Oriented perforations: A numerical model for fracture initiation pressure prediction in horizontal wells

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

1-1-2020

Abstract

During stimulation treatments, fracture initiation occurs at pressures between leak-off and breakdown pressures. While leak-off and breakdown pressures can easily be pointed out from pressure monitoring, fracture initiation pressure is not easily distinguishable. Accurate estimation of fracture initiation pressure is of great importance to stimulation engineers planning a fracture treatment, as it controls the number and capacity of the injection pumps necessary and is also a valuable input for computational modeling. A numerical model is used to derive correction factors for closed-form analytical approximations from the literature, which are used to evaluate fracture initiation pressures. Oriented perforation strategies were proposed in the past as a method of suppressing breakdown pressures and optimizing the orientation of the initiated fractures. In this study, a procedure for predicting the fracture initiation pressure is presented for specific in-situ stress conditions and orientation of fracture initiation (longitudinal or transverse to the wellbore). A case study is performed on geomechanical parameters from the Marcellus Shale, which is under strike-slip faulting stress state, for a horizontal well drilled parallel to the least compressive principal stress. The fracture initiation pressure and orientation are optimized for perforations on the side of the borehole, while for strike-slip faulting stress states, the preferred perforation alignment is on the top of the hole.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

54th U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium

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