The New Illusion® Spire Frac Plug from Halliburton

Halliburton has recently announced the release of the Illusion® Spire, the first frac plug that is both dissolvable and fluid efficient. The capabilities of currently available dissolvable frac plugs are expanded on with the Illusion® Spire, which features less mass and a larger diameter for improved efficiency. In the PDF attachment you can learn more about the history of frac plugs and the difference between dissolvable and composite versions.

Nobel Upstream - Composite Vs. Dissolvable Fracture Plugs

Halliburton is the major service provider to Nobel Upstream of hydraulic fracturing services. The Illusion® Spire is currently the most advanced frac plug available on the market.

Faster Time to Production

The time it takes to bring a well onto production in the unconventional market is critical. Plugs with more traditional designs can lead to excessive volumes of fluid and suboptimal conveyance. The Illusion® Spire technology from Halliburton Completion Tools has been specifically designed to include a water saving element, meaning the completion time is reduced as the operators of the well are able to pump faster. The plug also has a reduced size, resulting in a quicker drive and more consistency for the time of dissolution. This helps to maximise the asset value for operators through substantial increases in flowback and lower water costs.

Field Trials

Halliburton has conducted multiple field trials with the Illusion® Spire in basins in North America. The results of these trials saw unprecedented improvements in both time efficiency and fluid efficiency when compared to the results achieved by other frac plugs available on the market. The overall pump time in a typical wellbore is reduced and the potential is shown to be there to save thousands of barrels of fluid.

Illusion® Spire Benefits and Features

The Illusion® Spire builds on previous successes from Halliburton with the Illusion standard frac plug, with a 45% increase in internal diameter complemented by a 32% reduction in length. These altered measurements yield greater production and placement efficiency, improving flowback and increasing pump-down efficiency. The plug is sized for a 5.5-inch casing. An anti-preset feature is included for setting at depth, as well as the inherent pump-down water saving feature. Neither of these new features compromise the pressure-holding performance or the reliability of the plug. The full internal diameter of the wellbore is achieved, decreasing dissolution time, while the pressure rating of 10,000 psi ensures performance levels remain high even in demanding fracturing stimulations. The pioneering plug design from Halliburton, which includes fully dissolvable rubber and metal, removes the inherent costs and risks of removing a conventional plug. You can find out more about Halliburton in the attached infographic.

Standard Illusion Benefits and Features

The standard Illusion frac plug is also dissolvable and has been field-proven, providing zonal isolation for the artificial stimulation of reservoirs. Upon dissolution, the Illusion opens the wellbore to the full inside diameter to optimise operations. The Illusion is sized for both 4.5-inch and 5.5-inch casings and has the same psi pressure rating of 10,000 as the Illusion® Spire. The composition of the Illusion plug dissolves fully based on salinity and temperature to eliminate removal risks and reduce overall operational costs. It is capable of handling pump-down rates even when accelerated and maintain high performance in demanding stimulations. The large ID of the Illusion plug assists in well clean-up and immediate flowback.

In the short video attachment you can find out more about what hydraulic fracturing well stimulation involves. Halliburton has provided several case studies on the company website for both the Illusion and the Illusion® Spire.

What Is Hydraulic Fracturing Well Stimulation?