Implementation Challenges of Extended Reach Drilling and Hydraulic Fracturing Operations in Unconventional Reservoirs

The petroleum industry faces a lot of challenges in producing hydrocarbons. These challenges became significant with the discovery of unconventional reservoirs. This called for new advanced technologies to be developed. Extended Reach Drilling (ERD) and Hydraulic Fracturing (HF) are two methods that were successfully implemented in different wells around the world. ERD has been used in numerous drilling operations where the reservoir is surrounded by troublesome formations, hence sidetracking is necessary. Hydraulic fracturing is used in the development of many unconventional wells, including shale gas reservoirs. However, these methods still face a lot of challenges during implementation, which can affect the success of the drilling and well completion design. This article discusses the main design considerations for implementing ERD and Hydraulic fracturing in an unconventional reservoir. It also covers the main challenges that should be accounted for while preparing the drilling and well stimulation design to improve the production efficiency. It includes the impact of stress shadows, frac hits, well spacing, casing design, and other factors on the overall success of the process.