Robust Correlation Between Effective Energy Injected and Total Production Output: Unpacking the Significance

Abstract

Abstract Continuing from the previous publication (Navaiz et al. 2023) detailing the hydraulic fracturing energy system and energy transfer as fluid and proppant are pumped from the surface into formation. this paper focuses on the validating the importance of effective energy delivered to formation and its correlation to total productivity. Combining extensive in-house pumping data and well-production data available from the public domain, a two-dimensional approach cross-plotting total effective energy injected per unit area against production output shows a highly correlative positive relationship (R2>0.75) across several basins in North America. This strong relationship not only reinforces the value of this energy analysis concept in hydraulic fracturing established by the authors previously. It also validates the conservation of energy principle highlighting the usefulness of relating effective energy injected into formation to a direct increase in reservoir energy potential and therefore a greater potential for total productivity. With the unconventional oil and gas industry highly focused on capital efficiency, the effective energy metric enables near-instantaneous optimization of development costs rather than iterating on 6-month or 1-year production performance. Time and capital can then be invested in technologies and processes that maximize effective energy and resultant productivity or minimize energy losses in the system.