This paper describes the application for the first time of a novel channel fracturing technique combined with rod-shaped proppant in selected production targets in several fields in the Egyptian western desert. The channel fracturing technique introduces channels within the proppant pack that increase conductivity and effective half-length leading to increased productivity (Gillard et al. 2010). Rod-shaped proppant when used as tail-in in fracturing treatments increases near-wellbore fracture conductivity and prevents proppant flowback due to its particular geometry (McDaniel et al. 2010).The western desert fields in the Qarun concession area in Egypt are characterized as complex, thin-bedded sequences with heterogeneous laminated sandstones producing mainly from the Abu Roash and Upper Bahariya formations. Hydraulic fracturing has traditionally been employed to produce hydrocarbons from these marginal reservoirs. The channel-fracturing technique was first introduced in the Amana fields in late 2012 combined with rod-shaped proppant for flowback control and conductivity enhancement. Early-time normalized production of the wells fractured with this technique increased by 89% over offset wells fractured conventionally, and the application of the channel fracturing technique eliminated the incidence of premature screen-outs in all fields.The positive results from implementation of this combined stimulation technique have led to a vigorous expansion of its utilization throughout Egypt's western desert area, including a refracturing campaign for older wells where conventional fracturing techniques did not yield the desired results.
Water management presents a host of challenges and opportunities for operators developing unconventional onshore gas fields. Water supply, recycling and disposal issues affect each stage of field development and operation. Sourcing water and production of produced and flow back water has important implications for water availability and management of the unique environmental risks. All water source and produced water decisions come with costs. From the treatment and reuse of coal seam gas (CSG) produced water, through to the storage and ultimate disposal of water containing elevated salinity and organic loads in shale fields, the costs for water management fundamentally contribute to the economics of unconventional gas developments. In this paper, we will draw on experience in both CSG and shale field water management to compare the respective water management challenges and opportunities faced by operators in these industries. A series of case studies will be used to highlight the differences between the CSG and shale fields. This will include assessment of a West Texas shale field development, where field specific data, such as well-to-well distance and travel time between them, has been used to identify and compare produced water management options. We will use these indicators to demonstrate how alternative ways to assess produced water options, based on economics, can reveal creative management strategies that achieve a variety of goals at every stage of field development, including maximising reuse and minimising disposal.
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