If you’re a completions operation or making decisions out in the field, you might think that running your own downhole study is just a technical exercise that isn’t worth your time. Think again. Conducting a study can help you cut costs, improve frac design performance, and make decisions based on real data from your specific wells—all while standing out in a competitive market.
Save time and money long-term
In completions, there’s always room to make your operations more efficient. A well-executed study is an investment in your overall efficiency. Instead of hoping a plug holds, you can rest easy knowing you’re getting the isolation you need—or see the areas where you’re losing containment and need to make a change.
When you dive into the numbers, the business case for a study becomes clear. One of the biggest takeaways from the ConocoPhillips study was their ability to detect and prove frac plug failure. Finding a failure mode in a controlled study costs a fraction of what it costs when you lose a stage. You’re trading a small upfront cost for massive risk reduction.
Most people look at the price tag of their downhole tools. But a study teaches you to look at the cost of the process. If a study shows you how to improve wellbore isolation or identify weaknesses in your completion design, those savings compound across a multi-well program, putting a whole lot of dollars back into the budget.
Boost your company’s reputation
“We’ve always done it this way” is the most popular soundtrack on any well site. That means doing something different gets noticed. Publishing a study tells your partners, your competitors, and your investors that you’re leading the pack and thinking of new ways to stand out.
When you put your name on a study, your company reputation gains a few things that money can’t directly buy:
- Authority: When ConocoPhillips published their findings, they stopped being just another operator and became the benchmark. When you publish, you’re the one setting the standard for what good looks like. Other companies start looking to your data to validate their own choices.
- Proactivity: Anyone can react to a plug failure after the frac or wellbore is compromised. But a company that studies failure modes in advance proves they have a handle on the risks before the first barrel of fluid even hits the formation.
- Talent: The best engineers and field technicians want to work for the smartest companies who are doing the most exciting work. Highlighting a culture of innovation makes your company a magnet for people who want to solve problems, not just manage them.
Building your workflow and methodology
Let’s say you’ve decided to go ahead and run a study. How do you get started? The ConocoPhillips study gave the industry a blueprint, but they aren't the only ones with tools in the shed. The key is using a forensic approach and looking to understand a specific downhole behavior.
ConocoPhillips didn’t just try all the leading frac plugs on the market. They created a detailed method to compare performance side-by-side in the same downhole conditions, defining exactly what was required during the run-in, the frac, and the drill-out. That way, they could prove which plug performed best. (In case you missed it, that was PurpleSeal™.)
READ MORE: What makes PurpleSeal™ different?
But that’s not the whole picture. To get that real, tangible proof, you’ll need to see what’s happening underground. Working with companies like DarkVision allows you to map out the wellbore and nail down frac plug forensics after the fact. It’s essentially an autopsy for your frac job, showing you exactly how the plugs set, how they held, and—most importantly—when they didn't.
You can also integrate data from your perforating strategy. If you know exactly how your clusters are eroding, you can correlate plug performance with metrics like uniformity index (UI). And if you want to get even more granular, using tracers can provide near-instant feedback on frac placement and plug integrity.
Picking the right frac plug
If you’re going to run a scientific study, you need a control factor—a constant you can rely on so you know your results aren't being skewed by an unexpected element. That’s where PurpleSeal™ frac plugs come into the picture. In the ConocoPhillips study, PurpleSeal™ emerged as the top-performing plug. It set the bar for isolation integrity, proving that it could handle the harshest conditions without breaking a sweat.
By choosing a plug with a proven, published history of success, you gain a massive advantage in your own study:
- You can focus on the process, not the tool, letting you optimize specific variables like perf orientation or overall frac design instead.
- You get a clean baseline without extra noise, making it easier to spot where your operational improvements are making a difference.
- When your crew knows they’re running the top-performing plug in the industry, they can push the limits of efficiency.
Start driving improvement with data
The oilfield has always been a place where results speak louder than words. But as the industry evolves, the results are more than just TD records or initial production rates. It also matters how efficiently you got there and how much it cost your company in time and budget.
When you study your efficiency and share it with the industry, you’re building a blueprint for your company’s future—and putting your name out there as one to watch. The tools are already out there, and the methodology is proven. Whether you’re looking to eliminate noise from your completion or just want the peace of mind that each frac is properly compartmentalized, it’s time to start your own trial.
Or, at the very least, talk to us about adding the industry’s best frac plugs to your completion. It’s a damn good starting point.
