Applying Hydraulic Fracture Diagnostics to Optimize Stimulations in the Woodford Shale

Abstract The success of the Barnett Shale has many operators in search of similar producing formations. One such formation is the Woodford Shale which stretches from Kansas to west Texas. The Woodford is an ultra-low permeability reservoir that must be effectively fracture stimulated in order to obtain commercial production. Once a formation that was drilled through on the way to deeper horizons, this shale play now dominates drilling activity in southeast Oklahoma. Like the Barnett, initial testing of the Woodford Shale was from existing vertical wells that penetrated deeper horizons. Currently, the main exploitation of the Woodford Shale is from long horizontal wells with some lateral lengths exceeding 4000 ft. The wells are stimulated in stages with large hydraulic fracture treatments. Successful shale plays have demonstrated that production is directly related to the size of the stimulated reservoir volume. Techniques to optimize hydraulic fracturing effectiveness have been evolving in the area the last few years. Over 100 frac stages have been mapped in the Woodford Shale using surface tiltmeters, offset-well microseismic and treatment-well microseismic mapping techniques. This paper will examine the effect of lateral azimuth, formation dip and its influence on asymmetric fracture growth; the effect of existing faults and its interaction with the fracture stimulation. Additionally, stimulation size, number of stages, perforation clusters and fracture initiation problems will be discussed. Finally, a comparison to Barnett Shale type fracture networks will be made. Understanding fracture growth in the Woodford Shale will enhance the development of the play by helping operators optimize fracture completion and well placement strategies.