Abstract: A method may comprise identifying one or more pressure dissipation mechanisms that drop pressure within a fluid handling system, identifying one or more open flowpath elements, performing a matching algorithm with an information handling system, and initializing the matching algorithm with an estimate of a coefficient. A system may comprise a fluid handling system and an information handling system. The fluid handling system may comprise a fluid supply vessel, wherein the fluid supply vessel is disposed on a surface, pumping equipment, wherein the pumping equipment is attached to the fluid supply vessel and disposed on the surface; a wellbore supply conduit, wherein the wellbore supply conduit is attached to the pumping equipment and disposed in a formation, and a flowpath element, wherein the flowpath element fluidly couples the wellbore supply conduit to the formation.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a pressure sensor for measuring a pressure in a wellbore of a formation, a processor communicably coupled with the pressure sensor, and a machine-readable medium. The machine-readable medium has program code executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to obtain a set of measurements with the pressure sensor, determine an effective wellbore compressibility coefficient based on the set of measurements, and determine an effective wellbore diameter based on an initial wellbore diameter and the effective wellbore compressibility coefficient.

Abstract: A method and system for modeling a fracture geometry. The method may comprise taking one or more pressure measurements from an offset wellbore, identifying a pressure trend of the offset wellbore, and comparing the one or more pressure measurements to the pressure trend to identify a poro-elastic trend. The method may further comprise creating a poro-elastic model of a target wellbore from the poro-elastic trend, identifying the fracture geometry of a fracture in the target wellbore from at least the poro-elastic trend, and comparing the fracture geometry to a target fracture geometry. The system may comprise a pressure measurement device disposed in an offset wellbore, one or more pieces of equipment configured for a fracture operation and connected to a target wellbore, and an information handling system.

Abstract: A method of determining fracture complexity may comprise receiving one or more signal inputs from a fracturing operation, calculating an observed fracture growth rate based at least partially on the one or more signal inputs, calculating a predicted fracture growth rate, determining a fracture complexity value, and applying a control technique to make adjustments a hydraulic stimulation operation based at least in part on the fracture complexity value. Also provided is a system for determining a fracture complexity for a hydraulic fracturing operation may comprise a hydraulic fracturing system, a sensor unit to receive one or more signal inputs, a calculating unit, a fracture complexity unit, and a controller unit to apply a control technique to adjust one or more hydraulic stimulation parameters on the hydraulic fracturing system.

Abstract: A method may comprise plotting treatment data to form a plot of the treatment data, fitting a function to the plot of the treatment data, determining an intercept of the function, calculating one or more coefficients, plotting the one or more coefficients on a histogram, and identifying one or more active flowpath elements on the histogram. A system may comprise a fluid handling system and an information handling system. The fluid handling system may comprise a fluid supply vessel, wherein the fluid supply vessel is disposed on a surface; pumping equipment, wherein the pumping equipment it attached to the fluid supply vessel and disposed on the surface; wellbore supply conduit, wherein the wellbore supply conduit is attached to the pumping equipment and disposed in a formation; and a plurality of flowpath elements, wherein the flowpath elements fluidly couple the wellbore supply conduit to the formation.

Abstract: A method and system for modeling a fracture geometry. The method may comprise taking one or more pressure measurements from an offset wellbore, identifying a pressure trend of the offset wellbore, and comparing the one or more pressure measurements to the pressure trend to identify a poro-elastic trend. The method may further comprise creating a poro-elastic model of a target wellbore from the poro-elastic trend, identifying the fracture geometry of a fracture in the target wellbore from at least the poro-elastic trend, and comparing the fracture geometry to a target fracture geometry. The system may comprise a pressure measurement device disposed in an offset wellbore, one or more pieces of equipment configured for a fracture operation and connected to a target wellbore, and an information handling system.

Abstract: An illustrative domain-adaptive simulator includes: a data acquisition module, a simulator module, and a visualization module. The data acquisition module acquires measurements of a physical system. The simulator module provides a series of states for the physical system, the series including at least a current state and a subsequent state, wherein as part of said providing, the simulator module implements a method that includes: (a) constructing a modeled domain for the system; (b) determining a domain of influence within the modeled domain; (c) generating a linear set of equations to derive the subsequent state from the current state, the linear set of equations excluding a region of the modeled domain outside the domain of influence; and (d) deriving the subsequent state from the linear set of equations. The visualization module displays the series of states.

Abstract: A wellbore fracturing system that includes wellbore fracturing resources coupled through a wellbore conveyance to a subterranean formation of the wellbore; The wellbore fracturing system further includes a bottom hole pressure gauge that provides a bottom hole gauge pressure, and a processor coupled to the wellbore fracturing resources and the wellbore conveyance that calculates a wellbore friction pressure using a time-series sampling of bottom-hole gauge pressures for a fracturing fluid system after a uniform fracturing fluid condition is achieved in the wellbore. Also included are methods of calculating and managing a wellbore friction pressure.

Abstract: A workflow for fracturing a subterranean formation includes providing fracturing databases or models for the hydrocarbon wellbore, selecting one or more fracturing fluid systems for fracturing the subterranean formation based on the fracturing databases or models and recommending at least one of the one or more selected fracturing fluid systems for fracturing the subterranean formation. Additionally, a workflow controller for fracturing a subterranean formation includes a workflow processing unit having fracturing models or databases to determine functional aspects of one or more fracturing fluid systems to provide a fracturing fluid system recommendation for the subterranean formation, and a fracturing fluid delivery unit that applies the fracturing fluid system recommendation to the subterranean formation. A hydrocarbon wellbore fracturing system for a subterranean formation is also provided.

Abstract: To improve efficiency for solving a system of equations, art equation solver uses variable reduction techniques to reduce a number of variables to be solved. The equation solver identifies derived variables and eliminates them from the system of equations. The equation solver considers the remaining variables to be primitive variables. The primitive variables may be rewritten into a representation of the system of equations or into a set of equations that may be used to solve for values of the primitive variables. The equation solver solves for values of the primitive variables. Prior to solving or during solving iterations, the equation solver may apply storage policies to further reduce the number of variables to be solved. The storage policies indicate parameters and techniques for eliminating primitive variables to be solved, such as primitive variables that are insignificant (i.e., have little effect on a solution for the system of equations).

Abstract: The disclosure provides a method and a computer program product for determining distribution of fracturing components in fracture clusters of a wellbore, and a fracturing controller. An example of the method includes: (1) modifying surface flow rates for pumping a fracturing component into the wellbore, (2) measuring surface pressures for the surface flow rates, and (3) determining flow rates for the fracture clusters employing the surface flow rates, the surface pressures, and a model representing flow distribution of the wellbore. An example fracturing controller includes (1) an interface configured to receive surface flow rates and corresponding surface pressures for pumping a fracturing component into a wellbore, wherein the surface flow rates are modified in a series of steps, and (2) a processor configured to determine flow rates for the fracture clusters employing the surface flow rates, the surface pressures, and a model representing flow distribution of the wellbore.

Abstract: An illustrative hydraulic fracturing flow simulation system includes: a data acquisition module collecting measurements from a subterranean formation; a processing module implementing a hydraulic fracturing simulation method; and a visualization module that displays the time-dependent spatial distribution. The simulation method includes: deriving from the measurements a network of fractures having junctions where two or more fractures intersect; ordering a set of corner points associated with each junction; calculating a junction area from each set of corner points; determining a current state that includes flow parameter values at discrete points arranged along the fractures in said network; constructing a set of linear equations for deriving a subsequent state from the current state while accounting for said junction areas; and repeatedly solving the set of linear equations to obtain a sequence of subsequent states, the sequence embodying a time-dependent spatial distribution of at least one flow parameter.

Abstract: An illustrative domain-adaptive hydraulic fracturing simulator includes: a data acquisition module, a simulator module, and a visualization module. The data acquisition module acquires measurements of a subterranean formation undergoing a hydraulic fracturing operation. The simulator module provides a series of states for a model of the subterranean formation by: (a) constructing said model from the measurements, the model representing said current state throughout a modeled domain; (b) determining a core domain of influence within the modeled domain by identifying active fractures; (c) generating a linear set of equations to derive the subsequent state from the current state, the linear set of equations including fluid flow equations for the core domain of influence and excluding fluid flow equations for a region of the modeled domain outside the core domain of influence; and (d) deriving the subsequent state from the linear set of equations. The visualization module displays the series of states.

Abstract: A method and system for modeling a fracture in a hydraulic fracturing simulator. The method may comprise simulating a well system with an information handling system, defining a closure criteria for a hydraulic fracturing operation, assembling at least one variable in a linear system, assembling at least one variable of a contact force in the linear system, solving for the contact force, and determining at least one opening or at least one closing of the fracture with the contact force. The system may comprise a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory may store a program configured to simulate a well system with an information handling system, define a closure criteria for a hydraulic fracturing operation, assemble at least one variable in a linear system, and determine at least one opening or at least one closing of the fracture with the contact force.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to a method and system that estimates the number of active fractures for a given hydraulic fracturing fluid pressure. The hydraulic fracturing pressure can be correlated to a corresponding hydraulic fracturing fluid absorption rate of downhole fractures. Using the pressure and rate correlation, an active fracture ratio can be determined and then utilized to estimate the number of active fractures at a given hydraulic fracturing fluid pressure. In other aspects, a target fluid pressure is represented by a curve or other shape corresponding to a fluid friction model so that the fluid pressure correlation to the fluid absorption rate can be utilized to compute the active fracture ratio. The disclosed system is operable to control a well site pump system to adjust the fluid pressure and fluid composition, to monitor the downhole fluid, to collect the fluid values, and to compute an estimated active fracture ratio.

Abstract: Selecting a fracing-plan-to-apply to optimize a complexity index includes identifying a set of controllable input variables that defines a fracing plan. Initial values for the set of controllable input variables are defined. The initial values of the set of controllable input variables are processed to produce an initial stimulated geometry. A complexity estimator is applied to the initial stimulated geometry to produce an initial complexity index, which is evaluated to identify at least one variation from the initial values, which is processed to produce a variation stimulated geometry for each of the at least one variation from the initial values. The complexity estimator is applied to the at least one variation stimulated geometry to produce a variation complexity index for each of the at least one variation from the initial values. The fracing-plan-to-apply is selected from among the initial values and the at least one variation from the initial values.

Abstract: An illustrative hydraulic fracturing flow simulation system includes: a data acquisition module collecting measurements from a subterranean formation; a processing module implementing a hydraulic fracturing simulation; and a visualization module that displays a time-dependent spatial distribution. The implemented method includes: modeling a connected network of fractures; assigning an orientation to each fracture in the network to locate two different flow parameter types at each junction, thereby defining an arrangement of different flow parameter types spatially staggered along each fracture; capturing the arrangement as a set of linear equations for iteratively deriving a subsequent flow state from a current flow state; simulating flow through the network of fractures by repeatedly solving the set of linear equations; and determining the time-dependent spatial distribution of at least one flow component.

Abstract: In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a methodology may be used to computationally simulate a system of equations relating to the junction points of a dynamic fracture network (DFN). The simulation may utilize one or more efficient algorithms to perform a realistic, physically conservative, and stable coupled simulation of the DFN's complex flows. These algorithms may use assumptions based on the transient Navier-Stokes equations to perform the proppant laden flow simulation. As described in detail below, the algorithms may utilize a numerical methodology that accurately simulates a junction system of equations arising from solving the fluid and proppant flows inside individual fractures based on Navier-Stokes equations along with a proppant transport equation.

Abstract: A method for performing a wellbore operation that includes generating a multiphase fluid flow model defining at least two layers comprising a first layer including a proppant-fluid mixture and a second layer including a bed of settled proppant, simulating a behavior of the bed of settled proppant in a flow path using the multiphase fluid flow model and thereby obtaining a simulation result, and performing the wellbore operation based on the simulation result.

Abstract: To improve efficiency for solving a system of equations, art equation solver uses variable reduction techniques to reduce a number of variables to be solved. The equation solver identifies derived variables and eliminates them from the system of equations. The equation solver considers the remaining variables to be primitive variables. The primitive variables may be rewritten into a representation of the system of equations or into a set of equations that may be used to solve for values of the primitive variables. The equation solver solves for values of the primitive variables. Prior to solving or during solving iterations, the equation solver may apply storage policies to further reduce the number of variables to be solved. The storage policies indicate parameters and techniques for eliminating primitive variables to be solved, such as primitive variables that are insignificant (i.e., have little effect on a solution for the system of equations).