by tita » Tue 26 Dec 2017, 12:55:59
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rockdoc123', 'a')s I've said a few times where the big impact will be over the next few years in the US is improvement in recovery factors in the unconventional reservoirs. Currently they are quite low 2- 7% I believe. Just raising recovery a few percent through various tweaks on completions will be a significant impact.
I'm no expert on the question. But isn't it a bit easier to say than to do? The US went through various EOR techniques after what was considered a peak in production rate in 1970. But until recently (40 years after this "peak"), the production rate was decreasing, even with the more recent discoveries and exploitation of offshore production.
LTO had a really fast and impressive growth, soon to let US production rate exceed the record of 1970. This was, from what I understood, peculiar geologic structures with one specific recovery technique (fracking) applied on a large scale that enabled this impressive result. We can refine the technique, make it last longer... But is it enough to make a second boom?
The first wave (Bakken an Eagle Ford) seems to have reach a limit (or are about to). Increasing their production rate will require other recovery technique to improve the recovery factor. They'll give us an hint of what will come next.
But I would not exclude another peak with a slow depletion, after the exhaustion of the first wave of frackable fields.