The operator saw improvement in stimulation efficiency compared with performance two years prior, achieving a record-setting 142 stages at 20 stages per day.

In many countries, the increased demand for shale production continues to push the efficiency that a single fracture stimulation fleet can achieve. This was the case for YPF S.A., a majority state-owned energy company in Argentina that holds the largest upstream market share in the country’s Vaca Muerta Basin.

Unconventional production typically involves horizontal wells with multiple stages and perforations to enable maximum hydrocarbon flow to surface. For proper stimulation, a dedicated fleet of pump trucks delivers a precisely measured pressurized stream of fluid to each well.

Stimulation treatments were previously performed one well at a time, where all the stages in a single well were completed prior to moving to the next. To improve pad efficiency, stimulation jobs moved from single-well to zipper operations, in which a special manifold is used to quickly swap between wells using pumpdown perforating to prepare the next stage while the stimulation crew performs operations on other wells.

In many countries, the increased demand for shale production continues to push the efficiency that a single fracture stimulation fleet can achieve. This was the case for YPF S.A., a majority state-owned energy company in Argentina that holds the largest upstream market share in the country’s Vaca Muerta Basin.

Unconventional production typically involves horizontal wells with multiple stages and perforations to enable maximum hydrocarbon flow to surface. For proper stimulation, a dedicated fleet of pump trucks delivers a precisely measured pressurized stream of fluid to each well.

Stimulation treatments were previously performed one well at a time, where all the stages in a single well were completed prior to moving to the next. To improve pad efficiency, stimulation jobs moved from single-well to zipper operations, in which a special manifold is used to quickly swap between wells using pumpdown perforating to prepare the next stage while the stimulation crew performs operations on other wells.

An industry first in Argentina, the dual-fracturing technique was used to complete a group of four wells where 142 stages were pumped.
On the dual-fractured pads, YPF improved efficiency by an average 24% in stages completed per day when compared with other pads that year and a 67% improvement compared with overall performance two years earlier. A record-setting 20 stages per day was achieved using the dual-fracturing technique, along with a reduced carbon footprint. YPF plans to complete more pads using the dual-fracturing technique in the coming years.

An industry first in Argentina, the dual-fracturing technique was used to complete a group of four wells where 142 stages were pumped.
On the dual-fractured pads, YPF improved efficiency by an average 24% in stages completed per day when compared with other pads that year and a 67% improvement compared with overall performance two years earlier. A record-setting 20 stages per day was achieved using the dual-fracturing technique, along with a reduced carbon footprint. YPF plans to complete more pads using the dual-fracturing technique in the coming years.