Fracturing Aspects of Horizontal Wells
Authors: Soliman M.Y. , Hunt James L. , El Rabaa A.M. 
Published: December 2007

This paper discusses the main reservoir engineering and fracture mechanics aspects of fracturing horizontal wells. Specifically, the paper discusses fracture orientation with respect to a horizontal wellbore, locating a horizontal well to optimize fracture height, determining the optimum number of fractures intercepting a horizontal well, and the mechanism of fluid flow into a fractured horizontal well.

Introduction

Interest in horizontal well drilling and completions has increased during the last few years. The significant advances in drilling and monitoring technology have made it possible to drill, guide, and monitor horizontal holes, making horizontal drilling not only possible but also consistently successful. Most wells have been completed as drainholes. These drainholes have been used in primary production and in EOR.

Papers on drilling, completion, well testing, and increased production of horizontal vs. vertical wells have been presented in the petroleum literature. Many papers have dealt with steady-state production increase of horizontal wells over vertical wells Graphs and equations have been presented for calculating steady-state ratios for both fractured and unfractured wells. Ref. 2 provides a recent review of this technology. Other authors have studied the transient behavior of pressure response during a drawdown or a buildup of a drainhole. The literature lacks comprehensive studies on fracturing horizontal wells, and none of the studies cited above discussed this subject. Only Karcher et al. studied production increase caused by multiple fractures intercepting a horizontal hole. Using a numerical simulator, Karcher studied steady-state behavior of infinite-conductivity fractures.

Stability of horizontal holes during drilling is another important aspect of horizontal well technology. It has been found that the degree of stability of horizontal holes depends on the relative magnitude of the three principal stresses and the orientation of the wellbore with respect to the minimum horizontal stress.

Although productivity of horizontal wells could be two to five times higher than productivity of vertical wells, fracturing a horizontal well may further enhance its productivity, especially when formation permeability is low. Presence of shale streaks or low vertical permeability that impedes fluid flow in the vertical direction could make fracturing a horizontal well a necessity.

This paper discusses fracturing horizontal wells from both reservoir engineering and fracture mechanics points of view. Our goal is to shed some light on important aspects of fracturing horizontal wells.

Stress Magnitude and Orientation

The first parameter to be determined is the fracture orientation with respect to the wellbore. Because fractures are always perpendicular to the least principal stress, the questions actually concern wellbore- and stress-orientation measurements.

In what direction will induced fractures occur?

What is the anticipated fracture geometry?

What is the optimum length of the

perforation interval?

What is the optimum treatment size?

What are the expected fracturing pressures?

Data necessary for planning a fracturing treatment are the mechanical properties of the formation, the orientation and magnitude of the least principal stress, the variation in stresses above and below the target formaation, and the leakoff characteristics of the formation.

It is commonly accepted that, at depths usually encountered in the oil field, the least principal stress is a horizontal stress. It also can be shown that the induced fracture will be oriented perpendicular to the least principal stress. The result is that a fracture created by a treatment will be in a vertical plane. If the horizontal segment is drilled in the direction of the least stress, several vertical fractures may be spaced along its axis wherever perforations are present. This spacing is one of the design parameters to be selected. Usually, this is investigated with numerical simulators. If the horizontal segment is drilled perpendicular to the least stress, one vertical fracture will be created parallel to the well. Figs. 1 and 2 show fracture direction vs. well direction.

When the wellbore is not in one of these two major directions, several scenarios may occur, depending on the angle between the wellbore and the stress direction and on the perforation distribution and density.

JPT

P. 966⁁