Abstract
The Cretaceous Cardium formation has been produced since the early 1950’s. The Cardium is a sandstone that can exhibit a wide range in permeability. This is due to the diversity of the depositional environment creating deposits that can vary from siltstone, fine grained sandstone to conglomerate. The formation is laterally extensive across western Alberta. Secondary recovery in the form of water flooding has been ongoing in the core area since the 1960’s allowing production into the twenty first century. However, it wasn’t until the application of horizontal drilling and multi-stage completion techniques that the vast reserves in the poorer quality areas could be economically produced.
This paper discusses the initial phase of an optimization process used to increase production and net present value in Cardium completions through the application of reservoir modeling, optimized fracture spacing and the application of a solids-free viscoelastic fracturing fluid. The new approach provides higher production rates and accelerated flowback compared to the gelled oil system previously employed. In addition to the previous two points, the economics are further enhanced by the elimination of the substantial cost of oil used in gelled oil stimulations.
