Contrary to what people think, the hydrocarbons found in conventional and unconventional deposits are the same; it is the same gas and the same oil. What makes them different is the type of deposit in which they are found.
In conventional reservoirs, the rocks where the hydrocarbon is found have characteristics of high porosity and permeability. The hydrocarbon migrated from the source rock to trapped reservoirs or traps where it accumulated without migrating to the surface. Due to natural seals, in general, this type of reservoir can be developed through vertical wells with traditional extraction techniques.
For their part, unconventional reservoirs contain hydrocarbons that are still in the source rock. These are found in geological conditions that make fluid movement very slow due to the low permeability rocks.
Therefore, this type of reservoir must be developed using hydraulic stimulation techniques, through which micro fractures are created in the rock to release the hydrocarbon.
In order to increase the flow of hydrocarbon in unconventional reservoirs, a procedure called hydraulic stimulation is performed, which was developed in the 1940s and is commonly used in conventional reservoirs in the country.
Colombian Association of Oil and Gas