Abstract

In hydraulic fracturing, various diversion methods have been used to treat multiple zones with greater or lesser degree of effectiveness. Limited entry fracturing “LEF” is one of them. LEF could be very effective and can result in considerable savings in well completion costs. The process is not difficult to apply. The technique of limited entry perforations is used to achieve large frictional pressure drop across certain perforations to ensure fluid injection through each perforation in each interval. This study presents a new development in LEF. New relations were developed to optimize the perforations number that could not only increase the bottomhole pressure, but also, could result in the optimum fracture geometry in each zone which leading to several increase in post-fracture productivity. The validation of these relations was checked by hydraulic fracturing simulator “Frac-CADE™” utilizing data of a well which was treated before with hydraulic fracturing using an expensive isolation method. This study is the first-of-its-kind up to the author knowledge that considers the perforations erosion by proppant corrosive action in the design of this technique in order to prevent the perforation friction pressure loss and keep successful diversionof the fracturing fluid between different zones to the end of the treatment. Abstract In hydraulic fracturing, various diversion methods have been used to treat multiple zones with greater or lesser degree of effectiveness. Limited entry fracturing “LEF” is one of them. LEF could be very effective and can result in considerable savings in well completion costs. The process is not difficult to apply. The technique of limited entry perforations is used to achieve large frictional pressure drop across certain perforations to ensure fluid injection through each perforation in each interval. This study presents a new development in LEF. New relations were developed to optimize the perforations number that could not only increase the bottomhole pressure, but also, could result in the optimum fracture geometry in each zone which leading to several increase in post-fracture productivity. The validation of these relations was checked by hydraulic fracturing simulator “Frac-CADE™” utilizing data of a well which was treated before with hydraulic fracturing using an expensive isolation method. This study is the first-of-its-kind up to the author knowledge that considers the perforations erosion by proppant corrosive action in the design of this technique in order to prevent the perforation friction pressure loss and keep successful diversionof the fracturing fluid between different zones to the end of the treatment.

Highlights

  • There are several potential producing zones penetrated by a wellbore that must be hydraulically fractured

  • Frac-CADETM, the Fracturing Computer Aided Design and Evaluation software provides the tools, techniques and simulators required for hydraulic fracturing treatment design and evaluation

  • Many runs have been made on Frac-CADETMto construct the models for the last mentioned procedures and the following results were obtained

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Summary

Introduction

There are several potential producing zones penetrated by a wellbore that must be hydraulically fractured. Gamma ray tracer logs indicate most of the pay was treated even through not covered by perforations Results of these simultaneous treatments have been gratifying in both well performance and reduced costs 4.But, the radioactive traces were used to detect the height only of the fracture. Multiple coal and sandstone formations were treated simultaneously in Sanjuan basin, New Mexico by LEF12 For the last both cases, the design strategy was based on controlling the fracture height without regarding the whole fracture geometry and conductivity. Well data Table-1 represents the data for a well consisting of three different zones This well was already treated before with hydraulic fracturing for all the three intervals. Rock type Permeability, md Porosity, % Fracture Gradient, psi/ft Closure Gradient, psi/ft

15 ShalySandstone
Results & Discussion
Conclusion
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