Application of High Strength Proppants In Relatively Shallow and Hard Formations

The use of high strength proppants in wells that are deeper than 15,000' is not new to the oil industry. Utilization of these expensive proppants; however, in shallow (+8400'), hard formation wells is new to the industry, especially in the West Texas area. Four wells in the Calvin (Dean) Field of Glasscock County, Texas are currently undergoing a comparison test. Two wells were fractured using 20/40 mesh sand while the other two wells were fractured using 20/40 mesh sintered bauxite. The justification to use bauxite in individual treatments, the preliminary results, and current well performances are discussed in this paper.