Proppants Selection Based on Field Case Studies of Well Production Performance in the Bakken Shale Play

Abstract

A brief overview of different proppant types and amounts used in stimulation designs in the Bakken shale play since 2011 is presented in this paper. The primary goal of the paper is to determine the long-term production and economical effectiveness on hydraulically fractured wells using different proppant types, percentages of proppant types and overall amount of proppant in the well completions. The results are based on four case studies that focus on 72 wells in four different fields in the Bakken formation of the Williston Basin.In these four case studies, the primary variable that affects the difference in long-term production of the different well groups is the percentage and amount of each proppant type used in the completion design. Completion and stimulation data was collected from public resources such as the North Dakota Industrial Commission (NDIC) database. In each case study, wells in the same field were grouped. For each group of wells, the average long-term production and economical effectiveness was analyzed.The case studies in the Capa Field in Williams County North Dakota and the Chimney Butte Field in Dunn County North Dakota shows that over a 270 day period, in each group of wells completed with about 30 percent ceramic proppant mixed with silica sand, the wells produced an average of over 100 percent more than the comparable group of wells completed using only silica sand. The case study in the East Fork Field in Williams County North Dakota shows that after 270 days of production, the group of wells using 100 percent ceramic proppant attained an average of 27 percent production increase over the group of wells using an average of 62 percent ceramic proppant. These wells also attained a 67 percent production increase over the group of wells using an average of 35 percent ceramic proppant.In comparing completion procedures in these high-producing fields, using a combination of high percentages and large amounts of ceramic proppant has yield higher production and EUR. The use of ceramic proppant not only covers the additional proppant cost in a short period of time, but also generates higher revenue in the long term. The findings from these case studies should apply to all fields that have similar reservoir characteristics.

Effect of Proppant Damages on Fracture Conductivity and Long-Term Recovery in Shale Gas Reservoirs

“…It is economical and commonly used in fracturing operations throughout the Bakken shale formation. 8 Ceramic proppant made from bauxite ore, was introduced to withstand high stresses. Its distinct manufacturing process and special material corundum make it one of the hardest materials existing in the world due to the strength and durability presented by bauxite ore.…”

“…Besides, ceramic proppant makes the settling more significant during proppant transport because of its higher density. 8 And the usage of bauxite in the shale reservoir produces a higher amount of formation fines due to proppant embedment, causing reduced fracture conductivity. 9 Thus, it is always crucial to evaluate proppant damage mechanisms to avoid fracture conductivity degradation when selecting proppants.…”

“…Silica sand is quartz sand with a high-grade silica content. It is economical and commonly used in fracturing operations throughout the Bakken shale formation . Ceramic proppant made from bauxite ore, was introduced to withstand high stresses.…”

“…Therefore, cost is also an important factor in proppant selection. Besides, ceramic proppant makes the settling more significant during proppant transport because of its higher density . And the usage of bauxite in the shale reservoir produces a higher amount of formation fines due to proppant embedment, causing reduced fracture conductivity .…”

Investigating the Effect of Improved Fracture Conductivity on Production Performance of Hydraulically Fractured Wells: Field-Case Studies and Numerical Simulations

“…Both industry and academia have already presented feasible numerical-simulation techniques and work flows for characterizing and simulating unconventional reservoirs. For example, fractures can be modelled explicitly (KAPPA 2015;Karimi-Fard et al 2003;Mirzaei and Cipolla 2012;Olorode et al 2012;Patzek et al 2014;Sun and Schechter 2014) as individual fractures; or upscaled and modelled by use of the dual-porosity/permeability approach (Yan et al 2013); or considered as embedded fractures (Moinfar et al 2011); or roughly modelled with fast-marching approaches (Xie et al 2015). Besides, field-production data have been incorporated into several numerical techniques such as decline-curve analysis, artificial intelligence, and data mining (Fuentes-Cruz et al 2014;Gong et al 2014;Mohaghegh et al 2011).…”