Successful Multi-Stage Hydraulic Fracturing of Openhole Horizontal Wells in Hassi Messaoud Oilfield

At present, hundreds of horizontal wells have been drilled in Hassi Messaoud counting for about one fourth of the field’s<br>output. Among these, several wells are underperforming and could not yield the expected production. Vertical and areal<br>permeability anisotropies, absence of natural fractures, severe heterogeneity, reservoir damage and wellbore instability are<br>the main factors to blame for poor productivity. To address the problem of poor vertical communication and get past the near<br>wellbore damage, hydraulic fracturing has been thought of as the best solution to improve productivity.