Growth drivers of Bakken oil well productivity
Natural Resources Research
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Abstract
This paper identifies the drivers of the phenomenal growth in productivity in hydraulically fractured horizontal oil wells producing from the middle member of the Bakken Formation in North Dakota. The data show a strong underlying spatial component and somewhat weaker temporal component. Drivers of the spatial component are favorable reservoir conditions. The temporal component of well productivity growth is driven by increasing the number of fracture treatments and by increasing the volume of proppant and injection fluids used on a per fracture treatment basis. Random Forest, a non-parametric modeling procedure often applied in the context of machine learning, is used to identify the relative importance of geologic and well-completion factors that have driven the growth in Bakken well productivity. The findings of this study suggest that a significant part of the well productivity increases during the period from 2010 to 2015 have been the result of improved well-site selection. For the more recent period, that is from 2015 through 2017, part of the improved well productivity has resulted from substantial increases in the proppant and injection fluids used per stage and per well.
Suggested Citation
Attanasi, E., Freeman, P., 2019, Growth drivers of Bakken oil well productivity: Natural Resources Research, v. 29, p. 1471-1486, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-019-09559-5.
ISSN: 1573-8981 (online)
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Growth drivers of Bakken oil well productivity |
| Series title | Natural Resources Research |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11053-019-09559-5 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Publication Date | September 23, 2019 |
| Year Published | 2019 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Springer |
| Contributing office(s) | Eastern Energy Resources Science Center |
| Description | 16 p. |
| First page | 1471 |
| Last page | 1486 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota |
| Other Geospatial | Bakken Formation |