Assessment of risks and developing their handling options for hydraulic fracturing in Iranian oil and gas reservoirs

Hydraulic Fracturing (HF) is the most applicable technique for increasing productivity in reservoirs with medium to high permeability. Iranian oil and gas reservoirs with such permeability can benefit from this technology. Nowadays, this is not a very common technique in Iran. Because of various risks and related factors in Iran, the HF operation elements (e.g., designing, execution, evaluation, management and etc.) have not had a considerable success and expansion. Correspondingly, an appropriate risk assessment and management can help the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) for developing this technology in their reservoirs. The aim of this work is to assess the HF risks and to determine an effective handling plan for this operation in Iran. The proposed methodology includes literature review, face-to-face interview with the respected experts, and evaluation of the gathered data. We hope the advised handling options are properly applied as a guideline for a successful HF in Iran.