Transient Pressure Analysis of Wells Intercepted by Partially Penetrating Finite Conductivity Hydraulic Fractures

Abstract

Most current pressure transient analysis techniques of hydraulically fractured wells are based on the fully penetrating assumption, which assumes equal thickness of hydraulic fracture and the formation. However, field application show that the fractures thickness can be shorter than the thickness of formation, which leads to vertical flow into the fracture. Thus applying the thickness equality assumption of current well test models to a partial penetrating fracture may give contradictory result. Further, there are very few studies concerning pressure transient analysis of partial penetrated wells. So it is important to develop analysis model and procedure to this type of fracture. In this paper, we presented an analytical model for partially penetrating hydraulic fracture in isotropic systems, along with the assumption that fracture is finite conductive. This model is then applied in the analysis of field production data, which verified validity of this new model.