This course will begin with a brief introduction to frac packing and how it evolved into the standard completion for cased hole sand control. Participants will review the fundamentals of fracturing with a detailed discussion of defined terms that are used in both hard rock and soft rock fracturing; these terms have specific meaning in the context of frac-pack environments, but are different within the hard rock fracturing community.

A workflow will be presented that will aid participants in being able to generate a design and procedure for executing frac-pack completions. Class problems are used to reinforce the workflow, assure understanding of specific topics, and generate procedural elements to address known and probable issues. After covering a high-level summary of the entire installation scenario, participants will begin to formulate process stages and procedural elements to make the measurements necessary to calibrate the model, redesign the schedule, and monitor the installation.

There will also be discussion on how to utilize the data collected to identify possible issues. Finally, participants utilize a score card to input key indicators as they review of the planning, design, execution, and evaluation process.

Participants will need to bring a laptop with Microsoft Excel to each day of this course

This course provides a hands-on intensive overview of NSI Technologies’ StimPlan&trade Version 8; fracture design/analysis software with detailed examples and data files provided to participants. This course covers the essential elements of using StimPlan&trade Version 8; effectively including loading logs, defining geologic layering for simulations, input of fluid and proppant data, as well as performing a gridded 3-D simulation. Topics include log analysis for modulus and stress, simulation of multi-frac horizontal wells, and frac-pack simulations.

Developed by fracturing industry expert and innovator Dr. Michael B. Smith, StimPlan™ is the global leading software solution for hydraulic fracture design, analysis and optimization. StimPlan™ is known for having the industry’s most rigorous geometry models, the most advanced 30 finite element simulation, and the most accurate results used by the world’s largest oil and gas companies.

Participants will need to bring a laptop with Microsoft Excel to each day of this course

A complete set of course materials and lunch is included in this course.

Advanced Hydraulic Fracturing/Applied Fracture Pressure Analysis

This three day NSI Technologies course is designed for engineers involved in detailed design and analysis of hydraulic fracture treatments. A good understanding of, and familiarity with, fracturing fundamentals, materials selection (fluids/ proppant), and applications is required. Emphasis is placed on analyzing fracturing pressure data during pumping, and during the subsequent pressure decline, and use of this data to recognize common problems.

A wide range of real field problems will be tackled in the practical sessions (which comprise more than 50% of the course)

The “workshop” format for this course uses examples of actual problem wells from various environments. These examples place emphasis on 3-D fracture modeling for analysis/design, and the sessions are conducted using NSI’s fracture simulators StimPlan. The course includes NSI’s comprehensive manual, augmented with special material discussing fracturing in complex formations. This also includes multiple, detailed, solved case histories ranging from Australian tight gas wells, to Gulf of Mexico “frac-packs”, to North Sea tip screenout (TSO) treatments.

Practical applications during the week are built on complete, detailed, real field problems. This format, used very successfully in other courses, enables participants to work with many real field examples and thus gain a deeper understanding of the subject in a short time.

Participants are encouraged to bring data sets from their own fractured (or fracture candidate) wells for use in the practical sessions.

Participants will need to bring a laptop with Microsoft Excel to each day of this course

This five-day course emphasizes the multi-disciplinary nature of hydraulic fracturing, covering the “Reservoir Engineering” aspects, integrated with the “Fracture Mechanics” aspects, and coupled with “Operational” considerations. This integration is absolutely necessary in order to present how to recognize opportunities for fracturing from hard rock tight gas, to offshore “frac-pack” completions, to multi-fractured horizontal shale wells.

Also covered is how to estimate required data for planning and preparing preliminary job designs, how to design, perform, and analyze pre-frac tests, and finally how to arrive at an “optimum” final design. Along with an Introduction to Fracturing, the course covers Reservoir Response, Rock Stresses, Fracture Geometry, Fracture Pressure Analysis, Fracture Fluid & Proppant Selection, Multi – Fractured Horizontal Wells, and Field Application & Quality Control.

A complete set of course materials and lunch is included in this course.

Participants will need to bring a laptop with Microsoft Excel to each day of this course