The Permian Basin (PB) presents many challenges in the development of unconventional plays, such as varying pore pressures, high treating pressures, and geological uncertainty. These challenges intensify in areas that are not well developed or understood. A collaborative partnership between the operator and service provider can significantly reduce such risks.
This paper discusses such a collaborative partnership in the PB wherein considerable benefits were gained during drilling and completion of six wells. Using lessons learned and new technologies, the operator and service company engineered a workflow to overcome challenges and deliver economic results, which significantly outperformed previous wells. Key challenges faced and how they were overcome are discussed.
These efforts resulted in a six-month cumulative BOE increase of 32% from offset wells. The foundation of this success is directly attributed to the collaborative partnership between the operator and service company using an engineered workflow to achieve a common goal.