Impact of well orientation on well productivity

Hydraulic fractures tend to propagate in a plane that is perpendicular to the least principal stress, as noted by Hubbert and Willis in 1957. As a result, unconventional oil and gas wells are typically drilled in the direction of Shmin to maximize drainage area. However, in some regions, due to acreage constrains by operators, wells are drilled in different directions, regardless of the stress orientation to maximize acreage production by maximizing the number of wells per acreage.