Perforating Requirements For Fracture

Stimulation

Schlumberger Reservoir Completions

 Perforating
• Provides a means of communicating between wellbore and reservoir
• Fluid conduit between wellbore and fracture

Different Parameters (Fracturing or Matrix Stimulation)

• Size and type of gun
• Type of charge
• Shot density
• Shot phasing
• Interval length
• Gun orientation

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 Objectives

Perforating for fracturing should minimize:

• Near wellbore pressure drops (both during fracturing operations and

during production)
• Perforation friction
• Microannulus pinch points
• Multiple competing fractures
• Fracture tortuosity (caused by a curved fracture path)

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 Near Wellbore Microannulus Pinch
Points
Restriction Area

Wellbore

Channel to
Fracture Wings
Perforation

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 Near Wellbore Fracture Tortuosity
Fracture
Plane
at Infinity
Wellbore

Fracture Reorientation

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Two Additional Perforation Parameters Needs
Consideration

• Integrity of the cement/sandface bond

– A microannulus will normally be present
• Residual fractured sand grains in the perforation
cavity
– Can create a “filter cake” upon injection which will
increase the breakdown pressure

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 Microannulus
• Present after perforating and/or immediately after pumping
• Casing/cement OR cement/formation (more common)

Perforating
• Debonds a portion of the hydraulic bond
• Loading of the wellbore fluid during detonation (esp. gun
swelling)—except in dry gas
• Passage of jet and expulsion of gases into wellbore fluid

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 Block Tests

• A large quarried block of rock

• Stress frame applies confining loads
• Pore fluid through a bead pack
• Multiple phased perforations
• Sand production
• Hydraulic fracturing
• “A wellbore in the Lab”

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 Pore Pressure Fixture

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 Perforating Parameters Affecting Microannulus

Promotes Microannulus

Capsule Gun Yes

Hollow Carrier Gun Modest
Small Gun-to-Casing Clearance Yes
Liquid in Wellbore Yes
Low Shot Density No
Gas in Wellbore No

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 Disruption of Cement/Sandface Bond

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 Intact Perforated Wellbore Cement Sheaths

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 Hydraulic Cement-Sandface Bond
Versus Cement Integrity

• Observed loss of cement hydraulic bond

does not imply that the cement has been
shattered
• Hair line fractures from the perforation
tunnel through the cement have been
observed
• The cement will mimic the fracture in the
formation
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 Cement Integrity Shown From
Underbalance Test

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 Cement Sheath Fractures

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 Example Of Effect Of Fractured
Sand Grains In Perforation Tunnel
• Two identical EOB experiments
• Test 1: Underbalance perforating followed
by EOB surge
– Fracture created
• Test 2: Simultaneous perforation and EOB
– No fracture initiated
– Injectivity much less than productivity

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 Underbalance Perforation
Followed By EOB Surge

• Differential fracture pressure of

5770 psi
•No sand debris in perforation
tunnel

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 EOB During Perforating

• Differential fracture
pressure of 5740 psi
• No fractures
• Sand debris in perforation
tunnels

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 Test 2 Productivity and Injectivity
Time Differential Pressure Production Index Injection Index
(min) (psi) (cc/s/psi) (cc/s/psi)
0
41
142
148
0.255
0.243 • Decreasing
0 142 0.165 injectivity
10 150 0.095
with no
0 148 0.307
5 146 .0296 change in
10 299 0.275
20 300 0.267 productivity
0 143 0.146
6 148 0.091
12 313 0.08
16 280 0.057
20 464 0.053
28 436 0.038
33 589 0.04
41 617 0.03

19 Fracture 0 295 0.257

12/08/21
8 309 0.25
 Perforating Gun Trade Off, Vertical
Well, Not Oriented, No Microannulus
1=best, 3=worst

Gun Fracture Multiple Tortuosity Destroy

Phasing Initiation Fractures Cement
Pressure Bond

0º, 1 spf 3 1 3 1
180º, 1 spf 3 1 3 1
120º, 1.5 spf 2 2 2 2
60º, 3 spf 1 3 1 3
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 Bi-Wing Fracture

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 Perforating Gun Trade Off, Vertical
Well, Not Oriented, Microannulus
1=best, 4=worst
Gun Fracture Initiation Microannulus Multiple
Phasing Pressure Pinch Points Fractures

0º, 1 spf 3 4 1
180º, 1 spf 3 3 2
90º, 2 spf 2 3 3
120º, 1.5 spf 1 2 3
60º, 3 spf 1 1 4
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 Test 7—Orientation

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 High Rate Injection With Low Viscosity
Fluid
• Gives higher fracture initiation pressure
• Minimizes initiation of multiple fractures
• Same effect for high value of rate-times-
viscosity

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 Test 7—Torrey Buff Brine Injection
& Pore Pressures

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 Test 7—Initiation From Bottom N-E
Perforation

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 Test 7—Primary and Secondary Fractures

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 Test 7—S-W Perfs

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 Test 7-Top S-W Perfs

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 Low Injection Rate With Low
Viscosity Fluid
• Gives lower fracture initiation pressure
• Increases number of multiple fractures
• Same effect for low value of rate-times-
viscosity

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 Test 8—Torrey Buff Brine Injection
& Pore Pressures

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 Test 8—West End

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 Test 8—S-E Parallel Fractures

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 Deviated and Horizontal Wellbore - Vertical
Fracture
• Use oriented 180° phased guns
• Oriented in plane of minimum tangential
compressive stress or vertical up/down
• When PFP and vertical plane through the
wellbore approach 90°, then:
– Cluster perforations over short interval of
wellbore with very high shot density

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 Perforation Considerations
• Modest formation penetration sufficient
– Four to six inches
• Casing entrance hole diameter important
– Greater than 6 - 10 times maximum proppant diameter
– Limit perforation friction to about 25 psi
• Minimum SPF determined by casing hole diameter,
injection rate, fluid properties, and gun phasing
• Limit the interval for both deviated and vertical
wells
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Water Injection Rate Versus Perforation Diameter
10

9
Flow Rate/Perforation, bbl/min

5
25 psi pressure drop
4
50 psi pressure drop
3 100 psi pressure drop
2 200 psi pressure drop

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
Perforation Diameter, inch

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 Casing Hole Diameter Versus Water Clearance
0.70

0.60
Casing Hole Diameter, inch

0.50

0.40 2-1/2 Deep

Penetrator
0.30 2-1/2 Big Hole

0.20 3-3/8 Deep

Penetrator
0.10

0.00
0 0.5 1 1.5 2
Water Clearance, inch

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 FracPac, HRWP
With Screens
• Same as internal GP
• 60 phasing
• High shot density (12, 16, 21 spf)
• Minimal chances of multiple competing fractures
• Erosion of any microannulus
• TSO that packs back into GP
W/O GP Screens
• Eliminate non-essential perfs that could produce sand
• 0, 180° phasing and oriented
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 EOB
• Lab experiments and field studies did not show multiple
fractures from perforations
• Increased pressure requirement due to dynamic fracture
initiation, lower near-wellbore pore pressure, crushed debris
blocking pore throats
• Micro-annulus formation minimized
• Perforation requirements same as for no micro-annulus
condition

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