The study area is located in the southeastern sector of the Neuquén basin, belonging to the Loma La Lata – Sierra Barrosa (LLL-SB) block, near to the basin margin where the Vaca Muerta Formation boundary is under the influence of the Huincul Ridge (Brinkworth et al., 2022).
This area is currently in the delineation phase, with 5 wells targeting to the Vaca Muerta formation, all of them are stimulated in "La Cocina" (highest organic content) landing zone and showing good productivity. One of them, Well.x-1(h), shows deviations below the expected production, which is considered to be a consequence of the stimulation design parameters and geomechanical properties, among other issues still under investigation.
The development of the project was initially based on a 1D isotropic geomechanical model and limited reservoir property data. Subsequently, the 1D Mechanical Earth Model (MEM) was recalibrated and upscaled to an anisotropic model, and continuously updated with new data obtained from the vertical pilot Well.x-1, the Diagnostic Fracture Injection Test (DFIT) parameters measured in the horizontal sidetrack well, and from other nearby wells too. All these interpretations contributed to a detailed understanding of the stress regime and its potential impact on the hydraulic fracture geometries.
The stimulation plan for Well.x-1(h) followed the planned fracture designs of the delineation phase. However, it included a new type of fluid based on Viscosity Friction Reducers (VFR) polymers instead of the traditional guar polymer system (Ba Geri et al. 2019; Motiee et al. 2016; Van Domelen et al. 2017; Zhao et al. 2018).
This paper aims to integrate the analysis of the stimulation procedures together with the geomechanical properties of the area, to find possible causal factors for the low productivity of the Well.x-1(h). This work, along with other works in progress, will allow us to continue the development of the block with the objective of improving fracture designs and their relationship to reservoir quality.
The oil field analyzed in this work is located in the southern part of the Neuquén Basin. It has an extension of approximately 120 km2. Stratigraphically, the interval of interest is mainly located in a forset of the depositional progradation system of the Vaca Muerta Formation (Brinkworth et al., 2022).
