Investigating the Use of CO2 as a Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid for Water Sustainability and Environmental Friendliness

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherif Fakher ◽  
Abdulaziz Fakher
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Reservoir Rock ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Fracturing Fluid ◽  
Gas Reservoirs ◽  
Environmental Friendliness ◽  
Shale Reservoirs

Abstract Hydraulic fracturing is the process by which many unconventional shale reservoirs are produced from. During this process, a highly pressurized fluid, usually water, is injected into the formation with a proppant. The fracturing fluid breaks the formation thus increasing its permeability, and the proppant ensures that the formation remains open. Although highly effective, hydraulic fracturing has several limitations including relying on a highly valuable commodity such as water. This research investigates the applicability of carbon dioxide as a fracturing fluid instead of water, and studies the main advantages and limitation of such a procedure. The main properties that could have a strong impact on the applicability of carbon dioxide based hydraulic fracturing are studied; these factors include carbon dioxide properties, proppant properties, and reservoir rock, fluid, and thermodynamic properties. This research aims to function as an initial introduction and roadmap to future research investigating the applicability of carbon dioxide as a fracturing fluid in unconventional oil and gas reservoirs.

Considerations for Using a Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid for Breaking Crude Oil Emulsion from Reservoir

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 1498-1500
Author(s):  
Lacramioara Olarasu ◽  
Maria Stoicescu ◽  
Ion Malureanu ◽  
Ion Onutu
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
Oil Field ◽  
Reservoir Rock ◽  
Oil Well ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Fracturing Fluid ◽  
Oil Emulsion ◽  
Oil Emulsions

In the oil industry, crude oil emulsions appear very frequently in almost all activities, starting with drilling and continuing with completion, production, transportation and processing. They are usually formed naturally or during oil production and their presence can have a strong impact on oil production and facilities. In this paper we addressed the problem of oil emulsions present in a reservoir with unfavorable flow properties. It is known that the presence of emulsions in a reservoir can influence both flow capacity and the quality of its crude oil, especially when they are associated with porous medium�s low values of permeability. Considering this, we have introduced a new procedure for selecting a special fluid of fracture. This fluid has two main roles: to create new flow paths from the reservoir rock to wells; to produce emulsion breaking of emulsified oil from pore of rocks. Best fracturing fluid performance was determined by laboratory tests. Selected fluid was then used to stimulate an oil well located on an oil field from Romania. In the final section of this paper,we are presenting a short analysis of the efficiency of the operation of hydraulic fracturing stimulation probe associated with the crude oil emulsion breaking process.

Recent Advances in Viscoelastic Surfactants for Improved Production From Hydrocarbon Reservoirs

SPE Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (04) ◽  
pp. 1340-1357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine L. Hull ◽  
Mohammed Sayed ◽  
Ghaithan A. Al-Muntasheri
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Reservoir Rock ◽  
Fracturing Fluid ◽  
Improved Oil Recovery ◽  
Matrix Acidizing ◽  
Fluid Systems ◽  
Viscoelastic Surfactants

Summary Viscoelastic surfactants (VES) are used in upstream oil and gas applications, particularly hydraulic fracturing and matrix acidizing. A description of surfactant types is introduced along with a description of how they assemble into micelles, what sizes and shapes of micelles can be formed under different conditions, and finally how specific structures can lead to bulk viscoelastic-solution properties. This theoretical discussion leads into a description of the specific VES systems that have been used over the last 20 years in improved oil recovery for upstream applications. VES-based fluids have been used most extensively for hydraulic fracturing. They are preferred over conventional polymer-based fracturing-fluid systems because they are essentially solids-free systems that have demonstrated less damage to the reservoir-rock formation. In fact, approximately 10% of the fracturing treatments use VES-based fluids. Important advancements in VESs have been made by introducing “pseudocrosslinking agents,” such as nanoparticles, to enhance the viscosity. Fracturing-fluid systems modeled after VES have also been improved recently by developing internal breakers to lower their viscosity to flow back the well. The flexibility of VES-based fluids has been demonstrated by their application as foamed fluids, as well as their incorporation with brine systems such as produced water. A second key area that has benefited from VES-based systems is matrix acidizing of carbonate-based reservoirs. The viscosity of these VES-based fluids is mostly controlled by pH; at low pH (low viscosity), the acid system flows easily and invades pore spaces in the formation. During acidizing, the acid is spent, and the pH and viscosity increase. Because the spent acid has higher viscosity, fresh acid is diverted to low-permeability, uncontacted zones and penetrates the rocks to form wormholes. A number of experimental studies and field applications to these effects have been performed and will be described in this study. In order for VES-based fluids to play a more-prominent role in the field, inherent limitations such as cost, applicable temperature range, and leakoff characteristics will need to continue to be addressed. If we can efficiently and economically overcome these issues, VES-based fluids offer the industry an excellent clean and nondamaging alternative to conventional polymer-based fluids.

scholarly journals Potential Use of Water Associated with Conventional Oil Production and Sea Water as Base Fluids for Hydraulic Fracturing Operations: Effect of Water Chemistry on Crosslinking and Breaking Behaviors of Guar Gum-Based Fracturing Fluid Formulations

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dayanand Saini ◽  
Timea Mezei
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Water Chemistry ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Guar Gum ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
Fracturing Fluid ◽  
Conventional Oil

 Even though water consumption per hydraulic fracturing (or fracturing) job is relatively low; nearly all of the fresh water used for fracturing in California is in the regions of high water stress such as San Jouquin and Los Angeles Basins. However, water availability should not be a concern as huge volumes of water are being produced along with oil and gas from conventional formations (i.e. associated water) in the Kern County of California, a region where most of the fracturing activities take place. This associated water can potentially be used for preparing fracturing fluids in stimulating the unconventional formations. The present study reports on the relevant investigation done in this area of interest.The results suggest that associated water chemistry has limited effect on the viscosity of cross-linked formulations. However, guar gum concentration was found to affect the breaking behaviors of cross-linked fracturing fluid formulations. The new type of commercially available biodegradable breaker was found to be effective in breaking the tested cross-linked formulations at elevated temperature which was as high as 85°C (185°F). Both crosslinking and breaking behaviors of fracturing fluid formulations evaluated in this study were found comparable to the behaviors of commonly used cross-linked formulation (guar gum + 2% potassium chloride). These results suggest that both the associated water (i.e. water resulting from regional conventional oil production activites) and sea water (offshore oil fields) could serve as alternative sources of base fluid for use in fracturing jobs without putting significant burden on precious regional fresh water resources.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TIRRAWARRA OIL AND GAS FIELD

1984 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 278
Author(s):  
H. T. Pecanek ◽  
I. M. Paton
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Gas Injection ◽  
Oil Field ◽  
Oil Reservoir ◽  
Gas Reservoirs ◽  
Gas Field ◽  
Associated Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Field ◽  
Cooper Basin

The Tirrawarra Oil and Gas Field, discovered in 1970 in the South Australian portion of the Cooper Basin, is the largest onshore Permian oil field in Australia. Development began in 1981 as part of the $1400 million Cooper Basin Liquids ProjectThe field is contained within a broad anticline bisected by a north-south sealing normal fault. This fault divides the Tirrawarra oil reservoir into the Western and Main oil fields. Thirty-four wells have been drilled, intersecting ten Patchawarra Formation sandstone gas reservoirs and the Tirrawarra Sandstone oil reservoir. Development drilling discovered three further sandstone gas reservoirs in the Toolachee Formation.The development plan was based on a seven-spot pattern to allow for enhanced oil recovery by miscible gas drive. The target rates were 5400 barrels of oil (860 kilolitres) per day with 13 million ft3 (0.37 million m3) per day of associated gas and 70 million ft3 (2 million m') per day of wet, non-associated gas. Evaluation of early production tests showed rapid decline. The 100 ft (30 m) thick, low-permeability Tirrawarra oil reservoir was interpreted as an ideal reservoir for fracture treatment and as a result all oil wells have been successfully stimulated, with significant improvement in well production rates.The oil is highly volatile but miscibility with carbon dioxide has been proven possible by laboratory tests, even though the reservoir temperature is 285°F (140°C). Pilot gas injection will assess the feasibility of a larger-scale field-wide pressure maintenance scheme using miscible gas. Riot gas injection wells will use Tirrawarra Field Patchawarra Formation separator gas to defer higher infrastructure costs associated with the alternative option of piping carbon dioxide from Moomba, the nearest source.

Some challenges in hydraulic fracturing of tight gas reservoirs: an experimental study

2011 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vamegh Rasouli ◽  
Mohammad Sarmadivaleh ◽  
Amin Nabipour
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Hydraulic Fracture ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Interaction Mechanism ◽  
Natural Fracture ◽  
Gas Reservoirs ◽  
Tight Sandstone ◽  
True Triaxial ◽  
Rock Types ◽  
Interface Parameters

Hydraulic fracturing is a technique used to enhance production from low quality oil and gas reservoirs. This approach is the key technique specifically in developing unconventional reservoirs, such as tight formations and shale gas. During its propagation, the hydraulic fracture may arrive at different interfaces. The mechanical properties and bounding quality of the interface as well as insitu stresses are among the most significant parameters that determine the interaction mechanism, i.e. whether the hydraulic fracture stops, crosses or experiences an offset upon its arrival at the interface. The interface could be a natural fracture, an interbed, layering or any other weakness feature. In addition to the interface parameters, the rock types of the two sides of the interface may affect the interaction mechanism. To study the interaction mechanism, hydraulic fracturing experiments were conducted using a true triaxial stress cell on two cube samples of 15 cm. Sample I had a sandstone block in the middle surrounded by mortar, whereas in sample II the location of mortar and tight sandstone blocks were changed. The results indicated that besides the effect of the far field stress magnitudes, the heterogeneity of the formation texture and interface properties can have a dominant effect in propagation characteristics of an induced fracture.

Petrophysical characteristics and log identification of lacustrine shale lithofacies: A case study of the first member of Qingshankou Formation in the Songliao Basin, Northeast China

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. SL45-SL57
Author(s):  
Bo Liu ◽  
Xiaoqing Zhao ◽  
Xiaofei Fu ◽  
Baiyan Yuan ◽  
Longhui Bai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Composition ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Petroleum Industry ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Gas Reservoirs ◽  
Lacustrine Shale ◽  
Shale Reservoirs ◽  
Conventional Logs ◽  
Unconventional Resource

As an unconventional resource, shale reservoirs recently have attracted considerable attention in the petroleum industry. Shale plays are highly heterogenous vertically and laterally and are characterized by rapid changes in mineral composition. Thus, identification of dominant lithofacies is a key issue in the development of shale oil and gas reservoirs. In this study, various existing lithofacies in a shale section as a target unit in the Qingshankou Formation are divided based on organic matter content, sedimentary structure, and mineral composition. To delineate the electrofacies from the log, the multiresolution graph-based clustering (MRGC) is used to optimize the conventional logs that are sensitive to the electrofacies clustering analyses. Based on the principle of lithofacies identification, the electrofacies are artificially related to the lithofacies as well. This was done by analyzing the petrophysical characteristics of various shale lithofacies, to enable obtaining the main log parameters for the facies of the lacustrine shale section understudy. The results showed that by considering the underlying geologic criterion of each lithofacies, the MRGC method is able to correlate geophysical characteristics of each identified electrofacies for an optimal selection of six lithofacies.

scholarly journals APPLICATION OF FRACTAL GEOMETRY IN EVALUATION OF EFFECTIVE STIMULATED RESERVOIR VOLUME IN SHALE GAS RESERVOIRS

Fractals ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (04) ◽  
pp. 1740007 ◽  
Author(s):  
GUANGLONG SHENG ◽  
YULIANG SU ◽  
WENDONG WANG ◽  
FARZAM JAVADPOUR ◽  
MEIRONG TANG
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Shale Gas ◽  
Fractal Geometry ◽  
Fracture Network ◽  
Gas Reservoirs ◽  
Stimulated Reservoir Volume ◽  
Reservoir Volume ◽  
Adsorbed Gas ◽  
Shale Gas Reservoirs ◽  
Shale Reservoirs

According to hydraulic-fracturing practices conducted in shale reservoirs, effective stimulated reservoir volume (ESRV) significantly affects the production of hydraulic fractured well. Therefore, estimating ESRV is an important prerequisite for confirming the success of hydraulic fracturing and predicting the production of hydraulic fracturing wells in shale reservoirs. However, ESRV calculation remains a longstanding challenge in hydraulic-fracturing operation. In considering fractal characteristics of the fracture network in stimulated reservoir volume (SRV), this paper introduces a fractal random-fracture-network algorithm for converting the microseismic data into fractal geometry. Five key parameters, including bifurcation direction, generating length ([Formula: see text]), deviation angle ([Formula: see text]), iteration times ([Formula: see text]) and generating rules, are proposed to quantitatively characterize fracture geometry. Furthermore, we introduce an orthogonal-fractures coupled dual-porosity-media representation elementary volume (REV) flow model to predict the volumetric flux of gas in shale reservoirs. On the basis of the migration of adsorbed gas in porous kerogen of REV with different fracture spaces, an ESRV criterion for shale reservoirs with SRV is proposed. Eventually, combining the ESRV criterion and fractal characteristic of a fracture network, we propose a new approach for evaluating ESRV in shale reservoirs. The approach has been used in the Eagle Ford shale gas reservoir, and results show that the fracture space has a measurable influence on migration of adsorbed gas. The fracture network can contribute to enhancement of the absorbed gas recovery ratio when the fracture space is less than 0.2 m. ESRV is evaluated in this paper, and results indicate that the ESRV accounts for 27.87% of the total SRV in shale gas reservoirs. This work is important and timely for evaluating fracturing effect and predicting production of hydraulic fracturing wells in shale reservoirs.

Will Carbon Dioxide Injection in Shale Reservoirs Produce from the Shale Matrix, Natural Fractures, or Hydraulic Fractures?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherif Fakher ◽  
Youssef Elgahawy ◽  
Hesham Abdelaal ◽  
Abdulmohsin Imqam
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Fractured Reservoirs ◽  
Co2 Injection ◽  
Hydraulic Fractures ◽  
Natural Fractures ◽  
Recovery Potential ◽  
Shale Reservoirs ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in shale reservoirs has been recently shown to increase oil recovery significantly from this unconventional oil and gas source. One of the most studied EOR methods in shale reservoirs is gas injection, with a focus on carbon Dioxide (CO2) mainly due to the ability to both enhance oil recovery and store the CO2 in the formation. Even though several shale plays have reported an increase in oil recovery using CO2 injection, in some cases this method failed severely. This research attempts to investigate the ability of the CO2 to mobilize crude oil from the three most prominent features in the shale reservoirs, including shale matrix, natural fractures, and hydraulically induced fracture. Shale cores with dimensions of 1 inch in diameter and approximately 1.5 inch in length were used in all experiments. The impact of CO2 soaking time and soaking pressure on the oil recovery were studied. The cores were analyzed to understand how and where the CO2 flowed inside the cores and which prominent feature resulted in the increase in oil recovery. Also, a pre-fractured core was used to run an experiment in order to understand the oil recovery potential from fractured reservoirs. Results showed that oil recovery occurred from the shale matrix, stimulation of natural fractures by the CO2, and from the hydraulic fractures with a large volume coming from the stimulated natural fractures. By understanding where the CO2 will most likely be most productive, proper design of the CO2 EOR in shale can be done in order to maximize recovery and avoid complications during injection and production which may lead to severe operational problems.

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