The Results of an Integrated Study of Unconventional Reservoirs and a First Attempt at their Development

Abstract

Rechitsa multi-play oilfield is located within the Rechitsko-Vishanskaya subregional area of local uplifts of the Rechitsko-Vishanskaya tectonic stage of the Northern structural zone of the Pripyat Trough in the Republic of Belarus. Since 2014, Production Association Belorusneft has been conducting integrated research to study oil bearing capacity of sediments within rock Units I-III, which were previously considered to have no potential. Since then, the lithological and petrophysical, pyrolytic, and geomechanical features of the structure of these sediments have been studied. The research has confirmed the initial hypothesis that the studied sediments are unconventional reservoirs with source-rock genesis and contain hydrocarbons both of their own genesis and those which migrated from other rocks. The results of drilling and completion of horizontal exploration wells with multi-stage hydraulic fracturing confirmed the potential for obtaining commercial oil from the sediments of the unconventional reservoirs. At the same time, there were doubts about the optimal placement of the horizontal wells, the choice of completion strategy, and if the well performance lived up to the actual maximum potential of these sediments. The paper sums up the main results of implementing an integrated program for studying unconventional reservoirs of the Rechitsa oilfield, as well as of drilling and operating production wells to date.