Horizontal-well pressure analysis

This paper presents an analysis of the pressure-transient behavior of a horizontal well or a drainhole. The performances of horizontal wells and fully penetrating vertical fractures are compared. Dimensionless wellbore pressures are computed for two classic boundary conditions: infinite conductivity and uniform flux. Results are presented as pseudoskin factors and as type curves. In addition to conventional pressure-vs.-time type curves, derivative type curves from pressure/time predictions are presented. The derivative approach the authors discuss is applicable to a broader range of problems than considered here.