It is common to envision and design hydraulic fractures as if they were simple, planar features that are relatively consistent in width and durable in their flow capacity. Production forecasting is frequently based on a simplified description of the reservoir as a homogeneous single productive layer. In rare instances the pay intervals may be simulated with as many as a dozen layered strata, but even the most meticulous reservoir engineer may mistakenly assign each layer a highly conductive, durable connection with the wellbore. When analyzing the resulting production data, similar assumptions are made, which can erroneously reinforce these misconceptions.
Part of the book: Effective and Sustainable Hydraulic Fracturing