How is Shale Being 'Supersized'?

It's no secret that the world's oil supplies are shrinking, with some experts predicting that reserves could run dry in as little as 50 years. As a result, producers are exploring new ways to maximise each drop. It's known as "supersizing" and has made quite the mark with shale drillers over the last few years. Basically, it sees drillers heighten wellpad efficiency to scale up operations.

In the past, shale drillers placed a big focus on cutting costs while simultaneously expanding operations. This was often done by adding more drilling sites to a single wellpad. Other techniques included using more water, increasing quantities of frac sand and drilling longer laterals. All helped to boost production and carry the shale industry through the economic downturn.

A new era of efficiency for shale drillers

Now, shale companies are championing a new era of efficiency. For example, Canadian-based natural gas company Encana Corporation is pursuing a drilling technique called “cube development”. It sees the company drill 20 wells into a single pad, each extending in a different direction. This allows for the extraction of oil and gas from the multiple layers of the Permian Basin, as opposed to traditional techniques that limit a single well to an individual shale layer. An increasing number of drilling companies are now adopting the approach and "supersizing" individual projects to extract more resources out of each wellpad.  

Do the investments balance the benefits?

Of course, projects of this scale don't come cheap. Encana's huge venture is estimated to come at a cost of US$120 million. Additional costs like new equipment, upgraded gathering lines and extra labour have raised questions over whether supersizing is a worthwhile investment. Encana was quick to quash concerns, asserting that “cube development” has allowed it to slash per-well costs by 25%.

Shale gas industry also "supersizing" operations

The concept of supersizing has also hit the shale gas industry, with experts revealing that some Marcellus Shale drillers are extracting from up to 40 gas wells per pad. Laterals have also been lengthened, with some stretching for up to four miles.

The shale industry isn't the only one heightening efficiency, with gas producers also exploring new ways to maximise productivity. Exploring the criteria for choosing a model, 'Bellows Pumps as the Foundation for Process and Emissions Analysis Sending Sample Gas Well on its Way' offers a glimpse at the latest stainless-steel solutions from Swiss based tech company, Buhler.