8070 Miles from the Field to the Lab and Back: A Pragmatic Sequencing of Laboratory and Field-Based Fluid Testing and QAQC, A Case History from Sichuan Region, China
Authors: Casero A. , Gomaa A. , Ronderos J. , Cawiezel K. , Giffin W. J. 
Published: April 2021

The application of high viscosity friction reducers (HVFRs) in unconventional plays has steadily increased over the past years, not only as alternatives to conventional friction reducers (FRs) but also as a direct replacement for the use of guar-based fluids. HVFRs demonstrate more efficient proppant transport, due to their unique rheological properties, concurrently with a high friction reduction effect allowing higher pumping rates. However, all these benefits come with few critical limitations related to frac water quality, compatibility with other additives, and static proppant suspension, which makes them very similar to conventional crosslinked gels regarding their Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QAQC) requirements at a well location during the field implementation. This paper illustrates the comprehensive laboratory efforts undertaken to evaluate different HVFR and crosslinked gel products, their successful field application supported by a robust and effective field QAQC process, and the critical importance of maintaining effective field-laboratory-field interaction/cycle to optimize the fluid design and maximize the results.

Experimental studies on different products were conducted to measure the effect of frac water quality, HVFR loading, breaker loading, and compatibility with other additives used in the fluid recipe such as surfactants, scale inhibitors, and biocides. The ability of HVFR to suspend and transport proppant is not only a function of polymer loading but also highly influenced by fluid velocity as static and semi-dynamic proppant suspension tests demonstrate. Additionally, a full dynamic proppant transport test was also conducted using a multi-branched slot apparatus to simulate the flow inside a complex fracture network.

Field execution followed a strict QAQC protocol including water analysis, field laboratory tests, water filtration, mixing procedure, product storage, and transport allowing direct onsite replication of the results that had been previously obtained in the laboratory. Constant communication between the field and the laboratory allowed a successful execution of several treatments in a challenging shale play in the Sichuan Region, China. These treatments achieved record proppant placements and, just as importantly, they demonstrated repeatability and consistency over time; which had not previously been attained. Laboratory testing proved critical in confirming that product segregation was occurring, even if there was no visual observation of this phenomenon, which had resulted in initial difficulties in fluid quality and reliability. The presence of constant QAQC engineering support on location was instrumental in rapidly identifying the potential root cause(s) and efficiently and correctly applying the necessary corrective actions.

This paper will highlight the importance of laboratory testing, in order to design and optimize the fluid system. The paper will also demonstrate how critical the onsite QAQC is through actual examples of fluid optimization and field implementation. These two activities, although requiring a substantial resource commitment and effort, are both required to achieve successful execution.