Improving Methodological Approach to Measures Planning for Hydraulic Fracturing in Oil Fields

Abstract

Goal of the research is development of an integrated approach to the planning of hydraulic fracturing (HF) treatment taking into account geo-technical, hydrodynamic, technological and economic criteria for the selection of wells for inclusion in the programs of HF with increasing importance of economic criteria. Stages of formation of the program for HF of the oil company are selected, systematized and analyzed. It is shown that high potential effectiveness of enhanced oil recovery method in fields with hard-to-recover reserves, on the one hand, and the complexity and high cost of application, on the other, determine the need to optimize the parameters of this business process at all stages of implementation and improve its planning methods. The priority directions for improving the hydraulic fracturing planning were justified: a clear definition of the criterion for the payback period of hydraulic fracturing activities, taking into account their technological features, improving the procedure for calculating the costs of implementing this technology and improving the reasonableness of selecting candidate wells for inclusion in the hydraulic fracturing program. Feasibility of using an additional criterion in the formation of hydraulic fracturing programs – marginal minimum cost-effective wall capacity – has been shown and a method for calculating it has been developed. The use of this criterion will allow to take into account not only technological limitations, but also limits of economic efficiency of conducting hydraulic fracturing at each specific well and, at the preliminary selection of candidate wells, exclude a priori unprofitable measures. It is advisable to take into account proposed directions for improving planning of hydraulic fracturing in the development of corporate regulatory documents, which will help to improve the quality of planning geological and technical measures, minimize investment risks, make more rational use of oil companies' resources for improving oil recovery, choosing the best management decision.