Hydraulic Fracturing in the Congo Onshore: Continuous Optimization Improves Productivity

Perfetto, Raffaele; Ceccarelli, Roberto Luis; Falla, Johnny; Okassa, Fabrice; Tealdi, Loris; Rotondi, Mario

doi:10.2523/15328-ms

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Packers set across perforations were also used succesfully in "M" onshore frac campaign (Perfetto et al 2011) obtaining good results in workover for fracturing.…”

Section: Packer Across Perforated Intervalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydraulic Fracturing Across Large Existing Perforated Interval Unlocks Reserves on Tight Sandstone Reservoir: Successful Workover Experience, Onshore Congo

Martocchia

Itoua

Farina³

et al. 2014

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When designing a hydraulic fracturing intervention, the selection of the interval to be perforated is critical in order to maximize oil production and to avoid unwanted gas/water breakthrough from neighboring layers.While on new wells the perforation interval can be selected carefully analyzing logs and CBL, it can be challenging to design a workover where the HF targets a zone that is right in the middle of a large existing perforated interval (125 meters).Leaving exposed too many perforations during a fracturing treatment could result in operational issues such as early screenout and/or uncertainties on the fracture initiation point. Zonal isolation could be obtained by cementing part of the perforations but this would mean in permanently losing part of the level. This paper will describe a successful workover carried on a shut-in oil well, onshore Congo, where a single stage fracturing treatment was performed leaving exposed only few meters of the existing perforations and without permanently losing the remaining intervals.This result was obtained using a multi-stage ball drop frac completion setting the packers across the perforated interval. The downhole equipment was able to withstand the treating pressure during the fracturing treatment and production was obtained through the frac sleeves.This workover resulted in a significant oil production from a well that never produced until that moment.

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“…Packers set across perforations were also used succesfully in "M" onshore frac campaign (Perfetto et al 2011) obtaining good results in workover for fracturing.…”

Section: Packer Across Perforated Intervalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydraulic Fracturing Across Large Existing Perforated Interval Unlocks Reserves on Tight Sandstone Reservoir: Successful Workover Experience, Onshore Congo

Martocchia

Itoua

Farina³

et al. 2014

All Days

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Hydraulic Fracturing as a Development Strategy - Successful Case Histories from the Congo Basin: A Matter of Technology and Risk Attitude

Perfetto

Tealdi

2013

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Testing novel technologies, developing abandoned reservoirs and rejuvenating mature fields require top-notch technical preparation and fit for purpose risk exposure attitude. Even in case of the commercial availability of the right technology at the right time, studying a technological pilot and actually executing it highly depends on the risk exposure attitude of the management which plays a crucial role. The history of Hydraulic Fracturing activity in Congo goes up to 2007; with the background of producers with very low or nil performance and the high costs of fracking offshore for the first time in the country, the risk of investment and technological failure was elevated. At the time of the first pilot test in K-field offshore, the eni Congo management was not so interested in the immediate gains. The management was betting on eventual success of the technology, which would start a new era for the development of low permeability reservoirs in Congo and thus making a huge impact on the future of the company production and reserves. This papers describes the lessons learnt in 5 years of frac operations in Congo with over 130 diverse frac operations (performed on different reservoir of diverse permeability ranges, green to brown fields, onshore to offshore, conventional single stage to multistage fracturing, acid and proppant frac with water base and oil base frac fluids). This paper would also serve as potential reference for all Operations Managers who are willing to optimize their assets value by means of Hydraulic Fracturing but face difficulties in winning mental barriers towards novel technologies inside or outside their companies.

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Fracture Optimization Applying a Novel Traceable Proppant and a Refined Mechanical Earth Model in the Congo Onshore

Martocchia

Perfetto

Saldungaray³

2014

Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference

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Fracture stimulation has been adopted as an integral part of the completion in the "M" field given the results achieved in enhancing well productivity, as well as the positive impact realized on field development economics. The fracturing process has been optimized over the years through improved reservoir understanding and ensuing implementation of technologies to address the uncovered challenges. Changes to the fracturing fluid formulation to prevent damaging the water sensitive reservoir rock, as well as modified proppant schedules to mitigate proppant embedment are examples of this improvement process. This paper describes the successful ongoing process of optimizing hydraulic fracturing designs in "M" field. By applying an integrated approach combining various technologies, it was possible to better understand fracture propagation and coverage of the target reservoir. Implementation of a novel non-radioactive traceable proppant allowed accurate frac height measurement at the wellbore. When combined with rocks mechanics derived from sonic logs it led to redefining the mechanical earth model and ultimately the completion and fracturing strategy in the field. The process will be illustrated with examples from a 3-well campaign recently executed onshore Congo.

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Hydraulic Fracturing in the Congo Onshore: Continuous Optimization Improves Productivity

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Hydraulic Fracturing Across Large Existing Perforated Interval Unlocks Reserves on Tight Sandstone Reservoir: Successful Workover Experience, Onshore Congo

Hydraulic Fracturing Across Large Existing Perforated Interval Unlocks Reserves on Tight Sandstone Reservoir: Successful Workover Experience, Onshore Congo

Hydraulic Fracturing as a Development Strategy - Successful Case Histories from the Congo Basin: A Matter of Technology and Risk Attitude

Fracture Optimization Applying a Novel Traceable Proppant and a Refined Mechanical Earth Model in the Congo Onshore

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