Baker Hughes Installs 40-Stage Openhole Completion in Williston Basin

Baker Hughes has successfully installed a 40-stage openhole completion system in the Williston Basin for Whiting Petroleum Corporation. This achievement marks the most number of stages ever performed in a single lateral frac sleeve / packer completion system. The Baker Hughes FracPoint™ EX-C multistage fracturing system was deployed in the Whiting Petroleum Smith 14 29XH horizontal well.

"Our ongoing collaborative relationship with Baker Hughes couples Baker Hughes' industry leading tool expertise and experience with Whiting's Bakken completion expertise and is a key to Whiting's industry leading position in Bakken fracture stimulation effectiveness and efficiency," noted Jim Brown, president and chief operating officer for Whiting.

"The industry continues to push the limits of total frac stages in horizontal completions in the Bakken Shale and other unconventional reservoirs, and Baker Hughes is supporting this effort with consistent technology advancements," said Paul Butero, president of the US Land region for Baker Hughes. "We are excited about the potential of FracPoint EX-C—the latest in our completion systems specifically designed for horizontal shale completions—to push the production boundaries from unconventional reservoirs."

Baker Hughes' FracPoint technology is a modular system that can be optimized according to customer specifications. In many areas of the Williston Basin, Baker Hughes' REPackers™ custom-designed reactive element packers are used in the FracPoint EX-C system to isolate intervals of a horizontal section, while frac sleeves are used for the precise delivery of the fracture treatment. Reactive element packers are a versatile option that allow for a wide range of openhole sizes and improve the capabilities of packer and sleeve completions. The FracPoint EX-C system extends current capabilities to 40 stages via 1/16-in. incremental changes in ball size to achieve an increased number of ball seats. The patented design provides additional mechanical support to the ball during pumping operations.

The Bakken Shale/Three Forks play in North Dakota has experienced an increase in productivity due to fracturing improvements using multistage, openhole packer and sleeve systems. To support the needs of operators in these unconventional plays, Baker Hughes continues to research innovative completion technology advances designed to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of single trip continuous frac completions.