Optimization Study on Integrated Energy Supplement and Fracturing Technology for Infill Wells and Parant Wells in Mature Areas

The implementation of infill drilling with reduced well spacing has enhanced oil recovery rates but exacerbated fracture interference between wells (McClure, 2023). During early field development with larger well spacing, prolonged production leads to severe pressure depletion around parent wells. Subsequent infill well fracturing often results in asymmetrical fracture propagation preferentially extending through low-stress zones, significantly increasing the likelihood of interaction with adjacent parent wells and causing complete production loss or productivity decline (Manchanda, 2018). Gupta et al. (2020) analyzed data from 500 parent wells and 1,100+ child wells in the Meramec, Woodford, and Wolfcamp formations, revealing that 60-67% of parent wells experienced negative impacts while 33-40% showed positive effects. For child wells, 71-85% suffered negative impacts versus 15-29% with positive outcomes. Formation-specific analysis showed negative impact rates of 82% (Meramec), 69% (Wolfcamp), and 80% (Woodford) for parent-child well pairs. Severe fracture hits may result in proppant-filled wellbore blockages in offset wells, requiring costly cleanout operations (Gupta, 2020). To address fracture control challenges in infill wells, various mitigation strategies have been tested, including parent well shut-in, pre-fracturing recharge, intra-fracture diversion, and refracturing. While parent well shut-in offers operational simplicity, most parent wells still experience 40% average production loss post-stimulation. Refracturing has proven effective in reducing fracture hits (Courtier et al., 2016; Miller et al., 2016; Dhuldhoya and Dusterhoft, 2017; Manchanda et al., 2017), though its time-intensive nature and high costs hinder widespread implementation. Zhang (2019) demonstrated a 6% increase in Estimated Ultimate Recovery (EUR) through fracture-tip diversion agents that mitigated pressure interference. Pre-fracturing water injection recharge has shown promise (Whitfield, 2018; Bommer, 2018), but requires systematic optimization of operational parameters. This study proposes an integrated dynamic recharge methodology for new and existing wells. We developed a numerical model integrating fracturing, soaking, and production processes. The research investigates formation depletion patterns during parent well production, evaluates various recharge methods (timing, parameters, and approaches), and ultimately establishes a differentiated dynamic recharge strategy with optimized fracturing parameters for parent-child well systems.