Abstract
Fracture conductivity decline is a concern in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) wells due to the high content of clay in the shale. An analytical well productivity model was developed in this study considering the pressure-dependent conductivity of hydraulic fractures. The log-log diagnostic approach was used to identify the boundary-dominated flow regime rather than the linear flow regime. Case studies of seven TMS wells indicated that the proposed model allows approximation of the field data with good accuracy. Production data analyses with the model revealed that the pressure-dependent fracture conductivity in the TMS in the Mississippi section declines following a logarithmic mode, with dimensionless coefficient χ varying between 0.116 and 0.130. The pressure-dependent decline of fracture conductivity in the transient flow period is more significant than that in the boundary-dominated flow period.
Highlights
The Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) across Louisiana and Mississippi has been an attractive unconventional shale oil reservoir since 2012 [1]
This study focuses on capturing the pressure-dependent decline rate of fracture conductivity in TMS wells under the boundary-dominated flow conditions using production data
An analytical model was developed for capturing the pressure-dependent decline of fracture conductivity in the TMS fields from production data
Summary
The Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) across Louisiana and Mississippi has been an attractive unconventional shale oil reservoir since 2012 [1]. Wells in unconventional reservoirs are characterized by long-term transient flow owing to ultra-low reservoir permeability [17,18] These models are not suitable for evaluating the real potential and identifying factors controlling the potential of TMS wells. Production decline analysis failing to take time-dependent fracture conductivity into account will lead to significant errors in production prediction of multi-fractured wells in unconventional shale reservoirs. This study focuses on capturing the pressure-dependent decline rate of fracture conductivity in TMS wells under the boundary-dominated flow conditions using production data. Case studies of seven TMS wells indicate that the production rates calculated by the analytical model agree with field data very well. Production data analyses with the model revealed that fracture conductivity in the TMS in the Mississippi section declines following a logarithmic mode
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