Summary As observed in many shale-gas operations, salt concentration of flowback water increases with time. Usually, the shape of salt-concentration/load-recovery plots is different from one well to another. We hypothesize that the shape of the salinity profile during the flowback process provides useful information about the complexity of the fracture network. In this study, we propose a model to describe the relationship between salinity and cumulative water production. We also compare the model results and flowback-salinity data to characterize the fracture network. Flowback-salinity data are collected from three multifractured horizontal wells completed in the three shale members [Muskwa (Mu), Otter-Park (OP), and Evie (Ev)] of the Horn River Basin. The salinity profiles for the Mu and OP wells initially increase and finally reach a plateau, whereas the salinity profile for the Ev well shows a continuous increase and does not show a plateau. We hypothesize that the early water with lower salt concentration at the onset of the flowback process is mainly produced from the primary fractures with larger aperture size. Also, we believe that the fractures with smaller aperture size become more important as the flowback process progresses, and therefore, the high-salinity water produced at later times is mainly produced from secondary fractures. We also propose a model to describe the salinity-profile behaviors. The model presents the aperture-size distribution (ASD) of the fracture network. A comparative analysis of the model results and the flowback-salinity data indicates that the Ev well with a steady increase in its salinity profile has a wider ASD compared with the Mu and OP wells with a plateau in their salinity profiles. This suggests that the fracture network is more complex in Ev compared with those in Mu and OP. More-complex fracture network in Ev is also in agreement with its higher gas and lower water recovery during the flowback process as opposed to the lower gas and higher water recovery in Mu and OP. The presented model for describing the behavior of the salinity profile during the flowback process and its meaningful relationship to the fracture-network complexity provide an alternative approach for reservoir characterization. This study encourages the industry to manage the flowback operations carefully and to monitor the water chemistry.
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