Quick question: on our last Wolfcamp pad (4 wells, about 50 stages each), dissolvables cut 10–12 hours of mill-out time per well but added about $18k per well in materials; at 180–200°F and 200k+ TDS brine we still had a couple partial hang-ups. Are you seeing consistent cost and cycle-time wins over composites in similar conditions, or does the variance in dissolution keep eroding the economics?
On a about 190°F, about 220k TDS Wolfcamp pad we only saw consistent wins by bumping a 5–10 bbl fresh-water pill followed by 1–2 bbl of 7.5% HCl across the top third before flowback — it strips the film on the dissolvables and killed the ‘partial hang-ups’, saving about 8–12 hours. Small caveat: if your frac package pushes pH >9, the acid is doing the heavy lifting, so price that into the extra $18k, @KenW.
In 180–200°F, 200k+ TDS Wolfcamp we only got consistent wins with a hybrid — dissolvables on the toe 15–20 stages, composites up the curve — saved about 6–8 hr CT per well with ~$9–10k extra materials instead of ~$18k. If you stay all‑dissolvable, spec the high‑TDS alloy and delay flowback 4–6 hr; that cut our “partial hang-ups” noticeably. Co-sign @laura_g765 on a light preflush, but the hybrid kept variance in check.
We justified the $18k when we kept shut-in 150–160°F; quick 10% acetic soak sped dissolution, @OP.
And @OP We only got the economics to work by spec’ing a chloride‑tolerant alloy and giving it a 6–8 hr static soak at BHT, then a slow flowback ramp — like Alka‑Seltzer, it needs the right bath to fizz — net was about a CT shift saved with less heel debris. If you can’t change the alloy, a small GLDA chelant pill ahead of flowback kept the surface film from passivating the metal for us. Caveat: watch iron and run inhibitor, the chelant will drag it.
We shaved about 9 hr by bullheading about 50 bbl fresh water with a little scale inhibitor to the toe right after frac, letting it sit a couple hours before CT on a 190°F/200k+ job — it tightened dissolution and kept the mid‑lat stalls away. At your +$18k, @OP, that was net‑positive for us, but if fresh water logistics are ugly I’d keep dissolvables to the first dozen stages.
@rpeters45 nailed the ramp; our biggest unlock was pulling phosphonate scale inhibitor and swapping to a polymeric SI — the phosphonate was “waxing” the Mg alloy and we kept getting partials in hot, salty brine. A quick jar test with your actual brine and the full chem slate made the $18k pencil for us — worth a try?