Formation damage effects on horizontal-well flow efficiency

Abstract

Wellbore damage commonly is accounted for by an apparent skin factor. A better relative index for determining the efficiency with which a well has been drilled and completed is the flow efficiency, the ration of a well's actual PI to ideal PI. The flow efficiency of horizontal wells is derived assuming steady-state flow of an incompressible fluid in a homogeneous, anisotropic medium. A comparison between the flow efficiencies of vertical and horizontal wells indicates that permeability reduction around the wellbore is less detrimental to horizontal wells. This paper shows that the effect of damage around a horizontal wellbore is reduced slightly by increasing the well length. Conversely, if the vertical permeability is less than the horizontal permeability, the anisotropy ratio, {radical} k{sub H}/k{sub V}, magnifies the influence of formation damage near the horizontal wellbore. Examples of flow efficiency calculations assuming a formation damage or a formation collapse around a liner in poorly consolidated formations are provided for horizontal and vertical wells.