Unsteady-State Pressure Distributions Created by a Well With a Single Infinite-Conductivity Vertical Fracture

1974 ◽  
Vol 14 (04) ◽  
pp. 347-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain C. Gringarten ◽  
Henry J. Ramey ◽  
R. Raghavan
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Skin Effect ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Well Test ◽  
Pressure Data ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Vertical Fracture ◽  
Short Time ◽  
Vertical Fractures

Introduction During the last few years, there has been an explostion of information in the field of well-test analysis. Because of increased physical understanding of transient fluid flow, it is possible to analyze the entire pressure history of a well test, not just long-time data as in conventional analysis.1 It is now often possible to specify the time of beginning of the correct semilog straight line and determine whether the correct straight lie has been properly identified. It is also possible to identify wellbore storage effects, and the nature of wellbore stimulation as to permeability improvement, or fracturing, and to quantitatively analyze those effects. Such accomplishments have been augmented by attempts to understand the short-time pressure data from well testing - data that were often classified as too complex for analysis. One recent study of short-time pressure behavior2 showed that it was important to specify the physical nature of the stimulation in considering the behavior of a stimulated well. That is, stating that the van Everdingen-Hurst infinitesimal skin effect was negative was not sufficient to define short-time well behavior. For instance, acidized (but not acid-fractured) and hydraulically fractured wells might not necessarily exhibit the same behavior at early times, even though they could possess the same value of negative skin effect. In the same manner, hydraulic fracturing leading to horizontal or vertical fractures could produce the same skin effect, but with possibly different short-time pressure data. This could then provide a way to determine the orientation of fractures created by this type of well stimulation. In fact, it is generally agreed that hydraulic fracturing usually results in one vertical fracture, the plane of which includes the wellbore. Most studies of the flow behavior for a fractured well consider vertical fractures only.3–11 Yet it is also agreed that horizontal fractures could occur in shallow formations. Furthermore, it would appear that notch-fracturing would lead to horizontal fractures. Surprisingly, no detailed study of the horizontal fracture case had been performed until recently.12 A solution to this problem was presented by Gringarten and Ramey.13 In the course of their study, it was found that a large variety of new transient pressure behavior solutions useful in well and reservoir analysis could be constructed from instantaneous Green's functions.14 Possibilities included a well with a single vertical fracture in an infinite reservoir, or at any location in a rectangle.

Pressure Analysis for Fractured Wells

1972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain C. Gringarten ◽  
Henry J. Ramey ◽  
R. Raghavan
Keyword(s):  
Skin Effect ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
Physical Nature ◽  
Well Testing ◽  
Well Test ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Well Test Analysis ◽  
Test Analysis ◽  
Straight Line ◽  
Short Time

INTRODUCTION During the last few years, there has been an explosion of information in the field of well test analysis. Because of increased physical understanding of transient fluid flow, the entire pressure history of a well test can be analyzed, not just long-time data as in conventional analysis.! It is now often possible to specify the time of beginning of the correct semilog straight line and determine whether the correct straight line has been properly identified. It is also possible to identify wellbore storage effects and the nature of wellbore stimulation as to permeability improvement, or fracturing, and perform quantitative analyses of these effects. These benefits were brought about in the main by attempts to understand the short-time pressure data from well testing, data which were often classified as too complex for analysis. One recent study of short-time pressure behavior2 showed that it was important to specify the physical nature of the stimulation in consideration of stimulated well behavior. That is, statement of the van Everdingen-Hurst infinitesimal skin effect as negative was not sufficient to define short-time well behavior. For instance, acidized {but not acid fraced) and hydraulically fractured wells did not necessarily have the same behavior at early times, even though they might possess the same value of negative skin effect.

An Investigation of Wellbore Storage and Skin Effect in Unsteady Liquid Flow: I. Analytical Treatment

1970 ◽  
Vol 10 (03) ◽  
pp. 279-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ram G. Agarwal ◽  
Rafi Al-Hussainy ◽  
H.J. Ramey
Keyword(s):  
Skin Effect ◽  
Initial Period ◽  
Outer Boundary ◽  
Well Test ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Wellbore Storage ◽  
Straight Line ◽  
Pan American ◽  
Well Tests ◽  
Short Time

Agarwal, Ram G., Pan American Petroleum Corp. Tulsa, Okla., Pan American Petroleum Corp. Tulsa, Okla., Al-Hussainy, Rafi, Junior Members AIME, Mobil Research and Development Corp., Dallas, Tex., Ramey Jr., H.J., Member AIME, Stanford U. Stanford, Calif. Abstract Due to the cost of extended pressure-drawdownor buildup well tests and the possibility of acquisitionof additional information from well tests, the moderntrend has been toward development of well-testanalysis methods pertinent for short-time data."Short-time" data may be defined as pressureinformation obtained prior to the usual straight-lineportion of a well test. For some time there has been portion of a well test. For some time there has been a general belief that the factors affecting short-timedata are too complex for meaningful interpretations. Among these factors are wellbore storage, variousskin effects such as perforations, partial penetration, fractures of various types, the effect of a finiteformation thickness, and non-Darcy flow. A numberof recent publications have dealt with short-timewell-test analysis. The purpose of this paper isto present a fundamental study of the importance ofwellbore storage with a skin effect to short-timetransient flow. Results indicate that properinterpretations of short-time well-test data can bemade under favorable circumstances. Upon starting a test, well pressures appearcontrolled by wellbore storage entirely, and datacannot be interpreted to yield formation flowcapacity or skin effect. Data can be interpreted toyield the wellbore storage constant, however. Afteran initial period, a transition from wellbore storagecontrol to the usual straight line takes place. Dataobtained during this period can be interpreted toobtain formation flow capacity and skin effect incertain cases. One important result is that thesteady-state skin effect concept is invalid at veryshort times. Another important result is that thetime required to reach the usual straight line isnormally not affected significantly by a finite skineffect. Introduction Many practical factors favor short-duration welltesting. These include loss of revenue during shut-in, costs involved in measuring drawdown or buildupdata for extended periods, and limited availabilityof bottomhole-pressure bombs where it is necessaryto survey large numbers of wells. on the other hand, reservoir engineers are well aware of the desirabilityof running long-duration tests. The result is usuallya compromise, and not necessarily a satisfactoryone. This situation is a common dilemma for thefield engineers who must specify the details of specialwell tests and annual surveys, and interpret theresults. For this reason, much effort has been givento the analysis of short-time tests. The term"short-time" is used herein to indicate eitherdrawdown or buildup tests run for a period of timeinsufficient to reach the usual straight-line portions. Drawdown data taken before the traditional straight-lineportion are ever used in analysis of oil or gas portion are ever used in analysis of oil or gas well performance. Well files often contain well-testdata that were abandoned when it was realized thatthe straight line had not been reached. This situationis particularly odd when it is realized that earlydata are used commonly in other technologies whichemploy similar, or analogous, transient test. It is the objective of this study to investigatetechniques which may be used to interpret informationobtained form well tests at times prior to the normalstraight-line period. THEORY The problem to be considered is the classic oneof flow of a slightly compressible (small pressuregradients) fluid in an ideal radial flow system. Thatis, flow is perfectly radial to a well of radius rwin an isotropic medium, and gravitational forces areneglected. We will consider that the medium isinfinite in extent, since interest is focused on timesshort enough for outer boundary effects not to befelt at the well. SPEJ p. 279

Unsteady-State Pressure Distributions Created by a Well With a Single Horizontal Fracture, Partial Penetration, or Restricted Entry

1974 ◽  
Vol 14 (04) ◽  
pp. 413-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain C. Gringarten ◽  
Henry J. Ramey
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Solution ◽  
General Solution ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Principal Stress ◽  
Skin Effect ◽  
Vertical Fracture ◽  
Horizontal Fracture ◽  
Partial Penetration ◽  
Unsteady Behavior ◽  
Vertical Fractures

Abstract Although there have been many studies on unsteady behavior of wells with vertical fractures, and although there was at one time a controversy concerning the occurrence of horizontal or vertical fractures as a result of hydraulic fracturing, to date there bas been published no study of the unsteady behavior of a well containing a horizontal fracture. This is particularly surprising because such a study might have indicated significant differences between the performance of wells with horizontal fractures and those with vertical fractures. The purpose of this study was to fill that existing gap in knowledge of fractured-well behavior.An analytical solution was developed by means of the concept of instantaneous sources and Green's functions. The analytical solution modeled the behavior of constant-rate production from a well containing a single, horizontal fracture of finite thickness at any position within a producing interval in an infinitely large reservoir with impermeable upper and lower boundaries. This general solution also contained solutions for the cases ofa single, plane (zero thickness) horizontal fracture,partial penetration of the producing formation, andlimited flow entry throughout a producing interval. Although those are interesting solutions, the main purpose of this study was to investigate the horizontal fracture case. The analytical solution for this case was evaluated by computer to produce tables of dimensionless pressures vs dimensionless times sufficient for well-test analysis purposes. A careful analysis of the general solution for a horizontal fracture indicated the existence of four different flow periods. It appears that during the first period all production originates within the fracture, causing a typical storage-controlled period. This period is followed by a period of vertical, linear flow. There Then follows a transitional period, after which flow appears essentially radial. During the last period, the pressure is The same as that created by a line-source well with a skin effect. The skin effect is independent of time, but does depend upon the position of the pressure point It was found that there is a radius of influence beyond which flow is essentially radial for all times. Approximating solutions and appropriate time limits for approximate solutions were derived. Introduction Hydraulic fracturing has been used for improving well productivity for the last 20 years and is generally recognized as a major development in well-completion technology. There was considerable discussion in the early 1950's about the orientation and the number of fractures created by this type of well stimulation. It is now generally agreed that a vertical fracture will result if the least principal stress in the formation is horizontal, whereas a horizontal fracture will be created if the least principal stress is vertical. Further, data collected and reported by Zemanek et al. shows that hydraulic fracturing usually results in one vertical fracture, the plane of which includes the axis of the wellbore. This conclusion appears widely held today. Thus, most studies of the flow behavior for fractured wells consider vertical fractures only.However, the existence of horizontal fractures has been paved in some cases, and various authors have considered them. The steady-state behavior of horizontally fractured wells has been studied numerically by Hartsock and Warren. Their model assumed the reservoir to be homogeneous, of constant thickness, of anisotropic permeabilities, and completely penetrated by a well of small radius. A single, horizontal, symmetrical fracture of negligible thickness and finite conductivity was located at the center of the formation. Radial flow was assumed beyond a critical radius four times as large as be fracture radius, and there was no flow across the drainage radius. The only flow into the well itself was through the fracture. SPEJ P. 413^

Analysis of Short-Time Pressure Data Dominated by Wellbore Storage and Skin

1979 ◽  
Vol 31 (05) ◽  
pp. 623-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Garcia-Rivera ◽  
Rajagopal Raghavan
Keyword(s):  
Time Pressure ◽  
Pressure Data ◽  
Wellbore Storage ◽  
Short Time

Annulus Unloading Rates as Influenced by Wellbore Storage and Skin Effect

1972 ◽  
Vol 12 (05) ◽  
pp. 453-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry J. Ramey ◽  
Ram G. Agarwal
Keyword(s):  
Test Data ◽  
Skin Effect ◽  
Transient Flow ◽  
Test Problems ◽  
Well Test ◽  
Pressure Drops ◽  
Wellbore Storage ◽  
Unloading Rate ◽  
Short Time ◽  
Storage Type

Abstract The modern trend in well testing (buildup or drawdown) bas been toward acquisition and analysis of short-time data. Pressure data early in a test are usually distorted by several factors that mask the conventional straight line. Some of the factors are wellbore storage and various skin effects such as those due to perforations, partial penetration, non-Darcy flow, or well stimulation effects. Recently, Agarwal et al. presented a fundamental study of the importance of wellbore storage with a skin effect to short-time transient flow. This paper further extends the concept of analyzing short-time well test data to include solutions of certain drillstem test problems and of cases wherein the storage constant, CD, undergoes an abrupt change from one constant value to another. An example of the latter case is change in storage type from compression to liquid level variations when tubinghead pressure drops to atmospheric Arks production. The purpose of the present paper is to: production. The purpose of the present paper is to:present tabular and graphical results for the sandface flow rate, qsf, and the annulus unloading rate, qa, as a fraction of the constant surface rate, q, andillustrate several practical well test situations that require such a solution. Results include a range of values of the storage constant, CD, and the skin effect, s, useful for well test problems. problems. Annulus unloading or storage bas been shown to be an important physical effect that often controls early well test behavior. As a result of this study, it appears that interpretations of short-time well test data can be made with a greater reliability, and solutions to other storage-dominated problems can be obtained easily. Techniques presented in this paper should enable the users to analyze certain short-time well test data that could otherwise be regarded as useless. Introduction In a recent paper, Agarwal et al. presented a study of the importance of wellbore storage with a skin effect to short-time transient flow. They also presented an analytical expression for the fraction presented an analytical expression for the fraction of the constant surface rate, q, produced from the annulus Although the rigorous solution (inversion integral) and long- and short-time approximate forms were discussed, neither tabular nor graphical results ofdpwD the annulus unloading rate, CD, were given.dtD It now appears that such solutions are useful in certain drillstem test problems and in cases wherein the storage constant, CD, changes during a well test. An example is change in storage type from compression to liquid level change when tubinghead pressure drops to atmospheric during production. pressure drops to atmospheric during production. The purpose of this study is to (1) present tabular and graphical results for the sandface flow rate and the annulus unloading rate and (2) illustrate several practical well test situations that require the practical well test situations that require the solutions. THE CLASSIC WELLBORE STORAGE PROBLEM The problem to be considered is one of flow of a slightly compressible fluid in an ideal radial flow system. SPEJ P. 453

Using Real-Time Pressure Data for Well Placement Planning

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Parker ◽  
Robert N. Bradford ◽  
Laurence Ward Corbett ◽  
Robin Noel Heim ◽  
Christina Leigh Isakson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
Pressure Data ◽  
Well Placement

A Back Allocation Methodology to Estimate the Real-Time Flow and Assist Production Monitoring

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Chaves ◽  
Danielle Monteiro ◽  
Virgilio José Martins Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Input Data ◽  
Oil Field ◽  
Well Testing ◽  
Well Test ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Time Flow ◽  
Well Model ◽  
Operational Information ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Commingle production nodes are standard practice in the industry to combine multiple segments into one. This practice is adopted at the subsurface or surface to reduce costs, elements (e.g. pipes), and space. However, it leads to one problem: determine the rates of the single elements. This problem is recurrently solved in the platform scenario using the back allocation approach, where the total platform flowrate is used to obtain the individual wells’ flowrates. The wells’ flowrates are crucial to monitor, manage and make operational decisions in order to optimize field production. This work combined outflow (well and flowline) simulation, reservoir inflow, algorithms, and an optimization problem to calculate the wells’ flowrates and give a status about the current well state. Wells stated as unsuited indicates either the input data, the well model, or the well is behaving not as expected. The well status is valuable operational information that can be interpreted, for instance, to indicate the need for a new well testing, or as reliability rate for simulations run. The well flowrates are calculated considering three scenarios the probable, minimum and maximum. Real-time data is used as input data and production well test is used to tune and update well model and parameters routinely. The methodology was applied using a representative offshore oil field with 14 producing wells for two-years production time. The back allocation methodology showed robustness in all cases, labeling the wells properly, calculating the flowrates, and honoring the platform flowrate.

Low-Cost Measurement of Hydraulic Fracture Dimensions Using Pressure Data in Treatment and Observation Wells – A Workflow for Every Well

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kirby Nicholson ◽  
Robert C. Bachman ◽  
R. Yvonne Scherz ◽  
Robert V. Hawkes
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Hydraulic Fracture ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Pressure Data ◽  
Observation Well ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Fracture Length ◽  
Geometry Model ◽  
Observation Wells

Abstract Pressure and stage volume are the least expensive and most readily available data for diagnostic analysis of hydraulic fracturing operations. Case history data from the Midland Basin is used to demonstrate how high-quality, time-synchronized pressure measurements at a treatment and an offsetting shut-in producing well can provide the necessary input to calculate fracture geometries at both wells and estimate perforation cluster efficiency at the treatment well. No special wellbore monitoring equipment is required. In summary, the methods outlined in this paper quantifies fracture geometries as compared to the more general observations of Daneshy (2020) and Haustveit et al. (2020). Pressures collected in Diagnostic Fracture Injection Tests (DFITs), select toe-stage full-scale fracture treatments, and offset observation wells are used to demonstrate a simple workflow. The pressure data combined with Volume to First Response (Vfr) at the observation well is used to create a geometry model of fracture length, width, and height estimates at the treatment well as illustrated in Figure 1. The producing fracture length of the observation well is also determined. Pressure Transient Analysis (PTA) techniques, a Perkins-Kern-Nordgren (PKN) fracture propagation model and offset well Fracture Driven Interaction (FDI) pressures are used to quantify hydraulic fracture dimensions. The PTA-derived Farfield Fracture Extension Pressure, FFEP, concept was introduced in Nicholson et al. (2019) and is summarized in Appendix B of this paper. FFEP replaces Instantaneous Shut-In Pressure, ISIP, for use in net pressure calculations. FFEP is determined and utilized in both DFITs and full-scale fracture inter-stage fall-off data. The use of the Primary Pressure Derivative (PPD) to accurately identify FFEP simplifies and speeds up the analysis, allowing for real time treatment decisions. This new technique is called Rapid-PTA. Additionally, the plotted shape and gradient of the observation-well pressure response can identify whether FDI's are hydraulic or poroelastic before a fracture stage is completed and may be used to change stage volume on the fly. Figure 1Fracture Geometry Model with FDI Pressure Matching Case studies are presented showing the full workflow required to generate the fracture geometry model. The component inputs for the model are presented including a toe-stage DFIT, inter-stage pressure fall-off, and the FDI pressure build-up. We discuss how to optimize these hydraulic fractures in hindsight (look-back) and what might have been done in real time during the completion operations given this workflow and field-ready advanced data-handling capability. Hydraulic fracturing operations can be optimized in real time using new Rapid-PTA techniques for high quality pressure data collected on treating and observation wells. This process opens the door for more advanced geometry modeling and for rapid design changes to save costs and improve well productivity and ultimate recovery.

Controlled Frac Height Growth Technique to Avoid Contacting Water-Bearing Layer

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hashem Al-Obaid ◽  
Sultan A. Asel ◽  
Jon Hansen ◽  
Rio Wijaya
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Height Growth ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Stress Profile ◽  
Water Production ◽  
Tight Sandstone ◽  
Water Contact ◽  
Vertical Fracture ◽  
Vertical Growth ◽  
Water Zone

Abstract Many techniques have been used to model, diagnose and detect fracture dimension and propagation during hydraulic fracturing. Diagnosing fracture dimension growth vs time is of paramount importance to reach the desired geometry to maximize hydrocarbon production potential and prevent contacting undesired fluid zones. The study presented here describes a technique implemented to control vertical fracture growth in a tight sandstone formation being stimulated near a water zone. This gas well was completed vertically as openhole with Multi- Stage Fracturing (MSF). Pre-Fracturing diagnostic tests in combination with high-resolution temperature logs provided evidence of vertical fracture height growth downward toward water zone. Pre-fracturing flowback indicated water presence that was confirmed by lab test. Several actions were taken to mitigate fracture vertical growth during the placement of main treatment. An artificial barrier with proppant was placed in the lower zone of the reservoir before main fracturing execution. The rate and viscosity of fracturing fluids were also adjusted to control the net pressure aiming to enhance fracture length into the reservoir. The redesigned proppant fracturing job was placed into the formation as planned. Production results showed the effectiveness of the artificial lower barrier placed to prevent fracture vertical growth down into the water zone. Noise log consists of Sonic Noise Log (SNL) and High Precision Temperature (HPT) was performed. The log analysis indicated that two major fractures were initiated away from water-bearing zone with minimum water production. Additionally, in- situ minimum stress profile indicated no enough contrast between layers to help confine fracture into the targeted reservoir. Commercial gas production was achieved after applying this stimulation technique while keeping water production rate controlled within the desired range. The approach described in this paper to optimize gas production in tight formation with nearby water contact during hydraulic fracturing treatments has been applied with a significant improvement in well production. This will serve as reference for future intervention under same challenging completion conditions.

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