First Openhole Hydraulic Fracturing Treatment Using Diverter Technology in India

This paper discusses the hydraulic fracturing (HF) treatment of a tight gas well owned by a major power service company in India. The objective was to perform a HF treatment on the openhole (OH) section to assess the reservoir potential for future development work. The success of this treatment could unlock the oil and gas reserves in this area of the country, which are estimated to be massive. The fracturing treatment of the tight gas reservoir was to be performed under these conditions for the first time in the area, so there was no previous information to help design the treatment nor predict the result. Injectivity and mini-frac tests were performed to analyze the reservoir properties before designing the final fracturing design and execution. One of the major challenges was to perform the fracturing treatment on an OH section under extremely strenuous operational deadlines, which eliminated the options of using any more suitable well completion methods. Thus, it was proposed to use a diverting agent in the fracturing treatment design to help maximize the stimulated reservoir volume (SRV) in the OH section. The objective was to create at least two to three multiple independent fractures in the OH section. The challenge was to manage the injection rates and deliver the diverter accurately to the bottomhole to create a bridge at the open fracture, isolate it, and initiate a new fracture. This paper discusses this process, and the the lessons learned during the treatment execution. In addition to the description above, the following issues had to be addressed before progressing to the primary fracturing treatment: heavy mud was in the wellbore and OH section, this was a low-permeability reservoir, operator’s Christmas tree pressure rating was low, this was a deep well with a long OH interval, there was an extremely short operational execution deadline, and this well’s close proximity to an adjacent well, leading to possible communication between the wells. This paper discusses the fracturing analyses performed to design the fracturing treatment, the ideologies used for performing the successful fracturing treatment using diverter technology, and the results achieved using this technique.