Method and Apparatus for Simultaneous Stimulation of Multi-Well Pads

Tolman, Randy C.; Simons, Jeff W.; Petrie, Dennis H.; Nygaard, Kris; Clingman, Scott; Farah, Ali M.

doi:10.2118/119757-ms

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Annular coiled-tubing fracturing ("ACT-Frac") stimulation method 8 3. Simultaneous operations 9 4. Novel design methodologies for carbonate stimulation (for long or thick intervals) 14,15 Conventional multi-zone stimulation approaches generally fall into one of two categories: (1) the placement of individual treatments via a single pumping event and the deployment of tools and equipment into a wellbore to facilitate selective isolation and tailored stimulation of each individual zone; or (2) multiple treatment stages are placed during a single stimulation pumping event using various flow control or fluid diversion approaches to coerce fluids into the targeted intervals.…”

Section: Improving Control Of Treatment Placement: Novel Selective Stmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improved Methods and Workflows for Multi-Zone Stimulation

et al. 2013

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Economic production from many low permeability unconventional reservoirs has been enabled by the ability to propagate multiple stimulation treatments per well and from multiple wellbores located on a single pad or platform. A variety of design procedures and mechanical means have been developed to create improved connections to the reservoir, reflecting ongoing innovation in improving stimulation effectiveness while enabling reliable treatment placement and completion cost reduction. Both modeling and interpretation tools have been developed to predict, assess, and optimize stimulation treatment design and placement.Successful multi-zone stimulation requires evaluation and selection of many options -ranging from rock property design assumptions to methods of zonal isolation and fluid diversion to the efficient use of water and equipment deployment. Hence it is essential to incorporate strategies to integrate multi-disciplinary technology, operational data, and economic optimization in the workflows to achieve the best results. These strategies also require the flexibility to adapt various existing and emerging technologies within the unconventional reservoirs and account for the local operating environment and conditions. This paper examines the fundamental elements driving multi-zone stimulation effectiveness based on integration of extensive field experience and research in reservoirs requiring multi-zone stimulation to unlock their economic potential. Tools and workflows will be illustrated that have improved multi-zone stimulation effectiveness, enabled significant operational efficiencies, and have led to enhanced well performance and resource recovery. TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax +1-972-952-9435Exxon Mobil Corporation has numerous subsidiaries, many with names that include ExxonMobil, Exxon, Esso and Mobil. For convenience and simplicity in this paper, the parent company and its subsidiaries may be referenced separately or collectively as "ExxonMobil." Abbreviated references describing global or regional operational organizations and global or regional business lines are also sometimes used for convenience and simplicity. Nothing in this presentation is intended to override the corporate separateness of these separate legal entities. Working relationships discussed in this presentation do not necessarily represent a reporting connection, but may reflect a functional guidance, stewardship, or service relationship.

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Section: Improving Control Of Treatment Placement: Novel Selective Stmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improved Methods and Workflows for Multi-Zone Stimulation

et al. 2013

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“…The JITP process in horizontal wells is similar in concept to the one used for vertical wellbores (previously discussed by Tolman et al, 2009) but with significant operational changes to procedures and contingency plans. The basic steps are described below:…”

Section: Description Of Jitpmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…JITP is one of the Multi-Zone Stimulation Techniques (MZST) that were developed by ExxonMobil in the late 1990s to enable the delivery of a large number of stimulation treatments required for thin lenticular sands in the Piceance basin, Colorado (Lonnes et al, 2005;Tolman et al, 2009;. JITP is now the primary stimulation technique for ExxonMobil's development of Piceance and it has been patented and licensed to a number of service companies (Tolman et al, 2003;Tolman et al, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Application of Just-In-Time Perforating in a Horizontal Well

Angeles

Tolman²,

Ross

et al. 2012

All Days

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Just-In-Time-Perforating (JITP) was developed by ExxonMobil over a decade ago to improve multi-zone stimulation in vertical and S-shaped wells in the Piceance basin, Colorado. With this technology, multiple single-zone fracture stimulations are performed on a single wireline run using ball sealers and perforating guns that remain downhole during the fracturing treatment. This results in substantial cost reduction and productivity uplift because perforation intervals are individually and effectively treated one at a time with less horse power, smaller number of frac plugs, and fewer wireline runs. The method has been successfully implemented by ExxonMobil in more than 350 wells and over 10,000 treatments and is licensed to a number of service companies.There is substantial business incentive to implement the JITP technique in horizontal wells, extensively used in unconventional gas developments. With XTO Energy joining ExxonMobil, the global gas portfolio incremented by 45 trillion cubic feet. This includes conventional gas, shale gas as well as other unconventional resources, such as tight gas, coal bed methane, and shale oil. This paper presents the first application of JITP in horizontal wells. Operations were conducted in the Fayetteville Shale, Arkansas. The paper discusses advantages and disadvantages of the method as well as lessons learned from pre-field trials and full-well implementations. Critical to the success of the initial technology application was the enforcement of a structured approach which included technical feasibility studies, contractor qualification, pre-field trials, well candidate selection, and a deployment plan to capture learnings and best practices. Pre-field trials were executed in several wells to test potential technical/operational concerns, such as sand build-up around perforating guns, fluid diversion with buoyant and non-buoyant ball sealers, and the ability to move guns through the lateral. Preliminary field costs and production performance in horizontal wells are promising and support continued deployment of the technology.

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“…Details on the Piceance SIMOPS implementation are described by Tolman et al, (2009). SIMOPS exploits the efficiencies in JITP operations and enables the simultaneous stimulation of multiple wells on the same or different well pads and while drilling additional wells.…”

Section:  Simultaneous Operations -Simopsmentioning

confidence: 99%

One Year of Just-In-Time Perforating as Multi-Stage Fracturing Technique for Horizontal Wells

Angeles

Tolman²,

Gupta

et al. 2012

All Days

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In order to reduce stimulation costs, most conventional methods incorporate hydraulic fracturing of multiple perf clusters over multiple stages to treat large segments of shale rock in horizontally completed laterals. Under ideal situations, this technique would create equally-stimulated fractures at each perf cluster. However, in practice, such treatments can create overstimulation in some perf clusters and under-stimulation in others with unknown stimulated lengths and volumes. As operators move towards increased number of stages, increasingly larger number of plugs cause additional wireline trips and associated plug drilling time, which increases the total cost and mechanical risk of the completion. In some fields, operators use combinations of ball actuated sleeves and plug-and-perf methods due to technical limitations in drilling out of all the frac plugs. In response to these practical issues, ExxonMobil has implemented its proprietary Just-In-Time Perforating (JITP) technique in multiple horizontal wells over the last year. Prior to this deployment effort, JITP had been extensively used in vertical and S-shaped wells in the Piceance basin, Colorado. This paper discusses the learnings obtained after one year of multi-stage fracturing using horizontal JITP in unconventional plays. JITP creates multiple single-zone fracture stimulations on a single wireline run using ball-sealer diversion and perforating guns that remain downhole during fracturing. With the unique granularity of single-zone fracturing, much has been learned about the shale and treatment design. Better placement control can be useful in avoiding fracturing into offset wellbores. Field applications have confirmed the use of less horsepower, fewer frac plugs, improved fracture placement control, and added flexibility in water management. This paper also reviews technical considerations for other completion designs and fluid systems as well as opportunities for enhanced operations based on recent field learnings.

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Method and Apparatus for Simultaneous Stimulation of Multi-Well Pads

Cited by 9 publications

References 1 publication

Improved Methods and Workflows for Multi-Zone Stimulation

Improved Methods and Workflows for Multi-Zone Stimulation

First Application of Just-In-Time Perforating in a Horizontal Well

One Year of Just-In-Time Perforating as Multi-Stage Fracturing Technique for Horizontal Wells

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