Potential and Possible Technological Solutions for Field Development of Unconventional Reservoirs: Bazhenov Formation

Abstract

The "shale revolution" experience on the example of the Bazhenov formation (BF) development required a serious development program review and implementation. The modern approach to the Bazhenov formation development in the Russian Federation is approaching the final stage of the existing formation stimulation technologies improvement. The technical limit in completion is about to be reached. It becomes obvious that existing stimulation technologies do not allow creating more efficient "reservoir factories" in the Bazhenov formation. The paper's objective is an attempt to identify hypotheses and prerequisites, as well as possible prospects for the stimulation technologies development, to justify the use of new alternative systems for hydraulic fracturing (HF) with an assessment of their potential at the BF reservoirs.