Taking Charge of a Controllable Variable: Is your perforating gun costing you?

Perforating charge selection plays a critical role in stage performance; varying the charge while keeping all other completion variables constant produces noticeably different stimulation outcomes.

• Charges that deviate from their specified perforation diameter—specifically those that create larger holes—result in lower perforation friction and weaker limited-entry behavior, driving down perforation efficiency and cluster uniformity (UI).
• Conversely, charges that track closely to their specified Effective Hydraulic Diameter (EHD) consistently deliver stronger stimulation metrics and better fluid distribution across clusters.
• The economic consequences of poor charge selection are severe, potentially leading to millions of dollars in un-stimulated rock volume or excessive fuel costs, whereas optimizing charge selection correlates with direct production gains.
• Operators are encouraged to use measured downhole behavior to benchmark charge performance and standardize the designs that deliver the most consistent UI and efficiency.

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