RTA-Assisted Type Well Construction in Montney Tight Gas Reservoir from Western Canada Sedimentary Basin

Tight gas reservoirs are mainly developed by multistage hydraulic fracturing horizontal wells (MSHFHWs). A type well provides average production profiles based on real well data and can be constructed from multiple wells to investigate the behavior of the reservoir. For unconventional reservoirs, type wells are the key to reserve calculations and medium- and long-term field development planning. Both geological and completion parameters are key factors affecting single well performance of MSHFHWs. Based on the drilling, hydraulic fracturing, and production data for over 1,800 MSHFHWs in the Montney tight gas reservoir in the Groundbirch region of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB), the main hydraulic fracturing factors affecting the production performance of MSHFHWs were investigated. A rate transient analysis- (RTA-) assisted workflow for type well construction is proposed based on existing production data and considering the geological and engineering factors. Based on the field data, the main hydraulic fracturing factors that affect the production performance of the MSHFHWs in Montney are lateral length, proppant tonnage, and the number of stages. Base type wells are predicted from the P50 wells, which are selected from the wells with normalized lateral length and the same fracturing technique and proppant tonnage. The base type well represents the well performance for a specific drilling and completion background. RTA was introduced to scale up the base type well to predict the type well of new completion design. The new workflow predicts both the base type well with a specific drilling and completion background and the upgraded type well, which uses new completion design. It is highly meaningful and provides a valuable reference to practical studies involving type well prediction in unconventional gas reservoirs.

Automated summary

This study focuses on investigating the main hydraulic fracturing factors affecting the production performance of multistage hydraulic fracturing horizontal wells, proposing a rate transient analysis-assisted workflow for type well construction, and predicting base type wells and upgraded type wells through actual data, providing valuable reference for practical studies in unconventional gas reservoirs.