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CHENG-DISSERTATION.Pdf EVALUATION AND PREDICTION OF UNCONVENTIONAL GAS RESOURCES IN UNDEREXPLORED BASINS WORLDWIDE A Dissertation by KUN CHENG Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May 2012 Major Subject: Petroleum Engineering . EVALUATION AND PREDICTION OF UNCONVENTIONAL GAS RESOURCES IN UNDEREXPLORED BASINS WORLDWIDE A Dissertation by KUN CHENG Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved by: Chair of Committee, Stephen A. Holditch Committee Members, Duane A. McVay Walter B. Ayers Yuefeng Sun Head of Department, Stephen A. Holditch May 2012 Major Subject: Petroleum Engineering . iii ABSTRACT Evaluation and Prediction of Unconventional Gas Resources in Underexplored Basins Worldwide. (May 2012) Kun Cheng, B.S.; M.S., Southwest Petroleum University, China Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Stephen A. Holditch As gas production from conventional gas reservoirs in the United States decreases, industry is turning more attention to the exploration and development of unconventional gas resources (UGR). This trend is expanding quickly worldwide. Unlike North America where development of UGRs and technology is now mature and routine, many countries are just beginning to develop unconventional gas resources. Previous research estimated that the unconventional gas in place, including coalbed methane, shale gas and tight-sand gas, exceeds 30,000 Tcf worldwide. As part of a research team, I helped to develop a software package called Unconventional Gas Resource Advisory (UGRA) System which includes the Formation Analog Selection Tool (FAST) and Basin Analog Investigations (BASIN) to objectively and rapidly identify and rank mature North American formations and basins that may be analogous to nascent international target basins. Based on BASIN and FAST results, the relationship between mature and underexplored basins is easily accessed. To quantify the unconventional resource potential in typical gas basins, I revised and used a computer model called the Petroleum Resources Investigation Summary and Evaluation (PRISE). This research is based on the resource triangle concept, which implies that all natural resources, including oil and gas, are distributed log-normally. In . iv this work, I described a methodology to estimate values of technically recoverable resources (TRR) for unconventional gas reservoirs by combining estimates of production, reserves, reserves growth, and undiscovered resources from a variety of sources into a logical distribution. I have also investigated mature North American unconventional gas resources, and predicted unconventional resources in underexplored basins worldwide for case study. Based on the results of testing BASIN and PRISE, we concluded that our evaluation of 24 North American basins supports the premise that basins analysis can be used to estimate UGRs. v DEDICATION I want to thank my wife for her selfless love and support. Without her support, this dissertation would not be completed; without her care, I would not have had the strength to preserve with my studies; without her faith, I would not have the mettle to face the future; without her view, I would not have the vision to explore the world. I would also like to dedicate this dissertation to my parents. They continue to teach me and guide me on the path to rightness. Words cannot express my love for them. Finally, I dedicate this to my brother who has the same goal and courage to realize his dreams. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my earnest gratitude and appreciation to my advisor and committee chair, Dr. Stephen A. Holditch, for his help and invaluable guidance in every possible way. His constant encouragement and profound knowledge have always motivated me to achieve my research goals and to cultivate my abilities. I would also like to thank Dr. Walter B. Ayers and Dr. Duane A. McVay for sharing philosophical thoughts, practical knowledge, detailed guidance, and support throughout my research progress. I thank Dr. Yuefeng Sun for his valuable advice. His constructive discussions about my research have been very helpful throughout the whole dissertation. Finally, I would like to thank the Crisman Institute in the Petroleum Engineering Department at Texas A&M University for sponsoring my research during my endeavor for a Ph.D. degree in petroleum engineering. Also I extend my gratitude to RPSEA/Schlumberger for providing me with financial assistance and generous scholarships. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Unconventional Gas Reservoirs ........................................................................... 1 1.2 Resource Triangle ................................................................................................ 9 1.2.1 Coalbed Methane ............................................................................................ 11 1.2.2 Shale Gas ........................................................................................................ 17 1.2.3 Tight Gas Sand ............................................................................................... 21 1.3 Unconventional Gas Reservoir Advisory (UGRA) System ............................... 24 1.4 Team Members and Contributions in Building UGRA System ......................... 27 1.5 Research Objectives ........................................................................................... 30 2 EVALUATION OF ANALOG RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MATURE AND UNDEREXPLORED BASINS ......................................................................................... 32 2.1 Basin Analog System Investigation (BASIN) .................................................... 33 2.1.1 North American Basin Selections ................................................................... 33 2.1.2 BASIN Database............................................................................................. 36 2.1.2.1 Definition of BASIN Parameters ............................................................ 37 2.1.2.2 Database .................................................................................................. 37 2.1.3 BASIN Software Reengineering .................................................................... 42 2.1.3.1 The Definition of Reengineering............................................................. 42 2.2 Formation Analog Selection Tool (FAST)......................................................... 45 2.2.1 FAST Methodology ........................................................................................ 46 2.2.2 Formation Analog Parameters ........................................................................ 49 2.2.3 Formation Analog Determination ................................................................... 51 2.2.3.1 Qualitative/Descriptive Parameters ......................................................... 51 2.2.3.2 Quantitative/Numeric Parameters ........................................................... 53 2.2.4 Validation and Interpretation .......................................................................... 55 2.2.4.1 Case One ................................................................................................. 55 3 PETROLEUM RESOURCES INVESTIGATION SUMMARY AND EVALUATION (PRISE) OF MATURE NORTH AMERICAN BASINS ...................... 63 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 63 3.2 Data Sources for Investigating N.A. Basins ....................................................... 63 3.3 PRISE Methods .................................................................................................. 66 3.3.1 Scope and Scale of Appraisals ........................................................................ 66 3.3.2 Defining the Resource Triangle ...................................................................... 66 3.3.3 Quantification of the Resource Triangle ........................................................ 68 3.3.4 PRISE Quantification Results ........................................................................ 71 3.3.5 Discussion of PRISE Quantification Results.................................................. 80 . viii Page 4 PREDICTION OF UNCONVENTIONAL GAS RESOURCES IN UNDEREXPLORED BASINS ......................................................................................... 82 4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 82 4.2 Traditional Resource Estimation Methodologies ............................................... 84 4.2.1 Volumetric-Based Method ............................................................................. 84 4.2.2 Performance-Based Method ........................................................................... 85 4.2.3 Analog-Based Method .................................................................................... 86 4.3 Principle of Estimating Resources ..................................................................... 87 4.3.1 Application of the BASIN .............................................................................. 87 4.3.2 Application of Basin Analog Approach in Estimating Unconventional Gas Resources ..................................................................................................................
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