FracPacCompletions For Sand Control

Frac Pack Completions
for Sand Control Applications
For Internal Use Only
Production Under Radial Flow Conditions

Ideal case, radial flow
no formation damage
Real case, radial flow through a

near wellbore damaged region
PPwfwf
Pwf
Pi
Pi
2
Effects of Near Wellbore Damage

Undamaged well
Pi = 5000 psi
Perm = 500 md
Porosity = 20%
Production rate = 500
bpd 28 API Crude Oil
Pwf = 4930 psi (calc)
Damaged well
Pi = 5000 psi
Formation perm = 500 md
Damaged perm = 10 md
Porosity = 20%
Production rate = 500 bpd
28 API Crude Oil
Pwf = 3950 psi (calc)
What are the Causes of Sand Production?

Shear Failure Region
n
itio
d
on
C
ble
a
t
s
Stable Condition
Un
Cohesive
Failure
Tensile Failure
Tension
Pore Collapse
Failure
Shear
stress
Conditions under draw

down and production
Initial Conditions
Compression
Effective
normal
stress
Modes of Formation Failure

Cohesive Failure
Shear Failure
Occurs at rock phase when

the grain to grain contact
forces are exceeded
Formation is stressed
beyond its yield limit either
during drilling or under high
drawdown pressures.
Cyclic production
Tensile Failure
Very near wellbore at high
production rates
Tensile stresses applied by
exposure to heavy kill
fluids or completion fluids
(hydraulically induced
fractures)
Pore Collapse
Usually the final mode of
failure where the
compressive strength of
the formation is exceeded
Very weak or very depleted
reservoirs
Additional Modes of Failure

Capillary Pressure Changes
Introduction of water can reduce the capillary pressures
resulting in a change in formation stability.
Chemically weakening
Chemical attack on cementing materials within the
formation either by water, kill fluids or stimulation fluids.
Turbulent flow
In high permeability gas wells, turbulent flow in the near
wellbore will result in higher pressure losses and
increased sand mobility.
What can be done to effectively control sand

production without damaging productivity
of the well?
Minimize damage during drilling and completion
Minimize draw down during production
limit the production rate to control drawdown
eliminate or bypass the damaged region
Minimize the velocity at the formation face

Limit the production rate to control drawdown
Increase the effective flow area to the wellbore
FracPac Completions
A high conductivity fracture is extended
beyond the damaged region into the reservoir
The high conductivity fracture will bypass the
damaged region near the wellbore
A high conductivity path is created to the wellbore
FracPac Completions
Tip Screen Out (TSO) fracture designs
are used to:
Maximize the fracture width
Pack propping material into the created fracture
Tip Screen Out Fracture Design

A hydraulic fracture is initiated with an efficient fracturing
fluid such as HEC or a Cross Linked Borate Gel
Net Pressure Plot (Log Net Pvs Log Time)
10

Proppant-laden slurry is pumped into the fracture to fill
the fracture with slurry. At the point when proppant
reaches the tip of the fracture, length growth stops.
11

Pumping is continued after the tip screen out is initiated. During this time
the fracture length will be constant and the width will increase with net
pressure. The fracture is then filled and packed with proppant.

Tip screen out
initiated fracture
width increases
12

Pumping is continued after the tip screen out is initiated. During
this time the fracture length will be constant and the width will
increase with net pressure. The fracture is then filled and packed
with proppant.

Fracture is
packed and
pumping stops
13

The end result is a short, wide, very
conductive fracture which extends beyond the
near wellbore damage region.
Skin is reduced over conventional sand control
completions.
Fluid velocity at the formation face is distributed
over the fracture area and effectively reduced.
In laminated or layered formations, vertical
permeability is created to provide more effective
contact with the wellbore.
14
Returning to the Earlier Example

Undamaged well
70 psi draw down at 500
pbd
Frac pack completion

with a 30 ft fracture
bpd
bpd
Damaged well
1050 psi draw down at
500 bpd
15
Typical Concerns
Fracture penetration into water or gas baring
formations
Higher cost
Additional equipment and volume
requirements
Difficult to execute and control in very long
productive intervals and in very deviated wells
16
Multiple Fractures Long Intervals, Very

Deviated Walls
Note that the flow to the wellbore is

confined to radial flow which will
introduce a positive skin.
3-D
17
Alternatives to Frac Pack Completions

High-rate water packs
Acid pre-pack/high-rate water packs
Horizontal wells
18
High-Rate Water Packs

High-rate water packs are treatments using
ungelled or lightly gelled water pumped at high
rates to place sand into the perforation tunnels
and small created fractures.
This is often used as a pre-pack treatment to fill
and support the perforation tunnels
These treatments can also be conducted at
fracturing rates to create and pack small fractures
19

The use of inefficient or high leak off fluids
will restrict fracture growth to only the near
wellbore.
Downward growth into water or upward growth
into gas is minimized
Efficient perforation pre-packing can be
accomplished to support the perforation tunnels
Some fracture length can be created which can
by pass very near wellbore damage
20

The use of inefficient high leak off fluids will
also result in an expanded damaged zone
traveling ahead of the fractures.
Relatively large fluid volumes are used to create
very short fractures.
Small proppant quantities are placed relative
to the fluid volume injected.
Large volumes of fluid are leaked off into the
formation which can result in deep formation
damage extending away from the fracture face.
21
Frac pack vs. High-Rate Water Pack

Frac Pack Completion
Uses efficient fluid to
create fracture length,
place larger proppant
volumes and minimize
the depth of formation
damage
Leak off is filtercake
controlled
High-Rate Water Pack

Uses an inefficient fluid to
create very short
fractures and place
relatively small proppant
volumes.
Leak off is viscosity
controlled
22

Frac Pack
High-Rate
Water Pack
Propped Fracture
Damaged or fluid invaded region
23

By nature, due to the depth of fluid invasion and
the short fracture, high-rate water packs will
typically result in slightly higher skins than frac
pack treatments.
When are high-rate water packs recommended?
Cases where height growth can not be tolerated
Cases where there is only very shallow damage
Cases where there are small reserves in place
(length is not required and cost is a driver)
Highly deviated wells
24
Skin vs. Completion Type
25
Horizontal Wells
Horizontal wells provide an excellent means of
increasing the effective net pay helping to
minimize drawdown and fluid velocities.
Vertical wells are limited to the vertical height of
the reservoir
Horizontal drilling makes it possible to expose a
larger portion of the formation to the wellbore
26
Horizontal Wells
Some advantages of horizontal wells are as
follows:
The wellbore can be kept away from close water or
gas
Long intervals can be exposed
Some concerns with horizontal wells are:
Wellbore failure is a concern in weak formations

Vertical permeability is required
Drilling damage may be hard to clean up
Stimulation options are limited
27
Selecting the Best Completion

Reservoir and well information is analyzed
to help determine a technical ranking of
completion performance
The top 3 ranked completion types are then
fed into a reservoir model and an economic
comparison made
The best option is the one which has the
combined highest ranking
28
Reservoir and Well Properties

Permeability
vertical
horizontal
Porosity
Reservoir fluid
properties
Net height
Gross height
Rock properties
Wellbore deviation
Gas cap or bottom

water
Reservoir size
Formation damage
depth
Formation damage
mechanism
29
Spreadsheet Comparison
A
1
Reservoir Information
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Reservoir Fluid
Permeability (md)
Porosity %
Bottomhole Pressure (psi)
Depleted Reservoir? i.e. PPG < 0.3 psi/ft
Reservoir Fluid Viscosity (cP)
BottomHole Temperature (F)
Fluid Formation Factor (Bo or Bg)
Vertical to Horizontal Permeability Ratio
Connate Water Saturation
Reservoir Quality
15
Well Information
TVD to Top of Interval

Gross Interval Height (ft)
Deviation @ Zone
18 Leave blank if you are undecided
16
17
2
350
20
2000
No
2
4
140
0.8
0.01
35 %
Thin Bed/Laminated
3
Oil
FracPac
High Rate Water

Pack
Acid PrePack
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Weighting
4000
150
25
30
Acid PrePack
1%
High Rate Water Pack
27%
FracPac
71%
Reservoir Evaluation
Cumulative Production (Mscf or bbl/day)
2000
350000
1800
300000
250000
1400
1200
200000
1000
150000
800
600
100000
400
50000
200
0
0
0
10
Acid PrePack
15
20
Time (months)
FracPac
31
25
Acid PrePack
30
FracPac
Cumulative Production
Rate (bopd or Mscf/day)
1600
Economic Comparison
NPV
$4,500,000
$4,000,000
$3,500,000
$3,000,000
NPV
$2,500,000
$2,000,000
$1,500,000
$1,000,000
$500,000
$0
($500,000)
10
15
Tim e (m onths)
Acid PrePack
32
20
FracPac
25
30

FracPacCompletions For Sand Control

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FracPacCompletions For Sand Control

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Frac Pack Completions

for Sand Control Applications

For Internal Use Only

Production Under Radial Flow Conditions

Real case, radial flow through a

Effects of Near Wellbore Damage

For Internal Use Only

What are the Causes of Sand Production?

For Internal Use Only

Conditions under draw

Modes of Formation Failure

Occurs at rock phase when

For Internal Use Only

Additional Modes of Failure

For Internal Use Only

What can be done to effectively control sand

Minimize the velocity at the formation face

For Internal Use Only

For Internal Use Only

For Internal Use Only

Tip Screen Out Fracture Design

Net Pressure Plot (Log Net Pvs Log Time)

For Internal Use Only

Tip Screen Out Fracture Design

Net Pressure Plot (Log Net Pvs Log Time)

For Internal Use Only

Tip Screen Out Fracture Design

Net Pressure Plot (Log Net Pvs Log Time)

Tip Screen Out Fracture Design

Net Pressure Plot (Log Net Pvs Log Time)

Tip Screen Out Fracture Design

For Internal Use Only

Returning to the Earlier Example

Frac pack completion

For Internal Use Only

For Internal Use Only

Multiple Fractures Long Intervals, Very

Note that the flow to the wellbore is

For Internal Use Only

Alternatives to Frac Pack Completions

For Internal Use Only

High-Rate Water Packs

For Internal Use Only

High-Rate Water Packs

For Internal Use Only

High-Rate Water Packs

For Internal Use Only

Frac pack vs. High-Rate Water Pack

For Internal Use Only

High-Rate Water Pack

Frac pack vs. High-Rate Water Pack

For Internal Use Only

Frac pack vs. High-Rate Water Pack

Skin vs. Completion Type

For Internal Use Only

For Internal Use Only

Some concerns with horizontal wells are:

For Internal Use Only