Impact of fluid selection on high-permeability fracturing

High permeability fracturing has become a major well completion technique b oth for production rate increase and, especially, for pressure drawdown dec rease. Today, this type of treatment is the main means of sand control in s ome petroleum regions. Several of these treatments which are characterized by short lengths and, often, disproportionate widths, have been reported to exhibit positive post-treatment skin effects. This can only be the result of fracture face damage. This paper indicates that if the extent of Fractur ing fluid invasion is minimized, the degree of damage (i.e., permeability i mpairment due to filter cake or polymer invasion) is of secondary importanc e. Thus, if the fluid leak-off penetration is small: even severe permeabili ty impairments can be tolerated without exhibiting positive skin effects. W hile the first priority in designing fracture treatments should be to maxim ize the fracture conductivity, it is recommended that in high permeability fracturing, high polymer concentration cross-linked fracturing fluids with fluid loss additives and breakers should be used. Experimental work corrobo rates these contentions.