Need Stress Relief? A New Approach to Reducing Stress Cycling Induced Proppant Pack Failure

Abstract

Tiws paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Program Committee follov+ng review of ttiormation contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s) Ccmtenk of the paper, as presented, have not been reviewed by the Sociew of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the atihor(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any position d the society of Petroleum Engineers, its offcers or membm Papers presented at SPE meetings are subject to pubrrcation revkw by Editorial Committes of Me Scciety d Petroleum Engineers Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part d thk paper for mmwrwrcial purposes without the written consent of the !%mty of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited %rni+on to reproduce in print is restricted to an atstracf cf not more than 390 words, illustrations may not be copied Tne abstract must contain conspicuous ackno.%ledgment of where and by whcm the @per was presented Write Llbranan, SPE. P O sax E!33KX3. Richardson. TX75083-3836, U SA.. fax 01-972-952-9435 ABSTRACTStress cycling of proppant packs often occurs during well production opemtions and is known to be a major contributing factor to proppant pack failure. Proppant crushing occurs due to increasing closure stress as a well is drawn down. The fines generated by such crushing can cause significant damage to proppant pack porosity and fracture conductivity. Additionally, the incidence of proppant flowback (fines and whole proppant) has ken reported to be exacerbated by stress cycling.The addition of deformable Ixads to the proppant pack has been observed to alLeviate both problems and may signflcantly improve well performance. Testing of various mixtures of the deformable beads and proppant has demonstrated significant reductions in the amount of fines generated and accompanying improvements in proppant pack permeability.Furthermore, the initiation of proppant flowback was observed to require much higher flow rates than in the absence of the beads.It is thought the process of bead deformation serves to "cushion" the proppant particles from the Ml brunt of the stress. New laboratory facilities and procedures have been established to study and quanti@ proppant flowbac~and conductivity as a fimction of proppant. temperature. flow rate. fracture widfi closure stress, and cycle frequency.

Mechanics of light weight proppants: A discrete approach

“…It has been reported that addition of softer particles improves crush resistance while the pack stiffness reduces [53]. Effect of stress cycling on crush resistance of a pack has also been studied and improvement has been reported with the mixing of polymer particles with sand [54]. Currently the crush test procedure does not account for pack porosity, though modification to the crush cell so that fluid flow through the proppant pack can be measured to estimate permeability have been carried out [55].…”

Exceptional Proppant Flowback Control for the Most Extreme Well Environments: The Shape of Things to Come

“…In this test, the outcrop rock on one side of the proppant pack was replaced by simulated unconsolidated formation sand. The purpose of the test was to determine [1] whether the high strength deformable proppant system prevented sand production out of the fracture, and [2] to quantify any reduction of proppant pack conductivity which could be the result of fines moving into the pack but not through the pack.…”

Conductivity Maintenance: Long-Term Results from the Use of Conductivity Enhancement Material

“…5 The process is also more than establishing fracture conductivity by including proppant flowback control 6 or proppant pack stability. 7 Conductivity maintenance is the process of addressing all of these issues, plus providing longterm fines control 8 …”