Problem Statement:

The production from oil and gas wells is strongly affected by the network of fractures made in the reservoir by hydraulic fracturing and pre-existing natural fractures. Hydraulic and other boundary conditions often favor the predominant growth of one fracture at the expense of growing a number of fractures. This biasing worsens due to erosion of the perforations in the casing and surrounding materials. This nonuniform stimulation, substantially reduces the recovery of hydrocarbons. However, to date, the impact of erosion has often been neglected or under addressed. The consequences of sub-optimal hydraulic fracturing can be millions of dollars in operational expenditures compounded by even larger future losses associated with impaired recoveries and diminished reserves.

Proposed Solution:

The goal of this project is to develop an HPC solution to model perforation erosion and the resulting pressure drop. The model will require no additional experimental data besides material properties. The software will automate the calculation of erosion and flow characteristics, allowing for application in reservoir/hydraulic-fracturing simulators, with the end goal of optimizing fracturing treatments and diversion agent strategies. The software will be capable of exploring a wide variety of erosion scenarios and ultimately helping to select the best solution to optimize production.