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Hydraulic Fracturing

18:10 Hours
Mike Smith
Carl Montgomery
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Sample Lesson
This course is structured in “15” one-to-two-hour elements. Because sections 3 through 7 utilize a case history to demonstrate hydraulic fracturing physics and techniques, they need to be taken in sequence to gain full benefit of the material. The course utilizes Excel spreadsheets to demonstrate the use and application of the various elements of the course using a simple 2-D fracture design.
Audience: For engineers currently in “field” or “operations” assignment
(or scheduled for field or operations assignment within two months of course date)

Course description: The course emphasizes the multi-disciplinary nature of hydraulic fracturing, covering the “Reservoir Engineering” aspects, integrated with the “Fracture Mechanics” aspects, and coupled with “Operational” considerations. This integration presents how to recognize opportunities for fracturing from shale and hard rock tight gas to offshore “frac-pack” completions, how to estimate required data for planning and preparing preliminary job designs, how to design, perform, and analyze pre-frac tests, and finally how to arrive at an “optimum” final design.

Learning objectives:
• Gain general knowledge in basic theory and application of hydraulic fracturing.
• How to recognize wells/formations as good fracture candidates.
• Develop step-by-step procedure for estimating variables and developing preliminary treatment design goals and pump schedule designs.
• How to use fracturing pressure analysis to “check” preliminary estimates and to develop a final design pump schedule.
• How to evaluate/select appropriate materials (fluid/proppant) for fracturing applications.
• How to combining all aspects of “fracturing” for fracture optimization.
• How to perform the critical field QC for good fracturing results.
Course content:

• Reservoir Engineering: Fundamental “Reservoir Engineering “aspects if hydraulic fracture design, predicting well performance improvement, etc.
• Rock mechanics: How in situ stresses are generated as a function of depth, reservoir pressure, and geologic structure. How is in situ stress measured?
• Fracture Mechanics: What are the major variables that control fracture geometry, and proppant placement? How do we recognize the critical parameters for a specific application?
• Fracture Pressure Analysis: How to design and then analyze pre-frac tests to measure critical design parameters, be that fluid loss, height growth, or other components
• Pump schedule: What are the different “types” of fracture pump schedules, and how & when fracturing pressure data defines the final design pump schedule?
• Materials: What are the important properties for fracturing materials (fluid/proppant) and how should these properties be weighted and evaluated for specific applications?

01-01 – Hydraulic Fracturing Introduction (18 min.)
01-02 – Course Objectives (12 min.)
01-03 – What is Hydraulic Fracturing? (20 min.)

02-01 – First Experimental and First Commercial Frac Treatments (27 min.)
02-02 – Treating Iron and Equipment Rig-Up (21 min.)
02-03 – Job Setup & Safety (39 min.)

03-01 – The Many Stresses/Pressures Experienced in Fracturing (11 min.)
03-02 – Stress Magnitude (14 min.)
03-03 – Effect of Geologic Structures (8 min.)
03-04 – Stress Logs and Borehole Breakouts (17 min.)
03-05 – Determination of Stress Differences (13 min.)
03-06 – Stress Measurements (8 min.)

04-01 – Variables Affecting Post -Frac Productivity (26 min.)
04-02 – Folds of Increase for Acid Fracturing (15 min.)
04-03 – Demonstration of Stress & Proppant Conductivity (Frac School 1 Problem) (9 min.)
04-04 – Frac School 1 Problem – Part 2 (3 min.)

05-01 – Fluid Selection – 4 Cases (14 min.)
05-02 – Basic Theory – Material Balance Equation (14 min.)
05-03 – Fracture Geometry and Net Pressure (6 min.)
05-04 – Apparent Toughness (9 min.)
05-05 – In-situ Stress variations vs Fracture height (9 min.)
05-06 – Lumped Pseudo 3D Model (7 min.)
05-07 – Sensitivity Problem Exercise and Results (17 min.)

06-01 – Fracture Height (29 min.)
06-02 – Frac School #1: Frac Geometry (5 min.)
06-03 – Modulus (16 min.)
06-04 – Fracschool #1 – Modulus Estimation (7 min.)
06-05 – Fluid Loss (26 min.)
06-06 – Frac School #1 – Fluid Loss Estimation (6 min.)
06-07 – KIc (6 min.)
06-08 – Fluid Viscosity (20 min.)
06-09 – Frac School #1 – Fluid Viscosity (2 min.)
06-10 – Pump Rate (10 min.)
06-11 – Frac School #1 – Pump Schedule (7 min.)

07-01 – Perfect Transport Fluids (19 min.)
07-02 – Tip Screen-out (TSO) Designs (12 min.)

08-01 – Pressure Analysis Workflow (14 min.)
08-02 – Micro-Frac Stress Tests (26 min.)
08-03 – Step-Rate Tests (27 min.)
08-04 – Frac School #1 – DFIT Injection-Decline Stress Test (13 min.)

09-01 – Bottomhole Treating Pressure (17 min.)
09-02 – Nolte-Smith Diagnostic Log-Log Net Pressure Plot (18 min.)
09-03 – Nolte-Smith Field Examples (3 min.)
09-04 – Interpreting Shut-In Pressure Decline (12 min.)
09-05 – Frac School #1 – Pressure Decline Analysis (22 min.)
09-06 – Minifrac Pressure Decline Analysis (11 min.)

10-01 – Importance of Conductivity (25 min.)
10-02 – Proppant Types (8 min.)
10-03 – Proppant Usage and API Standards (11 min.)
10-04 – Natural Frac Sands (25 min.)

11-01 – Fracturing Fluid Chemistry (16 min.)
11-02 – Guar & Guar Based Derivatives (22 min.)
11-03 – Other Gellant Chemical Structures (14 min.)
11-04 – Breakers (20 min.)
11-05 – Clay Control Agents (15 min.)

12-01 – Post-Frac Temperature Surveys (9 min.)
12-02 – Post-Frac Radioactive Tracers (19 min.)
12-03 – Micro Seismic Monitoring (24 min.)
12-04 – Chemical Tracers (6 min.)

13-01 – Normal Perforating Gun Questions (15 min.)
13-02 – Limited Entry and Perforation Erosion (9 min.)

14-01 – What Is Quality Control? (14 min.)
14-02 – Environmental Stewardship (39 min.)
14-03 – Post Frac Quality Control (5 min.)
14-04 – Fracturing Safety: There Are No Clowns (6 min.)

15-01 – Estimate Design Variables (17 min.)
15-02 – Fracturing Pressure Data & Pressure History Matching (20 min.)

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