The Texas Eagle Ford Shale is an important part of US energy production. It’s been a source of oil and natural gas for over a decade. Although the Eagle Ford Shale is a more mature play, it still holds valuable resources.
Learn more about why the Eagle Ford Shale continues to be a significant region, and how you can best explain your work there to your clients, investors, and the public.
Importance of the Eagle Ford Shale
The Eagle Ford Shale is significant because it yields wet and dry natural gas and more oil than other shale formations. It has a higher proportion of carbonate. This makes it more brittle and better suited for hydraulic fracturing used to release the hydrocarbons fro the formation.
The Eagle Ford Shale runs across Texas from the Mexican border into East Texas. It has a width of around 50 miles and a length of approximately 400 miles. The average thickness is 250 feet at a depth between 4,000 and 12,000 feet.
The Eagle Ford Shale is important nationally, as well as in the state of Texas. The region produces 6.7% of the oil in the US and 4% of the natural gas. It supports thousands of jobs.
In Texas, school districts across the Eagle Ford received $520.6 million in oil and natural gas property taxes in 2020.
The Eagle Ford Formation
The composition of the Eagle Ford Shale has contributed to its status as a top-producing oil and gas region. It features separate crude oil, dry gas, and wet gas windows. It has several stacked oil and gas formations.
Eagle Ford Windows
The Eagle Ford Shale has three zones. Each window produces a different commodity. This is an advantage because if the price of one commodity drops, operators can shift to another one.
The northernmost window contains oil. The most southern window has dry natural gas. The central window contains natural gas liquids.
Natural gas liquids include ethane, propane, and butane. These hydrocarbons have uses in many industries.
For example, ethane is used to make plastic. Propane is a heating source. Butane is used to make synthetic rubber.
Hydrocarbon prices are currently up, and the US Energy Information Administration forecasts that demand will continue to increase.
Stacked Oil and Gas Formations
The Eagle Ford Shale features stacked formations. Stacked formations let operators target zones at multiple depths. This enables more production from the same surface acreage.
The Eagle Ford Shale is a relatively recent target. It didn’t become productive until operators started using hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling.
Formations above and below the Eagle Ford Shale have been a source of oil and gas production for a longer time. The Olmos Formation and Austin Chalk are above the Eagle Ford Shale. The Buda Limestone, Edwards Limestone, and Pearsall Shale are below it.
Visualizing the Eagle Ford Shale
The unique characteristics of the Eagle Ford Shale are the reason you’re working there. When you need to explain the features of your prospect or hydrocarbon recovery strategy to the public, investors, or executives, quality oil and gas graphics will make the difference.
Oil and gas cutaway illustrations are one way to make your data compelling and easy to understand. Geoscience data from your geologist, geophysicist, and engineer is transformed into a graphic that tells your unique story.
A finely crafted map is another tool to explain and promote your work in the Eagle Ford Shale. Maps help you explain the significance of your location and its relationship to the rest of the region.
Production in the Eagle Ford Shale
The Eagle Ford Shale is a more mature play compared to the top-producing Permian Basin. Market conditions in the last few years have limited the amount of exploration. However, production in the Eagle Ford Shale has been stable since the end of the first quarter of 2021.
EOG Resources is the largest leaseholder and top crude oil producer in the play as of October 2021. Other leading operators include:
- ConocoPhillips
- Marathon Oil
- Chesapeake Energy
- CNOOC Limited
Well Lifespan in the Eagle Ford Shale
One challenge of drilling in the Eagle Ford Shale is the decline rate of the wells. The average decline rate of a five-year-old horizontal well is 23.5%. This is higher than the Permian Basin and the Williston Basin (Bakken Shale).
Improved drilling techniques are increasing productivity, though. Many companies plan to use secondary recovery methods, like CO2 injection, to get more oil from declining wells. New fracking techniques, longer laterals, and closer well spacing may be able to increase the amount of oil recovered from the Eagle Ford Shale.
Explaining Your Eagle Ford Production
Oil and gas graphics can help you explain your production in the Eagle Ford Shale. An oil and gas 3D animation can make your drilling techniques understandable to any audience. Well-designed brochures and annual reports bring your production facts and figures to life.
Eagle Ford Shale Litigation
Like most hydrocarbon-producing regions, the Eagle Ford Shale sees its share of oil and gas litigation. Operators have been involved in lawsuits over underpaid royalties, mineral rights, and ownership disputes. Personal injury cases are another source of lawsuits.
Graphic Design for Litigation
Graphic design can help your case if you’re involved in a lawsuit. Trial graphics and animations effectively explain what happens on the wellsite or in the subsurface, to judges and juries. You can tell your side of the story more convincingly when your audience can envision it.
Oil and Gas Graphics for the Eagle Ford Shale and Beyond
When you need the best oil and gas illustrations for your work in the Eagle Ford Shale or beyond, John Perez Graphics and Design is the clear choice. For 26 years, we’ve specialized in helping the geoscience industry explain technology and processes. Our technical illustrations and interactive presentations help your clients, investors, and the public see what you see.
Contact us today for more information about our wide range of graphic design services. Let us put our expertise to work for you.
