Abstract
Abstract
Combination of horizontal wells and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing is a useful technique for improving well productivity of tight oil reservoirs. Hydraulic fracture spacing is a key parameter affecting the productivity of fractured horizontal wells. Recent studies have shown that fluid flow and stress shadow impact the fracture spacing, as well as the well productivity. However, current studies cannot handle the influence of both fluid flow and stress shadow. Therefore, in this work, a mathematical model to evaluate reasonable fracture spacing was developed including the effects of fluid transport and stress shadow. We first built a numerical model to predict the fractured horizontal well productivity considering the seeping field interference between hydraulic fractures. After that, fracture initiation pressure (FIP) model for staged fracturing in a horizontal well was proposed with the effect of stress shadow. Finally, we combine these two models to investigate the influence of seepage and stress shadow on the fracture spacing in fractured horizontal wells. Results show that seepage and stress shadow are important factors affecting the fracture spacing, and the optimal fracture spacing is 75 m considering the interference of the seepage field. When considering the influence of fracture initiation pressure during hydraulic fracturing, 40 m is the recommended fracture spacing. Coupling the interference of seepage field and stress field, a fracture spacing of 75 m is acceptable. This work provides a comprehensive approach to calculate reasonable horizontal well spacing, and helps operators to optimize well completions.
Article Highlights
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1.
An efficient model to evaluate the hydraulic fracture spacing is proposed considering the fluid transport and stress shadow.
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Considering induced stress, the fracture initiation pressure increases with the suppression of fracture spacing.
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Relationship between fracture initiation pressure and fracture spacing can indicate the reasonable fracture spacing.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the support provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52074248), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2652019105). We thank Liang Fu at Sinopec Research Institute of Petroleum Engineering and Fang Bo at Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development for their useful guidance.
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This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52074248), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2652019105).
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The study was designed by HZ, RL, JH and YZ. HZ performed the methodology and model validation. RL and JH discussed the results. HZ drafted the manuscript and YZ contributed to writing the paper.
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Zhao, H., Liu, R., Hu, J. et al. A Comprehensive Model to Evaluate Hydraulic Fracture Spacing Coupling with Fluid Transport and Stress Shadow in Tight Oil Reservoirs. Transp Porous Med 149, 205–228 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-022-01863-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-022-01863-8