SPE Denver General Meeting: September 2025

Abstract:

Pressure drawdown management is one of the most critical, yet until recently underappreciated and not fully characterized, levers of shale production performance. While rapid drawdown can deliver short-term gains, in certain reservoirs it risks compromising long-term recovery, the integrity of the fracture system, and liquid yield.

This lecture explores pressure drawdown management in shale reservoirs across all fluid types. In addition, particular focus will be placed on condensates as the most complex and least forgiving fluid system, where production efficiency can be highly sensitive to drawdown strategy. Insights from Permian, Eagle Ford, Vaca Muerta, and Duvernay case studies highlight that producing condensate gas ratio (CGR) consistently tracks flowing bottomhole pressure and that aggressive drawdowns accelerate condensate loss even above the saturation point.

Field trials and reservoir simulations highlight that, under the right reservoir conditions, controlled drawdowns can preserve fracture conductivity, stabilize liquid yield, and improve condensate recovery by up to 50 percent in the first three years, while also reducing facility requirements and improving overall development efficiency.

The discussion provides a framework to evaluate drawdown strategies through the lenses of reservoir physics, economic outcomes, and operational performance, establishing a foundation for optimized shale developments and stronger reservoir stewardship.

Speaker’s Bio:

Yalda Barzin is a Reservoir Engineering Advisor at ExxonMobil, where she focuses on strategic development and technical quality assurance within the unconventional assets’ portfolio.

With over 20 years of experience in both conventional and unconventional reservoirs, she has worked with leading energy companies across North and South America and Europe. She is an industry-recognized authority in the field of Rate Transient Analysis (RTA) and well performance evaluation. Her technical leadership in translating complex subsurface problems into practical production strategies, particularly in complex fluid systems, has shaped the best practices that continue to influence production from major unconventional plays.

She has authored more than 20 technical papers, including two SPE award-winning publications. Her work spans shale development, RTA, phase behavior, conventional and unconventional EOR, naturally fractured reservoirs, gas condensate systems, and drawdown management. Alongside her publications, she is a multilingual educator who has taught technical workshops and training courses worldwide.

Yalda holds a PhD in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Calgary and an MSc from IFP School in France. Outside the energy industry, Yalda is also an accomplished pianist and composer.