P. Practical Considerations for Fracture Treatment Design

Publisher Summary Hydraulic fracturing, as applied to petroleum engineering, is a particularly complicated enterprise. Understanding the fracturing process, the interactions of fluid pressure, viscosity, and leakoff characteristics with the elastic properties and leakoff characteristics of the rock has been the subject of Reservoir Stimulation and the preceding chapters of this volume. The purpose of hydraulic fracturing is, of course, the placement of an optimum fracture of certain geometry and conductivity to allow maximum incremental production (over that of the unstimulated well) at the lowest cost. Accomplishing this, while taking into account all the presented technology, requires significant attention to the treatment execution. This involves the appropriate selection of fluids and proppants, control and monitoring of rate, pressure and viscosity, and identification of those additives that would affect the desired fluid properties. This chapter includes sections on proppant and fluid selection. Data on proppant and proppant conductivity and rheological data of all common fluids and their friction pressure drops are presented extensively. A fracturing fluid selection guide, encompassing a body of experience in almost all types of reservoirs, is also offered. The topic of conductivity damage from fracturing fluids and the extremely important subject of breakers are treated in two subsections.