Pre-Drill Geologic Planning for Horizontal Wells

This service is a strong fit for operators approaching a first well in a new area, development teams preparing for an upcoming drilling campaign, small independents and PE-backed companies without a senior development geologist on staff, and operators who want an independent geological review before committing to a landing target and directional plan.

Well planning engagements are scoped to what the client needs. Some clients provide a full data package and need a geologic prognosis as the final deliverable. Others are starting with limited data and need integrated work from mapping through geological input to trajectory planning. Both are in scope.

The core work includes:

• Landing zone analysis: determining the optimal target TVD based on formation character, reservoir quality, and offset performance
• Geologic prognosis: estimated formation tops, target window definition, expected reservoir quality, and formation descriptions to guide real-time decisions while drilling
• Offset well review: analysis of nearby horizontal and vertical wells to calibrate expectations and identify variability
• Pilot hole review: integration of nearby pilot hole data where available to refine landing targets and reduce uncertainty
• Structure map analysis: review of existing structure maps or construction of new mapping to support geological input to trajectory planning
• Hazard assessment: identification of known or inferred drilling hazards based on offset experience and subsurface data
• Trajectory recommendation: proposed wellbore path and landing parameters based on the integrated pre-drill analysis

The final deliverable is a pre-drill package the drilling team and operations geologist can execute against, or that sets the foundation for a geosteering engagement if real-time support is needed through the lateral.

A completed well planning engagement typically includes:

• Geologic prognosis with estimated formation tops and target window definition
• Landing zone recommendation with supporting analysis
• Hazard assessment
• Trajectory recommendation
• Pre-drill package suitable for handoff to the operations team or use as the baseline for geosteering

Scope and deliverable format are defined in the Statement of Work before work begins and can be tailored to the client's existing data, workflow, and timeline.

BSS provides the geological basis for landing and trajectory decisions. Formal directional-well design, anti-collision analysis, drilling engineering, and execution remain with the appropriate client or service-company specialists.

For operators who want continuity from pre-drill planning through execution, Bauer Subsurface Solutions can plan the well and then provide real-time geosteering support while drilling. The pre-drill package built during well planning becomes the baseline the geosteering work is executed against, which means faster real-time decisions and a direct comparison between what was predicted and what was drilled.

Eagle Ford and Austin Chalk horizontal programs across South Texas, including first-well planning for new entrants to the play and optimization work on multi-well development programs. Experience working from sparse data packages as well as full seismic and offset datasets, the workflow adapts to what is available.

Useful data from the client includes offset well logs, existing formation tops, seismic coverage, structure maps, and pilot hole data. If some or all of these are not available, Bauer Subsurface Solutions can assist in developing the necessary subsurface framework before the prognosis is finalized.

Well planning is billed hourly. Scope, estimated hours, and deliverables are defined upfront in a proposal and Statement of Work. Work is performed remotely from Houston.

All data received during the engagement is treated as confidential. NDA available on request.