The Importance of Friction on Frac Economics - Real-Time Pipe Friction and Perforation Efficiency Optimization Using Surface Based Acoustic Measurements
presented by Michael Mullett with Seismos
Abstract
Poor perforation efficiency and excessively high treating pressures arise from subsurface problems that lead to increased pumping costs and cluster overcapitalization in the range of $400k/well upfront. This is before taking into account the lost reserves which in current designs can be worth in the range of $1 MM+ per well in lost NPV due to poor perforation efficiency and cluster uniformity based on empirical findings.
Historically, most technologies that offer a way to evaluate these issues have been either highly invasive, expensive, or unreliable which is why in 2022, Seismos, in conjunction with Hess, went about field testing a new acoustic based alternative that only requires high rate sensors located at the wellhead. Through 100+ wells, including those with bottomhole gauges, downhole imaging, and permanently cemented fiber, the acoustic friction analysis of rapid planned and unplanned rate changes (3 bpm+) was validated in its ability to deliver accurate real-time measurements of pipe friction and perforation friction - a crucial step towards the proper calculation of perforation efficiency and its time dependent counterpart, cluster uniformity.
The presentation will walk through these validations and specific use cases from various basins.
Biography
Michael Mullett holds a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering with a minor in Business from Louisiana State University. He has over 5 years of experience in completions operations between SLB and Seismos, conducting work in most basins across the Lower 48. Currently, he's an account manager on Seismos' upstream engineering team with primary regional focus on the Permian and Eagle Ford shale plays.