ABSTRACT
Over the past decade, several technologies and completion designs have been developed to make hydraulic fracturing more efficient and economical, from multistage systems for single horizontal wells to complex “zipper fracture” designs. As the staggered zipper frac became more and more prevalent, new challenges caused by the oil price drop required the operators to step up the game again. To increase the efficiency of fracturing operations and improve the financial and environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing on the participating companies furthermore, simultaneous fracturing completion was introduced to the game. With the advances achieved in equipment and auto-control systems, nowadays simul-frac technique has surprised the industry with its impressive efficiencies and impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This paper is aiming to illustrate the details of simultaneous fracturing technology. Case studies in North America are also provided to illustrate the benefits of this new technology in unconventional reservoir development. The results are presented to demonstrate the efficiency improvements in a fracturing operation, which possibly turns a new page of fossil oil development undergoing with Global Energy Transition, and hopefully inspires other operators to make further innovations.
