Transient Pressure Testing of Fractured Water Injection

RESERVOIR
DESCRIPTION

.-
Kl Wells
..

K. K. CLARK
MEMBER AIME
I PAN AMERICAN
TULSA,OXIA.
PETROLEUM
CORP.

.Wstract on injection wells, and maximum permissible injection

Ercmivc injccli(m pre.wire} in wa(cr injec/i(m we//s
ItI(Iy crea:c 41cwply penelralittg fr(tc!l(rc.s, [w t)my open 14P
e.ri.jling re~ervoir jruclurev. 1! lhc.w fractt4re) are oriented
hnvurd (Ifl$el prC)dr4cin~ well~, <ii rectvery . nje!led
~twwr hreuklht-tmgjl and ul!imufc rec(~vcry will l~e ll)lPalrc~
A mcIh(d ()] talc/4/a/ing /rat/14re len~~h jrwn pre.w/4rc
jail-ofl /et/ JuI(I it pre.wnled. The )Iielhod if based M u
Iillcar //(m~ ntrdel Ihal .~im[~lales ctmtlilif)ns prmenf rf14ring
the curly. lii)lc peri<)d a/lcr .Aillling itl an injeclion well.
Fras_rnre lctIglh~ crIIt be crrlcdtlled dirrcliy ij jm)trrlimz
pcrt)reu!~ili!y iv known. A graphical iechniquc is pre.re4tted
Ihu I prv)vides frucltdre Icn,gth hu.wd cm perltleuf)ililie.~ cal
cl(laterl frs~nl m !rt?Ial /U/l-M ~es:rs Where ll[se per)c
(4/)i/i/ie\ tire (Idjmled jor jh w ge(mw fry.
Te rl &IIa fr(m )@4r injec!itm welh and re wills obtained
jrt>l!i applying the IIWII(ICI III llle~e Well) are tli.sc[4.s.sed.
Introduction
Ratw of waler injeclion into rronstimulatcd WCIISin low
permeability rmwvoirs frequently fall below economically
desirable levels. Ihercfore, some form of stimulation such
m hydraulic fracturing often is performed on these wells.
lJsually these fractures penetrate a short distance from
the well short as compared with interwell spacing -
and therefore should not create problems of water chan-
rwling to ofkt producing wells,
In the past, some operators have been tempted to in-
crcasc injection pressures continually to maintain a speci-
fied injection rate. But pressures cannot bc increased in-
definitely. Field data indicate that continued injection
above fracture opening pressure can cause excessively long
fractures to approach between well distances. If these long
fractures intersmt or closely approach offset producing
wells, premature water breakthrough can result. It is diffi-
cult to seal effectively these fractures by various workover
procedures af!er premature water breakthrough has oc-
curred. This paper describes testing procedures that are
potentially capable of detecting premature water break-
through before it occurs.
Knowledge of fracture lengths and fracture opening
pressures can assist field engineers in selecting optimum
. --operating .conditions-.for ._water. inkctio.m wt?!s. _FraWr~ .
Ierwths should be calculated from pressure fall-off tests
_ .- _. .--
Orkrlnal manuscript received In Sock-t y of Petroleum Wurl news ol%m
Aug. 14. 1967.Revised manuscript received March 1S, 1968. Paper (SPIZ
1S21) was presentd at SPE 42nd Annual Pall hleeting held In Houston,
Tex.. Oct. I-4. 1967. @ Gmyrkdt 1968 Amerlcfin ln~tltut@. O! hrinln~.
Mmmuruicnl, and Petroleum ~n@n~m. Inc. -
rhi~ vnvw will k printc.11 -in Tnmwrtbta :VOIUrnC
.coverlU6S. ; .. , .. .
j,,,~,]i,~,i . , .. , . . . ,..-
pressures should be determined from step.rate injectivity
tests. Equipped with this information. the frcld engineer
is in a better position to recommend for a particular in-
jection well [he optimum operating conditions that will
Icssen the chances of chanrwling (o offset producers.
Historically, pressure tramicn[ tests have been conducted
primarily on producing wells and analysis proceduw. have
been based on radial flow concepts. Several authors have
suggested that these same procedures be applied to tests
conduclcd on water irjcction wells I-his application is
ju~ljfied for WCIIS that arc not conncctcd to extensive
fracture systems. However, if the formalimr is wvcrdy
fractured, the interpretation methods must bc modified.
Several authors have prcscntcd the pressure response of
various systems that are intended to simulate reservoir
conditions. A paper by Russell and Truitt* on vertically
fractured systems is probably the most useful from the
standpoint of the field engineer. Russell and Truitt pre-
sented the pressure-vs-time behavior of a WCII conrmctcd
to vertical fractures with various fixed lengths. Their per-
meability adjustment technique is used in this paper to
refine methods of calculating fracture length an~ interwell
permeability.
Theory and Definitions
Three, flow-system geometries are considered in analyz-
ing injection well test data, These various geometries arc
applicable during specific time intervals of transient pres-
sure tests. Schematic drawings of the flow models, and the
ti~e intervals over which they are applicable, are shown
in Fig, I in the chronological order that they arc applied
to the pressure response of water injcclion wells in frac.
iured formations. The vefy early response is simulated by
an infinite linear system as shown in Fig. IA. This repre.
sentation permits the calculation of matrix surface area
exposed to the ffacture.
The model shown in Fig. 113 is identical with the one
studied by Russell and Truitt. They evaluated the transient
pressure response of this vertically fractured system by
finite difference techniques. The results were presented as
tabulations of dimensionless pressure drop functions for a
range of fracture lengths. A semilog plot of these data
shows that- the -apparent. matrix-permeability. can .bc_r~-
Iated to the true !natrix permeability by a simple exponen-
tial function. Their adjust.rnent factor is used in this PaPer
to improve the accuracy of matrix-permeability and frac-
ture-lerwth calculations.
. . .. . ...- - ...- .-. - -..- -
~43, Whirh \Vill -ertussell, f). -G. and Tmilt.. N. .E.: .Trnn8icnt Pressur@ Behavior in
.. . . , VWWAIIY
. . .
Fractured ltesor~Olrs. J. Pet. ?cch. (Oct.. 1904) .1169-1170.
.. . . . .
. . . . . .
. 4,.
.. . . . %., .. -.
_ 6S9
 .

An infinite radial system is shown in Fig. 1C. This Eq. 3 is based on the infinite radial system shown at the
model is applicable only during the late-lime transient bottom of Fig. 1. Russell and Truitt demonstrated that the
period after wellbore or fracture effects have dissipated. true formation permeability is related to the apparent
This model is used to determine the apparent perme- permeability by
ability utilized by the Russell and Truitt permeability k = & ~-l. WX,lXa
. . . . . . . ., (4)
adjustment expression previously noted.
All three of the flow models shown in Fig. 1 are assumed Substituting Eqs. 3 and 4 in Eq. 2, and rearranging, yields
to be homogeneous. In addition, the fracture is assigned
~,e.. 0!2 q 1?1,.
infinite flow capacity, is of constant volume, and is of
height equal to the thickness of the formation. The pres-
sure-vs-time response of the infinite linear system as de.
W9.?,lx ~
w, 4 -----
hj c
(5)

pictt?d at the top. of Fig. 1. @ expressed by,
Term A in the equation is the cross-hatched area shown
in Fi~. 1A. In the case of a vertically fractured wellbore
that N centrally located on a fracture of length 2X,, the
total formation arc= exposed to the fracture is 4X,h. Sub-
stituting this expression for A and for m,. which is defined
as Ap/V-r~ into Eq. 1, and solving for X,, the following
equation is obtained:
X,=yy!- . . . . . . . . . (2)
v tjck
If true formation permeability is known from a previous
long-term fall-off test. Eq. 2 can be used to calculate frac-
ture lengths from short-term, shut-in test data. However,
if true formation permeability is not known, a modified
version of Eq. 2 is required. This method requires a longer
term shut-in test period to obtain the necessary data.
Apparent permeability is defined as the minimum value
obtainable from the usual semilog plot of pressure vs time
and is expressed by
~ ,, 162.6qp
. . . . . .
1)1,.h
Eq. s is solved most conveniently for fracture length by
the graphical method indicated by Fig. 4.
(1)
Wellbore damage,. or posit]ve skin as used in this paper.
is dcfrned as a tilter.cake type of deposit in the region
of the wellbore or on the fracture faces. From an inter-
pretive standpoint, it is important that the filter cake be
thin so that pressure transients within the positive skin
region dic out quickly. Table 3 shows that quasi-steady-
state conditions are established within 15 seconds for rela-
tively thin filter-cake deposits.
Testing Procedure
Manually recording pressure fall-off data points with a
good quality surface pressure gauge and stop watch for
the first few minutes of readings provides sufficient resolu.
tion for earlytime data. Manual recordings normally cover
a time range from about k2 minute to 15 minutes. Circular
chart recorders often arc used for [he remainder of the
pressure fall-off test. Afterflow effects following shut.in
for a pressure fall-off test in such a fluid-packed system
are negligible even at very early shut-in times. Therefore,
these early-time data can be used with much more con-
fidence than similar data from a producing well during a
pressure buildup test.
Reauired duration of the shut-in oeriod derserrds on lhc
. . (3)
objec~ves of the test and the reser;oir prop;rtics. Unfor-

FLOW SYSTEM ~lME RANGE

t% APPLICATION

INFINITE LINEAR (ci) VERY EARLY TIME

SYSTEM he (= FIRST HOUR)
FRAWI.JRE LENGTH f3
WELL BORE DAMAGE
/xe&
(f
TWO DIMENSIONAL
VfH?TlGAL$;5LH~ jCTUREf)
(b)
0
! ,

II+ y
Yfj
)
COMPLETE TIME
RANGE.
ADJUSTMENT FACTOR
FOR PERMEABILITY

. ..----- -.. ___

. . -..
~;;~:;R:RIA((F)-
; ,,1. -- pw<. m-, .
Mf3DERATELY LARGE
,,,,A~,,q-,..A
H: -- :---To LARGETIME~

--- FEW
---- -:.-- - .- -

I-mum) - -
APPARENT P.ERMEABliJTY
, .,. . ... .. AND EXTERNAL PRESSURE ; : ~ -
.,. . . .. . . ,.~.
-,. . .- .: ..
F~~.l~low sysrc;rr~ usi~ !o%lyze~elj test
. . dam and .tfe;r application. . ..-~ - ~ : . , -

-640. . ... .
 innately, it is not possible to specify test duration require- TABLE lPARAMETERS FOR SYNTHETIC FALL.OFF CURVE,
..wnts that would have universal application. It is sug- 30 PERCENT FRACTURE PENETRATION
gested that test requirements for a particular field be estab- Reservoir
lished by leaving a few wells shut in for a very long Parameter
__ .-, -- True Calculated
. -----
period, i.e., a week or more. AnaIysis of these test cases k 3rnd-- 3.3 md
should indicate the approximate test duration require. x, 198 ft 184 ft
ments for the following types of calculations: + skin 100 psi 100 psi
1, Short duration for wellbore damage and fracture x, 660 ft
length (Eq. 2 only), 6 0.10
2. Long duration for interwell properties such as per- # 0.7 Cp
meability and average reservoir pressure (graphical method c 0.00001 psi
using Eqs. 3 through 5). . . .. h 100 ft
Field data from several West Texas carbonate reservoirs q 2,065 BWPD
indicate that about 1 hour is required for the first type of To 600 hours
test, and several days of shut-in time is required for the ... ... .. ..- ..--. .---.-.
long duration test. Permeability of these reservoirs is in
the range of 1 to 10 md. Reservoirs with lower per- vertically fractured formation is shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 3
meabilities or those containing very compressible fluids, shows the same pressure data plotted vs square root of
such as free gas at pressures below 1,000 psi, would reqrrjre shut-in time. These curves were computed from Ihe re-
longer shu!.in periods. sponse functions presented by Russell and Truitt. The
Injection prior to shut-in should bc held relatively con- reservoir parameters associated with these curves are shown
stant for about four times the expected duration of the in Table 1.
pressure fall-off test to simplify interpretation of test iMaximum slopes formed by the pressure data on the
results. When surface presw.m measurements are used, above plots are used to compute the rmfuired reservoir
Iubing friction pressure losses should be deducted from parameters. These slopes are shown as m, on Fig. 2 and
the ifSjLC[iOII pressure fOr purpOSM Of COStIpUtiT)g positive m, on Fig. 3. Substituting these slopm and the reservoir
skin. parameters in Table 1 into fEq. 5 yields a value of 143 for
the fracture-length function, Fracture length is determined
(ldlculation Procedure
from Fig. 4 as shown by the dashed line. True matrix
A theoretical pressure fall-off curve for a well in a permeability is calculated with Eqs. 3 and 4. Positive skjn
or wellbore damasze is indicated by the difference between
bottom-hole injec~on pressure pr;or to shut-in and the
2000 ~ 1 extrapolated zero.time pressure as illustrated on Fig. 3. lf
the true matrix permeability is known from a previous
V 2400 -
long-term fall-off test, fracture Icngth can be computed
a.. directly by Eq. 2. This can be useful during subsequent
tests to take advantage of shorter rcquirc!d shut-in time.
g 2200 -
v-) Field Examples
u-l PS1/CYCLE
2 2000 -
a Pressure fall-off curves for four water injection WCIISarc
shown in Figs. 5 through 8. These WCIIS are open-hole .
; IFIOO- completions in a West Texas Grayburg limestone forma-
% tion at a depth of 4,200 ft. They were stimulated at com-
1600 , , pletion during the 1930s with several hundred quarts of
.1 I 10 100 solidified nitroglycerin. Before being converted to injection
TIME ,tfOUfW status, the wells received numerous acid treatments and at
least one small-volume fracture treatment. Cumulative
Fig. 2--.5 ynthctic jail-ofl ct{rve jor fractlirc penclrnlion oj injection in each of these wells is approaching I million
30 percent, log T plot. - bbl. Generally speaking, waterflood response has been
good at offset producers in this project.
2700

~lNJECTION PRESSURE,2623 PSI

~ 2600
a. ] WELL BORE f)NvlAGE= 100 ml
~E&AW&LATED ZERO TIME PRESSURE,
I50 ~ .7
~ 2500
rn \ .s:
m
# 2400 mS=210 PS1/~. u
L \ ~ul
100 -
~S2
I EXTERNAL 80UNDAR%
\
\ DISTA!WX,FT.
.-- y.. . . . \ \.- . . . .. -..:. _. -.. ----- . . _...- ---
,
-. 1. .2. . .-3. : -- ~
!%UARE ROOT OF ilME,l+OURS 300 400 500 600
.. -: FRAcTURE LENGTH, F?.; - :
~ige3+yn[hefic fal[-o~ curve for ~acture perretratim .of,. . . . . .. .. . -.
-,. . ,.. .
,.. 30percent, Fip,. 4-~;ra&lire Iengllt!adjtisttttetlr curves. ; :~,
. . <-T~plot-. ~ ~~ ~. -<. . ,.. ,. . .. . . . .
..?.
JUSE
.,1968. ----- .. . ,--, . . .
 .

Premature water breakthrough associated
ing or fracturing has occurred around a
Results of impression packer, interference,
tekts indicate vertical fractures oriented
east-west are common in the general area.
Injection Wells A and D apparently are connected to
vertical fractures of interwell dimensions. Pressure fall-off
curves for these wells are shown on Figs. 5 and 7. The
cast offset producing wells to both of these injectors have
experienced severe premature water breakthrough. Tracer
dyes injected in Well A have been observed within a few
hours at the east offset producer. No tracer dye was de-
t&tcd at ihe other three producers offsetting Well A.
Volume of the fracture or channel connecting these wells
is estimated to be about 200 bbl. To minimize channeling
of injected water, injection preisures normally are main-
tained below fracture-parting or opening pressure as indi-
cated by step-rate injectivity tests.
The east offset producer to Well D is experiencing severe
water breakthrough; water production is in excess of 300
BWPD. Waterflood response at the other three offset pro-
ducers to Well D has bum good. Waterflood response at
producers offsetting WCIIS B and C has been good.
Discussion of
Table 1 compares computed reservoir parameters with
the values used to gcrrcrate the fall-off curvc shown ]rr Fig.
with channel- 2. All calculated parameters deviated from their known
few injectors. values by less than 10 percent,
and tracer dye Conventional radial flow analysis of these generated
approximately data yields a value for permeability of 5.55 md and a skin
of -5.21. A fracture length of 92 ft is obtained from this
value of skin, These values deviate from their known
values by factors of about two, It should be noted that
the conventional method of calculating skin combines into
a single number the improvement due to fracturing and
the damage due to filter-cake-type pressure IOSSCS.The
calculation procedures described in this paper evaluate
these two parameters independently. This is of consider-
able utility when selecting workover candidates. Filter- .
cake-type deposits generally accumulate near the wellbore
and usually can be removed by appropriate workover
procedures.
Table 2 summarizes the results oblaincd from the pres.
sure fall-off curves for Wells A through D. A fracture
Icngth in excess of 600 fl was calculated for Well A.
Existence of a long fracture of this magnitucfc is con.
firmed by offset produc]ng well behavior. rraccr dyes
injected into Well A have bwr rccovercd within a fcw
hours at an offset producer located 850 ft away. This
direct communication with the producing WUII rwar Well
Nesults A probably introduces some error into the permeability
calculation for this well. Fluid withdrawal at the offset
producer via the fracture should cauw wellbore pressure
at Well A to drop faster than normal.

,.%.
2000 - 2200r-- -------
\
z \ WELLA
a ii WELL C

rJ \ m~=223PSI : 2100 m~= 245 p$.i

E \ I&l
a
; 1900 - \
z
I \YFiLLB ~, : 2000
& mLm 106 PSI \ E
a a WELL D
\ m~= 130 psi

\ ; 1900
\\ $
I , % 1800 ~~ u
,1 10
.01 .1 I 10 ) .01
TIME, HOURS
TIME, HOURS
Fig. 7--Log rim /(dl[Ifl tc.w PI(IIS for in jcctiotl WCII.S
c rrl?d 1).

2200~--- -----
22001- , , r , ,
_WELL B

1
~ 2100 2123 Psl PRE-TEST INJECTION w 2100-
Q.. -%. % ~ ~_WELL A PRESSURES rr
3 -
.+042 PSI YELL A V-s
gmr)(). % %,.-} to
\ Ms=28PSlr#iiL Id
U-I i %,+ E
(n n

.,-jgoo-
\. w.
g 1900 i,. %,\ J 2000 -
+-4 WELL D
\. d \
d.
\ s 8, m~ = 180 psi/~
~ 1800- \ WELL i .
\
%
.. . -: --
VJS220 ww~- .--, -::--- . ...
I I , I 1 I

.. 0.,.1 2 3.. 4 5. 6. 7 0 . ..25- .50 .75_ I 1.25 1.50.. 1.75 .2

S&SARE ROOT OF TIME, t+OURS SQUARE ROOT OF ~lMF HOURS

Fig. &Sq14are rool 0/ rime fall-off lest plots for injection
..-.
.,, . veils A and B, ~ - , ....-
.. .
612

 TABLE 2RESULTS FOR WELLS A THROUGH D TABLE 3ASSUMED PROPERTIES OF FILTER.CAKE
DEPOSIT
----- Inject ion .-
-.
Pressure Rate - S~OPeS.m., ~p:k~n @ 0.1
Well (psi) (BwPD) m. . - (:0
------ & P0.7 CP
c = 0.00001 psi
44 2042 425 28 223 45 0,22 600+ Time .= 15 seconds
B 2123 125 220 106 53 0,82 16 FilterCake Approx. Thickness
c 2420 500 580 245 195 2.3 18 Permeability of Filter Cake
D 2310 425 180 130 225 3.7 38 (red) (in.)
.--- ___ .-- . . .
~::~1 0.24
Fig. 6 shows the same pressure data plotted as a func- 0.76
tion of square root of time. The pressure data of Well A 0:01 2.4
forms a relatively straight line over the time range .of 12 ... ___ -____ --____ . -.. -
.. .
to 60 hours. Slope of the data points over this time range appear to be reasonable in three of the four cases presented.
was used to compute the fracture length, which exceeded
When analyzing test data from wells that are only mod-
600 ft. 13xamination of this curve shows that the early-
erately fractured X,< 10 percent X_, the extra effort of
time data fall considerably below the extrapolation of the
straight-line section previously noted. This reduced slope adjusting apparent permeability for flow geometry is not
justified. Fracture length and interwell permeability can
region probably is caused by extensive short. radius frac-
be obtained directly from Eqs. 2 and 3.
turing or increased matrix permeability in the vicinity of
[he wellbore. The skin calculation for this well indicates Conclusion
that the pressure loss near the wellbore is 45 psi less than
it would be if only a single vertical fracture emanated The fracture length calculation procedure for pressure
from this well, fall-off test data provides good estimates of true fracture
The absence of filter-cake deposits in Well A confirms length when applied to generated test data. Fracture
the effectiveness of a workover performed on this well lengths calculated from field mcasurud data appear [o be
several months before the test. During this workover, reasonable.
several cubic yards of tine-graded materials were recovered
Nomenclature
from this open-hole completion. Prior to the workover, a
iilter-cake pressure loss of several hundred psi was calcu. A = surface arm of forma[iorr exposed to frac[tm,
lated for this well. Sq ft
Wells B and C are connected to very small fracture c = cffectivc compressibility, psi
Sy.$tcm% Fracture lengths are 16 and 18 ft. respectively. h = height, ft
(See Table 2.) lhese small lenghs, in addition to positive k = true matrix permeability. mrf
skins of 53 and 195 psi, indwte that the wells are k. = apparent permcabili[y. md (dcfirwd by Eq. 3)
candidates for stimulation. If additional injectivity is m,, = slope. psi/log cycle
needed for this type of well, a small volume fracture treat- m, = slope, psi/change in the square root of time,
ment should be considered. hours
The calculated fracture length for Well D is only 38 Ap = pressure change with time, psi
ft. This value is not consistent with !hc observed water q = injection rate, B/fl
breakthrough at an offset producing well. Apparently the r. = wellbore radius, ft
assumptions regarding fracture geometry made in this r. = external boundary radius, ft
paper do not represent adequately the true conditions in f = time, hours
the case of Well D.* X, = external boundary distance, ft
A unique interpretation of test data taken by themselves Xf = fracture length. ft
is seldom possible. Other information such as ( 1) pro- Y = distance perpendicular to fracture, ft
duction behavior of offset producers, (2) tracer dye tests Y. = external boundary distance, assumed equal to
between suspected injectors and high WOR producers, xc, ft
+ = porosity. fraction
(3) profile survey tests, (4) impression packer tests, and
p = viscosity, cp
(S) fracture opening presr~res indicated by step-rate in-
jectivity tests, should all be used t~ guide interpretation Acknowledgment
of pressure fall-off test results. Consider. for example.
selection of slopes m,. and m. illustra~ed in Figs. 5 and 6. Injection-well testing concepts in this paper reflect the
The appropriate time range over which these slopes should composite thinking of many persons within the company.
be measured is not always clear. In the case of Well A, Their assistance is appreciated. The author would also like
the data points between zero time and 4 hours in Fig. 6 to thank the management of Pan American Petroleum
could have been used to define slope m.. A fracture length Corp. for permission to publish this paper. ***
calculated from these data points, however. would be
many thousands of feet long. Other information such as
offset producing well behavior apd the relatively low irr. K. K. Chris i.$ a prodtmlion engineer
jectivity of Well A does not support this analysis. wifh Pan A mericun Perrolet4m Corp. i4t I
. In the examples presented, data points have been used .TuI.w1, Okla:. I!c j~~i~ed,,Pan- -.Americun
.. . ..-.
ihai define m-axirnurnslopis on boih sji.taie foot of tirn-tl-- in~ 1963 ajter rccei ving a BS degjree m
and log time plots. Calculated risults using this approach petrt~leum engineering jrorn fhe U. oj.

L.
.. .. --- ..- --- -.. - -
Basically this methcxl evaluates formation nurface area exposed to -California. While on educational leave:
the fracture as indicated by EQ. 1. In the derivation
turw length. it Is assumed that fracture
of Err. 2 for frsc-
height and formation thickness
of absence, he recei wed art MS degree,
- are equal. This assumption amarently dcms not apply In the case of itl petroleum engineering from U. of
WIJII I). Other field dnta mmh m n)-cwnt.zd here are needed to reside
interpretation of pressure t.estdata. . - -- . .
Cali/orniu_,itl. 1964., -.
. . - .: . . . .