance factor was calculated by well. The differences in well performance factor by operator will be discussed. Good production practices will be highlighted, and examples demonstrated.  

This presentation is intended for production and reservoir engineers as well as investors and executives looking to incorporate a unified physics-based well performance analysis into decision making processes.

On-Demand Recording

https://l.spefrance.org/TLwr