Abstract
Rapid production decline rate is associated with the loss of fracture conductivity after hydraulic fracture stimulation. This loss of conductivity has often been attributed to the migration of formation fines into the proppant pack or the generation of fines derived from proppant crushing. Surface modification agents were introduced in the stimulation market around 1997, and according to literature published since then, these materials have been helping to sustain fracture conductivity, and subsequently, mitigating production decline rates.
This paper presents long-term results from the use of these materials in hydraulic fracture stimulation operations in the Burgos Basin in northern Mexico; results from offset wells are also presented for correlation and comparison. Production from this basin comes from low-permeability sandstones normally considered tight gas formations.