PETROLEUM EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Volume 43, Issue 6, December 2016

Online English edition of the Chinese language journal

Cite this article as: PETROL. EXPLOR. DEVELOP., 2016, 43(6): 1067–1075. RESEARCH PAPER

Shale gas sweet spot identification and precise geo-steering

drilling in Weiyuan Block of Sichuan Basin, SW China
LIU Naizhen*, WANG Guoyong
CNPC Greatwall Drilling Company

Abstract: Based on drilling and production test data and the geological, geochemical, geophysical and rock mechanics achievements of
Weiyuan Block of Sichuan Basin, “sweet spots” of shale gas were determined and geosteering technology was tested in drilling the sweet
spots under complex structural background. The high quality Silurian Longmaxi Formation shale (with TOC≥2%) in the study area,
thick (36.044.5 meters), is divided into four sublayers, from bottom to top, which differ widely in TOC (2.0%8.1%), gas content
(1.212.6 m3/t), porosity (0.66%11.80%), and brittle mineral content (17.5%98.5%). Considering gas content and fracability of shale,
the layer Long 11a in Longmaxi Formation is the best “sweet spot” layer in vertical direction; horizontally, the areas with folding structure
in shale reservoir have more natural fractures, and thus have better storage quality and permeability, are “sweet spots”. During drilling of
the sweet spots, three-dimensional seismic and geological modeling was used to predict the depth of “sweet spot”, which was corrected in
time with drilling data, and by controlling well trajectory this way, the drilling rate of “sweet spots” has been improved.

Key words: Sichuan Basin; Weiyuan Block; Silurian Longmaxi Formation; shale gas; high quality shale; sweet spot; geosteering tech-
nology in drilling

Introduction ment of the shale gas.

Shale gas reservoirs of Silurian Longmaxi Formation in 1. Overview of study area

Weiyuan block of Sichuan Basin feature deep buried depth,
Weiyuan block is located in Weiyuan County, Neijiang City,
complex structure, high organic matter maturity and strong
Sichuan Province of China. Structurally, it is located in the
longitudinal heterogeneity. A lot of research on its macro-
low and steep structural zone in the southwest of Sichuan
scopic resources evaluation, selection of favorable zone, key
Province (Fig. 1). There are wells Wei 202 and Wei 204
parameters evaluation of shale gas and analysis of reservoir
drilled in this block, and three dimensional seismic survey has
forming conditions, has been done. There is a basic consensus
been carried out in Wellarea Wei 202 and Wei 204. Wellarea
that the black shale of Submember 1 in Member 1 of Long-
Wei 202 has a proved gas-bearing area of 54.86 km2, proved
maxi Formation rich in organic matter should be the target
geological reserves of 312.63×108 m3, and technically recov-
layer [1-2]. However, there are few reports on the vertical het-
erable reserves of 78.16×108 m3.
erogeneity and lateral favorable area prediction of this shale
gas reservoir; and there is no clear understanding on the dif-
ferences of sub-layers in the sub-member and target layer,
which all restrict the production of single wells. Based on the
drilling practice and production data of shale gas in Weiyuan
block of CNPC Greatwall drilling company, accumulation and
distribution pattern of high-quality shale gas reservoir (with
TOC of over 2%) in sub-member 1 of Member 1, Longmaxi
Formation have been examined, on this basis, "sweet spot"
layers have been sorted out, drilling targets has been opti-
mized. Consequently, geosteering technology has been used to
track and adjust the target in time to increase the drilling rate
of "sweet spot", and realize efficient and economic develop- Fig. 1. Location of Weiyuan block.

Received date: 07 Jan. 2016; Revised date: 05 Aug. 2016.

* Corresponding author. E-mail: Wanggy_gwdc@163.com
Copyright © 2016, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, PetroChina. Published by Elsevier BV. All rights reserved.
 LIU Naizhen et al. / Petroleum Exploration and Development, 2016, 43(6): 1067–1075

2. Selection and evaluation of "sweet spot" on shale in the longitudinal direction has rich beddings and
profile strong heterogeneity, especially at its bottom. The sub-mem-
ber Long 11 is divided into 4 sub-layers from bottom to top:
"Sweet spots" of shale gas are the best areas (namely the
Long 11a, Long 11b, Long 11c and Long 11d (Fig. 2). Evaluation
horizon in longitudinal direction) of shale gas exploration and
on these sublayers from the aspects of comprehensive geology,
development, which feature large shale thickness (generally
geophysics, geochemistry and rock mineral composition to
more than 30 meters), high organic matter content, high gas
find out the best location of longitudinal "sweet spot", and
content, high brittle mineral content, developed fractures and
optimize the horizontal well box, is the key to improve the
weak heterogeneity of ground stress[34]. 1.4 meters to 8 me-
effect of fracturing and increase shale gas well production.
ters thick in Weiyuan Block, Wufeng Formation (Upper Or-
dovician) is mainly composed of marl and carbonaceous sili- 2.1. Sedimentary characteristics
ceous shale, with a TOC range from 0.4% to 3.6%, on average
High-quality shale gas reservoir of sub-member Long 11 in
1.3%, and an average gas content of 1.5 m3/t. According to the
Longmaxi Formation of Weiyuan block, located in the south-
evaluation standard[5] (Table 1) of marine shale gas reservoirs
west of Leshan-Longnüsi paleo-uplift, is a monoclinic struc-
in the south of China, the quality of Wufeng Formation in
ture in the main part[6]; it’s shallow offshore shelf sedimentary
Weiyuan Block is poor. The reservoir is mainly of type III
facies, 40.050.6 meters thick in conformable contact with the
reservoir, there is less than 1 meter thick reservoir of type I/II
in local area (top of Wufeng Formation), so the formation is Table 1. Evaluation standard of shale gas reservoir
not a high-quality shale gas reservoir. The sub-member Long
Type TOC/% Porosity/% Content of free Brittleness
11 in Longmaxi Formation, located at the bottom of the for-
Pore type Fracture type
mation, is the target section of drilling and fracturing. The
reservoir reservoir
depositional period of Longmaxi Formation was in the period
Ⅰ >3 >5 >4 >3 >55
of Caledonian tectonic movement, when the tectonic move-
Ⅱ 23 35 34 23 3555
ment was active, the sea level rose and fell frequently, so the
formation experienced several sedimentary cycles, so the Ⅲ <2 <3 <3 <2 <35

Fig. 2. Stratigraphic column of Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation in Weiyuan shale gas reservoir. (GR1—KTH gamma without uranium;
GR2—Natural gamma; ∆t—Interval transit time; ρ—Density; CNL—Porosity).

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 LIU Naizhen et al. / Petroleum Exploration and Development, 2016, 43(6): 1067–1075

underlying Wufeng Formation; containing main sedimentary
structures like horizontal bedding, massive bedding, rhythmic
bedding, occasional directional sand streak bedding and ero-
sion surface, it thickens toward the south of the block. It is
composed of mainly dark grey, dark silty shale and black sili-
ceous shale in lithology, and containing minerals such as silica,
feldspar, calcite, dolomite, pyrite and clay minerals, and the
clay minerals are illite, illite mixed layers and chlorite. It con-
tains rich fossils, but the fossils are monotonous in type,
mainly floating life carved graptolites, tip-graptolites, direct-
graptolites and sawing graptolites, and contains the combina-
tion of few benthic animals including ostracoda, radiolarians
and sponge spicules, and a large number of nodules and im-
pregnated pyrite. The sub-member Long 11 contains pyrite
representing deep reduction environment and abundant grap-
tolite fossils, indicating that water body was deep and the
hydrodynamic condition was weak when it deposited, favor-
able for organic matter preservation. The organic matter is
kept well and biological fossils are rich in Long 11a, Long 11b,
Long 11c among 4 sub-layers of the sub-member long11 (Table
2).
2.2. Geochemical characteristics
The abundance of organic matter not only affects the inten-
sity of hydrocarbon generation, but also the development of
organic pore and the content of adsorbed gas. Generally, the
shale with high abundance of organic matter has high poten-
tial of hydrocarbon generation, high porosity and high content
of adsorbed gas[7]. Li Xinjing[8] found that TOC was propor-
tional to gas production rate and was inversely proportional to
density, and other shale formations had similar characteristics
when he researched the main gas reservoir of Big Sandy gas
field: shale of Ohio Formation in Devonian System and shale
of Barnett Formation in basin of Fort Worth. TOC of
sub-member Long11 in Well Wei202 is generally higher than
2.0%, up to 8.1% and on average 4.4%. And the average TOC
in the sub-layer Long11a is the highest at 7.4%, sub-layer
Long11c in second place with 4.7%. The average TOC in the
sub-layer Long11a of Well Wei204 is the highest at 7.2%, fol-
lowed by sub-layer Long11c, 3.7% (Table 3). TOC is divided
into 4 levels in the Standard of “Technical specification for
calculation and evaluation of shale gas resources/reserves”,
super high level (more than or equal to 4%), high level
(2%4%), medium level (1%-2%) and low level (less than
1%). Therefore, it can be seen the shale formations in this area
are generally medium-high in TOC, so they are favorable
shale gas reservoirs[9].
2.3. Physical characteristics
According to previous studies, about 50% of gas is stored
in the matrix pore[10]. Therefore, the development of matrix
porosity is directly related to the resource evaluation and ex-
ploration and development value of shale gas reservoir. The
authors also found that shales of different maturity, different
organic matter and mineral composition have very different
pore types and pore structures[11]. High quality shale gas res-
ervoirs in Weiyuan have high TOC, and quartz content, high
maturity of organic matter, and massive micro-pores. The core
porosity in the block ranges mainly from 0.66% to 11.80%, on
average 5.1%, reaching the level of ClassⅠreservoir (Table 1).
The average porosity of rich organic shale in Well Wei202 and
Wei204 respectively are 6.5% and 7.4%. The porosity of the
sub-layer Long 11a in 4 sub-layers of sub-member Long 11 in
the two wells are the highest, 8.2% and 9.7% respectively.

Table 2. Lithology and paleontology characteristics of each sub-layer in Well Wei 202 and Wei 204
Reservoir Well Wei202 Well Wei204
Formation

Bottom Bottom
Member

Sub- Sub- Thick- Thick- Lithologic characteristics Ancient biological characteristics

boundary boundary
member layer ness/m ness/m
depth/m depth/m

Sub-
2 538.0 130 3 491.5 133.0
member 2
Few kinds of graptolite with few
Gray-silty clay deposition with a small
d 2 560.2 22.2 3 519.3 27.8 large carved graptolites, and shape
amount of mud and pyrite nodules
preservation is not complete
Mainly black gray shale, gray mud
Rich graptolites of many
Member-1
Longmaxi

c 2 565.1 4.9 3 525.6 6.3 shelf facies, and containing calcium

kinds, and sizes
and pyrite nodules
Sub
Black carbonaceous shale, Rich graptolites, many
member-1
b 2 568.8 3.7 3 530.5 4.9 carbonaceous mud shelf facies, species, complete in
pyrite rich in bedding individual preservation
The main carbon black graptolitic
Graptolites are very rich,
shale, carbonaceous dirt shack facies,
a 2 574.0 5.2 3 536.0 5.5 diverse in kinds and large
pyrite and calcite layer containing
in individual size
a large number of bands
Note: The data in the table comes from logging interpretation.

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 LIU Naizhen et al. / Petroleum Exploration and Development, 2016, 43(6): 1067–1075

Table 3. Thickness of each sub-layer and TOC of sub-member from 1.2 m3/t to 12.6 m3/t, on average 6.4 m3/t, therefore,
Long 11 of Well Wei202 and Wei204 the sub-member Long 11 is currently the main shale gas pay to
Well Sub-layer Thickness/m TOC/% be developed in this region. The shale gas content increases
d from top to bottom, and the gas content in sub-layer Long 11a
Long11 22.2 2.5
is the highest of 8.0 m3/t.
Long11c 4.9 4.7
Wei202
Long11b 3.7 3.3 2.5. Fracability
a
Long11 5.2 7.4 The brittleness index of shale is the most important factor
d
Long11 27.8 2.4 to evaluate whether volume fracturing is applicable in shale
Long11c 6.3 3.7 gas reservoir, design and optimize the fracturing program,
Wei204
Long11b 4.9 3.1 choose fracturing fluid system, evaluate fracture morphology
Long11a 5.5 7.2 and productivity after fracturing[16]. Mudstone and shale in
Note: The thickness data is derived from well logging interpretation. Wufeng Formation-Longmaxi Formation of Weiyuan block
are mainly dark or black fine grained sedimentary rocks in
Fractures cannot only provide space for shale gas storage, thin layer or block, diverse in chemical composition, mineral
but also can increase the ability of hydraulic fracturing so as composition, ancient biological types and sedimentary struc-
to improve the production of shale gas effectively[12]. Frac- ture[17]. Sub-member Long 11 in area of Well Wei202 has
tures are developed in Longmaxi Formation, According to fairly high content of brittle minerals of 17.5%-98.5%, on
genesis, these fractures can be divided into 5 types of frac- average 77.2%, and silicon content of up to 91%, on average
tures, structural fracture, interlayer bedding fracture, level slip 48.4% (Fig. 3).
fracture, diagenetic shrinkage micro fracture and fracture The results in Table 4 show that sub-layer Long 11a out of
caused by abnormal pressure during organic matter evolu- the 4 sub-layers in sub-member Long 11 of Well Wei202 and
tion[13]. Li Xinjing and other researchers believed that cracks Well Wei204 has the highest silica mineral content and lowest
were easy to form when the brittleness index of shale is high. clay content, so it is highest in brittleness index. According to
Under the act of tectonic stress, mutual sliding happens be-
tween brittle shale and rigid limestone in Baota Formation of
Middle Ordovician. At the same time brittle shale also slips
along bedding plane, giving rise to a lot of slip fractures in the
bottom of sub-member Long 11. During the evolution of or-
ganic matter, fractures caused by abnormal pressure will form.
With high TOC, the sub-layer Long 11a would have lots of
these fractures. According to the statistics of natural fractures
in the core, natural fractures are well developed in sub-mem-
ber Long11 of Well Wei202. These fractures are mainly mi-
cro-cracks less than 1 mm wide, with a density of 3.692.0
fractures per meter. These fractures are mainly horizontal and
oblique fractures, and most of them are partially filled with
calcite or pyrite. In the longitudinal direction, the fracture
Fig. 3. Mineral composition distribution of Member 1 of
density of sub-layer Long 11a is the highest, with an average
Wufeng Formation-Longmaxi Formation in Well Wei202.
density of 37.8 fractures per meter, followed by Long 11c,
Long 11b and Long 11d in sequence. Table 4. Mineral composition and brittleness index of sub-layer
4 in the sub-member Long 11 of Well Wei202 and Well Wei204
2.4. Gas bearing property
Sub- Depth/ Silica Carbonate Clay con- Brittleness
The total shale gas content includes free gas content and Well
layer m content/% content/% tent/% index/%
adsorbed gas content. There are many factors affecting the d 22.1 44.1 16.9 37.3 45.0
total shale gas content, including development degree of pore
c 4.9 51.9 11.6 33.8 44.9
and fracture, formation pressure, temperature, TOC and clay Wei202
b 3.8 57.1 8.3 32.9 47.8
type[14]. Among the factors, TOC and formation pressure are
a 5.2 64.8 15.5 18.0 51.1
the most important. The shale gas content is proportional to
the content of TOC and formation pressure, which means that d 27.8 39.8 13.1 44.8 50.8
the higher the TOC and formation pressure, the higher the gas c 6.3 46.4 7.8 43.3 50.4
Wei204
content[15]. b 4.9 51.2 6.8 38.6 51.7
The logging data of shale gas appraisal wells in Weiyuan a 5.5 51.7 11.3 33.2 52.4
block show sub-member Long 11 has a fairly high gas content Note: The basic data is derived from well logging interpretation.
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 LIU Naizhen et al. / Petroleum Exploration and Development, 2016, 43(6): 1067–1075
the evaluation criterion of shale gas reservoir (Table 1), Long
11a with brittleness index of typeⅡ, has fairly good fracability.
The results[8] of shale gas development practice in foreign
countries show that rock mechanical property of shale is one
of the important factors affecting fracturing effect of shale gas
reservoir. The results of rock mechanic parameter evaluation
of Longmaxi Formation in Weiyuan block show that these
parameters (Young’s modulus and Poisson ratio) change
greatly, with generally high Young’s modulus and low Poisson
ratio (Table 5). The gradient of minimum horizontal principal
stress is 0.02300.0235 MPa/m and the gradient of maximum
horizontal principal stress is 0.02430.0247 MPa/m, showing
the difference between the minimum and the maximum is
relatively small, favorable for the formation of man-made
fractures.
According to evaluation of sedimentary characteristics,
geochemistry, physical property, gas content and fracability in
the vertical direction of sub-member Long 11 of Well Wei202
and Well Wei204, the results of vertical comparison show that
sub-layer Long 11a has higher TOC, gas content, porosity and
fracture density richer ancient fossils, higher brittleness index
and better fracability than the other 3 sub-layers, in sub-layer
Long 11a is greater, so the sub-layer Long 11a is the best
"sweet spot" section in sub-member Long 11.
3. Optimization and evaluation of planar "sweet
spot"
Weiyuan block is a monocline structure in northwest-
southeast strike, and a positive structure formed due to the
influence of the uplift of the northern zone, with few faults.
The area near Well Wei 201 is the highest part of the whole
structure, the structure area of Wei204 is lower than that of
Wei202 (Fig. 4).
The shale gas reservoirs in North America commercially
developed usually have developed fracture system, for exam-
ple, shale production zone in Antrim Formation mainly have
northwest and northeast two groups of nearly vertical natural
cracks[8]. According to the authors’ production experience, if a
shale gas well has higher initial production, it will have fast
productivity decline in the next few years, and gas production
decline of 60%70% after 1 year of production. Meanwhile,
single well productivity also differs widely, from tens of
thousands of cubic meters to hundreds of thousands of cubic
meters, and high yielding wells are not concentrated in distri-
bution[8]. The reason is that the heterogeneity of fractures on
Table 5. Three axis rock mechanics experiment
Number of Compression strength/MPa Young’s modulus/104 MPa
Well Depth/m Horizon
samples Range
Longmaxi
Wei204 3502.63695.0 5 164.2214.8
Formation
Longmaxi
Wei205 3502.63695.2 5 177.2263.2
Formation
 1071 
the plane is the main factor affecting the productivity of shale
gas wells.
After deposition, Silurian Longmaxi Formation in Sichuan
Basin experienced 5 major tectonic movements, namely, Cale-
donian movement, Hercynian movement, Indosinian move-
ment, Yanshan movement and Himalaya movement[18], in
which Hercynian movement, Indosinian movement and early
Yanshan movement are mainly up-and-down movement,
manifesting in the change of sedimentary facies and strata
uplift and erosion. The late Caledonian and late Yanshan-Hi-
malaya movement are dominated by regional horizontal com-
pression, causing the formation of paleo uplift, large scale
folds and faults. The structure location and regional stress
have a strong influence on the development of regional frac-
tures. During the period of late Caledonian movement, the
tectonic movement was active and sea level changed fre-
quently when the regional high-quality shale deposited, so the
high quality shale in this region has rich horizontal bedding in
the bottom shale, and bedding fractures are generally devel-
oped in this area. After multiple tectonic cycles, the structure
slope has stress concentration, and obvious slip trend of bed-
ding, many structural fractures and slip fractures are devel-
oped, and these fractures are more developed near the area of
folds and faults. In the flat area in the east of the block, struc-
tural fractures and slip fractures are not developed. The dis-
tribution of curvature value of rock flexure plane can be used
to evaluate the development of longitudinal tension cracks
caused by the bending of structure. Fig. 5 shows that folding
structural parts are the areas with rich structural fractures and
slip factures.
Weiyuan block has high TOC and gas content, obvious
structure changes, abundant folds and small faults. The areas
of structural folds, abundant in fractures, are planar "sweet
spots"[19].
4. Geosteering technology with drilling
The key in horizontal shale gas well development is accu-
rate cabinet design and precise trajectory control. The cabinet
of longitudinal "sweet spot" of shale gas in Weiyuan block is
located in the sub-layer Long 11a in the bottom of deep and
bedding developed high-quality shale, where well control is
difficult, these conditions make geosteering technology with
drilling difficult to implement[2022].
According to the characteristics of 3 stages, target predic-
tion, target orientation and horizontal section orientation of
Poisson ratio
Average Range Average Range Average
189.1 1.5172.775 2.026 0.1390.238 0.174
228.7 1.2495.651 3.337 0.1150.238 0.198
 LIU Naizhen et al. / Petroleum Exploration and Development, 2016, 43(6): 1067–1075

Fig. 4. Structure contour line of Wufeng Formation bottom boundary of Upper Ordovician in Weiyuan block.

Fig. 5. Seismic attributes of maximum positive curvature at the bottom of Longmaxi Formation in the area of Well Wei202 and Well
Wei204.

geosteering technology, through controlling the geological
engineering parameters, a fine geological model has been
built and trajectory prediction with fine control drilling has
been conducted in order to ensure the successful drilling rate
and drilling meeting rate of "sweet spot" according to the fea-
tures of high gamma ray, high TOC, high gas content, high
brittle mineral content and developed fractures of shale layers.
In order to predict micro-structure and formation changes
which are not easily recognized with 3D seismic data,
pre-judgment and fine adjustment are needed to achieve the
purpose of controlling the drilling trajectory and target pre-
cisely.
4.1. Target prediction
Target prediction includes prediction of target depth and
target angle. When the 3D seismic data is used, target angle
can be calculated by 3D structural model or analogy with ad-
jacent well, and be corrected through formation correlation
 1072 
repeatly in the process of target orientation. The prediction of
target vertical depth can be predicted by three methods, struc-
ture method, formation thickness method and formation dip
method. Weiyuan block is complex in structure, large in for-
mation thickness variation, rich in micro-structure, and big in
formation dip changes, so when predicting target depth, the
above three methods are all adopted to confirm each other in
the prediction of target depth.
4.2. Target orientation
After the drilling bit enters into the Longmaxi Formation,
different marker interfaces are chosen to predict the depth of
each point according to the natural gamma curve shape,
lithology, and color variation of core and curve characteristics
of element geochemical logging. According to the actual
depth of each point, the target depth is corrected constantly
with formation thickness and apparent formation dip methods.
There is still a deviation in the predicted target depth because
 LIU Naizhen et al. / Petroleum Exploration and Development, 2016, 43(6): 1067–1075
of the uncertainty of formation thickness and dip angle. The
closer the mark point to the target, the more accurate the pre-
dicted target depth will be[23]. Aiming at advancement or delay
of the target point, a reasonable adjustment scheme should be
formulated, to prevent the drilling trajectory from geting out
of the box and avoid excessive dogleg degree (wellbore angle
change rate), this adds difficulty to drilling operation. The
apparent dip angle of the formation can be calculated by using
the vertical depth, apparent translation and formation thick-
ness. During the process of target orientation, each marker is
used to calculate the apparent dip angle, and the results have
to be corrected to ensure the accuracy of the target.
4.3. Horizontal section orientation
The high-quality shale in Weiyuan block has strong vertical
heterogeneity, so its natural gamma curve shows alternated
peaks and valleys, and the difference between peak and valley
is obvious (Fig. 6). In line with the actual situation of 4
sub-layers in sub-member Long 11, the fine 3D geological
model is used to predict the change of formation dip and de-
velopment of micro structure during the process of horizontal
section orientation, so the track adjustment plan can be made
ahead of time. According to the characteristics of natural
gamma during well logging while drilling, and drilling time
and gas logging, the characteristics of each layer is compared
to judge the vertical position and calculate the apparent for-
mation angle so that the influence of blind area of instrument
can be eliminated. And according to the prediction results of
structure model, controlling program of drilling trajectory
should be initiated in time, to judge trajectory in advance and
adjust well trajectory in time, realizing precision geological
guiding of the horizontal section, so as to ensure the high
drilling rate of "sweet spots".
Through grasping the various links of geosteering, a strict
Fig. 6. Geological guidance tracking map of Well Wei202H5-5.
 1073 
guidance tracking team has been put together to track the tra-
jectory in real time, collect and compare and analyze com-
prehensive information, control trajectory and timely adjust
drilling track. In this way, 27 wells have been drilled and
completed, with an average total drilling depth of 5043 m,
average horizontal section length of 1 429 m, average drilling
rate of "sweet spot" of 83.93%, a good drilling result.
5. Analysis of application effect
Fourteen shale gas wells with good integrity, similar frac-
turing process and parameters have been selected to test and
analyze. Fig. 7 shows that 9 wells from Well a to Well i are
located in the structural fold, the average drilling rate of
sub-layer Long 11a in wells a to g is 90.8%, and their average
testing production is 24.35×104 m3/d. Well h and Well i have
not encountered sub-layer Long 11a, and have an average test-
ing production of only 5.12×104 m3/d. Five wells from Well j
to Well n are located in the gentle structural part, the average
drilling rate of sub-layer Long 11a of these wells is 84.3%,
average testing production is 12.65×104 m3/d, which is lower
than those wells in the structural fold. This also confirms that
horizontal wells located in structural fold on the plane and
areas with developed fractures and in the longitudinal "sweet
spot" of sub-layer Long 11a at the bottom of high-quality shale
have high initial production and better development effect.
Two wells 202H2-4 and 202H2-5 are located in structural
fold, in which the average drilling rate of sub-layer Long 11a is
86.18% and average testing production is 24.38×104 m3/d.
The two wells have produced for more than half a year from
May 5 to November 5 in 2015. At the casing pressure of 7.6
MPa, Well Wei202H2-4 had a gas production rate of 19.78×
104 m3/d and cumulative gas production of 4143.68×104 m3.
At casing pressure of 6.9 MPa, Well Wei 202H2-5 had a gas
production rate of 14.18×10 4 m3 /d and cumulative gas
 LIU Naizhen et al. / Petroleum Exploration and Development, 2016, 43(6): 1067–1075
Fig. 7. Relationship between testing production and drilling
rate of sub-layer Long 11a.
4 3
production of 2864.97×10 m . According to the forecast re-
sults of reserve prediction model, the cumulative production
of Well Wei202H2-4 and Wei202H2-5 are respectively
1.96×108 m3 and 1.32×108 m3.
6. Conclusions
On the basis of fine division of sub-member Long 11 at the
bottom of Longmaxi Formation, comprehensive geological
study and production evaluation of different layers in pro-
duced wells show sub-layer Long 11a is the best longitudinal
"sweet spot" section. The analysis of structure evolution, 3D
seismic interpretation and production performance analysis of
gas wells show structural fold is the planar "sweet spot". Fi-
nally, the change trend of "sweet spot" is corrected in time
through analysis of drilling data. Geosteering technology with
drilling is used to adjust the direction of borehole trajectory in
order to improve the drilling rate of "sweet spot".
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