Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2021

Document Type

Problem/Project Report

Degree Type

MS

College

Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Department

Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering

Committee Chair

Kashy Aminian

Committee Member

Samuel Ameri

Committee Member

Ilkin Bilgesu

Abstract

Productivity Index reflects the ability of a well to produce hydrocarbons and is often used to analyze the well's performance. Productivity Index is the ratio of the flow rate to the drawdown pressure under pseudo-steady state flow conditions. The unconventional gas formation such as shale are the main target of the gas exploration and production. The application of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies have been instrumental in development of shale gas resources. The evaluation of the productivity index for unconventional gas wells is however challenging because the production mainly occurs under the transient conditions.

This research aims to evaluate the transient productivity index for a horizontal well with multiple hydraulic transverse fractures drilled in an ultra-low permeability gas formation. Additionally, the impacts of different hydraulic fractures configurations are investigated. The approach taken to conduct this research study was to build a reservoir model using CMG simulation software, identify the production periods for different flow regimes, estimate the average productivity index for the infinite-acting period, and finally perform a sensitivity analysis and compare different well configurations.

The results of the study indicate that the fracture half-length and to a lesser extent the fracture spacing impact both the duration of transient flow and the productivity index of the horizontal well. The fracture conductivity was however found to only have minor impacts on transient flow duration and the productivity index.

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