U.S. Shale Gas
Resources,
Reserves and $$$
John B. Curtis
Potential Gas Agency
Colorado School of Mines
Location of U.S Shale Gas Plays
U.S. Energy Information Agency, March 2010
The Resource Pyramid
(S. Sonnenberg, CSM)
Unconventional Reservoirs:
Large Volumes,
Hard to Develop
Huge
Volumes,
Difficult
to Develop
Tight
Oil;
Heavy Oil;
Bituminous
Sands
Oil Shale
Gas
Tight
Gas Sands;
CBM;
Gas Shales
Gas Hydrates
Province Resource Size
Improving Technology
Oil
Increasing Product Price
Conventional Reservoirs:
Small Volumes,
Easy to Develop
7
19 9
8
19 1
8
19 3
8
19 5
8
19 7
8
19 9
9
19 1
9
19 3
9
19 5
9
19 7
9
20 9
0
20 1
0
20 3
0
20 5
0
20 7
0
20 9
1
20 1
1
20 3
1
20 5
1
20 7
1
20 9
2
20 1
2
20 3
2
20 5
2
20 7
29
19
Annual Production, Bcf
Shale Gas Annual Production and Energy Information
Administration (EIA) Forecast
2,500
CUM
EIA Projection
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
EnCana
Targeted Research – $150 Million
Acquisitions – >$50 Billion
Source: Trollart.com – Ray Troll
Resource Development – >$15 Billion
Source:AAPG
Source:devonenergy.com
Source:chiefoiland gas.com
Source:AAPG
Source:devonenergy.com
Hydrocarbons From Shale – Never Say Die
Growth in Barnett Shale - Ft. Worth Basin
Gas Production
Well Count
600
5,000
4,500
3,500
3,000
300
2,500
2,000
200
1,500
1,000
100
500
04
20
02
20
00
20
98
19
96
19
94
19
92
19
90
19
88
19
86
19
84
19
82
0
19
80
0
Producing Wells
4,000
400
19
Annual Production, Bcf
500
Shale Gas Reservoir
Mechanisms
U.S. DOE
Exploration Considerations
•
•
•
•
•
•
Natural fractures - Friend or Foe?
Facies changes - greater permeability
Kerogen type - I,II,IIS,III
Microbial or thermogenic gas?
Thermal maturation history
MWD - especially w/ gas isotopes
Some Elements of a Successful Shale Gas Play
Organic
Richness
Maturation
Thickness
Gas-In-Place
Productivity
Mineralogy
Permeability
Brittleness
Pore
Pressure
Potential Supply of
Natural Gas in the
United States
Report of the
Potential Gas Committee
(December 31, 2008)
Regional Resource Assessment
Traditional
Coalbed
Total U.S.
1,673.4 Tcf
163.0 Tcf
1,836.4 Tcf
374.4
51.9
51.3
2.6
24.0
16.6
274.9
7.5
193.8
57.0
Data source: Potential Gas Committee (2009)
455.2
3.4
353.5
17.3
PGC Resource Assessments, 1990-2008
Total Potential Gas Resources (mean values)
Data source: Potential Gas Committee (2009)
Possible Constraints on Future Gas Supply
Environmental
Concerns
Skilled
Workforce
Resource
Base
Technology
Sufficient Supply to
Meet Demand
Pipeline
Capacity
Gas Price
Regulatory &
Land Issues
Rig
Availability
Potential Gas Agency