Creating Value for the High-Saline Bakken Produced Water by Optimizing its Viscoelastic Properties and Proppant Carrying Tendency with High-Viscosity Friction Reducers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olusegun Stanley Tomomewo ◽  
Michael Daniel Mann ◽  
Abdulaziz Ellafi ◽  
Hadi Jabbari ◽  
Clement Tang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
High Viscosity ◽  
Base Case ◽  
Bakken Formation ◽  
Horizontal Drilling ◽  
Produce Water ◽  
Environmental Footprints ◽  
Reservoir Conditions

Abstract Since the arrival and advancement of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracturing) technologies, developing and producing unconventional formations like the Bakken Formation have become a mystery solved for operators in North America. This has also made unconventional reservoir assets the central focus of the oil and gas/energy industry at the state, national, and global levels. However, the produced water from these activities has high salt contents (∼110,000 to 350,000 ppm) total dissolve solids (TDS) in the Bakken Formation) and poisonous if untreated and in contact with the environment. The most common disposal method in the Bakken Formation is deep injections into disposal wells. However, there have been some fears that continuous injections, in addition to contaminating the ground water, could potentially lead to seismic activities either at the time of injection or in the near future. If treated and made fit for its respective applications, this water could be reused in the hydrofracturing process, thereby reducing operator costs of water acquisition and disposal. In addition, it could be used for power generation or to support coal mining and irrigation. Previous studies have discussed various means of improving the quality of the produced water. However, none have been able to cope with the issue of wastewater and residual oil high in TDS. This paper aims to study all relevant means that allow the Bakken Formation to produce water that can be used as an alternative based fluid for use with polymers like high viscosity friction reducers (HVFRs) to make hydraulic fracturing fluids that will be stable with reservoir conditions and able to reduce environmental footprints and operating costs. This research presents an experimental investigation using the Bakken Formation's hypersaline water with HVFRs. This work includes experimental research divided into base case scenarios that serve as a standard for comparison of the effectiveness of the other cases. The results show that the Bakken water high in TDS treated with higher dosages (4-8 GPT) of HVFRs withstand the effect of hardness, salinity, and heavy metals and remain stable at various shear rates (66-330 s−1). No treatment was done on the Bakken produced water except filtration and dilution.

Shale, Quakes, and High Stakes: Regulating Fracking-Induced Seismicity in Oklahoma, USA and Lancashire, UK

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Miriam R. Aczel ◽  
Karen E. Makuch
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Shale Gas ◽  
Seismic Activity ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
High Volume ◽  
The United States ◽  
Horizontal Drilling ◽  
Induced Seismic Activity

High-volume hydraulic fracturing combined with horizontal drilling has “revolutionized” the United States’ oil and gas industry by allowing extraction of previously inaccessible oil and gas trapped in shale rock [1]. Although the United States has extracted shale gas in different states for several decades, the United Kingdom is in the early stages of developing its domestic shale gas resources, in the hopes of replicating the United States’ commercial success with the technologies [2, 3]. However, the extraction of shale gas using hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling poses potential risks to the environment and natural resources, human health, and communities and local livelihoods. Risks include contamination of water resources, air pollution, and induced seismic activity near shale gas operation sites. This paper examines the regulation of potential induced seismic activity in Oklahoma, USA, and Lancashire, UK, and concludes with recommendations for strengthening these protections.

Treating and Permitting of Produced Water for Discharge to Surface Water

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.E.. E. Dan Mueller
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Produce Water ◽  
Flowback Water ◽  
Treatment Facilities ◽  
Minimal Treatment ◽  
Centralized Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Direct Discharge

Abstract The recycling and reuse of produced water (defined as hydraulic fracturing flowback water and formation water) is an increasing practice driven by competing demands for water sources and limited options for produced water disposal. The final disposition of reused/recycled produced water dictates the level of treatment with typically minimal treatment required when produce water is reused for fracturing subsequent wells and higher levels of treatment required when produced water is recycled for other purposes or potentially discharged to surface water bodies. The latter scenario, discharge of treated produced water is specifically addressed. Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for direct discharge of oil and gas generated discharge are currently prohibited east of the 98th meridian. West of the 98th meridian, direct discharge of treated oil and gas wastewater is allowed under specific conditions. Regardless of location (east or west of the 98th meridian), centralized wastewater treatment facilities (CWTs) can be permitted to treat and discharge oil and gas wastewater or CWT discharge may be accepted for further treatment and ultimate discharge at publically owned wastewater treatment facilities (POTWs). The EPA is currently developing effluent limitation guidelines (ELGs) for pretreatment of oil and gas wastewater sent to POTWs for treatment and discharge and recently submitted for comment Final 2012 and Preliminary 2014 Effluent Guidelines Program Plans; both addressed in this paper. Discussed are the various treatment technologies currently deployed and permitting issues associated with the treatment facilities. When treating produced water for discharge, constituent levels in the effluent stream and the waste side streams (consisting of a concentration of constituents removed as part of the water treatment processes) must be monitored to ensure proper management.

Produced Water Reuse for Drilling and Completion Fluids Using Ion Exchange Resins

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hind S. Dossary ◽  
Fahd I. Alghunaimi ◽  
Young C. Choi
Keyword(s):  
Ion Exchange ◽  
Water Reuse ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Ion Exchange Resin ◽  
Produce Water ◽  
Bromide Ions ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Completion Fluids

Abstract Produced water is considered one of the largest by volume waste streams and one of the most challenging effluents in the oil and gas industry. This is due to the variety of contaminants that make up produce water. A variety of treatment methods have been studied and implemented. These methods aim to reduce the hydrocarbon content and the number of contaminants in produced water to meet the disposal, reuse, and environmental regulations. These contaminants can include dispersed oil droplets, suspended solids, dissolved solids, heavy metals, and other production chemicals. Some of those contaminates have value and can be a commodity in different applications such as bromine (Br). Bromine ions can be used to form calcium bromide, which is considered one of the most effective drilling agents and is used extensively in drilling and completion operations. This paper aims to highlight the utilization and the new extraction method of bromide ions from produced water to form calcium bromide (CaBr2). The conventional preparation of calcium-bromide drilling and completion fluids involves adding solid calcium-bromide salts to the water, which can be relatively expensive. Another method can involve the handling of strong oxidants and toxic gas to form solid calcium bromide. The novel method outlined in this paper is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way of generating calcium bromide from produced water. The method includes processing the produced water to recover bromide ions. This is done by first passing the produced water through a resin bed, including bromine-specific ion exchange resin, where the bromide ions will adsorb/absorb onto the resin, as shown in Figure-1. The second step involves regenerating the resin with regenerant having calcium cations and water to form calcium bromide. The final stage is generating the calcium bromide in the water from the bed of resin by introducing concentrated CaCl2, forming a concentrated solution of water and calcium bromide. The developed solution will be further processed to give drilling and completion fluids. This novel method constitutes a good example of produced water utilization in different applications to minimize waste and reduce the costs of forming highly consumable materials.

On Liability Issues Concerning Induced Seismicity in Hydraulic Fracturing Treatments and at Injection Disposal Wells: What Petroleum Engineers should know

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.. Hall ◽  
A.. Dahi Taleghani ◽  
N.. Dahi Taleghani
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Seismic Activity ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Legal Liability ◽  
Seismic Events ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Horizontal Drilling ◽  
Public Data ◽  
Induced Seismic Activity

Abstract The rates of oil and natural gas production in the United States have increased dramatically during the past decade, largely due to the use of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. This has benefitted the U.S. economy and generated hopes that the “shale revolution” could be replicated elsewhere. At the same time, however, public concern has grown regarding potential adverse impacts that fracing or other operations like gas flooding, waterflooding, waste disposal, and other production processes may have. One of the main public concerns relates to induced seismic events – that is, man-made earthquakes. Geologists have concluded that a variety of human activities can induce seismic events. Such operations include the operation of injection disposal wells, though a relatively small fraction of such wells are suspected of inducing seismic activity. Further, available public data shows that, on very rare occasions, hydraulic fracturing itself has caused tangible seismic activity. Although such events have been uncommon, they have attracted significant public attention and strengthened the opponents of oil and gas development. Further, although seismic events induced by oil and gas activity appear to have caused little damage, the potential legal liability could be substantial if such an event ever caused significant damage. Accordingly, industry should give increased attention to minimizing the likelihood of such events. The paper provides context for this issue by briefly reviewing information regarding recent cases of induced seismic activity, current technology for monitoring these events, and the inherent limitations in measurements and interpretation involved in using these techniques. This paper also discusses techniques that operators can use to reduce the likelihood of induced seismic events at hydraulic fracturing sites and at injection disposal wells. These include use of pretreatment geomechanical analyses to assess the likelihood of significant seismic events and, in appropriate circumstances, to guide a modification in perforation clusters design to reduce the likelihood of nearby fault reactivations. Finally, the article provides additional context by discussing relevant laws, including regulatory responses to suspected events of induced seismic activity and the possible legal theories for imposing liability for such events. The new regulations will compel operators to take certain actions and the potential for legal liability may incentivize additional action.

Design of Horizontal Wellbore in Dadas Shales of Turkey by Considering Wellbore Stability and Reservoir Geomechanics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sukru Merey ◽  
Can Polat ◽  
Tuna Eren
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Horizontal Well ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Horizontal Wells ◽  
Horizontal Stress ◽  
Wellbore Stability ◽  
Horizontal Drilling ◽  
Horizontal Wellbore ◽  
Reservoir Geomechanics ◽  
Maximum Horizontal Stress

Abstract Currently, many horizontal wells are being drilled in Dadas shales of Turkey. Dadas shales have both oil (mostly) and gas potentials. Thus, hydraulic fracturing operations are being held to mobilize hydrocarbons. Up to 1000 m length horizontal wells are drilled for this purpose. However, there is not any study analyzing wellbore stability and reservoir geomechanics in the conditions of Dadas shales. In this study, the directions of horizontal wells, wellbore stability and reservoir geomechanics of Dadas shales were designed by using well log data. In this study, the python code developed by using Kirsch equations was developed. With this python code, it is possible to estimate unconfined compressive strength in along wellbore at different deviations. By analyzing caliper log, density and porosity logs of Dadas shales, vertical stress of Dadas shales was estimated and stress polygon for these shale was prepared in this study. Then, optimum direction of horizontal well was suggested to avoid any wellbore stability problems. According to the results of this study, high stresses are seen in horizontal directions. In this study, it was found that the maximum horizontal stress in almost the direction of North-South. The results of this study revealed that direction of maximum horizontal stress and horizontal well direction fluid affect the wellbore stability significantly. Thus, in this study, better horizontal well design was made for Dadas shales. Currently, Dadas shales are popular in Turkey because of its oil and gas potential so horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing operations are being held. However, in literature, there is no study about horizontal wellbore designs for Dadas shales. This study will be novel and provide information about the horizontal drilling design of Dadas shales.

Integration of surface seismic, microseismic, and production logs for shale gas characterization: Methodology and field application

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. SB37-SB49 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Henry Alzate ◽  
Deepak Devegowda
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Seismic Data ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Reservoir Characterization ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Field Application ◽  
Predictive Tool ◽  
Horizontal Drilling ◽  
Microseismic Data ◽  
Scale Characterization

Technologies such as horizontal drilling and multistage hydraulic fracturing are central to ensuring the viability of shale oil and gas resource development by maximizing contact with the most productive reservoir volumes. However, characterization efforts based on the use of well logs and cores, although very informative, may be associated with substantial uncertainty in interwell volumes. Consequently, this work is centered around the development of a predictive tool based on surface seismic data analysis to rapidly demarcate the most prolific reservoir volumes, to identify zones more amenable to hydraulic fracturing, and to provide a methodology to locate productive infill wells for further development. Specifically, we demonstrate that surface seismic attributes such as [Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text] crossplots can successfully be employed to quantitatively grade reservoir rocks in unconventional plays. We also investigate the role of seismically inverted Poisson’s ratio as a fracability discriminator and Young’s modulus as an indicator of total organic carbon richness and porosity. The proposed predictive tool for sweet spot identification relies on classifying reservoir volumes on the basis of their amenability to fracturing and reservoir quality. The classification scheme is applied to a field case study from the Lower Barnett Shale and we validate these results using production logs recorded in four horizontal wells and microseismic data acquired while fracturing these wells. The integration of seismic data, production logs, and microseismic data underscores the value of shale reservoir characterization with a diverse suite of measurements to determine optimal well locations and to locate hydraulic fracture treatments. A key advantage of the methodology developed here is the ease of regional-scale characterization that can easily be generalized to other shale plays.

scholarly journals In situ transformation of hydraulic fracturing surfactants from well injection to produced water

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 1777-1786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon C. McAdams ◽  
Kimberly E. Carter ◽  
Jens Blotevogel ◽  
Thomas Borch ◽  
J. Alexandra Hakala
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Unconventional Reservoirs ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
Hydrocarbon Recovery ◽  
Fracturing Fluids ◽  
Unconventional Oil And Gas

Chemical changes to hydraulic fracturing fluids within fractured unconventional reservoirs may affect hydrocarbon recovery and, in turn, the environmental impact of unconventional oil and gas development.

Estimating Truck Traffic Generated from Well Developments on Low-Volume Roads

2020 ◽  
Vol 2674 (10) ◽  
pp. 512-524
Author(s):  
Ioannis Tsapakis
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Water Volume ◽  
Truck Traffic ◽  
Horizontal Drilling ◽  
Traffic Demand ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Recent advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies have allowed producers to extract oil and gas from thin reservoirs that may not be economically viable through vertical drilling. While the new hydraulic fracturing technologies have resulted in substantial economic benefits for the state of Texas, they tend to generate high volumes of truck traffic that diversely affect the transportation system. Many of the affected roads were designed and built several decades ago to meet low traffic demand levels and not heavy repetitive truck loads. The goal of this study is to enhance state agencies’ ability to determine the truck traffic associated with fracking in existing and new wells based on several well characteristics. This paper explores spatio-temporal trends in hydraulic fracturing in Texas and develops a methodology that agencies can use to estimate the amount of water and the number of trucks needed to frack and fully develop a well. The analysis revealed that fracking horizontal wells generates eight times more water and, therefore, truck traffic than vertical wells. The relationship between water volume versus well length is non-linear. The length of laterals has a very strong correlation with frack water (0.818) and sand (0.763), while the vertical well depth has a weak to negligible relationship with fracking materials. The two prediction models presented in the paper produced statistically similar results with average errors of less than 20%. The paper explains how the predicted water volumes can be converted into the number of trucks needed to frack and fully develop a well.

scholarly journals Subsea Processing Equipment: A Strategy for Effective Assessment and Selection

2015 ◽  
Vol 773-774 ◽  
pp. 1335-1339
Author(s):  
Kafayat Oluwatoyin Shobowale ◽  
Fakhruldin Mohd Hashim ◽  
Hilmi bin Hussien
Keyword(s):  
Domain Knowledge ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Transient Flow ◽  
High Viscosity ◽  
Base System ◽  
Step Process ◽  
Failure Data ◽  
Reservoir Conditions ◽  
High Level ◽  
Unfavorable Condition

Subsea processing equipment’s are deployed in Deepwater / subsea marginal field, fields having challenging reservoir characteristics (which includes: high viscosity, high GVF) in order to economically recover oil and gas. They includes: multiphase booster pump, subsea separation and compression equipment’s. These equipment’s faces a high level of uncertainty as regards well and reservoir conditions, putting the equipment in an unfavorable condition covering a wide and variable range of processes including transient Flow, variable oil flow, fluid pressures, temperature and gas compression effects. More so, knowledge engineers in different areas are assessing this domain in different ways making the performance parameters and relations to be defined differently when utilizing computer based tools for assessment and selection. A four step process is proposed which are: domain knowledge acquisition, failure data analysis, knowledge model and a knowledge base system will reveal the key components and parameters that are needed to make an optimum decision. The applicability of these four step process is demonstrated in the assessment and selection of subsea multiphase booster pumps.

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