Performance Evaluation and Site Application of a Hydrophobic Long-Chain Ester-Based CO2 Fracturing Fluid Thickener

Nowadays, there are a wide variety of thickeners developed for dry CO2 fracturing worldwide, but numerous problems remain during in situ testing. To address problems in CO2 fracturing fluid operation (high frictional drag, low viscosity, low proppant-carrying capacity, narrow reservoir fractures, etc.), the authors have synthesized the novel hydrophobic long-chain ester thickener, studied viscosity, frictional drag, and proppant-carrying capacity of CO2 fracturing fluid and core damage by CO2 fracturing fluid by varying the temperature, pressure, and level of injection of the novel thickener and explored the thickening mechanism for this thickener in CO2. Based on the study results, as the temperature, pressure, and amount of injected thickener increased, fracturing fluid viscosity increased steadily. In the case of shearing for 125 min under conditions of 170 S−1, 40°C, and 20 MPa, when the thickener level increased from 1% to 2%, fracturing fluid viscosity increased and then decreased, varying within 50–150 mPa·s, and the viscosity-enhancing effect was evident; under conditions of 20°C and 12 MPa, as the flow rate increased, drag reduction efficiency reached 78.3% and the minimal proppant settling speed was 0.09 m/s; under conditions of 40°C and 20 MPa, drag reduction efficiency reached 77.4% and the proppant settling speed was 0.08 m/s; with the increases in temperature, pressure, and injection amount, core damage rates of the thickener varied within 1.77%–2.88%, indicating that basically no damage occurred. This study is of significant importance to the development of CO2 viscosity enhancers and CO2 fracturing operation.