A common well-completion configuration for shale-gas wells is a horizontal well with multiple transverse hydraulic fractures. This configuration is becoming common for tight gas reservoirs. Pressure-transient testing of this completion configuration has not been considered practical or useful because extracting completion parameters (e.g., fracture conductivity and fracture half-length) from the recorded response requires estimating the effective formation permeability. Estimating permeability directly from a buildup or drawdown test can be performed only if data from the radial-flow period, which reflects this parameter, are recorded. Unfortunately, for this completion configuration in a low-permeability reservoir, this flow period occurs only after extremely long shut-in or flowing times.
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