Resolving Created, Propped, and Effective Hydraulic Fracture Length

Abstract

The conclusions from the work are listed below. 1. Fracture modeling (net pressure analysis) can result in non-unique interpretations of fracture geometry if the physics of fracture propagation are uncertain. 2. Production analyses and reservoir simulation history matching can result in non-unique interpretations of effective fracture length and conductivity in the absence of accurate measurements of reservoir permeability and pressure. 3. Pre- and post-fracture pressure buildup tests can provide important information to evaluate hydraulic fracture performance. 4. Microseismic and/or tilt fracture mapping can provide direct measurements of created fracture length and fracture complexity, but cannot provide insights into the propped and effective fracture length. 5. Multiple fracture diagnostic technologies are required to reliably evaluate hydraulic fracture performance. 6. In the absence of reliable estimates of fracture length and conductivity, optimizing fracture treatment designs is many times not possible and design changes can be counter-productive.