Case Study

HiWAY Technique Increases Production by 38%, Requires 32% Less Water and 37% Less Proppant

Published: 09/25/2015

Case Study

HiWAY Technique Increases Production by 38%, Requires 32% Less Water and 37% Less Proppant

Published: 09/25/2015

In a multipart study conducted over four years on Eagle Ford Shale wells, the HiWAY technique significantly reduced the amount of water and proppant needed during operations, performed better than conventional wells on average, and generated significant additional revenue.

$Image representing the 1,100 liquid and gas producing wells using the HiWAY flow-channel fracturing technique within the total 11,400 horizontal wells since October 2010$

Of the more than 11,400 horizontal wells in the Eagle Ford Shale, more than 1,100 liquid- and gas-producing wells have been completed using the HiWAY flow-channel fracturing technique (blue) since October 2010.

Chart comparison of left graph well production performance and right graph completion volumes for wells using the HiWAY technique

Based on a direct comparison of the production performance (left) and completion volumes (right), wells treated using the HiWAY technique outperformed conventional wells by 33% at three months and 38% at twelve months. On average, wells using the flow-channel fracturing technique used 32% less water volume and 37% less proppant volume.

A subsequent study using the best six months of data for each year estimated the production for 1,024 wells treated with the HiWAY technique had they been treated conventionally. In addition, a study of 1,146 wells treated using the HiWAY technique through December 2014 estimated water and proppant volumes had the wells been treated conventionally.

Graph showing increased revenue when using HiWAY technique vs conventional treatments

The HiWAY technique increased production from 1,024 wells by an estimated 40%, resulting in an estimated 37% increase in gross revenue (USD 2.9 billion) for operators in comparison with conventional treatments.

Graph showing savings of proppant when using HiWAY technique vs conventional treatments

The HiWAY technique saved 2.7 billion lbm of proppant on 1,146 wells, resulting in an estimated savings of 39% in comparison with conventional treatments—enough to complete an additional 730 wells treated using the HiWAY technique.

Graph showing savings of water using HiWAY technique vs conventional treatments

Water usage was reduced by 2.1 billion galUS on 1,146 wells using the HiWAY technique, saving an estimated 33% in water in comparison with conventional treatments—enough to complete an additional 564 wells treated using the HiWAY technique.

Location

Onshore

Details

Challenge: Evaluate production performance and treatment size of HiWAY flow-channel fracturing technique versus wells treated conventionally in the Eagle Ford Shale.

Solution: Conduct multipart study using data from the IHS Enerdeq (public data source) for more than 11,400 wells completed after October 2010 to understand the differences between wells treated conventionally and the more than 1,100 wells treated using the HiWAY technique, comparing

short-term and long-term production
incremental production and incremental revenue
overall proppant and water volumes

Results: Achieved significant benefits for wells treated using the HiWAY technique.

Outperformed conventional wells both short-term (33% at 90 days) and long-term (38% at one year), on average
Used 37% less proppant and 32% less water volume when compared with conventional treatments
Generated an estimated incremental 50 million bbl of oil equivalent or an additional USD 2.9 billion in gross revenue in 3.75 years from 1,024 Eagle Ford Shale wells treated using the HiWAY technique
Saved an estimated 2.7 billion lbm of proppant and 2.1 billion galUS of water in 4.25 years on 1,146 Eagle Ford Shale wells treated using the HiWAY technique

Products Used

Hiway Flex

Customizable flow-channel fracturing technology

Improve production with fewer materials and less carbon intensity for greater efficiency and safer operations.