Field Development of Shale Gas Reservoirs

Unconventional natural gas is usually found in reservoirs with relatively low permeability and thus, it can not be either extracted or produced in common ways compared to conventional natural gas. One of the natural gas which has high demand in this industry is gas from shale formation called “shale gas”. The gas is trapped in the very tiny pores spaces between the grain inside the shale formation and it is impermeable nature of the source rock. Shale gas technology has been largely raised in the United States (U.S.), since the first shale gas well was discovered here in 1821 from a well near Fredonia, New York. There are some issues on field development by using vertical drilling because it requires more time and definitely has high cost as it need to spend more time on packing and moving the rig and preparing at a new drilling site. The main objective of this paper is to propose an appropriate development plan for shale gas reservoir. In conducting this project, few research methodologies such as analysis, evaluation of result, and comparison of case study to ensure this project to be successfully completed in achieving its objectives. Field developments of reservoir consist of information from Geophysic and Geology part (G&G), Reservoir Engineering, Production Engineering, Facilities Engineering and Project Economics. One of the important development of shale gas reservoirs are depend on the technology such as horizontal drilling as well as hydraulic fracturing for optimizing the production of shale gas. Horizontal drilling is helpful in increasing the exposed section length through the reservoir, while hydraulic fracturing enhances the flow of gas from reservoir to the wellbore. Thus, this paper can be used as the guideline to have further understanding on field development of shale reservoirs.