Optimizing cluster spacing in multistage hydraulically fractured shale gas wells: balancing fracture interference and stress shadow impact

Horizontal drilling and multistage hydraulic fracturing have seen widespread application in shale formations during the past decade, leading to significant economic productivity gains through the creation of extensive fracture surfaces. The determination of the ideal cluster spacing in shale gas wells is contingent upon the unique geological and formation characteristics. Generally, reducing the spacing between clusters has the potential to augment gas recovery, albeit at the expense of higher drilling and completion costs, as well as the influence of stress shadows on fracture propagation. This study introduces an integrated methodology designed to explore the impact of cluster interference on well performance. Commencing with a fracture propagation model accommodating stress shadow effects for an equivalent slurry volume injection, analytical rate transient analysis (RTA) was amalgamated with reservoir numerical simulation to compute the effective fracture surface area (A_ca.) for hydrocarbon production. The correlation between the effective fracture surface area determined by RTA and the actual stimulated fracture area (A_ca.) derived from numerical simulations was established in relation to cluster spacing. The findings of this research reveal that wells featuring a greater number of stages and tighter cluster spacing tend to exhibit elevated cluster interference, resulting in a lower effective-to-actual fracture surface area ratio and heightened stress shadow effects impeding fracture propagation. A cluster spacing of 33 feet with six clusters per stage emerges as the optimal choice at formation permeability of 0.00005 md that decreased to 18 ft at formation permeability of 0.00001 md. A_Ce either stabilizes or decreases above the optimal value, suggesting that more clusters would not have a major impact on increasing the effective stimulated area. Allowing 20% interference, regardless of the permeability of the formation, maximized cumulative production while preventing thief zones and excessive cluster interference. The insights gained from this study will serve as a valuable resource for completion and reservoir engineers, enabling them to fine-tune cluster spacing to maximize well revenue in the dynamic landscape of shale gas extraction.