A decade ago the Barnett Shale formation in north Texas represented a geological puzzle that had gone unsolved for more than 40 years. Geoscientists knew vast energy reserves were sealed inside the tight, black rock formed from organic deposits 325 million years ago. The challenge was recovering them.
The Barnett is not particularly deep or impervious to the drill bit, but it would take more than conventional thinking to recover the gas locked inside the stingy shale known for its low porosity and high complexity.
Devon Energy is a pioneer in the Barnett, using innovations in technology to literally crack open the shale to release the natural gas sealed inside. Engineers are using a method known as fracturing to foster permeability in the shale. Crews inject a mixture of fresh water and sand into the rock at high pressure to fracture the surrounding formation and release gas trapped inside. The technology has given Devon access to vast reserves, transforming this challenging play surrounding Fort Worth into one of the nation's most important natural gas producing fields.
Devon has drilled more than 1,300 wells into the Barnett Shale since 2002 and has produced more than 800 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent. Use of fracturing technology has helped Devon increase its Barnett production from 200 million cubic feet of natural gas equivalent per day in 2002 to more than 600 million today. Devon accounts for nearly half of the field's overall daily production of 1.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent.
In all, Devon has more than 2,500 wells in the field, which includes a growing number of wells in the geologically challenging non-core area, where the company uses innovations such as horizontal drilling and advanced seismic technology to ensure each well reaches its full production potential. Devon is optimistic about its future production growth in the Barnett Shale as we continue to expand our ability to recover gas reserves contained under a dominant lease position of more than 733,000 net acres.
Through Devon's pioneering effort, the Barnett Shale formation has emerged as the largest natural gas field in Texas. Within the past four years, Devon has made significant advances in developing and enhancing production from the Barnett, which has potential to remain one of the country's most vital energy resources for years to come. Devon's accomplishments in the Barnett are an example of how technology and innovation are helping to meet growing energy demands by finding new ways to tap North America's remaining reserves.