Design and Appraisal of Hydraulic Fractures

Using an interdisciplinary approach, Design and Appraisal of Hydraulic Fracturesoffers a basic yet comprehensive introduction to the completion and reservoir engineering aspects of hydraulic fracture stimulation. The book is divided into three sections. Section 1 covers the design and placement of a hydraulic fracture stimulation; topics include the basics of the hydraulic fracturing process, stress issues, fracture geometry, controls on generated length and width, fluid and proppant selection, quality control, and quality assurance. Section 2 introduces the use of dynamic data to characterize the in-place hydraulic fracture, outlining the methods of pressure-transient analysis for both pressure-drawdown and pressure-buildup tests. The discussion includes effective wellbore radius, effective fracture half-length, equivalent skin, and their relationships; simulated and field examples illustrate the basic analysis procedure and many common pitfalls. The final section covers the prediction of long-term rate performance and recoverable volumes. Three approaches are discussed: rate-decline type curves, analytical and semianalytical methods, and numerical simulation. Essential elements are given for each and illustrated with field examples.