SPE Austin - October Luncheon

Over the last several years, great strides have been achieved in understanding depletion networks, parent/child well interaction and full field completion strategies. However, counter to these learnings, the amount of open acreage and virgin rock in unconventional reservoirs have begun to shrink as development has occurred. The natural question that comes next is, ‘How to recover stranded reserves left behind from sub-optimal development strategies?’. This presentation highlights the premise of recovering stranded reserves by utilizing pre-existing wellbores alongside new-drill infills to yield a more effective and economic outcome.

A multidisciplinary approach is summarized to evaluate reservoir drainage patterns, parent/child, and hydraulic stimulation interactions. This presentation describes a case study of an extensive diagnostic package focusing on the capture of stranded reserves via refracs and infill drilling within the black oil window of the Eagle Ford Shale, DeWitt County, Texas. The project consisted of a unique combination of two cemented liner refracs in conjunction with additional primary (parent) wells, new infill wells, and a horizontal well devoted exclusively to observation. The collection of a horizontal core, formation imaging and advanced lateral logs, sealed wellbore pressure monitoring (SWPM), downhole fiberoptics (both permanent and deployable), seven downhole pressure gauges, time-lapse geochemistry, and iterative production interference tests were also captured. Vital calibration for well spacing, completion strategy, and field development were all outcomes of this project. Additionally, confirmation of new drainage in standard reserves, increased recovery factors, and 27-46% increases in ultimate recoveries were all measurable successes from this project.

Kourtney Brinkley is a Senior Reservoir Engineer at Devon Energy. She has also served as a Geologist, Drilling and Completions Engineer and Production Engineer. Kourtney has worked the STACK, Eagle Ford, Powder River and Delaware Basins. She is a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a bachelor’s degree in Geology and holds a second bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from The University of Oklahoma, where she serves on the Industry Advisory Board. Kourtney has authored multiple papers, been a keynote speaker at HFTC twice and received the 2023 Completions Optimization and Technology Award for the SPE Mid-Con section.

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