Optimization of Well Pad & Completion Design for Hydraulic Fracture Stimulation in Unconventional Reservoirs

Abstract

Abstract Reservoir stimulation by means of hydraulic fracturing has enhanced the production of hydrocarbons from shale. The latest methods concentrate on reducing the detrimental interference between fractures within the same well. The theory behind this is well understood, however the concept of constructive interference between fractures in adjacent wells is not so developed. In this paper, contemporary hydraulic fracturing techniques are numerically simulated to analyze both the rock and fluid mechanic effects on the generation of fractures within a reservoir. The techniques involve various geometrical patterns of well and fracture spacing, followed by methods of sequencing the different stages of stimulation. These methods aim to reduce the compressive stress normal to fractures and increase the size o f tensile regions between fractures in adjacent wells. To measure the performance of different methods, the simulated microseismic energy released is used to calculate the stimulated rock volume (SRV). Production profiles have been generated for several key hydraulic fracturing scenarios, with the results predominantly showing an optimum well spacing to exist.