Validation of flow capacity and state-of-stress models in unconventional reservoirs by implementation of numerical models of diagnostic fracture injection tests

Abstract

Diagnostic fracture injection tests contain critical information for reservoir characterization and hydraulic fracturing design, defining every input and output of the simulation modeling process. They help to assess the expected fracture geometry, proppant pack conductivity, formation flow capacity, and optimum hydraulic fracture design. At the same time, these data provide the necessary means to place a frac job adequately. However, interpretation challenges and inherent modeling nonuniqueness demonstrate the need for more constraints to reduce the solution space. Proprietary workflows have been applied using a 3D planar shear decoupled hydraulic fracture simulator to several vertical wells in the Vaca Muerta play in Argentina. The generated information makes it possible to build models consistent with multiple independent measurements from bottom-hole gauges, near wellbore, and far-field assessments of fracture geometry, which permit us to better understand production performance of the wells. The proposed workflow can be utilized to collapse the learning curve in a significant and meaningful way, playing a vital role in the optimization of horizontal wells and the field development strategy.