Perpustakaan Digital ITB

This study addresses the optimization of the fracture half-length distribution along the lateral of a multi- stage fractured horizontal well in a tight oil reservoir, a design degree of freedom that prior work has resolved in favour of edge-heavy distributions obtained under tight stage spacing and symmetric centre- origin configurations. This study aims to compare the production performance of six fracture half-length distribution patterns while keeping the total fracture half-length constant, identify the mechanism responsible for the observed production differences, and determine which pattern provides the highest oil recovery. Six fracture configurations were evaluated using the same total fracture half-length to ensure that any difference in performance resulted solely from the spatial distribution of fracture lengths rather than the overall stimulation size. The simulation results show that the Parabolic Down pattern consistently achieved the highest oil recovery, a result explained by a mechanism in which staggering the fracture tips allows the longest fractures to drain reservoir volume that a uniform tip-line leaves permanently stranded, provided the length contrast between neighbouring fractures remains smooth enough to avoid opening undrained gaps. These findings indicate that recovery is governed primarily by the degree and smoothness of fracture-length concentration rather than by its directional orientation.