2012 INTERNATIONAL

Flowback, Soakback PRESENTATION

and Slowback:
an Unconventional Completion Process for Unconventional Reservoirs
CSUR, April 16 2014, R. Hawkes
 Acknowledgements

University of Alberta
Flowback, Soakback and Slowback, CSUR, April 16 2014, R. Hawkes

Natural Science and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC)

FMC Technologies
Trican Geological Solutions

Nexen Inc.
Encana
BC Oil and Gas Commission
 SPE Hydraulic Fracture Flowback Workshop
Nov 6-7, 2013

1. Shale Gas/Unconventional Development:

1/3 of wells are not economical
Flowback, Soakback and Slowback, CSUR, April 16 2014, R. Hawkes

1/3 of wells are marginally economical

1/3 of wells carry the economics of the field.

2. Natural fractures, shearing of laminations and imbibition

can take up to >90% of injected volumes, meaning less
than 10% could be in propped hydrofrac.

3. Fastback, Soakback, and Slowback, are terms used to

describe the different best practices in flowback
procedures throughout all shale and tight rock plays.
 Statement of the Problem

FASTBACK
Flowback, Soakback and Slowback, CSUR, April 16 2014, R. Hawkes

Frac Job Shut-In Production

Day/Month 1 2 5 10 - 365

???
SLOWBACK
SOAKBACK

Modified from SPE 166279

4
 Where did all the Frac water go?
Flowback, Soakback and Slowback, CSUR, April 16 2014, R. Hawkes

and what are the implications to long term production?

 Where did all the Frac water go?
Flowback, Soakback and Slowback, CSUR, April 16 2014, R. Hawkes

Water in propped fracture(s) represent ~ 5% of injected fluid

This implies that 95% of the fluid is either in the matrix,

the induced un-propped fractures and the wellbore

Mukul M. Sharma
The University of Texas at Austin
 Soakback

This talk will mainly focus on water-rock interactions

during shut-in period (soaking period):
Flowback, Soakback and Slowback, CSUR, April 16 2014, R. Hawkes

Can the effect of counter-current imbibition during

the extended (managed) shut-in lead to enhanced
gas/oil recovery.
 Functional Dependent Parameters

Spontaneous
Flowback, Soakback and Slowback, CSUR, April 16 2014, R. Hawkes

Imbibition

Clay Type
Soak
Time Osmosis

TOC

Swr

Rock Fabric

8
 Tight Oil Flowback, Rate Plots

Typical Tight Oil Well Flowback Data

Flowback, Soakback and Slowback, CSUR, April 16 2014, R. Hawkes

60
Water Rate
Gas Rate (m3/h) Water Rate

50 Oil Rate

40
(m3/h)

30

20

10

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Time (Hrs)
 Single and Two-Phase Regions

Typical Tight Oil Well Flowback Data

Flowback, Soakback and Slowback, CSUR, April 16 2014, R. Hawkes

60
Water Rate
No Oil Flow
Gas Rate (m3/h) Water Rate

50 Oil Rate

40
(m3/h)

30

20

10

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Time (Hrs)
 OWR for a Tight Oil Flowback

Typical Tight Oil Well, Oil Water Ratio (OWR)

Flowback, Soakback and Slowback, CSUR, April 16 2014, R. Hawkes

100
OWR (m3/hr/Mm3/d)

10

1 m=1

0
Unit slope shown for
reference indicating
fracture depletion
0
1 10 100 1000
Cumulative Oil Production (m3)
 Shale Gas Flowback, Rate Plots

Shale Gas Well Flowback Data

Flowback, Soakback and Slowback, CSUR, April 16 2014, R. Hawkes

30
Gas Rate (Mm3/d), Water Rate (m3/d)

!!Immediate Gas Breakthrough!! Gas Rate

25 Water Rate

20

15

10

0
0 100 200 300 400 500
Time(Hrs)
 GWR for a Shale Gas Flowback

Shale Gas Well, Gas Water Ratio (GWR)

Flowback, Soakback and Slowback, CSUR, April 16 2014, R. Hawkes

100
GWR (Mm3/d/m3/d)

10

mL=
1
slope shown for
reference indicating
fracture linear flow
0.1
10 100 1000 10000
Cumulative Gas Production (m3)
 GWR for a Tight Gas Flowback

Typical Tight Gas Well, Gas Water Ratio (GWR)

100
Flowback, Soakback and Slowback, CSUR, April 16 2014, R. Hawkes

Deviation from slope

GWR (Mm3/d/m3/h)

shown for reference

indicating fracture
depletion

10
mL=

1
1 10 100 1000
Cumulative Gas Production, GP (Mm3)