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SPE Drilling & Completion, 03(28), p. 237-242

DOI: 10.2118/162852-pa

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Unique Solution to Repair Casing Failure in a HP/HT Wellbore Allows for Successful Multistage Stimulation Treatment in an Unconventional Reservoir

This paper was not found in any repository; the policy of its publisher is unknown or unclear.
This paper was not found in any repository; the policy of its publisher is unknown or unclear.

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Abstract

Summary Horizontal shale completions require multistage high-pressure hydraulic-fracturing stimulation treatments to deliver commercially viable production in low-permeability reservoirs. Unconventional shale plays, such as the Eagle Ford shale and Haynesville shale, often can require stimulation treatments that must be implemented in high-pressure, high-temperature (HP/HT) conditions. Typically, these wells are completed with long casing strings, and it is critical that these monobore casing strings withstand high injection pressures as well as maintain mechanical integrity during thermal contraction/expansion. So, what happens when the prefracturing casing-pressure-integrity pressure test fails? What is the "fix" that will allow treatments to be pumped at high pressure and rate? How will fracturing stages be isolated during the completion? Typically, remediation techniques have included everything from casing patches and expandable casing to coiled-tubing completions. Unfortunately, these solutions can have pressure limitations and can also be expensive. The authors of this paper will discuss how design of a 4-in. tie-back string with flush joint connections equal to the properties of the casing was capable of repairing a 5½-in. monobore production casing that experienced extensive casing failure. The extremely small annular tolerance did not allow a conventional packer assembly or cementing for pressure isolation; thus, swellable-packer technology was used to anchor the casing in place. A special flow-through fracturing plug was designed so that it could be pumped through the 4-in. tieback casing and set in the 4½-in. lateral, allowing a plug-and-perforate fracture completion to be performed. The stimulation treatments were pumped to completion and demonstrated that the pressure isolation integrity of the casing system was satisfactory and that the flow-through fracturing plugs could maintain isolation between stimulation treatments. This wellbore was in the Eagle Ford shale. True vertical depth was approximately 13,000 ft, bottomhole temperature was approximately 325°F with a 0.95-psi/ft fracture gradient, and surface pressures exceeded 10,000 psi during the stimulation treatments.