February – Completions Technical Happy Hour

Host:  Society of Petroleum Engineers, Denver Section

Event:  Tuesday February 21^st, 2023 Technical Happy Hour

Time:  February 21st, 2023 4-6 pm (HH at 4, Talk at 430, Social until 6)

Location:  DERL

Sponsor: DynaEnergetics

Study Group Category:  Completions

Speaker:  Adam McQueen, Market Development Manager at DynaEnergietics

Title:  Optimization of Perforation Efficiency in the Delaware Basin Through Perforating and Innovative Perforating Charge: A Case Study

Abstract:

This case study looked to identify a perforation design and a perforation charge that measurably increases Perforation Efficiency (PE) and reduces PE variability from stage to stage. Achieving these goals allows for more economic fracture surface area generation as well as more informed decisions toward frac design and full field development.

Primarily relying on industry-standard pre-fracture Step-Down Tests (SDT) to estimate number of perforation holes open, a variety of strategies and technologies were tested by altering perforation friction, orientation, entry hole diameter (EHD), perforations per cluster (PPC), and charge type. The trial was performed across multiple horizons in the Delaware Basin, consisting of over 4,500 stages from 193 wells across 13 horizons from the 1st Bone Spring Sand to the Wolfcamp C in Lea and Eddy Counties, New Mexico.

With the legacy perforation strategy and technology, the operator historically achieved a probability 50 (P50) using the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of 47% of perforations open pre-fracture. Utilizing eXtreme Limited Entry (XLE), 0 degree-oriented perforating, larger EHD, single perforation clusters, and a shaped charge which increases the reservoir contact area, the operator was able to increase the CDF P50 to 93% of perforations open pre-fracture.

This straightforward trial allowed the operator to meaningfully reduce the cost of operations while type curves were met or exceeded. Contributing to the success of this field trial was a clear and restricted design of the experiment in combination with a special shale-optimized perforating charge designed for greater near wellbore reservoir contact area.

Bio:

With a Chemical Engineering degree from Georgia Tech, Adam McQueen journeyed across most of the lower 48 shale basins as a field engineer with Calfrac. He relocated to Denver in 2012 to join the fracturing technical & sales team at Sanjel. After leading technical sales for Keane in Denver starting in 2014, he became regional director of sales when Keane merged with C&J to form NexTier. Today, he’s at DynaEnergetics, bringing his fracturing expertise to the perforating game.

Outside of work, Adam enjoys time with his family: wife Val, daughter Nora, and son Benson. Adam and Val took a yearlong sabbatical in 2017 to travel the world before starting their family.