System Approach to Hydraulic Fracturing Optimization in Rosneft Oilfields

Abstract

Abstract Nowadays hydraulic fracturing is the most successful well simulation technique, which provides a multiple increase in production and increase in effectiveness of low-permeability reservoirs development. In connection with the significant potential and, at the same time, the complexity of this type of stimulation treatment, creation of the integrated system of planning and optimization of hydraulic fracturing business-process is necessary. The optimization of fracturing treatment design is one of the highest priority directions of integrated system. The significant number of scientific works about optimization of fracturing design is mainly dedicated to optimization of fracture parameters for creating minimum skin - factor with the defined proppant mass. At the same time, while selecting an optimum proppant mass, until now they most frequently rely only on the old proven trial-and-error method, and the diversity of specialists' opinions varies in the very broad range - from the conservative designs with the minimum volume of proppant to the aggressive designs on the possibility frontier of contemporary technology. At the same time, the new level of technology development makes possible conducting large-volume hydraulic fracturing treatment, for successful realization of which the more careful study of the effect from different characteristics is required, including technological risks. For example, even now inside the Company there is an experience of conducting fracturing jobs up to 400 tons of proppant. Analysis of fracturing treatments, carried out by different service companies, confirms that with a notable increase in the proppant mass absence of integral approach leads to reduction in the fracturing treatment effectiveness. First of all, this is caused by the ineffective use of a substantial part of injected proppant while conducting large-volume hydraulic fracturing. Therefore, the need for solution of the following multiparameter problem is obvious: optimization of the mass of proppant under maximization of economic effectiveness and consideration of technological and geological risks. The article shows the solution of this problem on the basis of integral approach using integrated technical and economic optimization of hydraulic fracturing design in Rosneft. Also the integrated system of hydraulic fracturing planning and conducting is presented. It made possible to increase considerably the effectiveness of hydraulic fracturing in the company.