Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bruce on December 21, 2008 at 13:04

Thanks Clay for your reply. That was what I was thinking(and hoping) but I needed to have it confirmed by someone who knew. Do you know on average how many feet of shale vertically and horizontally is fraced when a frac is done?

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Permalink Reply by Clay on December 22, 2008 at 5:06

Sorry, I am of no help there.

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Permalink Reply by Carl on December 25, 2008 at 19:22

A well going in on adjoining property to ours in Harrison county will have a horizontal of 4400'. Look up the permit particulars on the Sam B. Hall #3 well. Forest is the operator.

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Permalink Reply by Bruce on December 21, 2008 at 15:50

Spring Branch, I'm sure your correct, I was trying to recall from memory and I asked for everyone to excuse my ignorance, but still 300' of shale full of gas is something remarkable. I would like to hear from a driller or someone in the know when the shale is fraced, how many feet vertically and horizontally is fraced?

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Permalink Reply by P.G. on December 22, 2008 at 5:54

Question?
With all the fracing that will be going on, how much of that gas will start rising to shallower formations? Seems like it would with all the massive fracturing of those shale rocks holding the gas. Or would free gas get drawn off of shallower formations as the pressure was reduced by going out of the wells.

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Permalink Reply by The_Baron on December 22, 2008 at 6:26

The frac should be confined to the shale so the free gas should come out of the well.

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Permalink Reply by Bruce on December 22, 2008 at 13:30

Shale Geo you say the frac should not go more than a few hundred feet. If Spring Branch is right and the h-shale runs roughly 300' in thickness, then a frac should fracture the entire thickness of the shale, thereby releasing all available gas?

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Permalink Reply by Coyote Ugly on December 26, 2008 at 0:57

What happens to the shale material, which I assume is removed from the formation by a frac job? Is it brought to the surface and spread around the site? Where does it go?

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Permalink Reply by Grillin' - MmmMmm on December 27, 2008 at 18:46

Material is not removed. The frac job just fractures/cracks the rock. that's why it takes so much pressure when pumping the frac job.

And Bruce, while the frac may extend up through the entire thickness of the shale, all available gas is released within the zone of the frac. But you have to look/think radially. That's why they are drilling on 80 acre spacing and may have to go down to 40's. The frac influences a rather small area.

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Permalink Reply by Coyote Ugly on December 28, 2008 at 8:01

Mmmarkkk. Thank you for your answer. Now i get it. Tiny cracks and lots of them. Right?
Coyote

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Permalink Reply by Carl on December 26, 2008 at 19:03

You guys really need to watch this short video on horizontal drilling. It answers many questions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEmadgNz9vI

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Permalink Reply by Snake Stewart on December 26, 2008 at 19:54

Good post Carl.
This should also reiterate the importance of the horizontal pugh clause as being per depth in feet and not per stratographic equivalent. In the example video, the fracture takes care of roughly 500' of CV sand in the lateral, not through the thickness. As thin of an area that is disturbed by frac, a subsequent frac at a different depth could create the same effects as the initial frac did while still in the same stratographic zone. If of course you have a thick enough shale to allow for the additional lateral.I have been told 50' - 75' of thickness in shale. However I cant vouch for those numbers. Maybe one of our reservoir engineers, or another expert along these lines could enlighten us some here. After all, if we are only recovering about 30% of the OGIP , where is the rest of it and why cant they get it out?

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