Evaluating fracture volume loss during production process by comparative analysis of initial and second flowback data

The fracture volume is gradually changed with the depletion of fracture pressure during the production process. However, there are few flowback models available so far that can estimate the fracture volume loss using pressure transient and rate transient data. The initial flowback involves producing back the fracturing fluid after hydraulic fracturing, while the second flowback involves producing back the preloading fluid injected into the parent wells before fracturing of child wells. The main objective of this research is to compare the initial and second flowback data to capture the changes in fracture volume after production and preload processes. Such a comparison is useful for evaluating well performance and optimizing fracturing operations. We construct rate-normalized pressure (RNP) versus material balance time (MBT) diagnostic plots using both initial and second flowback data (FB_i and FB_s, respectively) of six multi-fractured horizontal wells completed in Niobrara and Codell formations in DJ Basin. In general, the slope of RNP plot during the FB_s period is higher than that during the FB_i period, indicating a potential loss of fracture volume from the FB_i to the FB_s period. We estimate the changes in effective fracture volume (<i>V</i> _ef) by analyzing the changes in the RNP slope and total compressibility between these two flowback periods. <i>V</i> _ef during FB_s is in general 3%-45% lower than that during FB_i. We also compare the drive mechanisms for the two flowback periods by calculating the compaction-drive index (CDI), hydrocarbon-drive index (HDI), and water-drive index (WDI). The dominant drive mechanism during both flowback periods is CDI, but its contribution is reduced by 16% in the FB_s period. This drop is generally compensated by a relatively higher HDI during this period. The loss of effective fracture volume might be attributed to the pressure depletion in fractures, which occurs during the production period and can extend 800 days.