TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractNew analysis procedures are presented for analyzing the production data of fractured wells in low permeability reservoirs to quantify estimates of the reservoir effective permeability, effective fracture halflength, and average fracture conductivity. The rate-transient based analyses reported in this paper have been used to analyze the production performance of over 200 wells in low permeability reservoirs in North America.Direct comparisons of the fracture properties resulting from conventional crosslinked fluid fractures and low viscosity base fluid ("Water-Frac") treatments in direct offset wells clearly demonstrates that more effective fractures are created in low-permeability reservoirs using the higher viscosity fracturing fluids and large proppant volumes to achieve higher conductivity fractures with greater effective halflengths than are achieved with "Water-Fracs" with little or no proppant.

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This paper was prepared for presentation at the 1999 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in Houston, Texas, 3–6 October 1999.

TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractNew analysis procedures are presented for analyzing the production data of fractured wells in low permeability reservoirs to quantify estimates of the reservoir effective permeability, effective fracture halflength, and average fracture conductivity. The rate-transient based analyses reported in this paper have been used to analyze the production performance of over 200 wells in low permeability reservoirs in North America.Direct comparisons of the fracture properties resulting from conventional crosslinked fluid fractures and low viscosity base fluid ("Water-Frac") treatments in direct offset wells clearly demonstrates that more effective fractures are created in low-permeability reservoirs using the higher viscosity fracturing fluids and large proppant volumes to achieve higher conductivity fractures with greater effective halflengths than are achieved with "Water-Fracs" with little or no proppant.