The North American Shale Resource: Characterization of Spatial and Temporal Variation in Productivity

Conference Proceedings Paper
The North American Shale Resource: Characterization of Spatial and Temporal Variation in Productivity
Ejaz, Q. and F. O'Sullivan (2013)
Conference Proceedings, 15th Annual Conference of the International Association for Mathematical Geosciences (September 2–5, Madrid) Mathematics of Planet Earth: Lecture Notes in Earth System Sciences, 2014: 607–611

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Abstract/Summary:

Between 2005 and 2012, U.S. natural gas production from ultra-low permeability hydrocarbon-prone mud rock formations, often referred to as the “shale resource”, increased 20-fold to more than 570 Mm3 per day, and now accounts for ≈33% of total U.S. gas output. These developments have had a profound impact on the U.S. energy sector. Despite it’s rapid rise, the exploitation of the shale resource is still in it nascency, and knowledge of the precise production mechanisms remains limited. A consequence of this is that the accurate economic characterization of the resource remains difficult. This paper examines spatial and temporal trends in the productivity of contemporary horizontal, hydraulically fractured wells within and between the major U.S. shale plays.

© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Citation:

Ejaz, Q. and F. O'Sullivan (2013): The North American Shale Resource: Characterization of Spatial and Temporal Variation in Productivity. Conference Proceedings, 15th Annual Conference of the International Association for Mathematical Geosciences (September 2–5, Madrid) Mathematics of Planet Earth: Lecture Notes in Earth System Sciences, 2014: 607–611 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-32408-6_132)
  • Conference Proceedings Paper
The North American Shale Resource: Characterization of Spatial and Temporal Variation in Productivity

Ejaz, Q. and F. O'Sullivan

Conference Proceedings
15th Annual Conference of the International Association for Mathematical Geosciences (September 2–5, Madrid) Mathematics of Planet Earth: Lecture Notes in Earth System Sciences, 2014: 607–611

Abstract/Summary: 

Between 2005 and 2012, U.S. natural gas production from ultra-low permeability hydrocarbon-prone mud rock formations, often referred to as the “shale resource”, increased 20-fold to more than 570 Mm3 per day, and now accounts for ≈33% of total U.S. gas output. These developments have had a profound impact on the U.S. energy sector. Despite it’s rapid rise, the exploitation of the shale resource is still in it nascency, and knowledge of the precise production mechanisms remains limited. A consequence of this is that the accurate economic characterization of the resource remains difficult. This paper examines spatial and temporal trends in the productivity of contemporary horizontal, hydraulically fractured wells within and between the major U.S. shale plays.

© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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