From Petrophysics To Rock Mechanical Properties: A Support To Shale-Gas Hydraulic Fracturing Program In Cooper Basin Australia

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naslin Naslin
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Shale Gas ◽  
Rock Mechanical Properties ◽  
Cooper Basin

scholarly journals Approximate Dynamic Programming Based Control of Proppant Concentration in Hydraulic Fracturing

Mathematics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. 132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harwinder Singh Sidhu ◽  
Prashanth Siddhamshetty ◽  
Joseph Kwon
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Dynamic Programming ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Young’S Modulus ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Approximate Dynamic Programming ◽  
Young's Modulus ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Control Technique ◽  
Rock Mechanical Properties

Hydraulic fracturing has played a crucial role in enhancing the extraction of oil and gas from deep underground sources. The two main objectives of hydraulic fracturing are to produce fractures with a desired fracture geometry and to achieve the target proppant concentration inside the fracture. Recently, some efforts have been made to accomplish these objectives by the model predictive control (MPC) theory based on the assumption that the rock mechanical properties such as the Young’s modulus are known and spatially homogenous. However, this approach may not be optimal if there is an uncertainty in the rock mechanical properties. Furthermore, the computational requirements associated with the MPC approach to calculate the control moves at each sampling time can be significantly high when the underlying process dynamics is described by a nonlinear large-scale system. To address these issues, the current work proposes an approximate dynamic programming (ADP) based approach for the closed-loop control of hydraulic fracturing to achieve the target proppant concentration at the end of pumping. ADP is a model-based control technique which combines a high-fidelity simulation and function approximator to alleviate the “curse-of-dimensionality” associated with the traditional dynamic programming (DP) approach. A series of simulations results is provided to demonstrate the performance of the ADP-based controller in achieving the target proppant concentration at the end of pumping at a fraction of the computational cost required by MPC while handling the uncertainty in the Young’s modulus of the rock formation.

Design and optimisation of multi-stage hydraulic fracturing in a horizontal well in a shale gas reservoir in the Cooper Basin, South Australia

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kunakorn Pokalai ◽  
Yang Fei ◽  
Maqsood Ahmad ◽  
Manouchehr Haghighi ◽  
Mary Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Shale Gas ◽  
Horizontal Well ◽  
Productivity Index ◽  
Stress Profile ◽  
Stress Regime ◽  
Vertical Well ◽  
Fracture Simulation ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
Cooper Basin

Multi-stage hydraulic fracturing in horizontal wells is a well-known technology and is a key mechanism for gas recovery from extremely low permeable shale gas reservoirs. Since Australia’s Cooper Basin has a more complex stress regime and higher temperatures when compared to US shale gas formations, the design and optimisation of this technology in the Cooper Basin has not been explored to the authors’ knowledge. The Murteree and Roseneath shale formations in the Cooper Basin are 8,500 ft in depth and have been targets for shale gas production by different oil and gas operators. Deeper zones are difficult to fracture, as fracture gradients are often above 1 psi/ft. In this study, 1D vertical mechanical earth modelling using petrophysical log data was developed. Then, the stress profile was tuned and validated using the minimum horizontal stress from a mini-frac test taken along a vertical well. A 3D hydraulic fracture simulation in a vertical well as developed as a pilot to select the best locations for horizontal drilling. The selection criteria for the best location included the stress regime, gas flow rate and fracture geometry. Then a multi-stage fracture treatment in a horizontal well was designed. A large number of cases were simulated based on different well lengths, stage spacing and the number of stages. The productivity index was selected as the objective function for the optimisation process. The best case finally was selected as the optimum multi-stage hydraulic fracturing in a horizontal well in the Cooper Basin.

Valuation of hydraulic fracturing potentials of organic-rich shales from the Anambra basin using rock mechanical properties from wireline logs

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 45-44
Author(s):  
Homa Viola Akaha-Tse ◽  
Michael Oti ◽  
Selegha Abrakasa ◽  
Charles Ugwu Ugwueze
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Horizontal Stress ◽  
Shale Formations ◽  
In Situ Stresses ◽  
Anambra Basin ◽  
Wireline Logs ◽  
Rock Mechanical Properties ◽  
Minimum Horizontal Stress

This study was carried out to determine the rock mechanical properties relevant for hydrocarbon exploration and production by hydraulic  fracturing of organic rich shale formations in Anambra basin. Shale samples and wireline logs were analysed to determine the petrophysical, elastic, strength and in-situ properties necessary for the design of a hydraulic fracturing programme for the exploitation of the shales. The results obtained indicated shale failure in shear and barreling under triaxial test conditions. The average effective porosity of 0.06 and permeability of the order of 10-1 to 101 millidarcies showed the imperative for induced fracturing to assure fluid flow. Average Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio of about 2.06 and 0.20 respectively imply that the rocks are favourable for the formation and propagation of fractures during hydraulic fracking. The minimum horizontal stress, which determines the direction of formation and growth of artificially induced hydraulic fractures varies from wellto-well, averaging between 6802.62 to 32790.58 psi. The order of variation of the in-situ stresses is maximum horizontal stress>vertical stress>minimum horizontal stress which implies a reverse fault fracture regime. The study predicts that the sweet spots for the exploration and development of the shale-gas are those sections of the shale formations that exhibit high Young’s modulus, low Poisson’s ratio, and high brittleness. The in-situ stresses required for artificially induced fractures which provide pore space for shale gas accumulation and expulsion are adequate. The shales possess suitable mechanical properties to fracture during hydraulic fracturing. Application of these results will enhance the potentials of the onshore Anambra basin as a reliable component in increasing Nigeria’s gas reserves, for the improvement of the nation’s economy and energy security. Key Words: Hydraulic Fracturing, Organic-rich Shales, Rock Mechanical Properties, Petrophysical Properties, Anambra Basin

Rock Mechanical Properties of Shale Gas Reservoir and their Influences on Hydraulic Fracture

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qinghui Li ◽  
Mian Chen ◽  
Yu Zhou ◽  
Yan Jin ◽  
Fred P. Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Shale Gas ◽  
Hydraulic Fracture ◽  
Gas Reservoir ◽  
Shale Gas Reservoir ◽  
Rock Mechanical Properties

Evaluation of rock mechanical properties to assist hydraulic fracturing in a tight oil reservoir

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (sup8) ◽  
pp. S8-260-S8-267
Author(s):  
G. Liu ◽  
J. Zhang ◽  
H. Lu ◽  
S. Li ◽  
T. Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Tight Oil ◽  
Oil Reservoir ◽  
Tight Oil Reservoir ◽  
Rock Mechanical Properties

Monitoring shale gas resources in the Cooper Basin using magnetotellurics

Geophysics ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
pp. A13-A16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel Rees ◽  
Simon Carter ◽  
Graham Heinson ◽  
Lars Krieger
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Shale Gas ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Bulk Conductivity ◽  
Gas Reservoirs ◽  
Horizontal Fracture ◽  
Fluid Permeability ◽  
Fracturing Fluids ◽  
Cooper Basin

The magnetotelluric (MT) method is introduced as a geophysical tool to monitor hydraulic fracturing of shale gas reservoirs and to help constrain how injected fluids propagate. The MT method measures the electrical resistivity of earth, which is altered by the injection of fracturing fluids. The degree to which these changes are measurable at the surface is determined by several factors, such as the conductivity and quantity of the fluid injected, the depth of the target interval, the existing pore fluid salinity, and a range of formation properties, such as porosity and permeability. From an MT monitoring survey of a shale gas hydraulic fracture in the Cooper Basin, South Australia, we have found temporal and spatial changes in MT responses above measurement error. Smooth inversions are used to compare the resistivity structure before and during hydraulic fracturing, with results showing increases in bulk conductivity of 20%–40% at a depth range coinciding with the horizontal fracture. Comparisons with microseismic data lead to the conclusion that these increases in bulk conductivity are caused by a combination of the injected fluid permeability and an increase in wider scale in situ fluid permeability.

Next steps to crack the code on tight Permian Toolachee and Patchawarra sandstones of the Cooper Basin, southwest Queensland

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond L. Johnson ◽  
Lan Nguyen ◽  
Terry Russell
Keyword(s):  
Shale Gas ◽  
North American ◽  
Organic Content ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Gas Reservoirs ◽  
Stimulated Reservoir Volume ◽  
Reservoir Volume ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Rock Mechanical Properties ◽  
Cooper Basin

Historic wells drilled by Real Energy Corporation Limited (Real Energy) in the Windorah Trough (Cooper Basin, southwest Queensland) characterised the Toolachee and Patchawarra formations as being gas-charged, tight-gas, sandstone/lacustrine shale sequences having layers of coaly source rock with high total organic content and moderate hydrocarbon indices. Consistent with being tight-gas reservoirs, drill stem tests have mostly either failed to produce gas or resulted in non-commercial flow rates. To date, North American methodologies for tight and shale gas extraction have not been consistently successful when applied in non-normal stress regimes outside of North America (i.e. Cooper Basin, China, Poland, Middle East, etc). Real Energy anticipated that North American technologies and practices were not likely to be directly applicable, as noted by published case studies for Australian shale gas wells (Johnson and Greenstreet, 2003; Pitkin et al, 2012; Scott et al, 2013; Johnson et al, 2015). Thus, it became an imperative to evaluate any methodologies or technologies more applicable for the Australian strike-slip to transpressional stress regimes to prevent fracture misalignment or disorientation, effects that result in ineffective fracture stimulation. Overall, a more scientific approach must be applied to developing and understanding the most efficient reservoir stimulation processes (e.g. drilling techniques, rock mechanical properties determination, well azimuth, perforating schema, and well interval selection) to optimise the stimulated reservoir volume (SRV). In this extended abstract the authors take the first steps at defining the stimulation strategies required for these tight sandstones using data and results from two case study wells. The authors outline the well observations and report key lessons in a cooperative spirit to solicit industry feedback and further technologies that can aid development of fit-for-purpose technologies to facilitate extraction of these largely untapped resources across the undeveloped troughs and flanks of the Cooper Basin.

scholarly journals Effects of Cyclic Loading on the Mechanical Properties of Mature Bedding Shale

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yintong Guo ◽  
Chunhe Yang ◽  
Lei Wang ◽  
Feng Xu
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Cyclic Loading ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Fatigue Damage ◽  
Shale Gas ◽  
Maximum Stress ◽  
Loading Conditions ◽  
Gas Wells ◽  
Shale Rock

We investigated the mechanical properties of mature bedding shale under cyclic loading conditions, with an application to the design of hydraulic fracturing in shale gas wells. Laboratory experiments were conducted on shale samples under two principal loading orientations. Testing results showed that accumulated fatigue damage occurs in a three-stage process. Analysis of fatigue damage at different maximum stress levels shows that fatigue life increases as a power-law function with maximum stress decreasing. And the maximum stress significantly affects the fatigue life. Further, the elastic part of shale rock deformation was recovered in the unloading process, whereas the irreversible deformation remained. The irreversible deformation, growth trend, and accumulation of the total fatigue were directly related to the fatigue damage. This process can be divided into 3 stages: an initial damage stage, a constant velocity damage stage, and an accelerated damage stage, which accounted for about one-third of the fatigue damage. Shale rock is a nonhomogeneous material, and the bedding is well developed. Its fatigue life differs greatly in two principal loading orientations, even under the same loading conditions. All of these drawn conclusions are of great importance for design of hydraulic fracturing in shale gas wells.

Rock Mechanical Properties of Shale Gas Reservoir and their Influences on Hydraulic Fracture

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qinghui Li ◽  
Mian Chen ◽  
Yu Zhou ◽  
Yan Jin ◽  
Fred P. Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Shale Gas ◽  
Hydraulic Fracture ◽  
Gas Reservoir ◽  
Shale Gas Reservoir ◽  
Rock Mechanical Properties
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