Perforating for Fracturing: Theory vs. Field Experiences

Ceccarelli, Roberto Luis; Pace, Giamberardino; Casero, Alberto; Ciuca, A.; Tambini, Mauro

doi:10.2118/128270-ms

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Uncertainty on stress direction is such that 60 degree phasing is often found to be operationally more robust while still providing reasonable results for proppant placement (e.g. Ceccarelli et al, 2010). Oriented perforating is more complicated for deviated wells, and even more so for horizontal wells due to the intrinsic limitation of the perforation tool geometry.…”

Section: Field Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

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Four critical issues for successful hydraulic fracturing applications

Bunger¹,

Lecampion²

2024

Rock Mechanics and Engineering

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This paper reviews four critical mechanisms for successful applications of hydraulic fracturing that have emerged or grown in importance over the past 2 decades. These critical issues are managing height growth, decreasing near-wellbore tortuosity, predicting and engineering network versus localized growth geometry, and promoting simultaneous growth of multiple hydraulic fractures. Building on the foundation of decades of research relevant to each area but with an emphasis on advances within the past 20 years, the review presents available field evidence, laboratory data, and modeling insights that comprise the current state of knowledge. Fluid viscosity, injection rate, and in situ stresses are shown to appear as controlling parameters across all of these issues. The past contributions and limitations on future developments point to a future in which advances are enabled by a combination of fully coupled 3D simulations, advanced laboratory experiments, vastly expanded characterization capabilities, and order of magnitude improvements in monitoring resolution.

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Section: Field Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…highly stress formation etc.) as discussed in McDaniel and Surjaatmadja (2009); Ceccarelli et al (2010). It is not always successful, though, depending on rock fabric effects (Strain, 1962) or cleaning issues (Jeffrey et al, 2014).…”

Section: Field Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Four critical issues for successful hydraulic fracturing applications

Bunger¹,

Lecampion²

2024

Rock Mechanics and Engineering

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“…Fallahzadeh and Rasouli, 2012, [38] considered some aspects of stress conditions around cased and cemented wellbores impacting perforation performance. Other references relevant to pressure losses during hydraulic fracturing include Ceccarelli et., 2010, [39] as well as Fallahzadeh et al, 2010 [40].…”

mentioning

confidence: 92%

Do Perforated Completions Have Value for Engineered Geothermal Systems

Glauser¹,

McLennan²,

Walton³

2013

Effective and Sustainable Hydraulic Fracturing

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Engineered or enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) differ from conventional hydrothermal reservoirs in that supplementary hydraulic stimulation is required to create surface area needed for heat exchange, and to allow adequate fluid production. Historically, geothermal wells have been straight hole or inclined and usually employ barefoot completions. If horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing experience, refined to some extent with recent shale gas and shale oil stimulation campaigns, can be adapted for geothermal applications, it may be possible to improve the chances for successful EGS. One central issue for vertical, inclined, extended reach or horizontally drilled wells is whether there is merit in landing and cementing casing. This would allow discrete zones to be fractured, isolate thief zones or low temperature zones, allow future remediation and facilitate generation of multiple fracture systems. Most experienced geothermal operators balk at perforated and cemented completions. The arguments can be legitimate. There are supplementary costs associated with this completion, and the temperatures can make cementing and perforating challenging. Plugging of existing fracture systems from casing and cement is also proposed as a problem-which is easily overcome by the supplementary stimulation required. On the other hand, simple calculations suggest that proximal and interconnected fracture systems, natural or otherwise, are required for economic viability in all but the hottest scenarios. To effectively develop multiple fracture systems, wellbore isolation seems to be a natural requirement. One legitimate method to accomplish this is diversion, but the question remains as to how many intersected fractures can be stimulated. Another option is cementing and perforating. A comparative and realistic analysis is done to assess the impact of perforation skin, tortuosity associated with shear

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“…The treatment design itself, based on geomechanical and other reservoir parameters, is critical but more so, the ability to pump the designed treatment through the perforations. Of particular importance are the entry hole diameter and penetration at downhole conditions 1,2,3 , and the orientation of the holes with respect to the fracture plane.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Innovative CT Abrasive Hydrajetting Perforating Approach in A Complex Saudi Arabian Gas Well Overcomes Initial Inability to Perform A Proppant Fracturing Treatment and Achieves Better Than Expected Results: A Case History

Garcia¹,

Solares

Malik

et al. 2011

SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition

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One of the key components for a successful hydraulic proppant fracturing treatment is an efficient perforating strategy capable of ensuring good communication with the formation while reducing near wellbore pressure losses. It is not unusual to encounter unexpected high fracturing fluid injection pressures and low injectivity conditions in wells requiring stimulation to increase their productivity, due to a variety of reasons including inadequate perforation tunnels. The problem gets compounded further in wells drilled in high pressure and temperature formations, in which performing proppant stimulation treatments poses a considerable challenge.The general approach used in wells selected for proppant fracturing treatments is to use conventional perforating techniques that create relatively short tunnels with entry holes with a diameter several-fold larger than mean proppant diameter. However, due to formation damage related effects caused by drilling practices or other operational steps long tunnels are frequently required to bypass the near-wellbore damage and connect with the reservoir.Saudi Aramco has been successfully using hydrajetting technology while stimulating open-hole horizontal wells. However, application of the technique in vertical wells drilled in sandstone reservoirs had been successfully tried only once before its application in Well A. This paper describes how the inability to perform a proppant fracture treatment in a well drilled in a sandstone reservoir, which had originally been perforated using conventional methodology, was overcome by applying an innovative approach involving the use of hydrajetting technology. The proppant fracture stimulation treatment had to be aborted after very low initial injectivity and abnormally high stress at maximum allowable treating pressure were encountered during the DataFrac diagnostic test. However, after implementing the innovative approach a large size proppant fracturing treatment was successfully performed, and it improved well performance from a gas rate of 0 to 25 MMSCFD at high FWHP. The successful approach provided a viable cost-effective alternative to the conventional methodology, and it has since been applied with equally excellent results in several additional cases.

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Perforating for Fracturing: Theory vs. Field Experiences

Cited by 7 publications

References 4 publications

Four critical issues for successful hydraulic fracturing applications

Four critical issues for successful hydraulic fracturing applications

Do Perforated Completions Have Value for Engineered Geothermal Systems

Innovative CT Abrasive Hydrajetting Perforating Approach in A Complex Saudi Arabian Gas Well Overcomes Initial Inability to Perform A Proppant Fracturing Treatment and Achieves Better Than Expected Results: A Case History

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