The Montney Formation is one of the top resource plays in the world, and is perennially in the top three producing zones in Western Canada. The Montney is the leading driver for Western Canada natural gas, condensate and light oil development. However, the sheer scale and variability of the play creates a complex array of risk, reserves and returns. As the E&P industry navigates through a challenging commodity environment, asset sales and consolidation will become increasingly important.
CDL has over 30 years of experience in the fields of hydrodynamics, geothermics and fluid chemistry and has long understood the importance of these factors on well performance. In our 2018 Montney Regional Hydrodynamics Study (MRHS-III), we mapped regional variations in pressure, temperature and fluid chemistry within the four zones of our detailed Montney stratigraphic framework and used this as a jumping off point for ongoing work into 2019, 2020 and 2021.
In our 2019 SPE paper (SPE 196101-MS), we discuss how co-relationships of pressure, temperature and gas chemistry can be analyzed to help predict spatial variations in observed liquids production. In 2020, we released the Montney module of the Canadian Discovery Fluid Dynamics Database (CDFD) within our data analytics and play evaluation platform. Our approach continues to evolve with the play and we are currently establishing analogue areas and identifying well design parameters that produce optimal results in a given set of reservoir conditions, with the intent of helping operators to make the best possible decisions given their location and depth within the Montney. Our most recent endeavor is the Montney Underpressured Fairway Water Analysis Project, a multi-client study that strives to determine the key controls on the transition zone, combining reservoir characterization and fluid dynamics data to avoid and de-risk water production.
Recent technical studies and models highlight the reservoir pressure and fluid properties as being the top subsurface drivers on well performance in the Montney (Stephenson et al., 2019; McDaniels, Pers. Comm.). Reservoir pressure is critical to production, as pressure depletion is the primary recovery mechanism in most hydraulically stimulated resource plays. Fluid maturity (the spectrum from liquids-rich fluids to dry gas) and fluid mobility (the interplay between reservoir permeability and fluid viscosity) within the reservoir are also very important. Detailed knowledge of these factors within their area will help operators choose the optimal completion design – particularly the proppant intensity and lateral length – for maximum productivity within their pressure and fluid maturity windows.
CDL has completed seven regional integrated Montney geoscience studies and over 30 Montney consulting projects. We’ve analyzed approximately 700 cores, correlated over 8,000 wells and evaluated over 7,000 hydrogeological tests. Plus we’ve published over 200 Montney articles in the CDL Digest, evaluated 6,000 Montney completions and developed reliable, type-curve derived Montney EURs for all relevant horizontal wells!
We have compiled all of our Montney knowledge into a Full Montney Package. The Full Montney comprises previous work on stratigraphy, reservoir quality, fluid saturations and chemistry, hydrodynamics and geothermics, as well as our ongoing work in geomechanics. Combined with our subscription products the Canadian Discovery Fluid Dynamics Database (CDFD), Play Metrics and the Digest, CDL provides up-to-date Montney Formation data and information that can be used at whatever scale you are working, whether it be prospecting regionally or looking at development within a specific property.
Explore the CDL Blog and our Technical Papers and Presentations to learn more about the Montney, or contact us to discuss exclusive consultancy and consortia options.
