The Future of Stimulation in Tight Gas and Gas Shale

Over the past decade the contribution of unconventional gas resources, i.e., tight gas, gas from shale, and coalbed methane, as a percentage of total production in the US has seen significant growth, averaging 8.6 TCF/year at the end of 2006 (approximately 45%). This growth was driven by the drilling in 2005 and 2006 of over 34,000 tight gas and shale wells. While this tsunami of unconventional gas growth has carried its share of technological advances, the need for further game changing technologies is critical. This criticality is evident in the decreasing EUR/well recoveries being observed in more recent completions. These reduced recoveries combined with the dramatic increase in industry drilling and completion costs have short-circuited some unconventional developments as projects became unprofitable. Economic rejuvenation will require efforts across a number of fronts, including the development of new technologies and approaches toward unconventional gas stimulation. In addition to allowing for continued development of known reservoirs, such technologies if identified and pursued, would enable development of additional resources throughout the world, including an estimated 10 TCF in the United States alone.