Enhance Hydraulic Fracturing Performance via Optimization, Automation, and Data Integration

This paper presents a novel digital workflow that enhances hydraulic fracturing design and production forecasting in tight sandstone reservoirs. The approach integrates real-time microseismic data, geomechanical testing, and well test analysis to improve model calibration and reduce uncertainty in flow predictions. An optimization framework, based on integer programming, automates the selection of fracturing stages by evaluating thousands of fracturing scenarios under operational constraints. The resulting designs are more efficient, reducing the number of stages by 11% while improving cumulative production by 28% compared to legacy designs. The workflow is operationalized through FracSight, an in-house digital tool that combines calibrated flow models with optimization algorithms to simulate and rank fracturing scenarios. Deployed in Thailand’s largest onshore oil field, FracSight has demonstrated significant value, delivering over USD 7 million in estimated gains from improved decision-making and cost efficiency. This study showcases how the integration of optimization, automation, and data-driven modeling can transform hydraulic fracturing planning and enable scalable, optimized designs in complex reservoirs.