Methodologies and new user interfaces to optimize hydraulic fracturing design and evaluate fracturing performance for gas wells
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Date
2006-04-12
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Texas A&M University
Abstract
This thesis presents and develops efficient and effective methodologies for optimal
hydraulic fracture design and fracture performance evaluation. These methods
incorporate algorithms that simultaneously optimize all of the treatment parameters while
accounting for required constraints. Damage effects, such as closure stress, gel damage
and non-Darcy flow, are also considered in the optimal design and evaluation algorithms.
Two user-friendly program modules, which are active server page (ASP) based, were
developed to implement the utility of the methodologies. Case analysis was executed to
demonstrate the workflow of the two modules. Finally, to validate the results from the
two modules, results were compared to those from a 3D simulation program.
The main contributions of this work are:
An optimal fracture design methodology called unified fracture design (UFD)
is presented and damage effects are considered in the optimal design
calculation.
As a by-product of UFD, a fracture evaluation methodology is proposed to
conduct well stimulation performance evaluation. The approach is based on
calculating and comparing the actual dimensionless productivity index of
fractured wells with the benchmark which has been developed for optimized
production.
To implement the fracture design and evaluation methods, two web ASP
based user interfaces were developed; one is called Frac Design (Screening),
and the other is Frac Evaluation. Both modules are built to hold the following
features.
o Friendly web ASP based user interface o Minimum user input
o Proppant type and mesh size selection
o Damage effects consideration options
o Convenient on-line help.
Description
Keywords
Hydraulic Fracturing, Optimal Design