American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 86

Unconventional Resource Science
Even a 1 or 2 percent increase in a well's
ultimate recovery can translate to a tremendous amount of crude oil or natural gas over
the life of the well, observes Ross Craft,
chairman and chief executive officer of Fort
Worth-based Approach Resources Inc.
"We think we have it figured out," offers the leading operator in the Wolfcamp
Shale play in West Texas' southern Midland Basin. "But our recovery is still
low. We are talking about 3.0-3.5 percent
recovery of the oil in place and 10 percent
of the natural gas.
"The Wolfcamp Shale is approximately 1,200 feet thick in the southern Midland
Basin, or roughly four times as thick as the
average shale pay zone," Craft points out.
"With roughly 125 million barrels of oil
equivalent per 640 acres of in-place reserves and a 3-4 percent recovery factor,
someone will figure a way to conduct some
type of secondary recovery. I may no longer
be around, but someone will figure it out.
This play will be here for a long, long time.
Hopefully, our younger engineers and geologists will figure out how to get the oil
recovery rate up to 10 percent."
Adds Continental's Gould, "If you
spend (as much as $9.6 million in the
Bakken) to drill a well, you want optimal
recovery."
In fact, he says optimal recovery has
been the emphasis over the past year at
Continental, which is the largest leaseholder in the Bakken, where the company has
drilled more than 1,000 wells in the past

four years.
"When you start, delineating the play
is the most important thing in order to hold
acreage," Gould reflects. "Now that most
of the acreage in the Bakken is held by production, we and others are moving into a
manufacturing mode. We really are working on two things: reducing costs while optimizing completion design."
In its third-quarter earnings report,
Continental announced it had been testing
various enhanced completion technologies
and monitoring results throughout its
Bakken leasehold in its quest for the optimum formula for future development.
More recently, the company expanded its
assessment to include industrywide enhanced completion results.
The combined results, according to
Gould, show that the early time uplift in
production can be sustained in certain areas, which translates to a higher estimated ultimate recovery per well. He says
where Continental has its most complete
dataset, it has observed an average production uplift of 45 percent over the first 90
days and an average EUR increase of approximately 30 percent.
The company announced it planned to
focus the majority of its 2015 Bakken capital expenditures in areas it anticipated improved recoveries.
Slickwater Design
As Continental began experimenting in
late 2013 and early 2014 to develop op-

Through its quest to optimize its
own completion techniques as
well as monitor industrywide results, Continental Resources reports it has realized average
production uplifts of 45 percent
over the first 90 days in Bakken
Shale wells for which it has the
most complete datasets, as well
as 30 percent better estimated
ultimate recoveries. In addition
to traditional pumpjacks, Continental is testing long-stroke
units, downhole electrical submersible pumps, and gas lift.

86 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

timal economics in the Bakken, one thing
it did was devise a new completion technique using slickwater or hybrid designs.
"Slickwater fluid creates more complex
fractures, which helps stimulate the rock,"
Gould comments. "But it is hard to carry
the same sand concentration using slickwater as compared with gels. So we have
started experimenting with a hybrid design.
We start with slickwater and finish with gel
to carry more sand into the reservoir and
provide better connectivity between the
reservoir and the wellbore."
He says initial 90-day results in
Williams and northern McKenzie counties,
N.D., have shown increased production of
45 percent. "We are very encouraged,"
Gould says.
Typically, he says, Continental has
drilled two-mile laterals with 30 frac
stages in the Bakken. Now the company
is experimenting with 40 frac stages in the
same two-mile lateral to get more connectivity. "There is additional cost, but additional recovery," Gould relates. "It is too
early to know the results; it will take a couple quarters to get the 90-day rates for a
significant number of wells."
Continental also has experimented
with drilling several three-mile laterals. He
says there is not an exponential increase
in cost from drilling the longer lateral.
"You spend a certain amount just to get to
the reservoir," Gould outlines. "There is
an efficiency factor in drilling a longer lateral, but it is a challenge to drill a 15,000foot lateral."
Gould notes company engineers evaluate data constantly to come up with the
optimal density spacing.
"Is the proper spacing 660 feet, 1,320
feet, or somewhere between?" he ponders.
"It often depends on where in the field the
wellbore is located and whether we are
drilling in the Middle Bakken or one of the
Three Forks benches. We haven't seen
enough data yet to make a definitive determination. The great thing is that when
you have drilled 250-300 wells a year and
participated in several hundred more,
you have a chance to learn and test."
After completing a well, companies
have to determine what artificial lift to use,
which is another factor in determining
EUR, according to Gould.
"Larger completion designs require
larger artificial lift," he comments. "Pumpjacks have been our historical standard, but
we are testing long-stroke units that pro-



American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015

Contents
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - Cover1
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - Cover2
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 3
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 4
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - Contents
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 6
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 7
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 8
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 9
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 10
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 11
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 12
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 13
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 14
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 15
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 16
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 17
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 18
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 19
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 20
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 21
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 22
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 23
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 24
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 25
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 26
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 27
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 28
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 29
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 30
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 31
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 32
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 33
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 34
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 35
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 36
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 37
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 38
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 39
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 40
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 41
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 42
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 43
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 44
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 45
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 46
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 47
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 48
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 49
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 50
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 51
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 52
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 53
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 54
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 55
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 56
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 57
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 58
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 59
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 60
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 61
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 62
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 63
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 64
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 65
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 66
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 67
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 68
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 69
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 70
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 71
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 72
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 73
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 74
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 75
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 76
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 77
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 78
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 79
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 80
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 81
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 82
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 83
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 84
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 85
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 86
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 87
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 88
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 89
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 90
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 91
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 92
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 93
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 94
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 95
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 96
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 97
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 98
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 99
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 100
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 101
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 102
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 103
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 104
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 105
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 106
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 107
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 108
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 109
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 110
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 111
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 112
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 113
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 114
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 115
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 116
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 117
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 118
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 119
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 120
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 121
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 122
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 123
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 124
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 125
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 126
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 127
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 128
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 129
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 130
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 131
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 132
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 133
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 134
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 135
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 136
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 137
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 138
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 139
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 140
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 141
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 142
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 143
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 144
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 145
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 146
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 147
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 148
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 149
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 150
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 151
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 152
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 153
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 154
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 155
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 156
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 157
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 158
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 159
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 160
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 161
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 162
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 163
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 164
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 165
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 166
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 167
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 168
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 169
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 170
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 171
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 172
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 173
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 174
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 175
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 176
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 177
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 178
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 179
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 180
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 181
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 182
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 183
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 184
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 185
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 186
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 187
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 188
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 189
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 190
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 191
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 192
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 193
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 194
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 195
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 196
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 197
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 198
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 199
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 200
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 201
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 202
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 203
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 204
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 205
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 206
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 207
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 208
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 209
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 210
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 211
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 212
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 213
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 214
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 215
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 216
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 217
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 218
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 219
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 220
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 221
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 222
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 223
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 224
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 225
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 226
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 227
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 228
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 229
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 230
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 231
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 232
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 233
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 234
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 235
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 236
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 237
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 238
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 239
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 240
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 241
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - 242
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - Cover3
American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2015 - Cover4
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201702/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201701/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201612/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201611/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201610/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/pbios2016_programguide/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201609/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201608/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201607/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201606/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201605/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201604/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201603/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201602/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201601/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201512/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201511/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201510/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201509/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201508/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201507/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201506/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201505/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201504/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201503/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201502/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201501/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201412/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201411/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201410/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201409/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/pbios2014_programguide/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201408/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201407/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201406/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201405/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201404/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201403/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201402/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201401/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201312/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201311/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201310/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201309/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201308/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201307/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201306/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201305/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201304/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201303/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201302/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201301/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201212/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201211/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201210/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201209/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/2012_pbios/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201208/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201207/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201206/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201205/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201204/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201203/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201202/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201201/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/demo/aogr_clone/stage.php
http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aogr/201112/stage.php
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com