Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Abstract
The emergence of accepted proppant conductivity testing
methods has led to much discussion about what is needed to
regain high conductivity levels, and several marketing campaigns have been based on these findings. The industry has
generally accepted the principle that delivering high conductivity levels in the fracture is key to achieving high production
levels. This paper does not refute this point, but modifies it.
This paper presents theory, laboratory data, and case histories indicating that high initial conductivity levels can only gain
high initial levels of potential or actual production. For sustained, high production levels, the proppant packs integrity
must be maintained. With time, most proppant packs are damaged by fines migration, gel clogging, and geochemical precipitation. These processes can be abated with various additives and
techniques. This paper discusses these techniques in detail and
shows case histories in which the techniques proved cost-effective in sustaining higher levels of production than those found in
comparable wells.
Introduction: What is Conductivity?
Conductivity is the capacity to flow reservoir fluids through
porous proppant media. Mathematically, conductivity is the
propped width times the effective proppant permeability. Thus,
propped width is the difference between permeability and conductivity. Today, propped width relates primarily to proppant
conductivity; not fracture conductivity.
Proppant conductivity and fracture conductivity are not
interchangeable.1 Proppant conductivity reflects the flow capacity of a specific amount of proppant in an API flow-test apparaReferences at the end of the paper.
SPE 52219
filling the pore spaces of the pack, or residual gel that has
adhered to the surface of the proppant grains. In either case, the
proppant-pack permeability and conductivity are reduced. By
design, breakers should eliminate the residue; however, conventional breakers in acceptable concentrations produce no significant increase in conductivity. Encapsulated breakers that can be
placed with the proppant also show no significant benefit.
Recently, a long-acting oxidizing breaker has proven effective in
increasing conductivity.5 However, laboratory conductivity studies indicate that a fluid system effect remains.
SPE 52219
SPE 52219
Case Histories
The following case histories show how an understanding of
fracture conductivity and techniques for changing this property
can enhance production.
Case History 1. This case history typifies Fruitland Coal production in La Plata County, Colorado. A well that was originally
completed in 1993 was treated with 100-mesh sand, reducing
leakoff into the coal cleat system. Operators thought this addition had severely reduced production. Thirteen months later, the
well received its first refracturing treatment. Table 1 shows a
chronology of the completion and workover history through
May 1998. This table illustrates the expenses typically associated with operating a coalbed methane well in the immediate
area. Eight pump changes and two refracturing treatments are
noted over the 5-year history.
In May 1998, the well was refractured for the third time (the
fourth fracturing treatment overall). In this treatment, 15,000 lb/
min of 40/70-mesh sand and 270,000 lbm of 12/20-mesh sand
were placed with 87,750 gal of a low-base, gel-loading, boratecrosslinked gel at 65 bbl/min. The 12/20-mesh sand was coated
with SMA. In the months following this refracture, the gasproduction rate peaked at 1,020 Mcf/D.
Fig. 8 details the wells last 2 years of production. The
flowline pressure is inserted to show the production-tobackpressure response.
Case History 2. The operator of a west Texas Clearfork field
used a low-base, gel-loading, borate-crosslinked gel fluid system in a multiple-well drilling program. Using the production
numbers supplied by the customer for comparison, the operator
had already significantly lowered costs and increased production revenue by an average of $31,600 per well per year by using
a low-base, gel-loading, borate-crosslinked gel system instead of
a conventional 35-lbm/Mgal borate system. Sand-flowback problems required the operator to hang the pump 600 ft above the top
perforation. Still, the operator had to clean sand out of the
wellbore five or six times per well to allow the pumps to be
lowered and more oil to be recovered. Rod pumps, eroded by
sand, had to be replaced. The operators average cleanout costs,
SPE 52219
References
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
SPE 52219
Completion
Pump change, refracture
Pump change, replace 1 joint of tubing
Pump change, replace 1 joint of tubing
Pump change, refracture
Pump change
Jun-95
Oct-95
Apr-96
Nov-96
Dec-96
Jun-97
May-98
Pump change
Pump change
Acidize
Acidize
Pump change
Refracture with SMA-coated proppant
A
B
A
B
A
B
A
B
A
7,006
2,335
11,579
12,682
8,083
6,522
2,536
2,438
6,704
7,157
41.5
50.9
19.4
13.8
36.5
11.9
36.9
35.2
8.2
49.3
1996
vs. 1997
1995
1997
SPE 52219
A
22
6,522
B
2,536
A
37
2,438
B
6,704
49
A
7,157
Most of the parent wells in this study were treated with extremely
large amounts of acid.
ccd01356
Fig. 1(Left) A Plexiglas model used to test proppant settling; (Top right) Untreated proppant grains fill the test
apparatus to a height of about 21 in.; (Bottom right) The same amount of proppant treated with SMA produces a height
of about 24 in.
SPE 52219
6,000
0.5% SMA
5,000
Conductivity (md/ft)
1.0% SMA
4,000
Base Line
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
ccd01357
Fig. 22 lbm/ft2 20/40-mesh Ottawa sand with SMA at 140F in fresh water (no gel effects).
2,500
1% SMA
Conductivity (md/ft)
2,000
1,500
0% SMA
1,000
500
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
Closure Stress (psi)
5,000
6,000
7,000
ccd01358
Fig. 32 lbm/ft2 20/40-mesh Ottawa sand with 25 lbm/Mgal guar borate fluid system at 140F, with and without SMA.
SPE 52219
No SMA
With SMA
ccd01359
Fig. 4The drawing on the left (30 angle of repose) shows a typical proppant bank after a rapid fracturing-fluid
cleanup. The drawing on the right (70 angle of repose) depicts a proppant bank that was treated with SMA under
similar conditions. For proppant flowback to occur, the condition on the left requires one-tenth the velocity
required by the condition on the right.
T = 25C
Ptot = 1 bar
m(Fe, total) = 10-6
m(S, total) = 10-6
m(CO3, total) = 1
+20
Fe3+
+1.4
+1.2
+1.0
+15
+0.8
+10
+0.6
pe
2O
Fe2+
+5
+0.4
Fe2O3
+0.2
Fe2O3
2O
Eh volt
-0.2
FeS2
-5
-0.4
FeCO3
-10
0
8
pH
Fe3O4
10
12
-0.6
14
om000006
Fig. 5Theoretical precipitation stability fields for iron species constrained to specific conditions of molar
concentrations of iron, sulfur, and carbonate. While these conditions can be confirmed through observation of a
species, the measurement of fluid properties such as Eh and pH can help predict the fluid equilibration paths that
will result from the introduction of a foreign fluid.
10
SPE 52219
om000007
Fig. 6Ceramic proppant grain recovered from a downhole bailer sample following a
postfracture production decline. The pore-filling texture is evidence of in-situ siderite
precipitation. In this case, the proppant grain is a nucleation site for the geochemical
precipitate.
ccd01080
SPE 52219
11
1,000
MCF/D
PSI
100
BWPD
Refracturing Treatment
May 1998
0
Jan 97 Mar 97 May 97 Jul 97 Sep 97 Nov 97 Jan 98 Mar 98 May 98 Jul 98 Sep 98 Nov 98
ccd01360
Fig. 8San Juan Basin Coal well production for past 2 years. The flowline pressure shows the productionto- backpressure response.
97
71
67
46
60%
29
11
40%
20%
19
0%
-9
-18
-20%
Track 4
Track 9
Track 26
Track 22
Track 37
ccd01361
Fig. 9Comparison of cumulative production and completion efficiency in five tracks in a west Texas
oilfield, serviced by two companies with different breaker/gel philosophies.