PETROLEUM AND HOT DRY ROCK: TWO TYPES OF ENERGY SHARING COMMONALITIES

1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 830 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.P. Narayan ◽  
D. Naseby ◽  
Z. Yang ◽  
S.S. Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Mechanics ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Hydraulic Fracture ◽  
Geothermal Energy ◽  
Petroleum Industry ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Mode Fracture ◽  
Hot Dry Rock ◽  
Cooper Basin

The Cooper Basin is the largest gas-producing basin in Australia and hosts a huge volume of natural gas in low permeability (known as 'tight gas') sandstone formations. Hydraulic fracture treatments, based on 'opening mode' fracture mechanics, are routinely carried out to unlock tight gas and to accelerate its recovery. Information regarding insitu stresses and natural fractures is required for successful fracture treatments. However, hydraulic fracturing is still often problematic, in part due to the relatively high insitu stresses and temperatures in the region. A vast amount of Hot Dry Rock (HDR) geothermal energy resources exists in granites below the sedimentary rocks in the Cooper Basin. Exploitation of HDR requires the same drilling and completion technologies as used in the petroleum industry. Hydraulic fracturing is also necessary for HDR reservoir creation, and requires characterisation of insitu stresses and natural fractures, as does tight gas production. It has been realised that the mechanism for reservoir stimulation in granitic rocks is proppant free shear dilation that is related to 'sliding mode' fracture mechanics. Furthermore, seismic imaging of hydraulic fracture propagation is well established in the HDR industry. These two technologies, developed in HDR, may have potential application to the petroleum industry for tight gas production. The geographic proximity of tight gas and HDR geothermal energy in the Cooper Basin and common exploitation technologies should justify close collaboration between the petroleum industry and HDR researchers.

MASSIVE HYDRAULIC FRACTURE STIMULATION OF EARLY PERMIAN GAS RESERVOIRS, BIG LAKE FIELD, COOPER BASIN

1984 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 180
Author(s):  
D. J. Stanley ◽  
G. Halliday
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracture ◽  
Joint Venture ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Gas Reservoirs ◽  
Potential Resource ◽  
Primary Porosity ◽  
Initial Results ◽  
Cooper Basin

In 1981, South Australian Oil and Gas Corporation Pty Ltd commenced a project to apply Massive Hydraulic Fracture (MHF) technology to the tight gas reservoirs of the Tirrawarra and Patchawarra Formations of the Big Lake Field. Four wells had defined the potential at depths of 8500-10 000 ft (2500-3000 m) in the early 1970s but early attempts to stimulate gas production were unsuccessful.The Tirrawarra Sandstone, as a massive unit of 120-200 ft (35-60 m) thickness, was a prime candidate. The Patchawarra sandstones, ranging up to 40 ft (12 m) thick and interbedded with shales and coals, presented a more difficult problem.Petrologic analysis disclosed quartz sandstones in which the pore system consists mainly of large irregularly shaped dissolution pores. Diagenesis has destroyed primary porosity and precipitated authigenic illite, illite-smectite, kaolinite and siderite. The gas contains 32 per cent CO2 and is very dry. Temperatures are close to 400°F (200°C). The formations are overpressured.The project has drilled two wells, Big Lake 26 and 27, and applied two MHF treatments in Big Lake 26. One further MHF remains to be done in Big Lake 27. Each MHF treatment has been tailored to the particular petrologic, reservoir, stratigraphic, pressure and temperature conditions of that zone. The tailoring of MHF design has been further refined by running a 'mini-frac' with 10 000 gal (45 000 L) of fluid. MHF designs have involved up to 620 000 lb (280 000 kg) of sand, 60 000 lb (27 000 kg) of sintered bauxite and 300 000 gal (1350 kL) of gel. Having management on-site to react to aberrations and vary the design has been important in operations.One Tlrrawarra Sandstone MHF has been unsuccessful (as predicted) and the other, on initial results, appears highly successful. The Patchawarra Formation MHF speared off into a coal but appears moderately successful. Long-term flow tests will provide definitive results.Encouraged by these initial results, the Joint Venture Partners have drilled two further wells in the Big Lake Field which await MHF treatment. The gas-in-place is estimated at about 1.5 trillion cubic feet (42.5 billion cubic metres). Three other tight gas prospects of similar size, Burley, McLeod and Kirby, have been identified. The size of this potential resource provides a strong incentive to attempt to make MHF treatments economically viable in the Cooper Basin.

Advanced Well Completion Strategies to Improve Gas Production Deliverability in Marginal Tight Gas Reservoirs from an Onshore Abu Dhabi Gas Field

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hajar Ali Abdulla Al Shehhi ◽  
Bondan Bernadi ◽  
Alia Belal Zuwaid Belal Al Shamsi ◽  
Shamma Jasem Al Hammadi ◽  
Fatima Omar Alawadhi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Horizontal Wells ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Abu Dhabi ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Production Rates ◽  
Well Productivity ◽  
Gas Saturation ◽  
Well Design ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Reservoir X is a marginal tight gas condensate reservoir located in Abu Dhabi with permeability of less than 0.05 mD. The field was conventionally developed with a few single horizontal wells, though sharp production decline was observed due to rapid pressure depletion. This study investigates the impact of converting the existing single horizontal wells into single long horizontal, dual laterals, triple laterals, fishbone design and hydraulic fracturing in improving well productivity. The existing wells design modifications were planned using a near reservoir simulator. The study evaluated the impact of length, trajectory, number of laterals and perforation intervals. For Single, dual, and triple lateral wells, additional simulation study with hydraulic fracturing was carried out. To evaluate and obtain effective comparisons, sector models with LGR was built to improve the simulation accuracy in areas near the wellbore. The study conducted a detailed investigation into the impact of various well designs on the well productivity. It was observed that maximizing the reservoir contact and targeting areas with high gas saturation led to significant increase in the well productivity. The simulation results revealed that longer laterals led to higher gas production rates. Dual lateral wells showed improved productivity when compared to single lateral wells. This incremental gain in the production was attributed to increased contact with the reservoir. The triple lateral well design yielded higher productivity compared to single and dual lateral wells. Hydraulic fracturing for single, dual, and triple lateral wells showed significant improvement in the gas production rates and reduced condensate banking near the wellbore. A detailed investigation into the fishbone design was carried out, this involved running sensitivity runs by varying the number of branches. Fishbone design showed considerable increment in production when compared to other well designs This paper demonstrates that increasing the reservoir contact and targeting specific areas of the reservoir with high gas saturation can lead to significant increase in the well productivity. The study also reveals that having longer and multiple laterals in the well leads to higher production rates. Hydraulic fracturing led to higher production gains. Fishbone well design with its multiple branches showed the most production again when compared to other well designs.

Development of a new approach for hydraulic fracturing in tight sand with pre-existing natural fractures

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kunakorn Pokalai ◽  
David Kulikowski ◽  
Raymond L. Johnson ◽  
Manouchehr Haghighi ◽  
Dennis Cooke
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Hydraulic Fracture ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Natural Fracture ◽  
Rock Properties ◽  
Fracture Plane ◽  
Natural Fractures ◽  
Geomechanical Model ◽  
Well Design

Hydraulic fracturing in tight gas reservoirs has been performed in the Cooper Basin for decades in reservoirs containing high stress and pre-existing natural fractures, especially near faults. The hydraulic fracture is affected by factors such as tortuosity, high entry pressures, and the rock fabric including natural fractures. These factors cause fracture plane rotation and complexities, leading to fracture disconnection or reduced proppant placement during the treatment. In this paper, rock properties are estimated for a targeted formation using well logs to create a geomechanical model. Natural fracture and stress azimuths within the interval were interpreted from borehole image logs. The image log interpretations inferred that fissures are oriented 30–60° relative to the maximum horizontal stress. Next, diagnostic fracture injection test (DFIT) data was used with the poro-elastic stress equations to predict tectonic strains. Finally, the geomechanical model was history-matched with a planar 3D hydraulic fracturing simulator, and gave more insight into fracture propagation in an environment of pre-existing natural fractures. The natural fracture azimuths and calibrated geomechanical model are input into a framework to evaluate varying scenarios that might result based on a vertical or inclined well design. A well design is proposed based on the natural fracture orientation relative to the hydraulic fracture that minimises complexity to optimise proppant placement. In addition, further models and diagnostics are proposed to aid predicting the hydraulically induced fracture geometry, its impact on gas production, and optimising wellbore trajectory to positively interact with pre-existing natural fractures.

Results of hydraulic fracturing design improvements and changes in execution strategies for unconventional tight gas targets in the Cooper Basin, Australia

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 244
Author(s):  
Raymond Johnson Jr ◽  
Ruizhi Zhong ◽  
Lan Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Horizontal Stress ◽  
Learning Model ◽  
Hydraulic Fractures ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Machine Learning Model ◽  
Wellbore Pressure ◽  
Gas Targets ◽  
Cooper Basin

Tight gas stimulations in the Cooper Basin have been challenged by strike–slip to reverse stress regimes, adversely affecting the hydraulic fracturing treatment. These stress conditions increase borehole breakout and affect log and cement quality, create more tortuous pathways and near-wellbore pressure loss, and reduce fracture containment. These factors result in stimulation of lower permeability, low modulus intervals (e.g. carbonaceous shales and interbedded coals) versus targeted tight gas sands. In the Windorah Trough of the Cooper Basin, several steps have been employed in an ongoing experiment to improve hydraulic fracturing results. First, the wellbore was deviated in the maximum horizontal stress direction and perforations shot 0 to 180° phased to better align the resulting hydraulic fractures. Next, existing drilling and logging-while-drilling data were used to train a machine learning model to improve reservoir characterisation in sections with missing or poor log data. Finally, diagnostic fracture injection tests in non-pay and pay sections were targeted to specifically inform the machine learning model and better constrain permeability and stress profiles. It is envisaged that the improved well and perforation alignment and better targeting of intervals for the fracturing treatment will result in lowered tortuosity, better fracture containment, and higher concentrations of localised proppant, thereby improving conductivity and targeting of desired intervals. The authors report the process and results of their experimentation, and the results relative to the offsetting vertical well where a typical five-stage treatment was employed.

Geologic Controls on Gas Production and Hydraulic-Fracturing Flowback in Tight Gas Sandstones of the Late Jurassic Monteith Formation, Deep Basin, Alberta, Canada

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (01) ◽  
pp. 024-040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liliana Zambrano ◽  
Per K. Pedersen ◽  
Roberto Aguilera
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Rock Properties ◽  
Hydraulic Fractures ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Deep Basin ◽  
Rock Types ◽  
Sandstone Reservoirs ◽  
Geologic Controls

Summary A comparison of rock properties integrated with production performance and hydraulic-fracturing flowback (FB) of the uppermost lithostratigraphic “Monteith A” and the lowermost portion “Monteith C” of the Monteith Formation in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) in Alberta is carried out with the use of existing producing gas wells. The analyses are targeted to understand the major geologic controls that differentiate the two tight gas sandstone reservoirs. This study consists of basic analytical tools available for geological characterization of tight gas reservoirs that is based on the identification and comparison of different rock types such as depositional, petrographic, and hydraulic for each lithostratigraphic unit of the Monteith Formation. As these low-matrix-permeability sandstone reservoirs were subjected to intense post-depositional diagenesis, a comparison of the various rock types allows the generation of more-accurate reservoir description, and a better understanding of the key geologic characteristics that control gas-production potential and possible impact on hydraulic-fracturing FB. Well performance and FB were the focus of many previous simulation and geochemical studies. In contrast, we find that an adequate understanding of the rocks hosting hydraulic fractures is a necessary complement to those studies for estimating FB times. This understanding was lacking in some previous studies. As a result, a new method is proposed on the basis of a crossplot of cumulative gas production vs. square root of time for estimating FB time. It is concluded that the “Monteith A” unit has better rock quality than the “Monteith C” unit because of less-heterogeneous reservoir geometry, less-complex mineralogical composition, and larger pore-throat apertures.

Seismic monitoring of the growth of a hydraulic fracture zone at Fenton Hill, New Mexico

Geophysics ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingping Li ◽  
Chuen H. Cheng ◽  
M. Nafi Toksöz
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Hydraulic Fracture ◽  
Fracture Zone ◽  
Geothermal Energy ◽  
Solid Waste Disposal ◽  
Hydrocarbon Recovery ◽  
Tight Cluster ◽  
Grid Search Method ◽  
Subsurface Fractures

The hydraulic fracturing technique is an important method for enhancing hydrocarbon recovery, geothermal energy extraction, and solid waste disposal. Determination of the geometry and growth process of a hydraulic fracture zone is important for monitoring and assessing subsurface fractures. A relative‐source‐location approach, based on a waveform correlation and a grid search method, has been developed to estimate relative hypocenter locations for a cluster of 157 microearthquakes induced by hydraulic fracturing at the Los Alamos Hot Dry Rock (HDR) geothermal site. Among the 157 events, 147 microearthquakes occurred in a tight cluster with a dimension of 40 m, roughly defining a vertical hydraulic fracture zone with an orientation of N40°W. The length, height, and width of the hydraulic fracture zone are estimated to be 40, 35, and 5 m, respectively. Analysis of the spatial‐temporal pattern of the induced microearthquakes reveals that the fracture zone grew significantly, averaging 0.2 m/minute in a two‐hour period toward the northwest along the fracture zone strike.

scholarly journals Chemical and bioassay assessment of waters related to hydraulic fracturing at a tight gas production site

2019 ◽  
Vol 690 ◽  
pp. 636-646
Author(s):  
Ann-Hélène Faber ◽  
Mark P.J.A. Annevelink ◽  
Paul P. Schot ◽  
Kirsten A. Baken ◽  
Merijn Schriks ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Production Site

scholarly journals Multiphase Multicomponent Numerical Modeling for Hydraulic Fracturing with N-Heptane for Efficient Stimulation in a Tight Gas Reservoir of Germany

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 3111
Author(s):  
Faisal Mehmood ◽  
Michael Z. Hou ◽  
Jianxing Liao ◽  
Muhammad Haris ◽  
Cheng Cao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Real Field ◽  
Fluid Viscosity ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Gas Reservoir ◽  
Hydraulic Stimulation ◽  
Fracture Closure ◽  
Tight Gas Reservoir ◽  
Water Based

Conventionally, high-pressure water-based fluids have been injected for hydraulic stimulation of unconventional petroleum resources such as tight gas reservoirs. Apart from improving productivity, water-based frac-fluids have caused environmental and technical issues. As a result, much of the interest has shifted towards alternative frac-fluids. In this regard, n-heptane, as an alternative frac-fluid, is proposed. It necessitates the development of a multi-phase and multi-component (MM) numerical simulator for hydraulic fracturing. Therefore fracture, MM fluid flow, and proppant transport models are implemented in a thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) coupled FLAC3D-TMVOCMP framework. After verification, the model is applied to a real field case study for optimization of wellbore x in a tight gas reservoir using n-heptane as the frac-fluid. Sensitivity analysis is carried out to investigate the effect of important parameters, such as fluid viscosity, injection rate, reservoir permeability etc., on fracture geometry with the proposed fluid. The quicker fracture closure and flowback of n-heptane compared to water-based fluid is advantageous for better proppant placement, especially in the upper half of the fracture and the early start of natural gas production in tight reservoirs. Finally, fracture designs with a minimum dimensionless conductivity of 30 are proposed.

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