A Method for Estimating Hydrocarbon Cumulative Production Distribution of Individual Wells in Naturally Fractured Carbonates, Sandstones, Shale Gas, Coalbed Methane and Tight Gas Formations

A method, based on factual observations of naturally fractured reservoirs in several countries, is presented or estimating distribution of hydrocarbon cumulative production in wells drilled in fractured reservoirs of Types A, 13 or C These observations indicate that in reservoirs of Type C. most of the cumulative production is provided by just a few wells, while the majority of the wells contribute a small part of the reservoir cumulative production In reservoirs of Type 13, the number of wells contributing significantly to cumulative production becomes larger relative to the case of Type C reservoirs Finally. in reservoirs of Type A, a lame number of wells contribute to field production, as compared with Type B reservoirs The method is shown to be useful for tackling problems of practical importance in naturally fractured reservoirs, including performing or not performing infill drilling, estimating the variation in cumulative hydrocarbon production per well in a given reservoir and estimating the number of wells that might be required for a given field hydrocarbon recovery The method is illustrated using data from various fractured reservoirs, including the Barnett shale and sandstone reservoirs in the United States, carbonate reservoirs in Mexico and Venezuela and coalbed methane reservoirs and tight gas sands in Canada