Operator wanted to optimize well performance and operational footprint

The Haynesville shale is one of the largest natural gas fields in the world. However, with wellhead pressures reaching up to 15,000 psi, these shale wells present unique logistical and operational challenges. Pumping slickwater or hybrid fracturing treatments at these high rates requires a significant amount of horsepower on location. High treating pressures also demand more proppant and fluid than other unconventional plays.

This Haynesville operator wanted to reduce operational footprint and simplify logistics without comprising well productivity. Schlumberger proposed a field trial of HiWAY channel fracturing engineered specifically for the complex fracture networks found in shale plays.

Schlumberger applied HiWAY technology with zero screenouts

For adequate comparison, the operator and Schlumberger selected two well candidates with similar lengths and completion parameters drilled from the same pads as the offset wells. The conventional wells had been treated with slickwater followed by a conventional crosslinked fluid. Schlumberger applied a combination of slickwater stages and HiWAY stages. The operator placed all 29 stages without a single screenout.

Operator reduced fracturing footprint, increased long-term production

On average, the HiWAY wells used 47% less proppant and 26% less water than offset conventional wells. The savings eliminated 120 truck trips to the wellsite and 32,000 lbm of carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, the operator was able to reduce pump rates, which lowered horsepower requirements by 16%. Over the first 240 days of production, the HiWAY wells produced 6% more normalized gas than offset conventional wells.