“Reviving Oil Production in Eagle Ford Shale with Rigless Chemical Frac Hit Remediation Process”

Revolutionizing Hydrocarbon Production in the Eagle Ford Shale

In the Eagle Ford Shale, a significant challenge has been the loss of hydrocarbon production due to parent-child well interactions during completion operations. A patent-pending rigless chemical frac hit remediation process has been implemented to address this issue. The results have been impressive, with a 60% increase in oil production, a 30% increase in BOE reserves, and a payback in less than 4 months. This process was designed after a thorough engineering and lab study, which addressed the damage mechanisms of capillary phase trapping, reduced hydrocarbon relative permeability, paraffin deposition, and minor scale deposition.

The Eagle Ford Challenge

The Eagle Ford Shale play, located across South Texas, is a significant unconventional resource. It produced approximately 967,000 BOPD and 6 Bcf/D of natural gas through 2021, according to the US Energy Information Administration. However, the rapid decline in production rates has been a significant challenge, affecting well economics and base production profitability.

With the implementation of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing around 2010, production in the Eagle Ford rapidly increased. However, as operators started to develop their acreage, they turned to drilling infill wells, also known as child wells. This led to an acceleration of child-parent interactions, known as fracture-driven interference or frac hits. These interactions have been a significant concern in the industry due to the potential degradation of production in both the parent and child well.

The Patent-Pending Solution

Kairos Energy Services conducted a study on Eagle Ford parent wells that experienced negative production events from a frac hit. The study aimed to quantify the change in production. A total of six wells were analyzed, each with modern completions and brought onto production in 2019 or later.

The results showed a clear divergence in production post frac hit, resulting in an average per well loss of 20,500 bbl of oil and 245,000 Mcf of gas 6 months following the frac hit. All wells showed a significant increase in water production directly after the frac hit, indicating hydraulic communication. The gas/oil ratio (GOR) was significantly suppressed, decreasing from 4,820 ft3/bbl to 3,850 ft3/bbl 6 months post frac hit. The 30-day average water cut also showed a sustained change, increasing from 46% to 63% 6 months post frac hit.

The Impact of the Patent-Pending Process

The patent-pending rigless chemical frac hit remediation process was designed to address these challenges. The process was implemented in the Eagle Ford formation, resulting in a 60% increase in oil production, a 30% increase in BOE reserves, and a payback in less than 4 months.

The operator is now evaluating additional wells and applications to commercially scale up the technology. This patent-pending technology provides an economic avenue to capture a portion of the production and reserves loss following a frac hit.

Conclusion

The patent-pending rigless chemical frac hit remediation process has shown significant potential in addressing the challenges of hydrocarbon production losses in the Eagle Ford Shale. With a 60% increase in oil production, a 30% increase in BOE reserves, and a payback in less than 4 months, this technology could revolutionize hydrocarbon production in the Eagle Ford and other unconventional reservoirs.