Engineered Perforating Charges Designed for Stimulation

To help reduce entry-hole diameter variation and eliminate the risk of using centralizing rings, a family of perforating charges was developed with the objective to maintain consistent hole size, regardless of the clearance distance between the charges and the casing. This paper demonstrates that this family of charges makes the stimulation behavior, specifically the treating pressures and rates, more consistent and predictable. Consistent entry-hole diameter charges and an industry standard premium charge were run in two horizontal wells for comparison. The fluid systems of the two wells varied, so only stage-to-stage comparisons within the same well were used for analysis. Comparison of breakdown and treating pressures and overall proppant placed in each stage demonstrated that consistent hole-size charges yielded better results. Breakdown pressures were reduced by 10%; treating pressures were reduced by 3%, and the amount of proppant placed in the formation increased by approximately 4,640 lbm/stage using consistent hole-size charges. The design of horizontal completions includes multiple inputs and variables that can make it difficult to determine completion fluid and proppant behavior during stimulation, particularly the entry-hole diameter created by explosive perforating charges. In horizontal wells, perforating charges are near the bottom of the casing, causing energy directed outward from the charges through the casing, cement, and formation to be inconsistent. Generally, charges lying on the bottom of the casing create larger, deeper holes. However, energy is lost from the charges facing upward because the perforating jets must first pass through a larger fluid gap before penetrating the casing. This inconsistency in hole size causes significant variation in formation breakdown and treating pressure between stimulation intervals, affecting the amount of fluid and proppant placed in the formation, influencing overall well productivity. Attempts to centralize a perforating gun in the wellbore have been made, reducing variability of perforating charge standoff from the casing. This introduces additional risk of becoming stuck or unintentionally pumping the guns off the wireline. Therefore, a perforating charge capable of delivering consistent entry holes is essential. This paper discusses a comparison of two distinct perforating charges fired in the same well in contrast to previous studies conducted with the charges fired in different wells. This comparison reduces the amount of uncontrollable variables and demonstrates the improved economics of an asset using a consistent hole-size charge.

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Consistent Entry-Hole Diameter Perforating Charge Reduces Completion Pressure and Increases Proppant Placement

Rasmuson

Walden

Smith

et al. 2015

SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition

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Successful Utilization of E-line Tractor in Horizontal, High Pressure and High Temperature Gas Wells

et al. 2015

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Growing gas resource exploitation in Saudi Arabia has increased activity in drilling deep, high pressure gas reservoirs with marginal to low permeability. Such wells generally require stimulation operations to induce production. To increase the reservoir contact area, a significant number of wells are constructed with long reach horizontal sections. Multistage fracture operations are primarily conducted using plug and perforation technology to establish reservoir connectivity and production. The stimulation work involves multidisciplinary teams conducting simultaneous operations in a limited workspace and time. The primary well intervention challenges include the following: Effective deployment of cement and casing inspection tools in the horizontal section.Safe, reliable, and efficient technology to convey the perforating bottom-hole assembly (BHA) to the target depths in the long horizontal section during some stages of the plug and perforation operations.Available, reliable, and readily deployable contingency perforating option for plug and perforation operations. High-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) horizontal gas wells have traditionally been challenging for performing tractor operations because of reliability issues. Recent technical improvements have enhanced the operating range of the tractor, enabling more consistent and dependable operations in these environments. Based on the experience of conducting several plug and perforation stimulation jobs in Saudi Arabia, the electric-line (e-line) tractor has proven to be a reliable and consistent well intervention solution. The tractor-conveyed cement evaluation tools have produced high quality interpretable data used to design the multistage fracture job. Post-fracture diagnostic work has also been successfully performed in the horizontal sections to evaluate tubular integrity, providing valuable information for future fracture design. Moreover, tractor-conveyed perforating has proven to be an effective solution for conducting stage-1 toe perforations in comparison to other options from several aspects. The option of contingency perforating in a closed system without fluid injectivity into the previously perforated stages has helped to maintain the continuity of operations. Successful tractor interventions have been performed in wells with more than 3,000 ft. of horizontal sections, total depth (TD) of more than 17,000 ft., temperatures greater than 325°F, and pressures greater than 10,000 psi. This paper describes how the state-of-the-art technology has helped to meet the technical objectives of, and had a positive effect on, large rigless production enhancement.

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Step Change in Hydraulic Fracturing Methodology by Analyzing Clastic Gas Reservoir Field Experience to Achieve Production Enhancement

Alali

Islam

2015

All Days

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The clastic non-associated gas reservoirs are encountered in one of the Saudi Arabian oilfields. There is a wide variation in permeability in this Devonian age formation, varying from tight rocks with 0.1 md or less to more than few Darcie's in highly unconsolidated sandstones. While the prolific areas are easily producible at sustained high gas rates by conventional drilling and using sand control completion mechanisms, the relatively tighter areas require hydraulic fracturing to sustain commercial flow rate. During the last 10 years, the field A focused on exploiting gas reservoirs is being developed with vertical or S-shaped wells, and completed using a monobore tubular assembly. Proppant fracturing treatments are routinely conducted in multiple stages along the vertical wellbore. Fracture treatment parameters are adjusted over time by the introduction of different fracture fluids to enhance stability and avoid premature screen out. Proppant flow back measures were taken with the use of resin-coated proppants. A large database was developed on stimulation treatments and results that allowed conducting a detailed analysis to understand the behavior and effect of hydraulic fracturing trends on the reservoir performance to optimize the design parameters and further increase reservoir potential. This paper documents the analysis of the pre- and post-fracture treatment data, production analysis and thorough evaluation of petrophysical and geomechanical measurements from this massive database of 10-year long operational period. This study shows that there is a room to improve fracturing treatments and fluid chemistry and recommends a step change in the well stimulation strategy by modifying some existing technologies and also applying novel technologies that have been carefully studied and approved using laboratory and field trial testing. The results from the application of this new strategy are presented in the paper using actual examples.

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Engineered Perforating Charges Designed for Stimulation

Cited by 3 publications

References 18 publications

Consistent Entry-Hole Diameter Perforating Charge Reduces Completion Pressure and Increases Proppant Placement

Consistent Entry-Hole Diameter Perforating Charge Reduces Completion Pressure and Increases Proppant Placement

Successful Utilization of E-line Tractor in Horizontal, High Pressure and High Temperature Gas Wells

Step Change in Hydraulic Fracturing Methodology by Analyzing Clastic Gas Reservoir Field Experience to Achieve Production Enhancement

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