SPE Journal
Volume 16, Number 1, March 2011, pp. 111-114

SPE-139592-PA

Characterizing Natural-Fracture Permeability From Mud-Loss Data

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DOI  More information 10.2118/139592-PA http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/139592-PA

Citation

  • Huang, J., Griffiths, D.V., and Wong, S.-W. 2011. Characterizing Natural-Fracture Permeability From Mud-Loss Data. SPE J. 16 (1): 111-114. SPE-139592-PA. doi: 10.2118/139592-PA.

Discipline Categories

  • 1.6.3 Evaluation of Reservoir Behavior/Performance
  • 6.6 Reservoir Monitoring/Formation Evaluation
  • 6.6.1 Well Logging
  • 6.6.4 Drillstem/Well Testing
  • 1.7 Fundamental Research in Drilling & Completions

Keywords

  • natural fracture, permeability, mud loss, analytical solution, curve matching

Summary

Liétard et al. (1999, 2002) have provided important insight into the mechanism and prediction of transient-state radial mud invasion in the near-wellbore region. They provided type curves describing mud-loss volume vs. time that allow the hydraulic width of natural fractures to be estimated through a curve-matching technique. This paper describes a simpler and more direct method for estimating the hydraulic width by the solution of a cubic equation, with input parameters given by the well radius rw, the overpressure ratio Δp / τy, and the maximum mud loss volume (Vm)max.

© 2010. Society of Petroleum Engineers

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History

  • Original manuscript received: 21 October 2009
  • Revised manuscript received: 30 March 2010
  • Manuscript approved: 26 May 2010
  • Published online: 27 October 2010
  • Version of record: 15 March 2011