Brigham's Technologies & Innovations
Supporting our multi-year inventory of development drilling locations, Brigham Exploration has developed an operationally sophisticated method of development. We achieve this efficiency by leveraging our engineering and operational expertise. Our staff is proficient with state-of-the-art drilling and completion technologies, including directional drilling, geosteering, horizontal drilling and multi-stage isolated fracture stimulations.
Our drilling and completion techniques in the Williston Basin have rapidly evolved from drilling and completing long lateral wells with single large uncontrolled fracture stimulations in the late 2006 to drilling long lateral wells with 20 isolated fracture stimulation stages in 2009. Most recently, we have completed long lateral wells with up to 38 isolated fracture stimulation stages.
As a result of these and other leading technologies, Brigham Exploration has established itself at the forefront of advanced technology.
Our drilling and completion techniques in the Williston Basin have rapidly evolved from drilling and completing long lateral wells with single large uncontrolled fracture stimulations in the late 2006 to drilling long lateral wells with 20 isolated fracture stimulation stages in 2009. Most recently, we have completed long lateral wells with up to 38 isolated fracture stimulation stages.
As a result of these and other leading technologies, Brigham Exploration has established itself at the forefront of advanced technology.
3D Seismic Imaging
Brigham Exploration uses 3D seismic imaging and interpretation to identify the compartments, faults, fault sealing, and trapping mechanisms that hold hydrocarbons and to understand the depositional history of the environment. These factors help determine drilling locations, and ultimately, exploration and development project scope and cost. We have a current library of almost 13,000 square miles of 3D seismic data for use in our exploration and development.
Directional Drilling/Geosteering
Brigham Exploration recognized at its inception that directional/horizontal well drilling combined with geosteering would become one of the most valuable technologies ever introduced in the business. In unconventional formations, like the Bakken, directional drilling allows more contact with the producing formation.
Swell Packers
Brigham Exploration uses swell packers for effective zonal isolation in the well completion process. It has no moving parts and requires no down hole or surface activation. Its simplicity, reliability and effectiveness allows us to effectively stimulate the entire length of the wellbore from toe to heel.
Perf & Plug
Brigham Exploration controls the location of its fracture stimulations along the length of the borehole by inserting composite plugs, also known as bridge plugs, above the region to be fractured. It then runs a set of perforating guns down the wellbore on wireline and perforates four times between each swell packer. Brigram believes it initiates a fracture during hydraulic stimulation where a perforation has been created. This method is commonly referred to as "perf and plug." Brigham believes utilizing "perf and plug" effectively fractures the wellbore between swell packers.
Ceramic Proppants
Brigham Exploration has been using ceramic proppants for many years to create a permeable channel through which the hydrocarbons can flow more freely, thereby increasing both production rates and the amount of oil or gas actually recovered from the well. Based on their research and supported by research from the Society of Petroleum Engineers, it has been shown that the additional strength and uniform size and shape of ceramic proppant provides higher performance than other types of proppant (SPE 77675).
Microseismic
Microseismic monitoring is a technique for measuring the orientation and approximate size of hydraulic fractures. Microseismic activity is measured by placing an array of geophones in a nearby wellbore and on the surface and "listening" to the fracture process. By mapping the location of small seismic events that are associated with the growing hydraulic fracture, the approximate geometry of the fracture is inferred. Based on this information, development plans can be adjusted to geometries that characterize a field.
