Advanced fracturing boosts oil output in India’s Cambay Basin

SLB collaborated with Hermes Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (Hermes) to increase production from the mature Sadra field in India using an advanced refracturing workflow. The intervention increased oil output eightfold and demonstrated the value of data‑driven stimulation in low‑permeability reservoirs.

Hermes, operating the Sadra field under a production enhancement contract with ONGC, sought to address low productivity in Well AA, Well BB, and Well CC of K-IX and K-X reservoirs. Both zones have low permeability and moderate reservoir quality, with historical postfracture production limited to 3–4 m³/d per well, and current production approximately 1.5 m³/d per well.

The customer's challenges included

• limited subsurface data,
• the absence of recent logs and data, and
• minimal experience in stimulation design.

To address these gaps, SLB recommended an integrated, diagnostics‑driven workflow combining updated formation understanding, simulation, and advanced refracturing design. This approach aligns with SLB guidelines emphasizing clarity, accuracy, and nonpromotional, fact‑based technical communication.

The workflow included the following:

• Screening candidate wells using historical data and ELAN modeling
• Forecasting production improvement using Pipesim™ steady‑state multiphase flow simulator
• Acquiring updated saturation and geomechanical data with the Pulsar™ multifunction spectroscopy service and the Sonic Scanner™ acoustic scanning platform
• Building a mechanical earth model (MEM) calibrated to injection data to optimize fracture placement and diversion strategy
• Executing a tailored refracturing treatment using the Broadband Sequence™ fracturing service and FiberFRAC™ fiber-based fracturing fluid technology

Refracturing of the Sadra field well delivered immediate and sustained improvements in production:

• Initial posttreatment rate: 20 m³/d with a 50% water cut
• Stabilized production: Approximately 9 m³/d of oil per well—a sixfold increase relative to previous rates
• Optimized fracture placement: Insights from the MEM enabled diversion from the depleted K-IX reservoir to the underutilized K-X reservoir
• Capability development: Hermes gained confidence in proppant‑fracturing workflows, improving readiness for future stimulation campaigns in other fields
• Partnership impact: The SLB performance‑driven engagement model and technical support positioned the company as a trusted partner and contributed to Hermes initiating further fracturing projects