The Last Barrel

Last year, my article about provocative fracturing brought several reader feedbacks and requests for more similar thoughts. Encouraged by the response, in this article, I will bring up another topic that has made me scratch my head for some time. Specifically, is the way we complete our horizontal wells best for long-term productivity of our oil reservoirs? Is today’s pervasive horizontal well fracturing theory that we are creating a complex transverse fracture network ideal for getting the most oil out of our reservoirs? More to the point, is a complex transverse fracture network what we actually create underground and does it conform to our past experience with hydraulic fracturing? If it is correct, then are we running the risk of jeopardizing long-term production in the haste to get the best initial production? More to the point, does this fit our long-term experience with hydraulic fracturing?

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