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Permalink Reply by P.G. on January 27, 2011 at 13:40

Will 8 wells in a section completely frac the entire shale layer in that section? Or will there be unfraced shale between the wells that won't be produced?

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Permalink Reply by Terry L. Antee on January 28, 2011 at 4:41

Skip it was the prez of QEP and it was a Haynesville Horz.  He spoke at a geological meeting I attended.  He also said they had never frac into the Smackover and had thought about stacked horiz.

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Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on January 28, 2011 at 7:46

I would very much like to have an explanation of how a horizontal HS well would be refraced.  I see some large and obvious problems.  I have no doubt that there are ways to solve those problems, I just don't think the additional gas recovered would dollar out compared to the expense. 

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Permalink Reply by Robert Duke on January 28, 2011 at 8:26

Hi Skip,

Well, just throwing an idea out here; I admit to minimal knowledge on the subject.  But what about one of two scenarios:  1) there was some sort of problem with the original fracture job, and the operator knows how to fix it, or 2) there are improvements in fracture methods over time for a given set of conditions (type of shale, clay content, water, whatever).  Then, is it not conceivable that additional yields could be obtained, perhaps economically in the right pricing environment, for a previously underperforming well?  I would think a lot also depends on getting the costs associated with fracturing down;  someone has probably shown a breakdown of current costs, and I am sure all the operators are heavily focused on reducing them (eg., gas factories, frac water reuse, etc.)  And obviously there has to be more gas-in-place that was not accessible based on the first frac job.  So I am just trying to stimulate a bit of speculation here by those that are more knowledgeable...

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Permalink Reply by Mac Davis on January 28, 2011 at 4:49

Good question.  I suspect that the "lost" gas in the "unfracked" areas between the 8 wells will eventually seep into the well bores over time.  Whether it's 5, 10, or 20 years down the road, it probably doesn't figure much into the economic calculations on drilling a well, but it will probably be worth producing once you've put the well into the ground.

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Permalink Reply by Les Bamburg on January 28, 2011 at 8:32

PG, eight wells per section should be the approximate economic optimum for an average section.  Fracture stimulation is not attempting to fracture 100% of the formation but rather to create flow paths to the wellbore that increase the recovery of natural gas.  Number of wells per section and fracture stimulation design is all about maximizing the return on investment.  Realize that you never recover 100% of the natural gas from the formation - conventional or unconventional.  Most operators are estimating average gas recoveries of ~ 35% for the Haynesville Shale.  This will vary by area and the estimate could potentially increase over time with more information.  

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Permalink Reply by john goodday on January 28, 2011 at 12:49

So when an exploration company puts forth the projection of 40 - 60 BCF per section -  would you think that is reasonable for the HA ?  Should you anticipate 8 wells to be drilled per section and 6 BCF per well - there's your 48 B's per section.  Sounds right, but perhaps it is still too early to really know for sure. 

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