Is it a misconception that every section of horizontal is not initially fraced, which would leave other sections available for another frac when production ramp-up is needed?
Smokin' Joe can correct me where I am wrong here. I doubt hardly any invest in drilling a lateral that they don't intend to initial produce. Cheaper to complete the frac while everything is set up prior to the production I would think.
Most producers want all the oil they can get as soon as they can get it. Cash flow is King in an expensive shale field. There are limits to the flow rate to prevent damage to the reservoir, but you are talking about something else.
I know of times where different layers are produced at a different time period, even owned by different companies and one may produce before the other. But I don't remember a production lateral drilled out in those cases for future production.
Is it a misconception that every section of horizontal is not initially fraced, which would leave other sections available for another frac when production ramp-up is needed?
Considering that it seems to take almost as long to get all the frack equipment staged as it does to do the actually frack (7-10 days), it just makes since to do it all at one time.
I have heard of wells being ‘refracked’ several years later to use new techniques to increase production.