Content Updated Thursday, September 2 2010
August 2010 Cover Story
Next-Generation Systems Optimize WBM Performance In Horizontal Shale Plays
By Tim Beims
A decade ago, shales still were viewed as little more than nuisance formations that presented a litany of problems as operators drilled through them to reach underlying reservoir targets. Today, shales are target number one.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration notes in its Annual Energy Outlook 2010, “The growth in shale gas production is one of the most dynamic stories in U.S. energy markets.”
It is hard to argue that. Shales already are transforming lower-48 oil and gas supply trend lines. To get an idea what the future holds for emerging plays such as the Marcellus in the Appalachian Basin, the Haynesville in Louisiana and Texas, and the Eagle Ford in South Texas, one only needs to look at the play that started it all: the Barnett Shale.