High-permeability fracturing: The evolution of a technology
Since its introduction almost 50 years ago, hydraulic fracturing has been the prime engineering tool for improving well productivity either by bypassing near-wellbore damage or by actually stimulating performance. Historically (and in many instances erroneously), the emphasis for propped fracturing was on fracture length, culminating in massive treatments for tight-gas sands with several million pounds of proppant and design lengths in excess of 1,500 ft. More recently, the importance of fracture conductivity has become appreciated. This paper uses field examples to trace the history, development, and application of TSO fracturing to high-permeability formations, including fracturing to increase PI, as well as applications aimed at improving completions in unconsolidated sands. Potential applications of fracturing to bypass the need for sand control are explored. Finally, the use of fracturing as a reservoir-management tool is examined through use of a propped fracture to alter the vertical flow profile of a well to maximize reserves. This particular use of fracturing leads to cases where careful design of both fracture length and conductivity is required; i.e., too much conductivity is as damaging to reservoir management as too little.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 390146
- Journal Information:
- JPT, Journal of Petroleum Technology, Vol. 48, Issue 7; Other Information: DN: Presented at the 1994 Univ. of Tulsa centennial petroleum engineering symposium, August 29--31, Tulsa, OK (US); PBD: Jul 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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