Challenge
An operator identified one fleet in their portfolio as the most efficient – routinely pumping between 19 and 20 hours per day. However, this assessment was based solely on raw pump time, without factoring in the designed treatment schedule. A closer look at stage-level data summary (average rate and sand concentration) revealed serious performance concerns that would raise red flags for any experienced operations team.
Solution
Although this study did not normalize target pump time by design type, setting the simple criteria of expected pump time (on average) against actual pump times should initiate proactive measures to address the OSR and frac provider. Whether the root cause is lacking horsepower or tough-treating wells, alerts may be set to bring awareness in real time.
Results
The average pump time per stage was 96.1 minutes. The client attributed the extra 21.1 minutes of pumping time to the service provided being unable to achieve planned rate. This inability was not due to pressure limitations or well issues. An overage of $100,000 was charged to the operator by the service provider per their initial agreement of hourly pumping charges.
Insight
Efficiency
