Well Interference Diagnosis through Integrated Analysis of Tracer and Pressure Interference Tests

Conference · Tue Jul 24 00:00:00 EDT 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.15530/urtec-2018-2901827· OSTI ID:1477766

Kumar, Ashish ^[1]; Seth, Puneet ^[1]; Shrivastava, Kaustubh ^[1]; Manchanda, Ripudaman ^[1]; Sharma, Mukul ^[1]

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1. University of Texas at Austin

In ultra-low permeability reservoirs, communication between wells through connected fractures can be observed through tracer and pressure interference tests. Understanding the connectivity between fractured horizontal wells in a multi-well pad is important for infill well drilling and parent-child well interactions. Inter-well tracer and pressure interference tests involve two or more fractured horizontal wells and provide information about hydraulic fracture connectivity between the wells. In this work, we present a workflow based on combining the analysis of tracer and pressure interference data to obtain the degree of interference between fractured horizontal wells in a multi-well pad. We analyze well interference using tracer (chemical tracer and radioactive proppant tracer) and pressure data in an 11-well pad in the Permian Basin. Changes in pressure and tracer concentration in the monitor wells were used to identify and evaluate interference between the source and monitor wells. Extremely low tracer recovery and weak pressure response signify the absence of connected fractures and suggest that interference through matrix alone is insignificant. Combined tracer and pressure interference data suggest connected fracture pathways between the communicating wells. The degree of interference can be estimated in terms of pressure response times and tracer recovery. An effective reservoir model was used to simulate pressure interference between wells during production. Simulation results indicate that well interference observed during production is primarily due to hydraulically connected fractures. Combined tracer and pressure interference analysis provides a unique tool for understanding the time dependent connectivity between communicating wells, which can be useful for optimizing infill well drilling, well spacing and fracture sizing in future treatment designs.

• Research Organization: [e-mail]
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE)
• DOE Contract Number: FE0024292
• OSTI ID: 1477766
• Report Number(s): URTeC: 2901827
• Resource Relation: Conference: Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, USA, 23-25 July 2018
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English