A fracture treatment design optimization process to increase production and control proppant flowback for low-temperature, low-pressure reservoirs

As the pumping pressure is released at the end of a fracturing treatment, the proppant remains in the fractures, holding them open and forming conduits for fluid to flow into the wellbore. If the proppant flows back into the wellbore, the width of the fracture channels will decrease. The loss of proppant from the fractures limits the flow-channel conductivity, choking the production potential of the well and impairing the effectiveness of the fracture treatment. Resin-coated sands, oriented perforating, tip screen-out designs, and screens are just some of the technologies that have been applied in the past to overcome the aforementioned problem. For low-temperature, low-pressured reservoirs, the challenges increase because even small pressure drops or conductivity reductions can have a large influence on the final production results, and resin-coated sand will not cure effectively at temperatures below 130°F. This paper highlights how a proppant production problem was successfully overcome through the application of several technologies. Statistical analysis was used to help evaluate these technologies during the trial period, indicating that orientated perforating had a limited influence on the proppant flow-back, but a negative impact on production. However, with the help of a tip screen-out design and a newly developed proppant flow-back control additive, the proppant flow-back problem was overcome and production was improved. Copyright 2005, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc.