Well Testing

ENPE 509
Fall 2015
Lecture Notes#9
Well Test Interpretation in Hydraulically
Fracture Wells
Khalifa R. Mohammed Abdulsadek, PhD, P.Eng
END 204 J
Khalifa.Abdulsadek@ucalgray.ca
 Well Test Interpretation in Hydraulically Fracture Wells

Learning objectives:

Interpret pressure transient data in hydraulically fractured wells

identify specific flow patterns around hydraulically fractured wells
 Hydraulic Fracture
Goal of Hydraulic Fracture
Enhance the connection between a wellbore and the (producing)
reservoir by creating a Conductive flowpath

Motivation For Hydraulic Fracture

Fractures enlarge effective wellbore radius rw Enhance production from low permeability reservoirs
Fracture can increase Kh. Connect wellbore to natural fracture system in reservoir
Fracture can reduce skin More uniform depletion in layered reservoir
Reduce sand control problems
Pinnacle Technologies Training 2007 Mitigate drilling/cementing induced formation damage
Flow Patterns in Hydraulically Fractured Wells
Fracture linear flow:
Fracture linear flow is very short and may be masked by well bore-storage effects. During this flow period, most
of the fluid entering the well bore comes from fluid expansion in the fracture, and the flow pattern is
essentially linear. Because of its extremely short duration, the fracture-linear-flow period often is of no
practical use in well-test analysis.
 Flow Patterns in Hydraulically Fractured Wells
Bilinear Flow:
Bilinear flow evolves only in finite-conductivity fractures as fluid in the surrounding formation flows linearly into
the fracture and before fracture-tip effects begin to influence well behavior.

Fractures are considered to be finite conductivity when CrD < 100.

Most of the fluid entering the well bore during this flow period comes from the formation.
During the bilinear-flow period, bottomhole pressure (BHP), pwf is a linear function
of t on Cartesian coordinate paper. A log-log plot of (pi -pwf) as a function of time exhibits a slope of one
fourth. The pressure derivative also has a slope of one fourth during this same time period.
The bilinear-flow period depends on fracture conductivity as given by:
Flow Patterns in Hydraulically Fractured Wells
Formation-linear flow:

Formation linear flow occurs only in high conductivity (CrD> 100) fractures.
This period continues to a dimensionless time of tLfD=0.016.
On Cartesian coordinate paper, pwf is a linear function of t and a log-log plot of
both (pi - pwf) and the pressure derivative as a function of time exhibits a slope of
one half.

Elliptical flow:

Elliptical flow is a transitional flow period and occurs between a linear- or near-
linear-flow pattern at early times and a radial-or near-radial-flow pattern at late
times.
Infinite Conductivity and Uniform Flux Vertical Fracture
 Flow Patterns in Hydraulically Fractured Wells

Pseudoradial flow occurs with fractures of all conductivities. After a sufficiently long flow period, the fracture
appears to the reservoir as an expanded. At this time, the drainage pattern can be considered a circle for
practical purposes.
The larger the fracture conductivity, the later the development of an essentially radial drainage pattern. If the
fracture length is large relative to the drainage area, then boundary effects distort or entirely mask the
pseudoradial flow regime.

Pseudo radial flow begins at tLfD = 3 for high-conductivity fractures (CrD>100) and at slightly smaller values of tLfD for
lower values of CrD.
Specialized Methods for Post-Fracture Well-Test Analysis
The objectives of post-fracture pressure-transient-test analysis are as follows:

1. to assess the success of the fracture treatment and

2. to estimate the fracture half-length, fracture conductivity, and formation permeability.
Pseudoradial-Flow Method.

This method applies when a short, highly conductive fracture is created in a high-permeability formation
so that pseudoradial flow develops in a short time. The time required to achieve pseudoradial flow for an
infinitely conductive fracture (CrD >100) in either a flow test or a pressure-buildup test is estimated by

The beginning of pseudoradial flow is characterized by the flattening of the pressure derivative on a log-log
plot and by the start of a straight line on a semilog plot. In this case we can use the previous methods
discussed to define skin factor and permeability.

For a highly conductive fracture, skin factor is related to fracture half-length by:
Lf=2rwe-s
 Procedure for Analyzing Test Data from the
Pseudoradial-Flow Regime
Lee et al. recommend the following procedure for analyzing test data from the pseudoradial-flow regime.

1. For a drawdown test, make a semilog plot of pwf vs. log t. For a buildup test, make a semilog plot of pws vs. the
Horner time ratio. Use adjusted pressure for gas wells; for shut-in periods, use adjusted time.

2. Determine the position and slope, m, of the semilog straight line.

3. With m, calculate values of k and s (or s' for a gas well) with the appropriate equations from the Table in the following
slides..

4. Calculate the fracture half-length using: Lf=2rwe-s

Limitations

1. Impractically long test times to reach pseudoradial flow in tight formations

2. For gas wells, the apparent skin factor, s' , calculated from test data often affected by non-Darcy flow.

3. Applies only to highly conductive (CrD > 100) fractures.

Summary of Working Equations: Radial- or Pseudoradial
Flow Case
Summary of Working Equations: Radial- or Pseudoradial
Flow Case
Summary of Working Equations: Radial- or Pseudoradial
Flow Case
 Bilinear-Flow Method
Bilinear flow is indicated by a quarter-slope line on a log-log graph of (pi - pwf) vs. t for a constant-rate flow
test, or (pws - pwf) vs. Dte for a buildup test, with Agarwal's equivalent time function, Dte = Dt /(1 + Dt/tp).

The log-log plot of the pressure derivative will also have a quarter slope during this same time period.

Lee et al. recommend the following procedure for analyzing test data from the bilinear-flow regime.

1. For a constant-rate flow test, plot pwf vs. t on Cartesian coordinate paper. For a buildup test, plot pws vs. Dte
(or Dtea for a gas well test).
2. Determine the slope, mB, of the linear region of the plot.
3. From independent knowledge of k (e.g., from a prefracture well test), estimate the fracture conductivity, wfkf,
with mB and the relationship:

where m and ct evaluated at average pressure are used for a gas-well test.
 Finite Conductivity Vertical Fracture

The flow inside the fracture is no longer neglected, When the fracture effect dominates
and at early time we may observe a bilinear flow we may observe linear flow

The ratio kf.w/k.xf characterizes the bilinear flow This linear flow is later dominated by
radial flow
 Limitation of the Bilinear-Flow Method
1. Fracture half-length, cannot be estimated with this analysis technique.

2. In wells with low-conductivity fractures, wellbore storage frequently distorts early test data for a
sufficient length of time so that the quarter-slope line characteristic of bilinear flow may not appear on a
log-log plot of test data.

3. The greatest limitation is that an independent estimate of k is required, suggesting that prefracture well
tests should be conducted before fracturing the well to obtain independent estimates of formation
properties.
 Formation Linear-Flow Method
The linear-flow method applies to test data obtained during formation-linear flow in wells with high-conductivity
fractures (CrD >100). After well bore-storage effects have ended, formation-linear flow occurs up to a dimensionless
time of tLf D=0.016.

Formation-linear flow is modeled by This gives:

A log-log plot of pressure change versus time results in a straight line of a one-half slope and.

A log-log plot of pressure derivative versus time results in a straight line of a one-half slope. Equivalent time
function for build up is defined as (linear flow only):

Test conditions where only linear flow occurs are rare, and, consequently this equivalent time is infrequently used
for well-test analysis.
 Formation Linear-Flow Method Analysis
procedures and limitations.
Analysis procedures
Lee et al. recommend the following procedure for analyzing test data from the formation linear-flow regime.
1. For a constant-rate flow test, plot pw vs. t on Cartesian coordinate paper. For a buildup test, plot pws vs. te (or tae
for a gas well test).
2. Determine the slope, mL, of the linear region of the plot.
3. From independent knowledge of k (e.g., from a prefracture well test), estimate the fracture half-length, Lf, with the
appropriate equation for k Lf

Limitations
1. The method applies only for fractures with high conductivities.
2. Some or all of early data may be distorted by wellbore storage
3. Estimating fracture half-length requires an independent estimate of permeability, k, which suggests that a prefracture
well test should be conducted.
Formation Linear-Flow Method Working Equation
Type Curves for Fractured Vertical Wells
Gringarten-Ramey-Raghavan Type Curve
Application: for analysis of data from a constant-rate flow test.

Assumptions:
1. The fracture is infinitely conductive,
2. The well is centered in a square drainage area with no-flow boundaries,
3. The fracture has two equal length wings, and
4. Wellbore-storage effects are ignored.

Cinco-Ley et al.Type Curve

Applications: for analysis of data from a constant-rate flow test or a pressure buildup test.

Assumptions:
1. The fracture has finite conductivity that is uniform throughout the fracture,
2. The fracture has two equal-length wings, and
3. Wellbore-storage effects are ignored.
 Type Curves for Fractured Vertical Wells
Agarwal et al.s Type Curve

Application: for analyzing flow tests or long-term production data in wells produced at essentially constant
BHP.

Assumptions:
1. The fracture has finite conductivity that is uniform throughout the fracture
2. The fracture has two equal-length wings.

When a well produces at constant BHP, wellbore-storage effects (other than wellbore unloading immediately
after starting production from a previously shut-in well) are not present, so wellbore storage is not of concern in
analyzing test data for this case.
Barker-Ramey Type Curve

Application: to analyze constant-rate flow test or pressure-buildup test including wellbore-storage effects.
1. The fracture is infinitely conductive and,
2. The fracture has two equal-length wings.
Summary of Interpretation Procedures
Summary of Interpretation Procedures
Examples from Kappa Engineering
Examples from Kappa Engineering