REMINDER: February 9th, 2023 DGS Luncheon Presentation – Maggie Albrecht, SM Energy

Hydraulic Fracture and Reservoir Simulation Model Calibration using Quantitative Tracer Analysis and Geochemical Production Allocations

Maggie Albrecht

Abstract:

Well spacing and hydraulic fracture design optimization are among the most important challenges confronting companies operating in unconventional reservoirs. Reservoir simulation and/or rate transient analysis can help guide development decisions, but these calculations can be affected by non-uniqueness. Model calibration that relies on production and pressure history alone often fails to uniquely resolve important differences in productivity and fracture geometry. Diagnostics such as distributed acoustic sensing, microseismic, and sealed wellbore pressure monitoring capture total hydraulic fracture extent but do not characterize the producing behavior, which ultimately drives asset financial performance. This work demonstrates that tracers and geochemical production allocations can be used to reduce model non-uniqueness. Models that couple hydraulic fractures and reservoir simulation of wells in different landing zones and regions of the Midland Basin were calibrated using quantitative tracer analysis and geochemical production allocations, shared in case studies. This work reveals the connection between completions, geomechanical inputs (such as minimum horizontal stress and toughness), and geochemical production allocations as demonstrated by the vertical distribution of proppant. This work also identifies the roles that well spacing and drawdown play in time-lapse geochemical production allocations and tracer recovery. Both techniques are discussed in more detail in two URTeC 2022 papers, “Using Quantitative Tracer Analysis to Calibrate Hydraulic Fracture and Reservoir Simulation Models: A Permian Basin Case Study” and “Using Geochemical Production Allocation to Calibrate Hydraulic Fracture and Reservoir Simulation Models: A Permian Basin Case Study.”

Maggie Albrecht is a Senior Reservoir Engineer at SM Energy in Denver, CO. She is actively involved in reservoir characterization, field performance surveillance, and using simulation to understand and optimize performance.  She has worked conventional and unconventional plays including offshore Equatorial Guinea, Gulf of Mexico, Bakken, Western Canadian/Liard Basins, the Permian Basin, and South Texas. She previously worked for Apache Corporation and Hess Corporation and has a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.