The impact of pressure and fluid property variation on well performance of liquid-rich Eagle Ford shale

• Because of the low working pressure in the west Eagle Ford, the initial wellhead GOR is higher than the solution GOR.
• The effect of critical gas saturation in the west Eagle Ford enhances the solution-gas drive, lowering production decline.
• The oil recovery factor estimation for the high-pressure east Eagle Ford is higher than that of the lower pressure west.

The Eagle Ford Shale presents a unique opportunity to assess the effect of wide-ranging fluid properties and pressure on well performance across a single shale play. Thermal maturity, depth, and pressure vary significantly across the Eagle Ford. Reservoir and fluid property variations impact production performance and complicate decline analysis. In addition, operational decisions and facilities limitations further complicate analysis of well performance. Numerous case studies have focused on local parameters for production analysis, such as geometry and conductivity of hydraulic fractures. Few have addressed field-wide parameters like fluid properties and pressure variations.