The diagnostic fracture injection test (DFIT), also called a mini-frac, has helped steer the completion designs of countless horizontal wells over the years. However, an ongoing industry study is about to give engineers a new, and possibly significantly more accurate, way to use it.
As a result of the project, “What I believe is going to happen, is that in 3 years everyone will have completely changed how they interpret the test,” said Mark McClure, the founder and chief executive officer of ResFrac Corp.
Though McClure’s company is less than 3 years old, its unique modeling code is playing a central role in the study, which counts several of the biggest shale players as participants: Apache, Equinor, ConocoPhillips, Hess, Shell, and service provider Keane Group.
