Hydraulic Fracture

Thi Qar University
College of Engineering
Oil and Gas Department
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
Supervisor :
Dr . Abduallah K. Okak
Petroleum Production II Dr. Abdullah K. Okab
Ph.D. Petroleum and Gas Engineering
OBJECTIVE WHAT WOULD WE LEARN IN THIS CLASS…
College of Engineering/ Petroleum and Gas Engineering Dep./ 3rd Class

• Hydraulic Fracturing Design • This chapter presents a brief description of
• Post- Frac evaluation hydraulic fracturing treatments covering formation
fracturing pressure, fracture geometry,
productivity of fractured wells, hydraulic fracturing
design, and post-frac evaluation
• We will learn from this chapter one of the ways to
SKILLS stimulate the oil wells is the method of hydraulic
Get a knowledge about fracturing.
Hydraulic Fracturing , its
geometry and design with
calculation EDUCATION
The role of a production engineer is to
maximize petroleum and gas production in a
cost-effective manner. Familiarization and
understanding of oil and gas production
systems are essential to the engineers.
2

Hydraulic fracture well stimulation was introduced in the early 1950s . Frac job costs
in certain situations may range upward to perhaps 100% of well drilling cost .
The objective of hydraulic fracturing :
- Increase hydrocarbon production rate
- Increase the reservoir economical life
- Increase reserves recovery
3
MECHANICS OF FRACTURING

1. In-situ stress
The magnitude and direction of the principal
stresses are important because they control the :
- pressure required to create and propagate a
fracture
- Shape and vertical extent of the fracture
- Direction of the fracture
2. young`s modulus
It is the ratio of stress to strain for uniaxial stress
3. Poisson`s ratio
Where :
It is the ratio of lateral expansion to longitudinal
𝜎𝑉 ∶ The vertical stress contraction
𝜎ℎ2 : The minimum horizontal stress
𝜎ℎ1 : The maximum horizontal stress
4
Fracturing treatment design process

Problem well
identification
Treatment Treatment Operational Scheduling

Treatment Site
result stimulation and
selection design preparation
prediction program logistics
Fluid selection
Proppant selection
Job
execution
5
Hydraulic Fracturing Design

Hydraulic fracturing designs are performed on the basis of parametric
studies to maximize net present values (NPVs) of the fractured wells.
A hydraulic fracturing design should follow the following procedure:
1. Selection of Fracturing Fluid

Fracturing fluid plays a vital role in hydraulic fracture treatment because it
controls the efficiencies of carrying proppant and filling in the fracture
pad.
Additives used in most liquids that must be taken into consideration :
 Clay stabilizer Breakers
Friction reduces Viscosity stabilizer
Gelling agents Surfactants
Crosslinkers Bactericides
6
2. Selection of Proppant

• Proppant : It material is used to prevent the created
fracture from closing on itself.
• Proppant must be selected on the basis of in situ stress
condition
• Major concerns are compressive strength and the effect of
stress on proppant permeability .
• For a vertical fracture , the compressive strength of the
proppant should be greater than the effective horizontal
stress
Ideal proppant characteristics
Crush resistant ( high strength )
 Slightly deformable
 Compatible with fluid systems
 Chemically resistant
 Readily available and Cost effective
7
3. Selection of Fracture Model

• An appropriate fracture propagation model is selected
for the formation characteristics and pressure behavior
on the basis of in situ stresses and laboratory tests.
• Generally, the model should be selected to match the
level of complexity required for the specific
application, quality and quantity of data, allocated
time to perform a design, and desired level of output.
• Many model have developed , foure types currently :
- Tow-dimensional (2D)
( PKN , KGD , RADIAL models )
- Pseudo three-dimensional (P-3D)
- Planar three-dimensional (PL-3D)
- Fully three-dimensional (3D)
8
3. Selection of Fracture Model

• Models determine fracture geometry by relating to

variables :
- Rock properties - Fluid volume pumped
- Fluid properties - Stress data
• Modeling with a planar 3D model can be time

consuming, whereas the results from a 2D model can
be simplistic.
• For instance, to simulate a short fracture to be
created in a thick sandstone, the KGD model may be
beneficial.
• To simulate a long fracture to be created in a
sandstone tightly bonded by strong overlaying and
underlaying shales, the PKN model is more
appropriate.
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4-The maximum treatment pressure

• The maximum treatment pressure is expected to occur when the formation is
broken down.
• The bottom-hole pressure is equal to the formation breakdown pressure 𝑃𝑏𝑑 and
the expected surface pressure can be calculated by:
Where :
-𝜌 : density of fluid , 𝑔Τ𝐶 𝑚3
• 𝑃𝑠𝑖 = 𝑃𝑏𝑑 − Δ𝑃ℎ + Δ𝑃𝑓 -q: injection rate , bbl/min
-𝜇 : fluid viscosity , cp
-D : tubing diameter , in
-L : tubing length , ft
where
518𝜌0⋅79 𝑞1.79 𝜇0⋅207 -𝑃𝑠𝑖 : surface injection pressure , psia
Δ𝑃𝑓 = 𝐿 -𝑃𝑏𝑑 : formation breakdown pressure , psia
1000 𝐷4.79
-𝛥𝑃ℎ : hydrostatic pressure drop, psia
-𝛥𝑃𝑓 : frictional pressure drop , psia
10
Example Problem

Predict the maximum expected surface injection pressure using the following additional data :
- Formation depth :10,000ft - Specific gravity of fracturing fluid : 1.2
- Viscosity of fracturing fluid :20 cp - Tubing inner diameter : 3.0 in
- Fluid injection rate : 10bpm - formation breakdown pressure : 6,600 psi
Solution :
Hydrostatic pressure drop :
Δ𝑃ℎ = (0.433)(1.2)(10,000) = 5,196 psi
Frictional pressure drop :
518𝜌0⋅79 𝑞1.79 𝜇0⋅207 518 1.2 0⋅79 10 1.79 20 0⋅207
Δ𝑃𝑓 = 𝐿 = (10,000) = 3,555 psi
1000 𝐷4.79 1000 3 4.79
Expected surface pressure
𝑃𝑠𝑖 = 𝑃𝑏𝑑 − Δ𝑃ℎ + Δ𝑃𝑓
= 6,600 – 5,196 + 3,555
= 4,959 psi
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5 – Selection of Treatment Size

• Treatment size is primarily defined by the fracture length.
• Fluid and proppant volumes are controlled by fracture length,injection
rate, and leak-off properties.
• A general statement can be made that the greater the propped
fracture length and greater the proppant volume, the greater the
production rate of the fractured well.
• Within these constraints, the optimum scale of treatment should be
ideally determined based on the maximum NPV.
12
5 – Selection of Treatment Size

Injection volume = Frac volume + Leak-off volume
f(Width , Height , Length) f(Time , Height , Length)
f(Young`s Modulus , Poisson`s ratio , Overpressure ) f(Fluid-loss coefficient)
f(Stress profile , overpressure )

Core
Logs
Field test
13
6 - Production forest and NPV Analyses

• The hydraulic fracturing design is finalized on the basis of production forecast
and NPV analyses.
• The information of the selected fracture half-length Xf and the calculated
fracture width W, together with formation permeability (K) and fracture
permeability (Kf ), can be used to predict the dimensionless fracture
conductivity FCD.
• Comparison of the production forecast for the fractured well and the
predicted production decline for the unstimulated well allows for calculations
of the annual incremental cumulative production for year n for an oil well:
𝑓 𝑛𝑓 Where :
Δ𝑁𝑃,𝑛 = Δ𝑁𝑃,𝑛 − Δ𝑁𝑃,𝑛 Δ𝑁𝑃,𝑛 : predicated annual incremental cumulative
production for year n
𝑓
Δ𝑁𝑃,𝑛 : forecasted annual cumulative production of
fractured well for year n
𝑛𝑓
Δ𝑁𝑃,𝑛 : predicted annual cumulative production of
nonfractured well for year n
14
Post-Frac Evaluation

Post-frac evaluation can be performed by pressure matching, pressure
transient data analysis, and other techniques including pumping radioactive
materials stages and running tracer logs, running production logging tools, and
conducting back-pressure and performing Nodal analysis.
15
References:

1. Petroleum Production Engineering , Elsevier
2. Production Operations 2 ,THOMAS O.ALAN and ALAN P.ROBERTS
Prepared by
‫البريد االلكتروني او رقم الهاتف‬ ‫السنة الدراسية‬ ‫البريد االلكتروني او رقم الهاتف‬
1. Sajjad Thear 2021/2022 1. engpe2e14@utq.edu.iq

2. Jafar Rabh Aeed 2. engpe2m8@uta.edu.iq
16

Hydraulic Fracture

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Thi Qar University

OBJECTIVE WHAT WOULD WE LEARN IN THIS CLASS…

College of Engineering/ Petroleum and Gas Engineering Dep./ 3rd Class

College of Engineering/ Petroleum and Gas Engineering Dep./ 3rd Class

College of Engineering/ Petroleum and Gas Engineering Dep./ 3rd Class

Fracturing treatment design process

College of Engineering/ Petroleum and Gas Engineering Dep./ 3rd Class

Treatment Treatment Operational Scheduling

Hydraulic Fracturing Design

College of Engineering/ Petroleum and Gas Engineering Dep./ 3rd Class

1. Selection of Fracturing Fluid

College of Engineering/ Petroleum and Gas Engineering Dep./ 3rd Class

3. Selection of Fracture Model

College of Engineering/ Petroleum and Gas Engineering Dep./ 3rd Class

3. Selection of Fracture Model

College of Engineering/ Petroleum and Gas Engineering Dep./ 3rd Class

• Modeling with a planar 3D model can be time

4-The maximum treatment pressure

College of Engineering/ Petroleum and Gas Engineering Dep./ 3rd Class

College of Engineering/ Petroleum and Gas Engineering Dep./ 3rd Class

5 – Selection of Treatment Size

College of Engineering/ Petroleum and Gas Engineering Dep./ 3rd Class

5 – Selection of Treatment Size

College of Engineering/ Petroleum and Gas Engineering Dep./ 3rd Class

f(Width , Height , Length) f(Time , Height , Length)

f(Young`s Modulus , Poisson`s ratio , Overpressure ) f(Fluid-loss coefficient)

f(Stress profile , overpressure )

6 - Production forest and NPV Analyses

College of Engineering/ Petroleum and Gas Engineering Dep./ 3rd Class

College of Engineering/ Petroleum and Gas Engineering Dep./ 3rd Class

College of Engineering/ Petroleum and Gas Engineering Dep./ 3rd Class

1. Sajjad Thear 2021/2022 1. engpe2e14@utq.edu.iq

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