Managing server lost circulation is a major challenge of drilling operation in naturally fractured formations and it causes much nonproductive rig time. When encountered with loss, the fracture aperture intersecting the wellbore is not well-identified in time, which has a significant impact on the decision of drilling operation and the undesired result of loss curing. Therefore, the onset of fracture is identified in a timely manner and evaluated comprehensively to formulate an appropriate strategy over time. However, the mud loss date, which is the primary source of information retrieved from the drilling process, was not properly used in real-time prediction of fracture aperture. This article provides a detailed mathematical study to discuss the mechanism of mud invasion in the near-wellbore region and prediction of fracture aperture. The fracture aperture can be calculated from mud-loss data by solving a cubic equation with input parameters given by the well radius, the overpressure ratio, and the maximum mud-loss volume. It permits the proper selection of loss-circulation material (LCM) with respect to particle size distribution and fiber usage. The case study illustrates the applicability of this methodology with a discussion on LCM particle distribution in different scenarios and the result demonstrates the outcome of inappropriate LCM usage and the advantages of the novel fiber-based LCM treatment.
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