May 18, 2006


Description

Multiphase Non-Darcy Pressure Drop In Hydraulic Fracturing

Valhall, an offshore field in Norway, is a black oil reservoir producing mainly through multi-fractured (with proppant) horizontal wells.  The bottom hole flowing pressure is well below the bubble point and hence the fracture conductivity is significantly constrained by multiphase non-Darcy pressure drop losses.

 

Geertsma in 1974 was the first to propose a multiphase Beta (non-Darcy constant) correlation as a function of permeability, porosity (size) and saturation.  Recent testing to measure the non-Darcy pressure drop for multiphase flow in proppant packs was successful in verifying a strong relationship to saturation.

 

Three different proppant types with three different resins were tested in a conductivity cell under field conditions, for a proppant loading of 4 lb/ft2.  The proppant was placed in the cell using a 30 lb borate X-link fluid with encapsulated breaker for 24 hours to allow fluid break prior to conducting the flow tests.

 

The Geertsma type equation was used to match the laboratory data.  The equation constants (for permeability, porosity and saturation) for each proppant/resin type were delivered.  The non-Darcy correlations for each proppant were used in a numerical simulator to determine the pressure drop in the fracture and to quantify the effects on production rates.  This presentation highlights the importance of proppant size for optimizing fracture design for wells producing under multiphase flow.


Featured Speakers

Speaker Karen Olson

Completion Team Leader
BP Houston
Karen Olson is currently the Completion Team Lead in the New Developments Deepwater Gulf of Mexico team for bp.  She has worked in the oil industry for over 20 years.  Karen started her career working for the Western Company of NA in Bryan, Texas, then after receiving …

Completion Team Leader
BP Houston

Karen Olson is currently the Completion Team Lead in the New Developments Deepwater Gulf of Mexico team for bp.  She has worked in the oil industry for over 20 years.  Karen started her career working for the Western Company of NA in Bryan, Texas, then after receiving her Masters she worked for Mobil E&P for 14 years in places from West Texas, New Mexico, GoM to Trondheim Norway.  For the last 5 years she has been employed by bp working first in Stavanger Norway and now finally in Houston.


 


During her career she has been involved in trying to understand and optimize the productivity of both gas and oil wells.  She has a broad and diverse background of experience – Deepwater offshore and onshore environments, high temperatures, high pressures, waterfloods, subsea wells, horizontal wells, smart completions, high rate stimulations, Openhole Gravel Packs, Frac Paks and numerical completion modeling.


 


Karen has authored numerous technical papers and is recognized by her industry peers.  Karen received her Masters in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M in 1987 and BS Degree in Petroleum Engineering from LSU in 1983.

Full Description



Organizer

David Flores


Date and Time

Thu, May 18, 2006

11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
(GMT-0600) US/Central

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Location

Greenspoint Club

16925 North Chase
Houston, Texas 77060
US