September 2015

SHALETECH REPORT New technologies and best practices for shale refracturing

On a warm summer
evening in South
Texas, a Schlumberger
hydraulic fracturing
fleet works at an Eagle
Ford shale wellsite
south of San Antonio.
Image: Schlumberger.

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PUBLISHED IN SEPTEMBER 2015

 World Oil
Originally appeared in
SHALETECH REPORT
Flow-channel fracturing raises
production in the Eagle Ford
Deck
Byline
Body Copy
Studies in the Eagle Ford shale show that
flow-channel fracturing delivers gains in
oil and gas production and recovery while
reducing water and proppant usage.
JOHN THOMPSON and ALEJANDRO PEA, Schlumberger
In the five years since the industry first set its sights on the
Eagle Ford shale, the play has emerged as one of the worlds
most prolific oil- and gas-producing regions, with thousands
of horizontal wells now operating across a wide swath of South
Texas. Advances in hydraulic fracturing methods have been piv-
otal to this success. Among the most important innovations is
a hydraulic channel-fracturing technique that creates a network
of open channels, or pathways, inside the fracture, optimizing
connectivity to the reservoir and significantly improving frac-
ture conductivity while using less proppant and water.
The HiWAY flow-channel fracturing technique has proved
to be highly effective in unlocking the Eagle Ford, starting with
a single well in 2010 that is still producing today. That initial
success has since been repeated in more than 1,000 liquid- and
gas-producing wells in the Eagle Ford, which have provided well
production data for a unique and far-reaching study, conducted
More than 90% of fracturing operations currently performed by
Schlumberger in the Eagle Ford shale apply the HiWAY flow-
channel fracturing technique with the goal of increasing well
production, making more effective use of proppant and water.
Image: Schlumberger.
S4SEPTEMBER 2015/ShaleTech Report
SEPTEMBER 2015 issue, pg 4-7. Used with permission.
over a multi-year period. Findings document that wells stimu-
lated with this technique perform better than those stimulated
with conventional treatments short-term, and, more significant-
ly, over an extended period of time. The incremental produc-
tion, and the savings realized by the reduced use of water and
proppant, have translated into billions of dollars of enhanced
value for Eagle Ford operators.
Hydraulic fracturing relies on filling a fracture with prop-
pant, to create a continuous proppant pack. The proppant pack
stabilizes and holds the fracture open, providing a porous medi-
um through which hydrocarbons can flow, from the formation
to the well. The technique, which has been used by the industry
for decades, emerged from its niche about 20 years ago, when it
was adapted for multistage horizontal fracturing operations in
low-permeability reservoirs, such as shales and tight sandstone
and carbonate fields across North America.
Over the years, the industry has improved hydraulic fractur-
ing technology through the development of sophisticated, ro-
bust proppant materials and water-based fracturing fluids, from
low-viscosity (slickwater) to highly viscous, polymer-laden
cross-linked fluids and hybrid formulas. Fluid formulations are
tailored to promote proppant transport and placement through-
out the fractures that are induced hydraulically to render them
conductive for oil and gas. The introduction of chemical break-
ers further improved conductivity by decomposing molecular
structures that thicken the fluids and reduce the amount of resi-
due left in the fracture.
Despite these developments, significant technical opportu-
nities remain for stimulation treatments being pumped today,
for unconventional hydraulic fracturing operations. It has been
understood, and agreed by the industry, that only the effective
portion of the fracture (or stimulated reservoir volume) mat-
ters to production and well performance. Rigorous production
modeling exercises indicate that only 30% to 40% of the aver-
age hydraulic fracture length that is created contributes to pro-
duction, in most cases. Conventional fracturing treatments and
techniques have limited capacity to transport proppant across
the fractured networks. Most proppant accumulates near the
wellbore region. Many fractures that are open initially, beyond
the near-wellbore area, eventually close, due to lack of proppant
placed within. Also, as hydrocarbons are drained, closure pres-
sure on the fractures increases, and the effective conductivity of
the fractures diminishes as the proppant packs are compressed.
Recognition of those limitations led to the application in un-
conventional reservoirs of flow-channel fracturing, which is based
on the concept that proppant can be: a) transported more effec-
tively across the fractured network with the use of fibers; and b)
placed discontinuously, or intermittently, to engineer a network
of open channels within the proppant pack, itself. This technique
provides a highly conductive pathway for the flow of fluids, which

renders higher residual effective fracture conductivity over time.
The approach had been used previously to stimulate vertical wells
in conventional sandstone reservoirs, and to improve production
in vertical wells, in heterogeneous tight gas reservoirs.
ENHANCED TRANSPORT/NON-UNIFORM
PLACEMENT
In 2010, Schlumberger introduced the HiWAY flow-channel
fracturing technique, after five years of laboratory and field test-
ing for its qualification. Job execution and well performance
data, from thousands of wells worldwide, show that the ap-
proach results in average initial and long-term well productivity,
and flowing pressures that consistently meet or exceed those of
wells stimulated with conventional treatments. Experience also
shows that this technique contributes to a low occurrence of
near-wellbore screen-outs, or early job terminations, as it miti-
gates excessive accumulation of proppant in the near-wellbore
area, and enhances transport of proppant within the formation.
The flow-channel fracturing treatment fundamentally
changes the way proppant fractures generate conductivity by
promoting the formation of stable voids within the proppant
pack. These voids serve as highly conductive channels, for
transporting oil and gas throughout the fracture. Instead of
flowing through the proppant pack, the hydrocarbons move
through the channels, between pillars of proppant that are cre-
ated, resulting in an infinite degree of flow capacity.
The key to the techniques effectiveness is the use of non-
uniform proppant placement, achieved by implementing a
pumping protocol whereby proppant-laden fluid, or slugs, and
proppant-free fluid are delivered in alternating, short pulses.
Throughout the operation, degradable fibers are added to miti-
gate the dispersion of the proppant-filled pulses, as they move
throughout the surface equipment and casing, along the lateral
and throughout the fractures.
The fibers also strengthen the systems proppant-moving ca-
pacity, by transporting the proppant farther into the formation
and reducing its settling within the fracture, a phenomenon that
can result in narrow fracture width, and a reduction in the num-
ber and quality of the channels. This capability maintains the
heterogeneous placement of proppant and optimizes vertical
coverage of the fracture. Intermittent pumping of the proppant-
free and proppant-filled slugs also provides the dual benefit of
reducing the amount of proppant, and preventing proppant
from accumulating in the near-wellbore area, mitigating the risk
of screen-outs.
The introduction of the flow-channel fracturing technique
occurred at the same time as the Eagle Ford shale was starting
to be developed. The play sits in an Upper Cretaceous forma-
tion, which extends about 50 mi wide and 400 mi long, from the
Maverick basin and San Marcos Arch to the East Texas basin.
The region is geologically heterogeneous, with the northern
regions rich in liquids, while the section to the south features
predominantly gas reservoirs. The play is situated between the
Austin Chalk and the Buda limestone, and is the source rock for
the Austin Chalk, and East Texas oil and gas fields.
Shale depths range between 2,500 ft and 14,000 ft, with
thicknesses from 20 ft to 500 ft. The thickest section, in the
Maverick basin toward the U.S.-Mexico border, is defined by a
lower layer with a higher organic content, and an upper layer
that is not as porous and features higher calcite content sub-lay-
SHALETECH REPORT
ers. The predominantly calcareous formation has a carbonate
rock content greater than 70%, and clay content of about 10%.
FROM SLICKWATER TO FLOW-CHANNEL
FRACTURING
One of the earliest, and most active, production areas in the
Eagle Ford is Hawkville field, a predominantly limestone sec-
tion with 100 to 600 nanodarcy permeability and 7% to 10%
total porosity. Nearly all of the initial stimulation treatments
in the field were done with slickwater, with an average of 12
stages pumped per well. Each stage involved pumping at high
rates, typically 60 bbl-to-100 bbl/min., between 13,000 bbl and
18,000 bbl of low-viscosity fracturing fluid, and 200,000 lb to
400,000 lb of natural sands at concentrations of 0.5 lb to 3 lb of
proppant added per gal (ppa).
As laterals in the Eagle Ford became longer, operators began
implementing hybrid treatments, which delivered modest produc-
tion enhancement, but reduced fluid volumes per well significant-
ly over slickwater treatments. An average 16 stages per well were
stimulated, each stage requiring 6,500 bbl to 8,500 bbl of fluid, and
200,000 lb to 400,000 lb of natural sands at 0.5 ppa to 4 ppa.
The first application of the flow-channel fracturing technique
in the Eagle Ford shale was in October 2010, on a horizontal dry
gas well in Hawkville field, in LaSalle County near Cotulla, Texas
(well Heim 2H, API # 42-283-32314). In a comparison study,
with three offset wells stimulated with slickwater that were identi-
fied prior to the treatment of this well, as a reference for perfor-
mance, the flow-channel fractured well has demonstrated mark-
edly better production performance over a 4.5-year period, Fig. 1.
The subject well has rendered over 4 Bcf, whereas the refer-
ential offsets have rendered about 2.5 Bcf over such period. A
modeling study normalizing results from these wells over their
first six months of production rendered a 51% average increase
in output.1 Importantly, this well was treated with the lowest
amount of water, and with less proppant than one of the offsets.
50-WELL STUDY
Based on the success of the initial trials, a subsequent 50-well
comparative field study was launched, between October 2010
and February 2011, over a broader section of Hawkville field
encompassing LaSalle and McMullen counties. In this case, 30
Fig. 1. Cumulative gas production after a 4-year period of the
first horizontal flow-channel fractured well in the Eagle Ford
shale, compared with Offsets A, B and C. Image: Schlumberger,
data source Ref. 1 and IHS Enerdeq.
First horizontal well using HiWAY flow-channel fracturing
technique, Heim 2H, La Salle County, Texas, October 2010
4.5
4.0 Heim 2H
Offset A
3.5
Cumulative production, Bcf
Offset B
3.0
Offset C
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5
Time, years
World Oil/SEPTEMBER 2015S5
 SHALETECH REPORT

wells had been treated with a slickwater fracturing method, eight
had been completed with a hybrid method, and 12 wells were
stimulated, using the flow-channel fracturing technique. The
wells, a mix of dry gas and gas condensate, provided a statistically
significant representation of early production rates over a 90-day
period, and were later assessed over a one-year period, Fig. 2.
In both cases, the ratios of cumulative production per unit of
lateral length, fracturing fluid volume and proppant usage were
included, to take into account the relative effects of the comple-
tion and stimulation techniques. Throughout the study, average
production was consistently higher for the flow-channel frac-
tured wells, both when looking at overall production, and also
when the numbers are normalized by lateral length, and by the
amount of water and proppant usage.
For all completion techniques, a distribution of cumulative
production results was observed, for which the data were ana-
lyzed probabilistically. All samples exhibited good correlation
Fig. 2. Cumulative hydrocarbon production for 50 wells stimulated in Hawkville field.
Image: Schlumberger, data source Ref. 1 and IHS Enerdeq.
2 34% 91%
HiWAY technique
with a Gaussian log-normal distribution, as evidenced by rela-
tively good linear correlations in the log-probability plot shown
in Fig. 2 for one-year cumulative production. The progression of
datasets from left (slickwater) to middle (hybrid) to right (flow-
channel fracturing) indicates improved overall performance
by completion technique from worst to best, in that order. The
same trends were observed at 90 days.1 Importantly, the average
cumulative production at 90 days, for the wells completed with
the flow-channel fracturing technique, was 32% and 67% higher
than those of the datasets for hybrid and slickwater completions,
respectively. After one year, such differences had increased to
34% and 91%, respectively. Therefore, the flow-channel fractur-
ing technique mitigated production decline more effectively than
conventional techniques, leading to higher oil and gas recovery.
On average, the wells completed with the flow-channel frac-
turing technique required the least amount of proppant and wa-
ter, with respect to wells completed with conventional hybrid
or slickwater methods. The technique
enabled more efficient utilization of re-
sources for these hydraulic fracturing
operations.
1.8 Rigorous single-well modeling studies
1.6 HiWAY technique performed on Eagle Ford wells, includ-
Average cumulative production, Bcfe

5 Hybrid
Hybrid
10 Slickwater 1.4 Slickwater ing several wells from the studies referred
Cumulative probability

20 1.2 to above, show that enhanced effective

30
40
50
1.0 fracture half-length increases by more
60
70
0.8 than 30%, and fracture conductivity in-
32% 67%
80 0.6 creases by more than 40% with the use of
90 0.4 the flow-channel fracturing technique.2
95 0.2 These benefits are consistent with im-
98
0.0 proved proppant transport, due to the
0.1 0.5 1.0 2.0 3.0 90 days 1 year
1-year cumulative production, Bcfe use of fibers and heterogeneous proppant
placement, enabling a secondary, but
dominant, conductivity mechanism
Fig. 3. Plot showing widespread utilization of the HiWAY flow-channel fracturing technique
in the Eagle Ford. The amount of wells completed with the HiWAY technique in this
flow through open channels within the
shale play now numbers over 1,000 and shows increased production, with more efficient hydraulic fracture.3,4 With better prop-
utilization of water and proppant. Image: Schlumberger, data source IHS Enerdeq. pant distribution within the reservoir and
Eagle Ford Shale: Basin case study for HiWAY flow-channel fracturing technique much higher initial average conductivity,
Direct production comparison for
and with the same percentage of conduc-
HiWAY flow-channel fracturing technique
wells with 12 months of production required 32% less water volume and tivity reduction during the production
1,000 37% less proppant volume
HiWAY technique (621 wells) 10 period, output from wells fractured with
Average fluid and proppant volumes

Conventional (6,074 wells)

800
33%
9 HiWAY technique (621 wells)
8 Conventional (6,074 wells)
the flow-channel fracturing technique
per well, MMgal and MMlb

600 716 7 holds up longer, which generates better

Average boed

6 37%
537 38% 5 32% Guadalupe
Gonzales
long-term well performance, and oil and
400 460 5.4
4
4.9 Bexar Lavaca
gas recovery.
Kinney Uvalde 334 3 Medina
200 2 3.3 3.4
0
1
0
Wilson EXPANDING THE ANALYSIS
3 months 12 months Fluid volume Proppant volume The evaluation of the flow-channel
Atascosa DeWitt
Zavala Frio fracturing method has expanded into a
Maverick
field-wide study, to include production
Karnes
Goliad
performance and treatment size from
a public database that comprises more
LaSalle
than 11,000 horizontal wells between
Dimmit October 2010 and December 2014.
Live Oak
McMullen
One study involved a direct compari-
son of the best three-month barrels of oil
equivalent per day (B3 boed) and the best
Webb
HiWAY technique
5.3
12-month (B12 boed) production per-
Conventional
4.1 formance, on 621 flow-channel fractured
wells and 6,074 conventional wells, to
S6SEPTEMBER 2015/ShaleTech Report
 SHALETECH REPORT

assess both the short-term and long-term effectiveness of the flow- Fig. 4. Estimated 40% incremental production realized by
channel fracturing method, compared to conventional treatments. pumping HiWAY technique versus conventional treatments on
1,024 wells. Image: Schlumberger, data source IHS Enerdeq.
These are all the wells listed in the database with at least 12 months
of production. 50 MMboe incremental production in 3.75 years, due to
The flow-channel fractured wells outperformed the conven- implementation of flow-channel fracturing on 1,024 EFS wells
200
tional wells, short-term, by 33%, with an average 716 B3 boed, 180
160 HiWAY technique
as compared to an average 537 B3 boed. The flow-channel frac- 140 Conventional

Production, MMboe
tured wells also outperformed conventional wells in the long 120
term, averaging 460 B12 boed, 38% more than the conventional 100
80
wells, which averaged 334 B12 boed. In regard to water and 60
proppant utilization for the same sample, wells completed with 40
the flow-channel fracturing technique utilized 32% less water 20
0
and 37% less proppant than those completed using convention- Oct 2010 Feb 2011 Jun 2011 Oct 2011 Feb 2012 Jun 2012 Oct 2012 Feb 2013 Jun 2013 Oct 2013 Feb 2014 Jun 2014
al fracturing methods, Fig. 3. Dec 2010 Apr 2011 Aug 2011 Dec 2011 Apr 2012 Aug 2012 Dec 2012 Apr 2013 Aug 2013 Dec 2013 Apr 2014
A different type of analysis was conducted to highlight the Time, months
overall incremental impact that the flow-channel fracturing
method has on production and revenue. This study involved Fig. 5. Estimated water and proppant volumes saved on 1,146
1,024 HiWAY wells and 8,566 conventional wells over a 3-year HiWAY wells in 4-years would allow for an additional 564 to
730 HiWAY wells to be completed (based on water and proppant
period (October 2010 to June 2014). These included oil, gas con- saved, respectively). Image: Schlumberger, data source IHS
densate and dry gas wells. The year-on-year average production Enerdeq.
difference shows the flow-channel fracturing method performed
2.68 billion lb of proppant saved by implementing
40% better than conventional treatments. During this period, the flow-channel fracturing over the past 4.25 years
1,024 flow-channel fractured wells produced 176 MMboe. 8
Had these wells been treated conventionally, the estimated 7 HiWAY technique
cumulative production would have been 126 MMboe. This 6 Conventional
Proppant, billion lb

equates to an incremental 50 MMboe, due to the implementa- 5

tion of flow-channel fracturing. The incremental production 4
generated an additional $2.9 billion, or 37%, increase in gross 3
revenue$10.6 billion for flow-channel fractured treatments 2
versus $7.8 billion for conventional treatments, Fig. 4. 1
In a more extensive evaluation to assess water and proppant us- 0
age, Schlumberger looked at well data over a 4-year period, from Oct 2010 Apr 2011 Oct 2011 Apr 2012 Oct 2012 Apr 2013 Oct 2013 Apr 2014 Oct 2014
October 2010 through December 2014. Overall, flow-channel Jan 2011 Jul 2011 Jan 2012 Jul 2012 Jan 2013 Jul 2013 Jan 2014 Jul 2014 Dec 2014
Time, months
fractured wells used 39% less proppant and 33% less water com-
pared to conventionally-treated wells. This led to savings of 2.7 2.06 billion gal of water saved by implementing
billion lb of proppant and 2.1 billion gal of water on 1,146 flow- flow-channel fracturing over the past 4.25 years
7
channel fractured wells. The savings in fluid and proppant use al- HiWAY technique
6
lowed completion of 564 to 730 additional flow-channel fractured Conventional
5
wells from water and proppant savings, respectively, Fig. 5.
4
Water, billion gal

These Eagle Ford studies comparing the performance of flow-

channel fracturing with conventional stimulation methods pro-
vide a comprehensive and long-term analysis that goes far beyond
the scope of typical production performance studies. The in-
depth analysis paints a compelling picture, demonstrating the ef-
fectiveness of the flow-channel fracturing technique to optimize
reservoir connectivity and enhance both short- and long-term
production while reducing environmental footprint through re-
duction of proppant and water requirements.
The flow-channel fracturing method has expanded to other
unconventional U.S. and international shale plays, enabling the
use of local sands instead of more costly proppants for effective
well stimulation. The technique has also expanded to comprise
use of low and high viscous fluids that can be formulated with all
practical water sources.
REFERENCES
1. Rhein, T., et al, Channel fracturing in horizontal wellbores: The new edge of stimula-
tion techniques in the Eagle Ford formation, SPE paper 145403, SPE Annual Techni-
cal Conference and Exhibition, Oct. 30Nov. 2, 2011.
2. Altman, R., et al, Understanding the impact of channel fracturing in the Eagle Ford
shale through reservoir simulation, SPE paper 153728, SPE Latin American and
Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference, April 1618, 2012.
3
2
1
0
Oct 2010 Apr 2011 Oct 2011 Apr 2012 Oct 2012 Apr 2013 Oct 2013 Apr 2014 Oct 2014
Jan 2011 Jul 2011 Jan 2012 Jul 2012 Jan 2013 Jul 2013 Jan 2014 Jul 2014 Dec 2014
Time, months
3. Gillard, M., O. Medvedev, A. Pea, A. Medvedev, F. Peacorada, and E. dHuteau, A
new approach to generating fracture conductivity, SPE paper 135034, SPE Annual
Technical Conference and Exhibition, Sept. 2022, 2010.
4. Medvedev, A., K. Yudina, M.K. Panga, C. Kraemer, and A. Pea, On the mechanisms
of channel fracturing, SPE paper 163836, SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Conference, Feb.
46, 2013.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors thank Schlumberger and IHS Enerdeq for permission to publish this work.
They would also like to thank Chelsea Higgins, Rohann Jose, Andrew Acock, Li Fan,
Sijuola Odumabo, Garrett Lindsay, Anup Viswanathan, Raphael Altman, Chad Kraemer
and Dmitry Oussoltsev for their significant technical contributions to the Eagle Ford
case study referenced in this article.

World Oil/SEPTEMBER 2015S7

 JOHN THOMPSON is a technical advisor for
Schlumberger PetroTechnical Geoscience & Petroleum
Engineering Services in North America, based in
College Station, Texas. He has 30 years of industry
experience with production, completion, and
stimulation optimization in conventional and
unconventional reservoirs. Mr. Thompson has authored/
co-authored more than 20 technical publications in his career. His
focus in recent years has been on integrated reservoir projects in shale
basins, encompassing single-well to field-wide studies, to optimize
field development and maximize the value of the operations. Mr.
Thompson holds a BA degree in marketing and management from
Southwest Texas State University and a BS degree in petroleum
engineering from Texas A&M University.

DR. ALEJANDRO PEA is the integrated completion

services manager for Schlumberger, overseeing the
global development, integration and implementation of
well stimulation technologies. These include
breakthrough hydraulic fracturing technologies for
efficient and responsible recovery of hydrocarbons
from unconventional reservoirs. He previously held
operational, engineering and technology management positions with
Schlumberger in South and North America. Dr. Pea is an inventor with
nine granted patents, and he has authored 30 publications on
interfacial phenomena and reservoir stimulation technologies. He holds
a BS degree in chemical engineering from Universidad de Los Andes,
and earned his PhD in chemical engineering from Rice University in
Houston, Texas, where he attended as a J. W. Fulbright scholar.

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S8SEPTEMBER 2015/ShaleTech Report
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