COMPOSITE FRACTURING FLUID ENHANCES PROPPANT DISTRIBUTION

摘要

Comprising sandstone layers separated by carbonaceous and shaly siltstones, the Bone Spring Formation in the Permian Basin is primarily developed using horizontal wells with multiple fractures. For a particular well, Endeavor Energy Resources needed to maximize the proppant amount per foot of lateral while reducing the fracture face damage caused by polymer presence in the fracturing fluid. Slick water, while less damaging than other fluids, is an ineffective fluid transporter that leads to proppant settling on the fracture bottom close to the wellbore. Its use had led to poor fracture height coverage and limited the formation-to-fracture contact areas, which are essential for production in tight formations.