Assessing uncertainties and managing risks in shale gas projects

Download
2017
Tuğan, Murat Fatih
New millennium’s oil industry met the production from shale oil and shale gas formations as a revolution, a game changer which certainly have taken attention of most investors. However, shale oil and shale gas projects generally have marginal economics, hence should be carefully analyzed from the economic standpoint. To analyze the economics of a shale oil or shale gas play, generating an economically recoverable resource (ERR) probability function showing the full uncertainty range is highly important. Furthermore, the net present value (NPV) of the project together with the uncertainties inherent in it should be revealed so that the primary decision of entering a shale oil or shale gas project will be determined. As progressing through the project phases, judicious go/no-go decisions should be given at several decision gates. In this study, a methodology to evaluate shale oil and shale gas projects at any project maturity stage via a fully probabilistic approach is developed. Moreover, a new user-friendly software with graphical user interface is developed to make our methodology applicable. vi Considering the available input parameters at each of the three different project phases; exploration, appraisal and development phases, specific probabilistic reserves estimation methodologies are designed to reveal the effect of uncertainties in input parameters on the ERR probability ranges. Moreover, by utilizing the economical parameters such as market prices, tax rates and various expenditures, NPV probability ranges and hence firm go/no-go decisions at the decision gates can be attained. The main objective is to develop a methodology to obtain firm decisions at any project stage while considering the uncertainties in the input parameters and to evaluate the risks in the monetary level. Finally, the developed methodology is verified via the data obtained from a real field and utilizing the developed software.

Suggestions

Quantification of the uncertainties in shale gas reservoirs, a case study for Dadas shale formation
Topçu, Görkem Yusuf; Akın, Serkan; Department of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering (2013)
In the world of a decreasing conventional oil and gas resources and high energy prices, the unconventional gas resources has become a new focus of interest of the oil and gas industry. Especially, after the American shale gas revolution, both the industry and the economies are trying to explore and exploit their potential resources. Also, Turkey is one of the lucky countries that are known to have important shale gas resources at subsurface. Up to date, Dadas shale formation in the Southeastern Anatolian ba...
Experimental analysis of adsorption capacities and behaviors of shale samples
Merey, Şükrü; Sınayuç, Çağlar; Department of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering (2013)
In recent years, unconventional reserves such as shale gas reservoirs have become a major alternative source of energy in the world. It is known that Turkey has shale gas potentials especially in the Southeastern and Thrace region. In shale gas reservoirs, significant amounts of natural gas exist as conventional “free” gas in porous spaces as well as “adsorbed” gas on shale matrix. Understanding adsorption capacities and behaviors of shale gas reservoirs may help exploitation and resource evaluation. In thi...
Shale Gas: Current Perspectives and Future Prospects in Turkey and the World
Kök, Mustafa Verşan (2014-11-17)
With the increased natural gas prices and advancement in the horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology, there is a high interest in shale gas reservoirs in the world and in Turkey. However, gas production from shale gas reservoirs is quite different than conventional gas reservoirs because permeability in shale gas reservoirs is very low and production mechanism is different due to adsorbed gas and free gas together in these reservoirs. The aim of study is to clarify shale gas reservoirs in te...
An Experimental investigation of the shale inhibition properties of a quaternary amine compound
Taş, Baki Tuğrul; Sınayuç, Çağlar; Gücüyener, İsmail Hakkı; Department of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering (2013)
Depleting oil reserves and increased costs of the oil and gas recoveries have created the need to drill in challenging formations. When drilled through, shale formations in particular always generated a wide variety of problems if conventional water-based muds are used. Furthermore, the complexity and variations in shales have compounded the task of developing suitable drilling fluids. In light of these problems, the study of shale properties and their interactions with fluids will continue to be a muchneed...
Pressure- and rate- transient analysis of the simulated single and multi-fractured horizontal wells drilled in shale gas reservoirs
Jafarlı, Tural; Sınayuç, Çağlar; Department of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering (2013)
Nowadays, the bigger portion of produced oil and gas come from conventional resources all over the globe and these resources are being depleted in a severe manner. Over the past decade, the combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has allowed access to large volumes of shale gas that were previously uneconomical to produce. In recent years, they are seriously considered as supplementary to the conventional resources although these reservoirs cannot be produced at an economic rate or canno...
Citation Formats
M. F. Tuğan, “Assessing uncertainties and managing risks in shale gas projects,” Ph.D. - Doctoral Program, Middle East Technical University, 2017.