Perfecting Straddle Packer Microfrac Stress Contrast Measurements for Hydraulic Fracturing Design in UAE Tight Oil Reservoir

The objective of this work was to quantify the in-situ stress contrast between the reservoir and the surrounding dense carbonate layers above and below for accurate hydraulic fracturing propagation modelling and precise fracture containment prediction. The goal was to design an optimum reservoir stimulation treatment in a Lower Cretaceous tight oil reservoir without fracturing the lower dense zone and communicating the high-permeability reservoir below. This case study came from Abu Dhabi onshore where a vertical pilot hole was drilled to perform in-situ stress testing to design a horizontal multi-stage hydraulic fractured well in a 35-ft thick reservoir. The in-situ stress tests were obtained using a wireline straddle packer microfrac tool able to measure formation breakdown and fracture closure pressures in multiple zones across the dense and reservoir layers. Standard dual-packer micro-injection tests were conducted to measure stresses in reservoir layers while single-packer sleeve-frac tests were done to breakdown high-stress dense layers. The pressure versus time was monitored in real-time to make prompt geoscience decisions during the acquisition of the data. The formation breakdown and fracture closure pressures were utilized to calibrated minimum and maximum lateral tectonic strains for accurate in-situ stress profile. Then, the calibrated stress profile was used to simulate fracture propagation and containment for the subsequent reservoir stimulation design. A total 17 microfrac stress tests were completed in 13 testing points across the vertical pilot, 12 with dual-packer injection and 5 with single-packer sleeve fracturing inflation. The fracture closure results showed stronger stress contrast towards the lower dense zone (900 psi) in comparison with the upper dense zone (600 psi). These measurements enabled the oilfield operating company to place the lateral well in a lower section of the tight reservoir without the risk of fracturing out-of-zone. The novelty of this in-situ stress testing consisted of single packer inflations (sleeve frac) in an 8½-in hole in order to achieve higher differential pressures (7,000 psi) to breakdown the dense zones. The single packer breakdown permitted fracture propagation and reliable closure measurements with dual-packer injection at a lower differential reopening pressure (4,500 psi). Microfracturing the tight formation prior to fluid sampling produced clean oil samples with 80% reduction of pump out time in comparison to conventional straddle packer sampling operations. This was a breakthrough operational outcome in sampling this reservoir.