What’s Really Driving Your Frac Performance? Insights from a Multi-Bench Montney Study

Field studies confirm that cluster distribution is a high-leverage variable, where a 0.1 increase in the Uniformity Index (UI) correlates with a 6–12% boost in production.  

• Perforation strategy plays a critical role; reducing shot density to 3 shots per cluster yielded an approximate 11% increase in UI and improved distribution within the cluster.  
• Increasing the cluster count from 5 to 6 did not degrade perforation efficiency, demonstrating that operators can run longer stages to reduce costs without sacrificing fluid distribution.  
• Hardware selections significantly alter downhole behavior; for example, casing metallurgy impacts the initial perforation diameter, while composite plugs maintain better zonal isolation integrity than dissolvable options.  
• Finding the flow velocity "sweet spot" (around 110-115 m/s) is essential, as too much velocity creates excessive friction while too little weakens limited-entry performance.

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