Key To Optimizing Spacing Of Multistage Fracturing By Ted Dohmen, Jon Jincai Zhang and Jean-Pierre "J.P." Blangy HOUSTON-Determining the appropriate spacing of hydraulic fracturing stages is an important step in optimizing the performance of horizontal wells with multistage completions in unconventional resource plays. While the general trend across the industry has been toward higher stage counts and tighter stage spacing, experience shows production performance does not scale up in simple increments when fracture stages are added in closely spaced completions. In fact, instead of adding hydrocarbon production on a per-stage basis, tighter spacing can add incrementally less hydrocarbon production per stage. To determine the most effective stage spacing, Hess Corporation is deploying downhole geophones in Bakken and Utica shale wells to monitor microseismic events associated with multistage hydraulic fracturing at different stage intervals. The objective is to integrate microseismic and other measurements to optimize the cost-to-benefit ratio of stage spacing without having to drill a large number of wells to assess the impact of frac design changes and geological variables. SEPTEMBER 2015 71