In their quest to drive greater efficiency and productivity from their well completions, operators have traditionally focused on measures to minimize the nonproductive time (NPT). But when it comes to understanding what makes one hydraulically fractured well a better producer than another, the industry needs another metric.
Seismos has developed an innovative, noninvasive controlled acoustic pulse technology that measures a novel metric known as the near-field connectivity index (NFCI). The company’s studies have shown that NFCI, which is a direct measurement of flow resistance in the near-wellbore region of a fractured well, is the best representative measure of per-stage production.
In a series of real-field examples, the company has shown that high and consistent NFCI values are the best indication of optimal production rates across a lateral. These studies also correlated how NFCI is impacted by a number of factors:
- The proximity of nearby wells, which introduce stresses during frac sequencing, might cause inflections in NFCI values that make them less consistent (i.e., vary in magnitude at different intervals along the lateral).
- The geology of the formation plays a key role. Naturally brittle formations tend to yield greater near-wellbore stimulation while more ductile formation exhibit lower NFCI values.
- The design of the completion is the one component that an operator can completely control. Studies suggest that adding a diverter or switching to an extremely limited entry design can raise NFCI values by 30% or more. However, these results are not universal—some basins may exhibit less dramatic increases, or even a decrease, in NFCI values depending on geology.
Learn more about how Seismos is using NFCI to advance the industry’s understanding of hydraulic fracturing operations in this white paper.
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