Paper: The Impact of Natural Fractures in Hydraulic Fracturing of Tight Gas Sands

The presence of natural fractures in hydraulic fracturing candidates can present an array of well completion
problems. Natural fractures can be very difficult if not impossible to model without adequate pre-job diagnostic
testing to calibrate simulation. Left undetected natural fractures can cause premature screen-out as well as gel damage. In tight gas sand formations, natural fractures can be the predominate production mechanism in the reservoir. If polymer residue is left in the natural fractures after drilling, stimulation or work-over, a substantial amount of potential production may be left behind. Often this type of damage may be documented by the sheer fact that production may decrease after these types of operations.mTechniques have been perfected to determine the impact on leakoff due to natural fractures. In many cases production may exceed the predictive capability of production simulators without the introduction of permeability numbers that might be considered high for that area. This could lead one to believe that some portion of the production is dominated by natural fractures. A better understanding this type of leakoff could help in the development of methods to predict production results or economics of a well based on pre-job testing. It is the intention of this paper to discuss methodology to predict the presence of natural fractures and show key considerations when trying to simulate their behavior. This paper will also investigate damage mechanisms and describe methods that may be used to help minimize their impact.