A quantitative framework for evaluating unconventional well development

Abstract Gaining a better understanding and measuring unconventional well complexity are vital to developing an oil and gas field successfully. However, there is a lack of quantitative assessment framework for evaluating unconventional wells. This paper created an index evaluation system to assess unconventional well readiness for development, which considers the various well characteristics. The unconventional well complexity index is calculated using five major level-1 elements, and the weight of each sub-element was calculated using the factor analysis statistical method. The well evaluation system was applied to evaluate 20 unconventional well programs for their readiness for development; the evaluation results were analyzed in terms of well complexity distribution and the relationship between unconventional well complexity and duration performance. Recommendations for dealing with various unconventional well complexity were also proposed. The evaluation framework was also verified to be an efficient method for assessing unconventional well development readiness.