Production optimization and economic analysis for hydraulic fracturing operations in tight oil wells

Abstract

A technical and economic analysis is done from simulations of propped hydraulic fracturing in low permeability reservoirs, as tight oil, in which the production from the well varies due to different well completion, each one is evaluated to determine the greatest economic performance. Working with a defined semi-integral system from the reservoir to the wellhead and focusing on well productivity; a method of analytic solution for diffusivity equation, alongside the nodal analysis method, and a multiphasic flow correlation for inclined tubing; allows estimating production on the wellhead. The cases studied demonstrate that hydraulic fracturing operations are very profitable before taxes, also, due to the high costs of these stimulation techniques, it is important to have an analytical tool that allows for a quick and precise evaluation of diverse scenarios, based on production analysis and its corresponding profit calculated by an economic analysis. This study could be adapted to analyze various tight oil reservoirs, providing results that justify investing in exploration and/or reactivation of them.

Keywords:

• analytical solution
• economic analysis
• historical matching
• hydraulic fracturing
• mathematical modeling
• numerical solution
• tight oil
• well stimulation

Additional information

Funding

We would like to thank the Fondo Sectorial SENER-CONACyT: Hidrocarburos, the IMP (Project Y.00106/Y.60002), and the IPN (Program COTEBAL), for the provided support.