The Evaluation and Optimization of Hydraulic Fracturing Treatments for the Big Injun Formation in West Virginia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Most gas wells which are completed in low permeability (tight) formations of the Appalachian Basin, such as Big Injun, require stimulation to achieve commercial production. The general responsiveness of these formations to a certain set of the stimulation treatments design parameters remains uncertain. Although the stimulation treatments have enhanced the production, the question that needs to be answered is whether the treatment designs are simply standard approaches based on past practices or they represent the optimum designs. The stimulation and production data from a number of Big Injun wells in West Virginia have been collected and analyzed in order to develop the optimum design guidelines for successful applications. The production data were analyzed with the aid of production decline type curve to establish basic reservoir parameters. A commercial simulator and stimulation data were then utilized to match the production history in order to evaluate the formation characteristics. The results of history matching were then utilized to optimize the treatments on each well. Cost analyses were subsequently performed to select the most economic treatment. The results of this preliminary study indicated that the optimum treatment designs based on the reservoir parameters can further improve the economic production. The general guidelines have been established for more effective and economical fracturing treatment for the Big Injun Formation.