I have a question regarding the life expectancy of a horizontal well drilled in the Eagle Ford deposit. I've heard that a well should last about 5 years. I don't see any horizontal wells that have been producing that long. Does anyone know, or can you point me to a source that would know? I haven't been able to find any reliable information. Thank you!
Jim
Suggest you google various Eagle Ford operators like Pioneer, EOG, Chesapeake, Rosetta, many others and check out their presentations. Many of them have production decline curve projections show yearly producdtion rates vs time produced.
Depending on O&G pricing and mechanical issues, Eagle Ford horizontals should produce economically for 20-30 years. High initial rates and very steep production decline over first few years with decline flattening out around year #10.
Although no modern wells have produced any longer than 4 years, there are numerous analogs for this long lived production profile in plays like the Barnett, Marcellus, Bakken, Fayetteville, Haynesville and other formations.
There are some that estimate that you will see half of a wells EUR in the first 1.5 to 3 years.
You may want to check out this forum thread as to the whole production decline / well life issue. Several other good discussions out there on this issue.
http://eaglefordforum.com/forum/topics/eagle-ford-production-decline-discussion
Like all shale wells, decline curves in the Eagle
Ford are in the 75% to 80% range. This is
comparable to the Barnett Shale and slightly better
than the 85% decline curves often seen in the
Haynesville. In an effort to smooth out rates of
production over time and increase the ultimate
recovery of hydrocarbons, producers are currently
experimenting with reducing the choke size for
Haynesville Shale wells. While this decreases
initial production rates (and consequently is less
striking in a press release), tighter chokes have
demonstrated effectiveness in flattening out
decline curves and increasing the amount of gas
recovered on the back end of a well's productive
lifetime. This may become especially important for
companies worried about maintaining their drilling
commitments while waiting for gas prices to
increase. Consequently, should experiments with
tighter chokes prove successful in the Haynesville,
adoption will likely spread to other shale plays,
including the Eagle Ford.
http://www.coxsmith.com/portalresource/lookup/wosid/intelliun-105-5300/media.name=
Thanks for information. Was wondering what the life was on the Eagle Ford.
Mark McClure said:
Like all shale wells, decline curves in the Eagle
Ford are in the 75% to 80% range. This is
comparable to the Barnett Shale and slightly better
than the 85% decline curves often seen in the
Haynesville. In an effort to smooth out rates of
production over time and increase the ultimate
recovery of hydrocarbons, producers are currently
experimenting with reducing the choke size for
Haynesville Shale wells. While this decreases
initial production rates (and consequently is less
striking in a press release), tighter chokes have
demonstrated effectiveness in flattening out
decline curves and increasing the amount of gas
recovered on the back end of a well's productive
lifetime. This may become especially important for
companies worried about maintaining their drilling
commitments while waiting for gas prices to
increase. Consequently, should experiments with
tighter chokes prove successful in the Haynesville,
adoption will likely spread to other shale plays,
including the Eagle Ford.http://www.coxsmith.com/portalresource/lookup/wosid/intelliun-105-5...
Przzz,
Thank you very much for the information you provided. I'll pursue your suggestions so I can learn as much about this as possible. I sincerely appreciate your help!
Very best regards,
Jim
Przzz said:
You may want to check out this forum thread as to the whole production decline / well life issue. Several other good discussions out there on this issue.
http://eaglefordforum.com/forum/topics/eagle-ford-production-declin...