The economics of an unconventional well are set on the day it is completed. Drilling costs are largely fixed by the plan, but completion intensity, which covers stage count, cluster count, proppant and fluid volume, is a variable that can double the cost and change the production profile. Finding the combination that maximises value, rather than initial rate or stage count, is the central problem.

Fracture growth is governed by stress and rock properties that vary along the lateral. Clusters within a stage compete for fluid; without limited entry design or diversion, a few clusters take most of the treatment and the rest contribute little. Production logs and tracer surveys repeatedly show that a significant fraction of perforation clusters contribute almost nothing, which is a direct loss of the money spent stimulating them.

Wells also interfere. As spacing tightens, fractures from a new well intersect depleted regions around existing wells, causing frac hits that can damage the older well and waste the treatment. Completion design in unconventional fields is therefore a field-level problem, not a single-well one. This course covers the engineering and the trade-offs at both levels.

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Describe the reservoir and geomechanical characteristics that control unconventional well performance.
• Compare cemented plug and perf, sliding sleeve and hybrid completion architectures.
• Design stage and cluster spacing for a given lateral and rock quality.
• Apply limited entry design to improve cluster efficiency.
• Select and apply diversion methods within and between stages.
• Select fracturing fluids and proppants for unconventional treatments.
• Plan and monitor treatment execution, including pressure response and screen-out management.
• Assess well spacing, parent-child effects and frac hits.
• Evaluate refracturing candidates and methods.
• Evaluate completion performance using production data, tracers and diagnostics.

Organisations sending participants to this training will:

• Improve unconventional well productivity per dollar of completion spend.
• Increase the proportion of perforation clusters that contribute to production.
• Reduce screen-outs and non-productive time during treatment.
• Manage parent-child well interference and frac hits.
• Base completion intensity decisions on measured results rather than practice copied from elsewhere.

Participants will:

• Understand what controls production in unconventional wells.
• Be able to design stages, clusters and limited entry perforating.
• Understand fluid, proppant and diversion selection.
• Be able to read treatment pressure records and make real-time decisions.
• Be able to evaluate completion performance and improve the next design.

• Completion engineers
• Stimulation and fracturing engineers
• Production engineers in unconventional assets
• Reservoir engineers working on shale and tight reservoirs
• Well engineering and operations staff
• Field development engineers

Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded an official Certificate of Completion issued by the Petroleum Engineers Association (PEA), an ISO 9001:2015 certified training organization. The certificate carries 10 Credits and formally records the total learning hours completed.

Each certificate is signed by the Course Facilitator and the CEO of the Petroleum Engineers Association, and serves as verifiable proof of professional training that delegates can present to employers and professional bodies worldwide.