Advancing Field- and Lab-Based reservoir and hydraulic fracture characterization methods to support sustainable development of unconventional resources

低渗透（“非常规”）储层含有富含油气液体的天然气和轻质油，是目前北美地区最重要的油气生产来源。在加拿大，Montney组内的低渗透粉砂岩/页岩和Duvernay组内的页岩是重要的工业活动目标。这些非常规资源（URs）的商业生产依赖于长水平井和多级水力压裂（MFHWs）的结合。目前的行业模式是在没有仔细考虑储层性质或产生的水力裂缝的情况下，最大限度地增加井数和水力裂缝（HF）级数，以提高油气采收率。虽然这种方法可以实现经济的油气回收，但当前研究计划的目的是提高效率，并确保该过程的可持续性。这可以通过减少井的数量和每口井所需的HF级来实现，同时1)实现相同或更高的油气采收率，2)减轻对环境的影响。这项研究计划的目标是通过提高开发效率来增加加拿大UR发展的环境和经济可持续性，为未来低碳排放能源提供重要的过渡。加拿大油气行业的生存需要技术的进步，以使加拿大非常规资源的开发对能源公司更具经济吸引力，同时减少对环境的影响，提高非常规资源开发的可持续性。该研究项目与多学科合作伙伴组织的专家合作，将提供hf前、Syn和Post-HF油藏和水力裂缝表征方法，旨在提高非常规油藏开发的效率和可持续性。所要求的大部分资金将用于培训学生，这些学生将在这一重要的研究领域培养关键技能。

Low-permeability ("unconventional") reservoirs hosting hydrocarbon liquids-rich gas and light oil are currently the most important source of hydrocarbon production in North America. In Canada, low-permeability siltstone/shales within the Montney Formation, and shales within the Duvernay Formation, are the target of significant industry activity. Commercial production of these unconventional resources ('URs') has depended on the combination of long horizontal wells and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing (multi-fractured horizontal wells, 'MFHWs'). The current industry paradigm is to maximize both the number of wells and the number of hydraulic fracture (HF) stages to increase hydrocarbon recovery without carefully considering properties of the reservoir or created hydraulic fractures. While this approach achieves economic hydrocarbon recovery, it is the purpose of the current research program to increase the efficiency, and ensure the sustainability, of this process. This is made possible by reducing the number of wells, and HF stages required per well, while 1) achieving equal or greater hydrocarbon recovery and 2) mitigating environmental impact. The goal of this research program is to increase the environmental and economic sustainability of UR development in Canada through increased development efficiency, providing an important transition to lower carbon emission energy sources of the future. The survival of the hydrocarbon industry in Canada will require advancements in technology to make development of Canadian unconventional resources more economically attractive to energy companies while reducing environmental impact and increasing the sustainability of unconventional resource development. This research program, performed in collaboration with multi-disciplinary partner organization experts, will deliver Pre-, Syn- and Post-HF reservoir and hydraulic fracture characterization methods designed to improve the efficiency, and sustainability, of unconventional reservoir development. The majority of the requested funding will be spent on the training of students who will develop critical skills in this important field of study.