Enhanced Geothermal Systems
Multistage fracturing is a breakthrough for EGS - dramatically improving energy production per well
ResFrac's fully-coupled fracturing and reservoir simulator is ideal for simulating hydraulic fracturing and long-term circulation in multistage EGS designs
Fracture propagation
3D fracture initiation and propagation, interaction between wells, stress shadowing, proppant transport, complex fluid additives and non-Newtonian flow, diverters, and wellbore dynamics.
Fracture reopening during circulation
Ability to simulate the mechanical opening of fractures, and the associated increases in fracture conductivity, induced by cooling during long-term fluid circulation.
Decision support tools
NPV maximization using ResFrac's economics engine and cloud-based optimization tools.
The ResFrac team offers authentic, deep expertise in multistage fracture design optimization and Enhanced Geothermal Systems
What are Enhanced Geothermal Systems?
Enhanced Geothermal Systems use hydraulic stimulation to produce from high-temperature, low permeability resources
Geothermal production potential is huge across the United States and globally. However, production is limited by insufficient natural permeability in most resources. Analogous to the shale revolution, EGS promises to unlock these resources by enabling much higher flow rates and low power costs.
Multistage stimulation resolves the problems that have historically limited EGS performance
Traditional EGS designs have been performed in a single stage, without proppant. These designs suffer from flow localization, where the fluid flows into a relatively small number of flowing pathways. In formations lacking large, naturally conductive faults, these designs have suffered from insufficient unpropped conductivity. Shale-style ‘plug and perf’ limited-entry completions with resolve both of these problems.
Key technical references
Recent content from the ResFrac blog
Welcoming Dr. Thomas Finkbeiner to the team as a Senior Technical Advisor
ResFrac is honored to welcome Dr. Thomas Finkbeiner to the team as a Senior Technical Advisor. Having lived many years in the region and consulted with Saudi Aramco and others, Thomas brings valuable technical and regional expertise to the ResFrac team. We look forward to his contribution as we develop and penetrate the rapidly growing Middle East market.
Notable papers from the 2024 SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference
Last week wrapped another outstanding SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference. Every year, I write a blog post highlighting notable HFTC papers. Here is this year’s edition! As in past years, this is not an attempt to pick the ‘best’ papers. It’s a selection of papers that I personally found insightful, based on my own interests and specialization.
Introducing StageOpt – State-of-the-Art Calculations for Optimizing Perforation Design
ResFrac Corporation is built around the ResFracPro simulator, which is the only commercial simulator that fully integrates genuine hydraulic fracture modeling and reservoir simulation. Now, we are broadening to build a complementary suite of apps – which we are called ‘ResApps.’