EQUIPMENT | SOFTWARE | LITERATURE

New hydraulic fracturing technique boosts well output

Recently released HiWAY flow-channel hydraulic fracturing technique helps maximize production and hydrocarbon recovery through the creation of open flow channels within the propped fracture.

The company says the method redefines hydraulic fracturing by removing the link between flow within the fracture and proppant pack conductivity.

In Argentina, for example, YPF SA employed HiWAY to restimulate and increase gas production from a late Jurassic Eolian reservoir. HiWAY reduced flowback times and improved effective fracture half-lengths and polymer recovery, resulting in increases in hydrocarbon production.

YPF said the average initial production rate for the wells treated with HiWAY was 53% higher than that of the offset wells treated using conventional fracturing techniques, Also, the hydrocarbon recovery per well is expected to increase by 15% over the next 10 years, YPF said.

HiWAY fundamentally changes the way fracture conductivity is generated. A combination of placement and completions techniques, fluid engineering and process control creates a complex network of stable channels within the fracture. The productivity of the fracture is decoupled from the actual permeability of the proppant used, so rather than flowing through the proppant pack, hydrocarbons flow through the highly conductive channels.

The channels extend from the wellbore to the tip of the fracture, allowing for longer effective fracture half-lengths and better fluid and polymer recovery.

The technique is available for hydraulic fracturing applications in competent rock for single and multilayer oil or gas wells.

Source: Schlumberger Ltd., 5599 San Felipe, Suite 100, 17th Floor, Houston, TX 77056.

Patent received for drillbit leaching process

Patent number 7,712,553 from the US Patent and Trademark Office has been issued for a process designed to selectively leach polycrystalline diamond compact drillbit cutters. The patent scope includes the US as well as patent cooperation treaty countries.

The process involves coating the entire PDC cutter with an acid-resistant film and removing the film from portions of the cutter where leaching is preferred. The cutter is then bathed in acid to remove the cobalt-catalyzing material.

The leaching process was invented to make the drillbit cutters more resistant to wear, but leaching the entire cutter face made it more susceptible to dynamic loading, the company notes.

The new patented process allows the firm to only leach the drilling edge of the cutter. This gives the cutter a wear-resistant edge where the cutter is doing the work, along with a more impact-resistant cutter face, the firm notes.

Source: Encore Bits LLC, 14902 Sommermeyer St., Suite 100, Houston, TX 77041.

New borehole receiver

A newly launched borehole receiver array is designed for low frequency (low frequency) and microseismic measurements.

The new 4.4 in. OD tool, which features six levels of high-sensitivity active receivers, has been designed for multiple downhole applications, including LF seismic surveys and microseismic monitoring projects. It is designed to be safely deployed and recovered on a tubing string in casing as small as 5.5 in. OD and in wells with temperatures of as high as 160o F.

The tool features:

• Broadband recording. It acquires three-component broadband measurements of 0.1-1,000 hz, allowing for low frequency and microseismic applications.

• High-sensitivity receivers. Active geophones capable of recording wave fields to –190 db are used in a multicomponent configuration to fully sample weak, ambient, or induced seismic activity.

• Multilevel array. The receiver array has six independent levels to facilitate source localization and directional analysis with adjustable vertical configurations.

• Deployment in deviated wells. A specially designed gimbaling mechanism allows for accurate measurements in boreholes that are deviated up to 24o.

• Safe deployment. The tool is fully self-contained and operates autonomously, with no cables running to the surface. All data are recorded and digitized downhole, using onboard power sufficient for up to 8 days of deployment.

Source: Spectraseis AG, Giessereistrasse 5, 8005 Zurich, Switzerland.

New long-range wi-fi offshore antenna

This Wi-Fi Quattro antenna is designed for offshore oil field operations.

Its big vertical aperture offers high quality beam and allows big hollows of swell. The firm says its antenna guarantees signal preservation in extreme conditions.