MFrac Hydraulic Fracturing Simulation Software Homepage

Meyer 2008 represents twenty months worth of new features, enhancements, and bug fixes. Here are just a few of the highlights. (You can find much more detail in the Software Updates section.)

MProd

• Non-Darcy Flow. MProd now has the ability to model non-Darcy flow in the fracture. This allows the user to determine the effect of non-Darcy flow on productivity.

• Non-Darcy Database. MProd and MFrac now have access to a database of non-Darcy correlations. The system database contains several well-known correlations, where each correlation can be plotted in the form of Beta (β) versus Permeability (k), or as Porosity (ϕ) versus Permeability (k). The database can also plot multiple correlations at once, making it easy for the user to compare them.

• Simultaneous Case Comparisons. MProd can now compare non-Darcy fracture, Darcy fracture, base and stimulated cases simultaneously in the reports and plots. Various comparative options, including numerous new plots, are available.

• Proppant Calculator. This handy accessory makes it easy to see the interaction between various numerical proppant properties. The user selects a beta (β) correlation and enters proppant property data. The Calculator uses this to compute fracture permeability (k) and a beta factor (β).

MFrac

• Automatic Treatment Design enhancements including:

  1. Designs based on maximum fracture length, total slurry volume, or total proppant mass.
  2. Non-linear proppant ramping.
  3. Multi-stage rate step downs for frac packs. This option directs the simulator to schedule the pumps to shut down gradually over several stages, rather than all at once, at the end of a job.
  4. Automatic treatment schedule and NPV designs for tip screen-outs and frac packs.
  5. Wellbore hydraulics solution.

• Plot Versus Measured Depth. All MFrac plots with depth scales now have the ability to use measured depth for the scale. This is very useful for working with deviated wellbores.

• Fluid Loss Log File Importing. We have enhanced the Log File Importing module by adding the ability to import Fluid Loss properties from log files. This is similar to the Rock Properties import feature we added in Meyer 2006.

• Updated Proppant Databases. Atlas Resin Proppants has provided us with new entries for our system proppant databases.

  To ensure that you are using the latest proppant data from the System Proppant Databases, copy the currently used proppant types from the System Database to the User Database. If you are importing files with older proppant data and have a proppant code conflict, click Cancel (i.e., to make sure that the latest System Proppant Database values that were copied into the User Database are being used).

MView

• Build Unlimited Plots. MView is no longer limited to six plots; it is possible to build an arbitrary number of them.

• Merge Data Sets. This release of MView features a major overhaul of the Merge Data Sets feature. Enhancements include:

  1. The ability to add or remove multiple parameters at once.
  2. The ability to rearrange parameters after they are selected.
  3. Enhanced error checking.
  4. Merge Data Sets now computes and displays the minimum and maximum time step. Also, fixed an error in computing the merge time step.
  5. The default text for numbers that cannot be interpolated is now specified directly in Merge Data Sets instead of being buried under Preferences.

Documentation

• The English and Russian editions of the Meyer User's Guide have been completely revised and updated for Meyer 2008. The Guide is available as a PDF, and it also forms the basis for the new Meyer 2008 online help system.

All Apps

• Simulation Data Windows. All applications with simulators now feature modular, configurable Simulation Data Windows. These windows are a vast improvement over the windows of the same name in previous editions of the Meyer Software.

  • The columns in these windows can now be individually hidden and shown, and reordered by drag-and-drop.
  • There are more channels of data available for display, and additional windows, such as an NPV window in MFrac.
  • The windows are easier to organize and less obtrusive when the user has plots open. In previous releases, if the user ran the simulator with plots open, the Simulation Data Windows would pop up over the plots. Now they open in the background.

• Document Management. This release features a complete overhaul of the code for opening and saving files. The code is now much more reliable at handling corrupt or old files. As a side effect of these changes, the apps are now much more precise about determining whether the input data has changed, and whether files need to be saved. Additionally this work has allowed us to fix several long-standing bugs in the plots.

• Error Checking. We have added an Ignore All button to all of our input screens. This makes navigating the screens much more efficient because the user can now defer error checking until the whole case is entered.

• Reports. The flagship improvement here is the Print Preview feature which we have added to all of our reports. It is now possible to print a single page, or a range of pages, in addition to printing the whole report. We have also improved the HTML export feature and the code for handling images on the report.

• Spreadsheet Configuration. The spreadsheets now support more usability features such as a user-specified color for alternating and frozen rows, and an option to display an ellipsis if cell contents are truncated.

• Operating Systems. Meyer 2008 runs on Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000.

In addition to the highlights listed here, Meyer 2008 features over 200 additional bug fixes and enhancements and numerous internal quality improvements to the installer, the reports, the spreadsheets, and the document management code. The amount of work put into this release lays the foundation for years' worth of future enhancements.