How Should Clay Stabilizers Be Evaluated for Fracture Conductivity?

Abstract

A clay stabilizer should be evaluated against a hydraulic endpoint as well as amaterial-screening endpoint. Suppressing clay dispersion does not necessarily preservefracture-wall strength or prevent nonclay particle damage. This technical note proposes a staged screening and validation workflow using matched stress, fluid exposure, and sample history. Itdefines an incremental conductivity-benefit metric and explains why a large relativeimprovement can still leave poor absolute retention.