Frac and Pack Stimulation: Application, Design, and Field Experience From the Gulf of Mexico to Borneo

Abstract

Abstract A relatively short, highly conductive fracture created in a reservoir of moderate to high permeability will breach near-wellbore damage, reduce the drawdown, near-wellbore flow velocity and stresses and increase the effective wellbore radius. Fracturing treatments in such reservoirs consist of two stages: 1) fracture creation, terminated by tip screen-out, and 2) fracture inflation and packing. Such a two-stage treatment is the basis of a number of new well completion methods, known as "Frac & Pack". This technique has been successfully applied for a range of fracture sizes in various reservoirs in many parts of the globe. The selection criteria for wells to be Frac & Packed are discussed. It is shown how an inflow-performance simulator can be used for assessing the potential of Frac & Packed wells, to identify the controlling factors and to optimize design parameters. It is shown that fracture conductivity is often the key to successful treatment. This conductivity is largely dependent on proppant size; formation permeability damage around the created fracture has less effect. The application of the overpressure-calibrated hydraulic fracture model in the design of Frac & Pack treatments and some operational considerations are illustrated with reference to field examples. The full potential of this promising new completion method will only be achieved if the design is tailored to the individual well. This demands high-quality input data that can only be obtained from a calibration test. This paper presents the strategy we have worked out for Frac & Pack design, with illustrations from field experience. Several areas which need to be addressed by the industry, such as proppant sizing in soft formations and fluid-resin interaction during use of resin-coated proppant, are identified.