American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2022 - 62

SpecialReport: Permian Comeback Kings
per cluster (RPC) and corresponding
PDM for all stages, the results show that
among the stages with the same completion
design, operational issues appear to increase
risk to stimulation efficiency, leading
to a lower PDM value. There was a
strong positive correlation (0.61) between
PDM and RPC for stages on the Boxwood-4H,
and a consistent but weak positive
correlation (0.31) for stages on the
Boxwood-3H (the stages that encountered
operational issues were removed for correlation
calculations).
Higher RPC values (10-13 bpm/PC)
appear to improve SDE, especially for
stages with a higher number of PCs/stage.
All the stages on the Boxwood-3H and
4H wells were treated at an average rate
of 60-70 bpm, regardless of PC count.
The correlation between PDM and average
treatment rate per perf (RPP) is
shown in Figure 3. There is a weak negative
correlation (-0.30) between RPP
and PDM for the stages on the Boxwood-4H,
and an inconsistent and very
weak positive correlation (0.11) for the
stages on the Boxwood-3H. This statistical
analysis of HFP and SDE clearly shows
that RPC is a more effective metric and
design variable than RPP, which is more
commonly used in the industry.
Excessively high values of RPP (greater
than four bpm/perf) tend to produce
uneven proppant distribution, probably
because of erosional effects. If RPC was
not maintained at a certain level (greater
than 10 bpm/PC), the likelihood of uneven
proppant distribution increased dramatiFIGURE
3
Average Treatment RPP versus PDM
1.0
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
a) B4H
Stage isolation issue
62 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER
Mid-Stage shutdown
Reduced frac job size
4.00
Avg Treating Rate per Perf (bpm)
Weak negative correlation
5x20 (1)
p = -0.30
4.50
5.00
6x12 (3)
6x15, 2H3T (5)
6x18 (5)
6x24 (3)
9x18, 1H2M3T (3)
10x15, 1H2T (2)
10x20 (3)
1.0
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0
Very weak positive correlation
p = -0.11
5x20 (1)
6x12 (6)
6x15, 2H3T (4)
6x18 (4)
6x24 (2)
8x16 (2)
8x24 (2)
9x18 (1)
10x15, 1H2T (1)
2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 5.00 5.50 6.00
Avg Treating Rate per Perf (bpm)
b) B3H
cally. The stage configurations that created
low RPC while maintaining high RPP
did not show improved SDE. In addition,
no obvious effects of tapered PC schemes
or perforation orientation/phasing were
observed during the treatments of the
Boxwood-3H and 4H. Note that the completion
design for both wells was based
on 32-foot PC spacing, which was a fixed
variable associated with the fiber optic
clamping and protection system.
Production always provides the ultimate
assessment of SDE for different completion
designs, but no conventional production
logging was conducted in the
HFTS-2 project. To fill this gap, the DSS
data acquired during the production phase
of the Boxwood wells enables further
analysis of fracture property changes in
the near-wellbore region potentially associated
with SDE and longer-term production
performance.
Production Logging Test
To analyze near-wellbore frac property
changes, a unique FO-based well interference
and production logging test was
implemented on the HFTS-2 wells, inspired
by a proprietary procedure developed
by ConocoPhillips. The test was
executed on four Boxwood wells (1H,
2H, 3H, and 4H) and one Bitterroot well
(1H) by cycling between " open " and
" shut-in " for a few hours after an extended
period of stable production. Because the
FO cable was installed and operating reliably
on Boxwood-4H, this well was the
primary target for monitoring and FO
data acquisition during the test.
After overcoming several operational
challenges, the test was completed successfully,
and the data was collected as
planned. Through comprehensive analysis
of the DAS data and pressure gauge responses,
no identifiable well interference
was observed between Boxwood-4H and
the offset wells. The near-wellbore strain
change data acquired using a newly developed
FO technique was analyzed to
gain insights on time-dependent fracture
property changes when the Boxwood4H
was shut in or producing.
To confirm the test results, a second
FO sensing test was conducted approximately
seven months later with extended
shut-in time, offering a better opportunity
to confirm the well interference. Overall,
the test was executed similarly to the previous
test, with precautions to avoid unnecessary
facility shut-ins and automation
constraints. DSS-RFS data was acquired
on all three fiber wells, which enabled the
investigation of time-lapse fracture property
changes in the near-wellbore region.
DSS-RFS Interpretation
The analysis and interpretation of
DSS-RFS data acquired in the two FO
sensing tests can provide critical, highresolution
information for near-wellbore
fracture property changes after seven
months of production.
Since the entire FO cable on the Boxwood-4H
was fully operational during
the two tests, the analysis and interpretation
of DSS-RFS data are specific to
Proppant Distribution Metric
Proppant Distribution Metric
American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2022

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