Optimizing Multistage Hydraulic-Fracturing Design Based on 3D Continuum Damage Mechanics

Shen, Xuesong; Standifird, William; Evans, Scott

doi:10.2118/178169-ms

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Based on the geometric positions of wells and fractures, the 5 Geofluids pore pressure disturbance along the main-fracture propagation direction should be carefully considered. Generally, the effective fracture zones are expected to connect to one another between the two closest nearby stimulation stages from the two sides of the two parallel wells [18], based on the view of gas production. However, such a connection between the effective fracture zones should be controlled to a certain extent to avoid troubles and events during infilling well drilling, such as gas kick and lost circulation, which requires a safe well spacing.…”

Section: Geofluidsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In order to obtain complex fracture networks in low permeable shale reservoirs through multistage hydraulic fracturing, many studies have been done to analyze the stress distribution around the fractured horizontal wellbore [13], which is mainly focused on the extent of stress reversal [14] and the effect of stress shadow [15]. Besides the analysis of fracture initiation and propagation, the stress redistribution results are further used to optimize the stage spacing [14,16,17] and well space [18]. Such kinds of works have greatly helped to improve the efficiency of stimulation treatments in shale gas formation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pore Pressure Disturbance Induced by Multistage Hydraulic Fracturing in Shale Gas: Modelling and Field Application

et al. 2019

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Currently, there is no proper method to predict the pore pressure disturbance caused by multistage fracturing in shale gas, which has challenged drilling engineering in practice, especially for the infilling well drilling within/near the fractured zones. A numerical modelling method of pore pressure redistribution around the multistage fractured horizontal wellbore was put forward based on the theory of fluid transportation in porous media. The fracture network of each stage was represented by an elliptical zone with high permeability. Five stages of fracturing were modelled simultaneously to consider the interactions among fractures. The effects of formation permeability, fracturing fluid viscosity, and pressure within the fractures on the pore pressure disturbance were numerically investigated. Modelling results indicated that the pore pressure disturbance zone expands as the permeability and/or the differential pressure increases, while it decreases when the viscosity of the fracturing fluid increases. The pore pressure disturbance level becomes weaker from the fracture tip to the far field along the main-fracture propagation direction. The pore pressure disturbance contours obviously have larger slopes with the variation of permeability than those of the differential pressure. The distances between the pore pressure disturbance contours are smaller at lower permeability and higher viscosity. The modelling results of the updated pore pressure distribution are of great importance for safe drilling. A case study of three wells within one platform showed that the modelling method could provide a reliable estimation of the pore pressure disturbance area caused by multistage fracturing.

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Section: Geofluidsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pore Pressure Disturbance Induced by Multistage Hydraulic Fracturing in Shale Gas: Modelling and Field Application

et al. 2019

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Research and application on simulation of oilfield 3D in-situ stress field by multi-information co-processing

et al. 2019

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Optimising the Multistage Fracturing Interval for Horizontal Wells in Bakken and Three Forks Formations

Ling

Han

et al. 2016

Day 2 Thu, August 25, 2016

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Petroleum exploration and production from Bakken and Three Forks formations in Williston Basin have achieved great momentum since 2005. To overcome the resistance of the low to extremely low permeability to hydrocarbons flow from reservoir to bottomhole, horizontal wells with multistage fracturing completion are applied to gain economical rate. Currently, horizontal lateral lengths that exceed 10,000 feet with more than 50 stages are not uncommon in Williston Basin. Field experience and practice indicate that different stage intervals usually results in different estimated ultimate recovery (EUR). Therefore, it is worth to identify optimal stage interval to stimulate horizontal lateral to cut costs through using the appropriate volumes of fracing fluid and proppant and to maximize profit by improving EUR. It should be noted that production from horizontal well with multistage fracturing is not only impacted by several factors such as geological characteristics, lateral length, orientation of horizontal lateral, fracing fluid, proppant, stimulation operating and procedure, and fracturing stage interval, but also by their interactions. To make the analysis reasonable, normalization analysis is exploited to differentiate the influences of different parameters. Sensitivity analysis of individual variable is applied to evaluate its influence on production. The analyses give a range of optimal stage interval for Bakken and Three Forks formations in different fields in Williston Basin. Considering the fact that variations in geology lead to different optimal stage intervals, it is appropriate to use a range instead of a single number as a reference in the well design. Although the results are derived from Bakken and Three Forks formations, the findings in this study can be employed in reservoirs with similar geological characteristics and reservoir properties. This study also identifies optimal ranges for operational parameters such as treatment pressure gradient, pumping rate, sand-to-water ratio, fracing fluid volume/length, and proppant mass/length, which are crucial to the cost reduction and operation efficiency.

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Optimizing Multistage Hydraulic-Fracturing Design Based on 3D Continuum Damage Mechanics

Cited by 4 publications

References 15 publications

Pore Pressure Disturbance Induced by Multistage Hydraulic Fracturing in Shale Gas: Modelling and Field Application

Pore Pressure Disturbance Induced by Multistage Hydraulic Fracturing in Shale Gas: Modelling and Field Application

Research and application on simulation of oilfield 3D in-situ stress field by multi-information co-processing

Optimising the Multistage Fracturing Interval for Horizontal Wells in Bakken and Three Forks Formations

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