Costly, time-consuming traditional stimulation process

Goodrich Petroleum needed to improve efficiency in its Cotton Valley field in East Texas. The traditional stimulation process involved perforating the first interval, fracture stimulating the first interval, flowing the well overnight to clean it up, and setting a composite bridge plug (CBP) for isolation.

The process had to be repeated for each fracturing stage. After the last zone was fractured, a coiled tubing (CT) unit would drill out the CBPs to enable flowback. This method took 5 days and cost USD 255,000. Goodrich was looking for a more efficient procedure to reduce time and cost without sacrificing production.

Combining perforating and fracturing to improve efficiency

Goodrich selected the PerfFRAC combined perforating and fracturing service. This technology trimmed 4 days off the traditional 5-day technique and eliminated the need for CBPs and a CT unit. Using the PerfFRAC process, guns are run in the hole to perforate the first stage. While the first-stage fracturing job is being pumped, the guns are moved up the hole and positioned to shoot the holes for the second stage. hole and positioned to shoot the holes for the second stage. When first-stage stimulation is complete, ball sealers are pumped in the well to seal the first-stage perforations. As pressure begins to rise, the guns positioned at the second stage are fired. The process is repeated until all stages have been stimulated.

In addition to cost and time advantages, the PerfFRAC service also maximizes the potential of the reservoir. Production is increased through the precise stimulation of target zones, including pay zones that might have been bypassed with the traditional limited-entry approach involving a large number of intervals and high pump rates.

Increased EUR per well

The key benefit to using the PerfFRAC service was a 10% per well increase in EUR. Also, an additional 25,000 Mcf of gas per well was recovered over the first 180 days of production. This was a 22% increase as compared to wells completed using conventional methods. The PerfFRAC service saved Goodrich Petroleum more than 90 completion days over the 23 wells. The single pass stimulation of multiple zones and reduced CT milling were significant factors in the time savings. In addition to the time savings, a reduction in equipment on location helped Goodrich save 25% in total completion costs per well. Finally, reducing the gas-to-market time by 4 days per well resulted in 6 MMcf of additional instantaneous initial gas.

About the Contact family

PerfFRAC technology is part of the intervention category of the Contact four-category portfolio of staged fracturing and completion services. These technologies maximize reservoir contact by offering the most efficient and effective services for each well. The Contact intervention category enables multiple stages to be perforated/jetted, fractured, and isolated in one intervention. Contact services can be enhanced with real-time measurement options.