Practical Applications Of Dynamic Gas Pulse Loading Well Stimulation Techniques

In recent years there has been a great deal of interest in the use of propellants to generate high pressure gas pulses for fracturing hydrocarbon bearing formations. Mulch of the R&D effort in these Dynamic Gas Pulse Loading (DGPL) techniques has centered around their ability to induce multiple radial fractures in naturally fractured reservoirs, thereby greatly increasing the probability of intersecting fractures. Servo-Dynamics, Inc. has taken a somewhat broader approach to DGPL and through several thousand practical field applications, has also shown the process to be a valuable aid in the workover and completion of conventional cased-hole wells. By inducing multiple fractures with very limited vertical growth, DGPL has proven to he very effective in the breakdown of tight zones, overcoming skin damage, and stimulation of zones water, among other things. In most applications success rates of over 90% have been achieved, at times permitting the production of zones which-otherwise could not have been completed. Following a review of the state-of-the-art this paper presents the basic principals underlying DGPL stimulation, its strengths and weaknesses, and documents its effectiveness in various applications through case histories. Finally, basic guidelines are presented for evaluating if a well could benefit from a DGPL treatment.