A structured approach to candidate selection and stimulation treatment design

A 1997 survey indicated that 60 to 70% of matrix treatments fail to produce more oil or gas. The main cause for this poor performance is the lack of a structured approach in candidate selection and the lack of a structured treatment design procedure. A task force investigated the problem and mapped a total process that selects a candidate well by comparing its actual performance against its theoretical potential. The task force decided to create a software package by integrating "fuzzy" rules with appropriate mathematical models to guide field engineers through the design steps.