Abstract Automation has become increasingly crucial for enhancing efficiency in unconventional resource development, specifically in hydraulic fracturing applications, representing a significant paradigm shift in completions practices. The implementation of automated fracturing provides a pathway to standardize operations, minimize variability, enhance safety, and optimize resource utilization. This paper outlines the implementation and field evaluation of automated fracture design execution systems, focusing on their impact on operational performance and exploring potential for future advancements. Automated fracturing systems were deployed to execute the hydraulic fracturing design with minimal human intervention, maintaining real-time, precise control over treatment parameters such as rate, pressure, and proppant concentration. The methodology involved system calibration, operational workflow redesign, and validation through real-time monitoring of treatment quality and screen-out risk detection with programable responses to reduce associated risk. Field results indicate significant improvements in stage execution efficiency, treatment consistency, and decisions made throughout the treatment. The automated systems reduced cycle times, improved adherence to fracture design parameters, and enhanced responsiveness to downhole events, such as early sign of screen-out, compared to conventional manual operations. Observations also demonstrated a reduction in human error, improved safety outcomes, and higher consistency throughout the operational phase. One of the most notable outcomes was the increase in proppant ratio performance, a variable that compares the design to actual proppant pumped in a hydraulically-fractured stage, nearly reaching 99%. The results confirm that automation in fracturing execution delivers measurable operational benefits. Automated fracturing represents a critical evolution in completion practices, establishing a new standard for unconventional well stimulation and delivery. The novelty of this work lies in improving the operational efficiency ofhydraulic fracturing operations. Automated fracturing introduces new capabilities such as real-time data analytics enhancement, which will act asthe foundation for fully autonomous well completions. This paper will review the results of this technology and its impact on stimulation overall efficiency.
Alamri et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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