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Geomechanical Drivers of the (in)-Efficiencies of Multi-stage Hydraulic Fracturing
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, Second EAGE Workshop on Geomechanics and Energy, Oct 2015, cp-466-00005
- ISBN: 978-94-6282-161-3
Abstract
We discuss the impact of in-situ stress variations and near-wellbore geomechanical complexity on the efficiency of simultaneously initiating and propagating hydraulic fractures from a horizontal well. Such a multi-stage hydraulic fracturing technique is used routinely in the development of unconventional reservoirs in order to reduce operations costs. However, the resulting production rate from the different fractures along the well has been found to vary widely for a large number of different reservoirs. We show by numerical modeling of the multi-stage fracturing process that it is extremely difficult to properly balance the flow rate entering the different fractures stimulated at once during a pumping stage. It results that some fractures not only propagate further than others but also receive more proppant, both of which ultimately impacting the production rate of each fracture. Based on numerical modeling and field evidence, we argue that the reasons for such a poor efficiency of the fluid partitioning can be related to heterogeneities in both the in-situ stress field and the tortuous near-wellbore fracture path.