Evaluating Australian unconventional gas: use and misuse of North American analogues
Colin Jordan A , Geoff Barker A and Bruce Gunn ARISC
The APPEA Journal 53(1) 37-46 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ12004
Published: 2013
Abstract
Evaluation of Australia’s emerging unconventional gas sector (particularly shale gas, basin centered and tight gas) relies heavily on the use of North American analogues because of the lack of production history in Australian plays. While the use of analogues can be useful, no two shale or tight gas plays are identical so the use of analogues can also lead to significant pitfalls that need to be understood to be avoided. Production performance and recoverable hydrocarbons are strongly coupled to completion technology (far more than a conventional oil or gas project), and the successful implementation of technology requires an intimate knowledge of both reservoir petrophysics and geomechanics, not to mention a well-developed topside supply chain. This paper discusses the application of analogues to major Australian unconventional plays in the Cooper, Canning, and Perth basins, presents a case history from the Canning Basin, and provides guidance on the adjustments needed to ensure realistic predictions of recovery and well performance.
Colin Jordan is a reservoir engineer with more than 15 years’ experience in the petroleum industry, with an emphasis on production optimisation, gas deliverability modelling, fracture diagnostics, and pressure/rate transient analysis. His experience includes unconventional and conventional gas projects throughout North America, the United Kingdom, and Asia. Colin has authored (and co-authored) a number of papers on a range of subjects including pressure transient analysis, horizontal and multi-lateral modelling, reservoir management, shale/CSG, and general reservoir characterisation. He has taught industry courses on production data analysis, well test analysis, and coal bed methane. Colin is a principle reservoir engineer at RISC Advisory. colinj@riscadvisory.com |
Geoff Barker has 30 years of global experience in the upstream hydrocarbon industry. He has extensive expertise in the areas of asset valuation, business strategies, evaluation of conventional and non-conventional petroleum (CSG and tight gas), due diligence assessment for mergers and acquisitions, and project finance requirements and reserves assessment/certification. Geoff is a past chairman of the SPE WA Section, past member of the SPE International Oil and Gas Reserves Committee (2006–09), and is a present member of the SPE International Management and Information Awards Committee. Geoff is partner at RISC advisory. geoffb@riscadvisory.com |
Bruce Gunn has more than 27 years’ experience in Australia, Southeast Asia and Holland, particularly in the assessment and reporting of hydrocarbon reserves. Bruce has undertaken various studies of a reservoir/petroleum engineering and planning nature, including: CSG resource assessments and valuations in India and Australia; and, conventional gas and oil resource assessments and forecasts in Azerbaijan, Australia, Indonesia, PNG, the Philippines, and New Zealand. His experience includes coordination of multi-disciplinary studies and report preparation, preparation of expert witness statements, data room attendance, and preparation of independent technical expert’s reports. Bruce is a principle advisor at RISC Advisory. bruceg@riscadvisory.com |
