Abstract
The Marcellus tight gas shale represents a significant resource within the northeastern United States. It is both a large reserve, with an estimated 30 to 300 TCF of recoverable gas, and is close to some of the largest prospective markets in the country. However, production is fraught with technological obstacles, the most significant of which include prospecting, access by drilling, stimulation, and recovery. Prospecting is difficult because viability of the reservoir relies both on the original gas in place and in the ability to access that gas through pre-existing fractures that may be developed through stimulation. Drilling is a challenge since drilling costs typically comprise 50% of the cost of the wells and access to the reservoir is improved with horizontal drilling which may access a longer productive zone within the reservoir than cheaper vertical wells. Finally, stimulation methods are necessary to improve gas yields and to reduce the environmental impacts of both consumptive water use and the subsequent problems of safe disposal of fracwater waste. We discuss the challenges involved in the economic recovery of gas from tight gas shales in general and the Marcellus in particular.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agbaji, A., Lee, B., Kuma, H., Belvalkar, R., Eslambolchi, S., Guiadem, S., and Park, S. (2009). Sustainable development and design of marcellus shale play in susquehanna, PA, Report of EME580, Penn State University, State College, PA.
Arthur, J. D., Bohm, B., Coughlin, B. J., and Layne, M. (2009). “Evaluating the environmental implications of hydraulic fracturing in shale gas reservoirs.” 2009 SPE Americas E&P Environmental & Safety Conference, San Antonio, TX, SPE 121038.
Barrett, R. (2007). The depositional settling of the marcellus black shale, Appalachian Producers Issues Seminar, Independent Oil & Gas Association of West Virginia.
Beauduy, T. (2009). Development of the marcellus shale formation in the susquehanna river basin, PSU EarthTalks Series, State College, PA.
Bell, M. R. G., Hardesty, J. T., and Clark, N. G. (2009). “Reactive perforating: Conventional and unconventional applications, Learning and Opportunities.” 2009 SPE European Formation Damage Conference, Scheveningen, The Netherlands, SPE 122174.
Engelder, T. (2009). Geology and resource assessment of the Marcellus shale, PSU EarthTalks Series, State College, PA.
Engelder, T. and Lash, G. G. (2007). Systematic joints in devonian black shale, (Unpublished Draft).
Engelder, T. and Lash, G. G. (2008). “Marcellus shale play’s vast resource potential creating stir in appalachia.” American Oil and Gas Reporter, Vol. 51, No. 6, pp. 76–87.
EPA Limits from: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/contaminants/index.html.
Gaudlip, A. W. and Paugh, L. O. (2008). “Marcellus shale water management challenges in Pennsylvania.” 2008 SPE Shale Gas Production Conference, Forth Worth, TX, SPE 119898.
Harper, J. (2008). “The marcellus shale: An old ‘new’ gas reservoir in pennsylvania.” Pennsylvania Geology., Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 2–13.
Harper, J. (2009). The marcellus and other shale plays in pennsylvania: are they really worth all the fuss? PSU EarthTalks Series, State College, PA.
Jacobi, D., Gladkikh, M., LeCompte, B., Hursan, G., Mendez, F., Longo, J., Ong, S. Bratovich, M., Patton, G., and Shoemaker, P. (2008). “Integrated petrophysical evaluation of shale gas reservoirs.” 2008 CIPC/SPE Gas Technology Symposium Joint Conference, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, SPE 114925.
Janwadkar, S., Hummes, O., Freyer, C., Rogers, T., Simonton, S., and Black, D. (2009). “Innovative design rotary steerable technologies overcome challenges of complex well profiles in a fast growing unconventional resource — Woodford shale.” 2009 SPE/IADC Drilling Conference & Exhibition, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, SPE 119959.
Jikich, S., Smith, D. H., Sams, W. N., and Bromhal, G. S. (2003). “Enhanced Gas Recovery (EGR) with carbon dioxide sequestration: A simulation study of effects of injection strategy and operational parameters.” 2003 SPE Eastern Regional/AAPG Eastern Section Joint Meeting. Pittsburgh, PA, SPE 84813.
Kaufman, P., Penny, G. S., and Paktinat, J. (2008). “Critical evaluations additives used in shale slickwater fracs.” 2008 SPE Shale Gas Production Conference, Forth Worth, TX, SPE 119900.
Kundert, D. and Mullen, M. (2009). “Proper evaluation of shale gas reservoirs leads to a more effective hydraulic-fracture stimulation.” 2009 SPE Rocky Mountain Petroleum Technology Conference, Denver, CO, SPE 123586.
Milici, R. and Swezey, C. (2006). Assessment of appalachian basin oil and gas resources: Devonian shale — middle and upper paleozoic total petroleum system, U.S. Geological Survey, Open-File Report, pp. 2006–1237.
Myers, R. (2008). Marcellus shale update, Independent Oil & Gas Association of West Virginia.
Ottaviani, W. (2009). Gas pains: Technical & operational challenges in developing the marcellus shale, PSU EarthTalks Series, State College, PA.
Ozkan, E., Brown, M., Raghavan, R., and Kazemi, H. (2009). “Comparison of fractured horizontal-well performance in conventional and unconventional reservoirs.” 2009 SPE Western Regional Meeting, San Jose, CA, SPE 121290.
Quinn, T. R., Dwyer, J., Wolfe, C., Morris, S., and Coope, D. (2008). “Formation evaluation Logging While Drilling (LWD) in unconventional reservoirs for production optimization.” 2008 SPE Eastern Regional/AAPG Eastern Section Joint Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA, SPE 11927.
Soeder, D. J. (1988). “Porosity and permeability of eastern devonian gas shale.” Society of Petroleum Engineers Formation Evaluation, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 116–124.
Soeder, D. J. and Kappel, W. M. (2009). Water resources and natural gas production from the marcellus shale, U.S. Geological Survey, USGS Fact Sheet, pp. 2009–3032.
Sumi, L. (2008). Shale gas: Focus on the marcellus shale, The Oil & Gas Accountability Project/Earthworks.
Swistock, B. (2009). Water quality impacts from natural gas drilling, PSU EarthTalks Series, State College, PA.
Valko, P. (2009). “Assigning value to stimulation in the barnett shale: A simultaneous analysis of 7000 plus production histories and well completion records.” 2009 SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference, The Woodlands, TX, SPE 119369.
Walser, D. W. and Pursell, D. A. (2007). “Making mature shale gas plays commercial: Process vs natural parameters.” 2007 SPE Eastern Regional Meeting, Lexington, KY, SPE 1101278.
Warpinski, N. R., Mayerhofer, M. J., Vincent, M. C., Clipolla, C. L., and Lolon, E. P. (2008). “Stimulating unconventional reservoirs: Maximizing network growth while optimizing fracture conductivity.” 2008 SPE Unconventional Reservoirs Conference, Keystone, CO, SPE 114173.
Zelenev, A. S. and Linda, B. E. (2009). “Microemulsion technology for improved fluid recovery and enhanced core permeability to gas.” 2009 SPE European Formation Damage Conference, Scheveningen, The Netherlands, SPE 122109.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lee, D.S., Herman, J.D., Elsworth, D. et al. A critical evaluation of unconventional gas recovery from the marcellus shale, northeastern United States. KSCE J Civ Eng 15, 679–687 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-011-0008-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-011-0008-4