Qualifying Proppant Performance

Abstract

Summary Qualifying proppant performance of the delivered proppant before a frac job, or verifying proppant performance after a frac job, can add significant value to propped-fracture stimulations. Current field-testing protocol typically ensures that a proppant meets certain criteria with a simple yes or no answer. Seldom are strict collection and testing guidelines followed, as outlined by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the International Organi-zation for Standardization (ISO). Qualifying proppant performance requires taking quality control a step further by considering the role that proppant characteristics play in the performance of proppant in the fracture. Applying a blend of established practices and new technology, quality-control data can be generated at the wellsite for comparison with the public domain (literature, websites, or fracturing simulators). These scientific data give an engineer insight into how delivered proppants are designed to perform and whether they do so. This eliminates the need to run expensive and time-consuming conductivity and permeability tests on every job. However, because proppant flow capacity or conductivity is a key measure of performance, some empirical results have been assimilated for wellsite and public data. Any differences in delivered proppant performance can be attributed to mining anomalies, manufacturing defects, transportation abuse, and/or contamination. This paper also introduces new patent-pending technology that enables wellsite-proppant sampling and evaluation before the fracturing treatment. Having prefrac data gives one the opportunity to make any necessary changes in fracture design and implementation to get the most from available proppant. It also provides for a detailed inspection of the wellsite-delivered prop-pant supply. For instance, one can isolate and sample each pneumatic trailer and monitor associated pneumatic discharge pressures. Case histories, onshore and offshore, support qualifying proppant performance.