Pre-Frac Injection Test

(Mini Frac)
(Mohamed Salah)
What is the Mini Frac?
A relatively short duration pump-in or pump-ins, at or
near the main treatment rate, followed by a shut-in
period. This pump-in or pump-ins might incorporate
variable rates and could employ the same fluid
planned for the primary treatment.

Mohamed Salah
What Can be Learned From Mini Frac?
• Formation Closure Pressure
• Near Wellbore Restrictions
- Tortuosity
- Perforations
• Fracture Extension Pressure
• Net Pressure
• Fluid Leakoff and efficiency.
• Validity of Design

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Types of Pumping Mini Frac Tests

• Step-Up Rate Test

- Frac Extension pressure.
• Step-Down Rate Test
- Pipe Friction
- Perf friction loss & effectiveness of perf
- Tortuosity friction loss
• Pump-In/Shut-In Test (Fluid Efficiency)
- Fluid Efficiency
- leak-off coefficient
- fracture closure pressure
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1- Step up Rate Test

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1- Step up Rate Test

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1- Step up Rate Test

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2- Step Down Test

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2- Step Down Test

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3- Step Down Test
• Near Wellbore Restrictions
– Perforations
– Tortuosity
– Pipe Friction

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 Pipe Friction Estimates
1000
Water
Slick-water (FR)
20# Linear gel
40# gel
100
Gelled Oil
70Q N2 Foam
DP, psi/cft

Data calculated for

2-7/8” tubing

10
Pipe friction estimates can be made
from many models. The data above
come from a correlation.

1
1 10 100
Rate, bpm

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Pipe Friction Estimates

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Perforation Pressure Drop

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Perforation Pressure Drop

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Perforation Pressure Drop

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Perforation Restriction Causes a Large
Pressure Drop
• Perf friction
– Varies with rate^2
– Changes with sand injection
• CD change and perf rounding
• Diameter change and perf erosion

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 Perforation Pressure Drop
1.975q  f 2

Ppf  2 2 4
; psi
C N d
D p p
where
q = the total pump rate, bpm
f = the slurry density, g/cc
CD = the perforation coefficient
Np = the number of open perforations
dp = the perf diameter, inches

Perforation entry coefficients (CD ) have been estimated for various types of
perforators.
- Jet perforations have a reported entry coefficient of 0.75, compared to 0.85
for bullets. Mohamed Salah
 Near-Wellbore Pressure Loss

smin

Hydraulic Fractures Initiate and

continue perpendicular to the Least
Principle Rock Stresses.

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 Tortuosity

Least Principle
Rock Stresses
Rock Stresses
Greater Than
smin
the Least Principle
Rock Stresses

Fracture Initiation may not be Perpendicular to the

Actual Least Principle rock Stresses due to stress
changes which occurred during drilling.

A significant level of tortuosity during a fracture treatment greatly increases the

risk of having a premature screen-out due to proppant bridging in the tortuous
near-welbore region. Mohamed Salah
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 G-function derivative analysis
• Tool for interpretation of post-frac pressure decline
using a dimensionless function
• Extending the analysis through use of the first
derivative of BHP (dP/dG and GdP/dG)
• As in type-curve analysis, using the characteristic
shapes of the derivative curves to locate specific
modes of pressure decline

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Fluid Leakoff Types
The G-Function plots for four common leakoff
types, and the corresponding identification of
fracture closure pressure are described:

• Normal leak-off
• Tip Extension
• Height Recession
• Pressure Dependent Leakoff

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G-Function Pressure Falloff Analysis

dimensionless closure time

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 1- “Normal” Leakoff Behavior
The G-Function derivative (G dP/dG) lies on a straight line that passes through the origin.
The fracture closure point can be identified when the G-Function derivative (G dP/dG)
starts to deviate downward from the straight line. The time and pressure corresponding
to this point are identified.

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2- Pressure-Dependent (PDL) Leakoff
(the effects of natural and induced fractures and shear planes)

Closure
pressure

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 2- Pressure-Dependent Leakoff
• Pressure-dependent leakoff (PDL) indicates the existence of
secondary fractures intersecting the main fracture, and is identified
by a characteristic “hump” in the G- Function derivative that lies
above the straight line fit through the normal leakoff data.

• This hump indicates fluid is leaking off faster than expected for a
normal bi-wing fracture. The interception of secondary fractures,
which could be natural or induced, facilitates this additional leakoff
by providing a larger surface area exposed to the matrix.

• The end of the hump is identified as “fissure opening pressure”.

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 Implications of Multiple Fracture
• Increased Risk of Screenout
• Shorter and Narrower Fractures
• lower Net Pressures

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 Avoidance of Multiple
Fractures
• Reduce Perforated Length
• High Flow Rates During Fracture Initiation
• High Fluid Viscosity During Fracture Initiation
• Proppant Slugs
• Minimize Number of Perforations
• Increase PAD volume

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3- Fracture Height Recession

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 3- Fracture Height Recession
• The G-Function derivative G dP/dG can also fall below a straight line that
extrapolates through the normal leakoff data, exhibiting a concave up-trend.
This indicates fluid is leaking off slower than expected for a normal bi-wing
fracture.

• Fracture height recession occurs if the fracture propagates through adjoining

impermeable layers (above or below the pay zone) during injection.

• For fracture height recession, the leakoff rate is slower than the normal case.
Eventually, the fracture area in the impermeable layer starts closing (height
recession).
• Once the fracture height recedes to the edge of the permeable zone, the
entire area of the frac contributes to leak off, and a period of normal leakoff
ensues.

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 4- Fracture Tip Extension
2000 10500

1800 10300

1600 10100

1400 9900

1200 dP/dG 9700

GdP/dG
Derivatives

Pressure
Pressure
1000 9500

800 9300

600 9100

400 8900

200 8700

0 8500
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
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G-function
 4- Fracture Tip Extension
• Fracture tip extension occurs when a fracture continues to grow
even after injection is stopped and the well is shut-in.
• It is a phenomenon that occurs in very low permeability
reservoirs
• The characteristic signatures for a fracture tip extension are:
- Any straight line fit through the G-Function derivative
GdP/dG intersects the y – axis above the origin.
• Need adjustment of breaker concentration to facilitate the frac
fluid leak off

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