Pressure Drawdown Management Strategies for Multifractured Horizontal Wells in Shale Gas Reservoirs: A Review

The flow capacity of shale gas reservoirs is easily impaired during the depletion process due to strong stress sensitivity. Thereby, an adequate production system, namely, the managed pressure drop method, has been widely introduced to the industrial practice application by decelerating the wellbore pressure drop rate and ultimately improving the long-term production process. This work presents a review of the pressure drawdown management mechanisms for shale gas formations. However, clarifying the water-shale interaction physical chemistry process and developing a mathematical model that accurately describes the water-shale interaction mechanism remain a challenge. Moreover, different classifications of the managed production simulation research approaches are discussed in detail. Each approach has its own merits and demerits. Among them, numerical simulations are commonly seen in cognizance of characterizing the managed pressure drawdown production period but are found to be relatively time-consuming and also computationally expensive. An optimized theoretical model is therefore essential because it can lead to a precise estimation of the ultimate long-term production and capture instantaneously the actual shale gas reservoir depletion phenomenon with various production systems compared to other available methods. The key influence of managed pressured production for single wells in shale reservoirs is elaborated as well. As observed from the current review, an accurate description of the pressure drop management mechanism is crucial for the theoretical model of the pressure control production process for shale gas wells. The influence of water-rock interaction on the managed pressure drawdown mechanism cannot be ignored. There have thus been works to improve and enhance it for use in theoretical models for shale formations. On the other hand, the advancement of theoretical models presents an opportunity for better representation of the managed pressure drop production process.