Hydrocarbon production from tight reservoirs with ultra-low permeabilities in commercial rates for extended periods is difficult to achieve with the current stimulation technologies used in the industry. Normal hydraulic fracturing with conventional techniques to enhance conductivity has been directed towards improving the ability of oil and gas to flow through a porous proppant pack. The industry has extended significant efforts towards the goal of increasing proppant pack permeability through the development of less damaging carrier fluids, higher strength man-made proppants, more efficient fracturing fluid breakers etc. but with no assurance of maintaining long-term production.

The concept of the novel channel fracturing technique is to create flow paths inside the proppant porous media to give infinite conductivity, which delivers a number of consequential benefits: better post-frac cleanup, lower pressure loss within the fracture, and longer effective fracture half-lengths, all of which contribute towards improved short and long-term production.

This new channel fracturing technique was applied and implemented in reservoirs located in the Egyptian western desert for the Abu Roash ‘G' and Upper Bahariya formations, which usually undergo a steeper than normal decline in production even after hydraulic fracturing with conventional techniques.

This paper will discuss the results of four well stimulation treatments utilizing the channel fracturing technique proving the increase and stabilization of oil production over extended periods even with decreasing reservoir pressures around the wellbore.