Operational efficiency in Argentine shale
In a new technical milestone for Vaca Muerta, Proshale Argentina successfully completed an abrasive jet perforation at a depth of 6,203 meters for a major operator in the basin.
The operation was carried out in just 33 operating hours—a key efficiency indicator in a context where operational performance and the reduction of non-productive time (NPT) are critical to the competitiveness of Argentine shale.
Abrasive jet perforating is an alternative to conventional explosive-shaped charge perforations. The system pumps a high-pressure mixture of fluid—usually water or gel—with abrasive particles such as sand through specialized nozzles on tools deployed via coiled tubing.
The high-velocity jet mechanically erodes the casing, cement, and rock formation, creating cleaner, larger-diameter channels that improve reservoir connectivity.
In deep horizontal shale wells, the technique offers key advantages: it minimizes formation damage (such as crushing or compaction), reduces obstructive debris, improves the initiation of subsequent hydraulic fractures, and, as a trade-off, requires longer pumping times than traditional explosive methods.
A more than 6,000-meter journey
In this intervention, the system was activated via a ball drop at 5,754 meters. Six clusters were perforated in the interval between 6,203 and 6,167 meters—a section that demands extreme precision in long-reach horizontal wells.
Following the perforation, the 30-barrel gel sweep cleaned the well, and the injectivity test confirmed a flow rate of 7 bpm. Surface pressure stabilized at 8,000 psi after pumping 100 barrels, indicating effective communication with the formation and clean, functional perforations.
“This operation demonstrates that downhole intervention technologies, such as abrasive perforating with coiled tubing, are gaining ground in Vaca Muerta to overcome the limitations of conventional shaped charges in low-permeability, deep reservoirs,” said a source close to the operation.
The work was led by teams from Ezequiel Espínola and Javier Gonzalo Casanovas, alongside Proshale’s engineering and tool-assembly groups.
Competing for efficiency in the oil and wet gas window
With operations in Argentina and expanding into Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, and Brazil, Proshale positions itself as a key player in shale completion and intervention services, in a market where operators aim to maximize per-well productivity and reduce cost per barrel of oil equivalent.
Operations at depths of 6 km or more align with recent basin records—from YPF’s mega-laterals with SLB and AESA to Vista Energy’s plans to drill and complete more than 1,000 wells in the coming years.
Today, operational efficiency—measured in hours per cluster and reductions in non-productive time—is one of the main competitive differentiators in Vaca Muerta, particularly in the oil and wet gas window.
Proshale did not disclose the operator involved, though context points to one of the major players active in the formation: YPF, Vista, Phoenix, or Pluspetrol.