Using an interdisciplinary approach, Design and Appraisal of Hydraulic Fractures offers a basic yet comprehensive introduction to the completion and reservoir engineering aspects of hydraulic fracture stimulation. The book covers the design and placement of a hydraulic fracture stimulation. It introduces the use of dynamic data to characterize the in-place hydraulic fracture, outlining the methods of pressure-transient analysis for both pressure-drawdown and pressure-buildup tests. Three approaches are discussed: rate-decline type curves, analytical and semianalytical methods, and numerical simulation. Essential elements are given for each and illustrated with field examples.