Publications

The trend of hydrocarbon energy development and consumption has gradually turned from conventional to unconventional. Among the unconventional hydrocarbons, shale gas is promising because of the abundant amount of gas resources that can meet the increasing world energy demand. Shale gas is natural gas has that failed to escape its original shale source rock owing to lack of a viable migration path. The shale itself has very low permeability and, without employing fracturing technology, production well flow rates would be minimal. Gas can be stored in the shale by different mechanisms: within the pores of the rock, within naturally occurring fractures, or adsorbed on to the shale minerals and organic matter within the shale. Releasing the gas from the shale in commercial quantities requires hydraulic fracturing to create large areas of exposed rock surface from which the gas can flow. In the last decade, Indonesia’s oil production has declined to around 830,000 BPD, as mature fields play out and new field projects fail to replace them, while Indonesia is also facing a significant gas-supply deficit. It is estimated that Indonesia has 574 TCF of shale gas resources, greater than Coal Bed Methane with 453 TCF and conventional natural gas with 153 TCF. The study presented herein is a research topic in the Department of Petroleum Engineering ITB to describe shale gas as Indonesia’s future energy resource. The aims of this study are to provide knowledge of shale gas reservoir characteristics and technology to explore and exploit them. The specific engineering aspects, such as GGR (geologic, geophysics and reservoir), drilling and completion, and feasible production techniques are carried out in this research. The experiences of shale gas development worldwide will be incorporated in this study, coupled to research and development in Indonesia. It is expected that the results of this study can be used in future shale gas research and engineering applications in Indonesia and support Indonesian energy security. Keywords: Shale Gas, Shale Gas in Indonesia, Unconventional Hydrocarbon