Operator tests new fracturing technique against slickwater

To increase production and improve efficiency in these tight wells, Schlumberger recommended testing the HiWAY technique against slickwater fracturing stimulation. A vertical pilot well was drilled, and ECS elemental capture spectroscopy sonde, CMR-Plus combinable magnetic resonance tool, and Sonic Scanner acoustic scanning platform data were used to model the hydraulic fracture simulations and eventually optimize the pump schedule. FracCADE fracturing design and evaluation software, Mangrove engineered stimulation design in the Petrel platform, Petrel E&P software platform, and Planar3D fracturing design simulator based on a planar 3D model were also used for running fracture modeling and simulations. To accurately measure the effectiveness of the HiWAY technique, the operator drilled, staged, and completed two similar laterals from the same surface location.

HiWAY technique improves fracture conductivity and overall production

The well fractured with the HiWAY technique flowed back naturally for the first 20 days, while the slickwater well required the use of an ESP. The final load recovery from the job using the HiWAY technique was about 33%, which was higher than slickwater load recovery of about 24.5%. In 65 days of production, the HiWAY technique increased normalized oil production 36% compared with the offset well. In addition, the HiWAY technique used 13% less fluid and 32% less proppant per stage. Due to these results, the operator decided to use the HiWAY technique in future wells to be drilled in Cline and Wolfcamp Shale of the Midland basin.