Unconventional Gas and Tight Oil Exploitation

Unconventional Gas and Tight Oil Exploitation takes an in-depth look at unconventional low-permeability resource accumulations, the required technologies for specialized development, and the assessments currently being applied. With an author team of 14 subject-matter experts with specialization in different tight oil and unconventional-gas areas, this new book is an authoritative resource for those looking to increase recoverable resources. A must read for those wanting to make a significant positive impact on global energy markets while respecting the environment. Changes to global energy markets, shifts in international oil-supply projections, advancements in horizontal drilling and multistage hydraulic-fracturing technologies-these realities coalesce to potentially extend natural gas and oil supplies by several decades by current levels of consumption. In Unconventional Gas and Tight Oil Exploitation, the authors lend their expertise to offer an in-depth look at unconventional low-permeability resource accumulations, the required technologies for specialized development, and the assessments currently being applied. While percent recoveries from unconventional gas and tight oil accumulations have been very low compared with conventional reservoirs, these unconventional resources have been enough to dramatically change the slope of production decline in the United States from negative to positive in a very short period of time. This change of slope is "magic" and reflects the creativity of the oil and gas industry. The authors of this book seek to ascertain and explore the challenges and opportunities associated with the current commercial development techniques in an effort to fully understand the reservoirs, the mode of petroleum storage and transport within the reservoirs, the design of drilling and completion programs, and the physics behind formation analyses. Through this understanding, unconventional gas and tight oil exploitation techniques can be developed further, resulting in low production costs, improved economics, increase in technically recoverable resources while respecting the environment, and significant positive impact of gas and tight oil developments globally.