Trying to decide how many fractures your horizontal oil well needs? If you increase the well length, can you skimp on the number of fractures? How does this all change with reservoir parameters like permeability, oil viscosity and reservoir thickness?

Answering these questions cost effectively for oil reservoirs has been the Holy Grail sought by many oil companies. Proven has found these answers using mid market simulation software by Kappa.

Kappa’s simulator can now handle difficult well trajectories such as horizontal multi-fractured wells. The simulator can handle gas or oil reservoirs.

Kappa’s solution is not as simple as some of the analytical approximations in the market today. It is complex enough to deal with oil reservoirs.

On the other hand, Kappa’s simulator is less time consuming to set up than most regulator grid block simulators.

Originally designed as a well test package, Kappa’s software has advanced to include a back end numerical simulator. When the simulator was originally released it was designed to add boundaries to long term transient well tests and PTA interpretations.

The model can be tuned with a PTA or long term production test. The model can include interference between wells and reservoir boundaries and discontinuities.

Call Proven to discuss how Kappa’s back end simulator can help you design your horizontal completion.

~Granger J. Low

With the resurgence in oil prices, European oil companies are again beginning to look for alternative deposits of petroleum. One such potential area is Greenland’s offshore. Though the development of Greenland’s petroleum industry has been slow going, some Greenlanders are hopeful that, if successful, it could help Greenland obtain more independence from Denmark.

Below are some select stats relating to the sparsely populated country and its budding oil and gas industry:

85% - the amount of land in Greenland that is covered in icecap 57,600 – the population of Greenland $11,300 – the amount of money, per Greenlander, subsidized to Greenland from Denmark annually 90% - the percentage of Greenland’s economy based on fishing $50 – the minimum of oil price per barrel necessary for economical oil exploration and recovery 60% - the cut that the Greenland government will receive from any oil profit 14 – the number of new oil exploration licences on Greenland’s Northwest coast scheduled to be granted this summer 7 – the number of people employed at NUNAOIL, Greenland’s National Oil Company

Gavin Low is a junior programmer with Proven Reserves, and an integral part of the company’s software development effort.

Gavin graduated with his CIT certificate from Lethbridge College, having received training computer technology field programming, networking, and computer maintenance, and is planning on pursuing a degree in electrical engineering.

Gavin was born in High Level, Alberta, but was raised here in Calgary.

He enjoys programming, drawing and other creative projects, gaming and video game collecting, and spending time with friends.

Here at Proven, Gavin is working to enhance his computer programming skills and networking abilities, and says he wants to “expand my knowledge and experience to not only better myself but to become more of an asset to those I work with.”

Thanks, Gavin!