The paper addresses the problem of selecting an optimal development system for oil and gas fields using horizontal wells (HW), multilateral wells (MLW), and horizontal wells completed with multi-stage hydraulic fracturing (MSHF) under a wide range of geological conditions. Based on more than 25 years of reservoir simulation and exploration experience of fields in Western and Eastern Siberia, on the Arctic shelf, and a number of onshore fields, a matrix-type decision algorithm that integrates key geological and technological parameters into a single framework was developed. The algorithm explicitly accounts for fluid saturation type, permeability anisotropy, lateral and vertical connectivity, absolute permeability level, reservoir heterogeneity, oil viscosity and the proximity of fluid contacts that enables to significantly narrow the space of options and to focus modelling efforts on a limited set of development scenarios combining well pattern geometry, completion types and reservoir pressure maintenance systems. Recommended ranges are provided for horizontal section length, number of laterals in MLW, and number of MSHF stages, as well as for the applicability of line-drive, staggered and radial patterns in thin oil rims, gas-oil zones and low-permeability reservoirs. The proposed workflow helps to reduce the number of simulation runs, accelerates the selection of robust development concepts for unconventional and marginal resources and ultimately improves the capital efficiency and recovery factors of complex oil and gas fields.
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