Access Technical Paper
Application of Hydraulic Fractures in Openhole Horizontal Wells
Abstract
This paper describes a process that has improved production, reduced costs, saved time, and dramatically improved the results of fracture stimulating low permeability horizontal wells. The use of both propped and acid fracture treatments will be described.
The process has been used for openhole completions aligned in the approximate direction of fracture propagation as well as for fractures transverse to the well bore. The technique has effectively eliminated well bore connectivity problems that had been observed in vertical completions and cased and cemented horizontal wells with transverse fractures.
The process has been used to increase production over 25 fold in a 30 year old field. It has also proven successful in a marginally economic field that had been completed using propped fractures in vertical wells.
The procedure employs a system of multiple, retrievable treating subs that are specifically tailored to a unique well bore configuration and allow treating the entire interval with a single stage. The treating subs are designed to distribute the treating fluid as desired along the length of the lateral. The process has been successfully used in over 100 wells and laterals in fields located in California, Illinois, New Mexico, Utah, and Texas.
Copyright 2000, SPE/PS-CIM International Conference on Horizontal Well Technology
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2000 SPE/Petroleum Society of CIM International Conference on Horizontal Well Technology held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 6-8 November 2000.
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE/PS-CIM Program Committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper, as presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers or the Petroleum Society of CIM and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the Petroleum Society of CIM, their officers, or members. Papers presented at SPE/PS-CIM meetings are subject to publication review by Editorial Committees of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and Petroleum Society of CIM. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper for commercial purposes without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper was presented. Write Librarian, SPE, P.O. Box 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435.