COURSE OVERVIEW:

Hydraulic fracturing has revolutionized the global energy landscape by enabling the economic production of hydrocarbons from low permeability and unconventional reservoirs. This course is specifically designed for production engineers to understand the mechanics, design, and execution of fracturing treatments. Participants will explore the fundamental physics of rock mechanics and fluid dynamics that allow for the creation and maintenance of high conductivity pathways from the reservoir to the wellbore.

The curriculum covers the critical components of a fracturing job, including fluid chemistry, proppant selection, and pumping equipment. Participants will learn how to interpret the diagnostic tests performed before the main treatment, such as the Minifrac or Datafrac, to refine the final pumping schedule. The course emphasizes the relationship between the fracturing design and the long-term production performance of the well, ensuring that engineers can optimize the return on investment for each stimulation treatment.

A significant portion of the course is dedicated to post fracturing operations and troubleshooting. Attendees will learn how to manage the flowback period, interpret production data to evaluate fracture effectiveness, and identify common failure modes like proppant flowback or fracture screenouts. By the end of the program, production engineers will be equipped to collaborate effectively with service providers and make data driven decisions that enhance the productivity of stimulated assets.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

After completion of this course, the participants will be able to:

• Explain the fundamental concepts of in situ stress and rock mechanics.
• Describe the mechanics of hydraulic fracture initiation and propagation.
• Identify the various types of fracturing fluids and their chemical additives.
• Select the appropriate proppant type and size for different reservoir conditions.
• Interpret pressure data during a fracturing treatment to identify real time trends.
• Analyze a Minifrac test to determine leak off coefficients and closure pressure.
• Design a basic fracturing pumping schedule for a vertical or horizontal well.
• Understand the role of fracturing in unconventional shale and tight gas reservoirs.
• Evaluate the environmental considerations and water management strategies.
• Manage well flowback and clean up operations to maximize fracture conductivity.
• Troubleshoot common fracturing problems such as premature screenouts.
• Use production data to estimate the effective fracture half length and height.
• Formulate a post treatment evaluation report to improve future designs.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

This course is intended for Production Engineers, Completion Engineers, Reservoir Engineers, and Field Operations Staff who are involved in the planning or execution of well stimulation activities.

TRAINING COURSE METHODOLOGY:

A highly interactive combination of lectures, discussion sessions, and case studies will be employed to maximise the transfer of information, knowledge, and experience. The course will be intensive, practical, and highly interactive. The sessions will start by raising the most relevant questions and motivating everybody to find the right answers. The attendants will also be encouraged to raise more of their questions and to share in developing the right answers using their analysis and experience. There will also be some indoor experiential activities to enhance the learning experience. Course material will be provided in PowerPoint, with necessary animations, learning videos, and general discussions.

The course participants shall be evaluated before, during, and at the end of the course.

COURSE CERTIFICATE:

National Consultant Centre for Training LLC (NCC) will issue an Attendance Certificate to all participants completing a minimum of 80% of the total attendance time requirement.