Optimizing Completion Design for Delaware Basin Wells with Real-Time Performance Monitoring

Abstract

The performance of shale wells hinges significantly on the Stimulated Reservoir Volume (SRV) generated through hydraulic fracture operations, where the ratio of fluid to proppant per foot is critical for enhancing recovery. Shale well production rates are intricately tied to the Stimulated Rock Volume achieved during fracture treatments, with completion design also playing a pivotal role in optimizing SRV for individual wells. This paper concentrates on refining completion design for Delaware Basin wells by leveraging real-time performance monitoring. The objective is to enhance overall completion design effectiveness by dynamically adjusting injected fluid volumes based on continuous monitoring of well performance. In the initial completion design for the first well on the pad, a fluid volume of 50 bbl/ft was employed. However, despite monitoring the stimulated fracture surface area, no observed fracture hits during injection and post-stage fall-off analysis suggested the potential for improvement. This led to the hypothesis that increasing the injected fluid volume to 60 bbl/ft could be beneficial. The adjusted completion design, featuring an increased fluid volume, was implemented in the subsequent well. The stimulated surface area in these wells exceeded the initially calculated surface area in the first well, supporting the hypothesis that the increased fluid volume enhances fracture stimulation. Three months into production, the performance of the second well validated the optimized completion design. This well demonstrated higher production compared to the first, with an increase from 50 bbl/ft to 60 bbl/ft in injected fluid volume. This aligns with surface area estimations, providing tangible evidence of the advantages derived from optimizing completion design through real-time monitoring. These findings emphasize the significance of considering stimulated surface area in the design process and underscores the crucial role of real-time well performance prediction and the adaptive adjustment of completion design parameters in maximizing production efficiency in the Delaware Basin.