85 sales@aardva “Quality Packers Y Mechanical Inflatable Environmental Geotechnica Packer Parts 55-546-6488 arkpackers com You Can Count On” Wireline Straddle al Mining Grout Packers Custom Design s aardvarkpackers.com sales@aardvarkpackers.com 10 SEPTEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Technology Brought the Permian Basin Back to Life Adapted from Information by Chevron The Permian Basin is a shale basin about 250 miles wide and 300 miles long, spanning parts of west Texas and southeastern New Mexico. It includes the highly prolific Delaware and Midland subbasins. Nicole Champenoy, shale and tight asset class director for Chevron, recalls assessing the Permian Basin’s potential about a decade ago, when the gas and oil industry was facing a years long challenge. Vast amounts of oil remained beneath the surface, but figuring out a way to release it was proving difficult. The oil was trapped in dense rock, and technologies at the time weren’t sophisticated enough to recover it economically. “It was a bit of a tease,” said Champenoy. “We knew the oil was there, but the industry didn’t know how to get it out of the ground.” Technological advancements helped teams like Champenoy's overcome those obstacles and transformed production in the Permian Basin. These innovative techniques included: Horizontal drilling - Drilling down through thousands of feet of ground, before switching directions and moving sideways to reach the targeted oil reserve. Hydraulic fracturing - Injecting fluids into the underground rock at pressures high enough to create fractures. This opens pathways in the rock that allow gas and oil to flow. The combination of these techniques turned the Permian Basin, which had been declining for over 30 years, into one of the world’s largest oil reserves. “The Permian Basin has become the gift that just keeps giving.” Today, Chevron embraces a factory approach to drilling wells in the Permian Basin. This approach has proven to be consistent, repeatable, and fast. After the company drills a series of horizontal wells from a single well pad, it completes the wells using hydraulic fracturing. This model: > Helped prioritize the most promising opportunities. > Lowered drilling costs, cut the time from start of drilling to first production, and increased the number of wells each rig drilled. > Tripled the pace of Chevron’s drilling program. To meet the energy needs of today and tomorrow, the company uses a range of advanced technologies to boost well performance in the Permian Basin, including: Predictive Analytics is used to make decisions related to exploration strategy, resource characterization, drilling, and the final stages of well construction. Advanced Data Analytics digitizes the way the company works in the Basin to develop more productive wells. Advanced Mapping of Rock Layers leads to a better understanding of where resources are located. This allows the company to concentrate on the most promising opportunities. Proprietary Modeling Tools use machine learning and artificial intelligence to choose the best spacing for wells. These tools provide information about the best way to prepare a well for production, decreasing development costs. A Proprietary Forecasting Tool is used before pumping liquid during hydraulic fracturing. This tool is able to forecast the likely results and monitor the site extensively. This not only lowers the cost of well preparation for production, it also allows producers to get more from each well. Proprietary Technology to Assemble Drills uses advanced modeling and analysis to improve bit life and effectiveness. Champenoy is excited about the idea of continuing to innovate to grow production in the Permian Basin. “Increasing production beyond what we are doing today is a complex problem, and it is very rewarding to be part of this journey,” she said. “We’ve come so far in the past decade, but we have so much ahead of us. It’s an awesome time to be working in shale.” Editor’s Note: In between our print issues, the WWDR Team prepares an electronic newsletter called E-News Flash by WorldWide by WorldWide Drilling Resource®. This newsletter is filled with articles not included in our print issue. Based on readership, this was the most popular article of the month. Get in on the action and subscribe today at: worldwidedrillingresource.com G&O Nicole Champenoy said Chevron’s factory model for shale and tight development is important due to the sheer volume of wells it must process.
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