Laboratory-Scale-Model Testing of Well Stimulation by Use of Mechanical-Impulse Hydraulic Fracturing

SPE Journal ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (03) ◽  
pp. 536-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke P. Frash ◽  
Marte Gutierrez ◽  
Jesse Hampton

Summary Reservoir stimulation is commonly used to increase well-production rates and enable economic oil and gas recovery from conventional and unconventional reservoirs. One potential stimulation method that has been laboratory tested as a means to increase well injectivity after conventional hydraulic fracturing is mechanical-impulse hydraulic fracturing (MIHF). MIHF is a high-strain-rate stimulation method that uses a mechanical-energy source as an alternative to rapid gas expansion. Field-scale viability of MIHF was evaluated by use of elastic mechanics and thermodynamics. Results from laboratory tests are presented in which associated flow data indicated significant increases to well injectivity after MIHF stimulation. Tests were performed in two granite specimens with dimensions of 300×300×240 mm3 and 300×300×300 mm3, respectively. The first specimen was unconfined at room-temperature conditions, whereas the second was subjected to heating and true-triaxial confinement. Stimulated well injectivity was evaluated with a series of step-constant-pressure and step-constant-flow injection tests.

2011 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vamegh Rasouli ◽  
Mohammad Sarmadivaleh ◽  
Amin Nabipour

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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 105-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander W. Bartik ◽  
Janet Currie ◽  
Michael Greenstone ◽  
Christopher R. Knittel

Exploiting geological variation and timing in the initiation of hydraulic fracturing, we find that fracking leads to sharp increases in oil and gas recovery and improvements in a wide set of economic indicators. There is also evidence of deterioration in local amenities, which may include increases in crime, noise, and traffic and declines in health. Using a Rosen-Roback-style spatial equilibrium model to infer the net welfare impacts, we estimate that willingness-to-pay (WTP) for allowing fracking equals about $2,500 per household annually (4.9 percent of household income), although WTP is heterogeneous, ranging from more than $10,000 to roughly 0 across 10 shale regions.(JEL D12, K42, L71, Q35, Q51, Q53, R41)


2015 ◽  
Vol 735 ◽  
pp. 31-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdoullatif Gharibi ◽  
Mansoor Zoveidavianpoor ◽  
Farshad Daraei Ghadikolaei

Hydraulic Fracturing, Proppant, Acid FracturingAbstract. Increase in the price of oil and gas during recent years have motivated oil and gas companies to focus on the methods that lead to increasing in the oil and gas production. Oil well stimulation as one of these methods includes a variety of operations that performed to improve productivity of the well. The main objective of a stimulation treatment is to increase the rate at which the formation delivers hydrocarbons naturally. Today’s well stimulation method is converted to the appropriate method in the oil and gas industry to maintain or increase of well productivity. Injection of acid to partially dissolve the rock, and hydraulic fracturing to split the rock and prop it open with proppant are two common techniques for stimulating of the wells. Deciding about selection of the best method for stimulation of the wells is related to the comprehensive evaluation of capabilities of each technique and conditions which are governed on specific job intended. In this article, we are trying to present a description about well stimulation method, methods that are employed to execute well stimulation, and application of these different techniques for stimulating of wells.


2012 ◽  
Vol 488-489 ◽  
pp. 133-136
Author(s):  
Shuang Fei Zhong ◽  
Fu Jian Liu ◽  
Dong Xu Li

Hydraulic fracturing is an effective measure to recover the permeabilityof reservoir and important to enhance oil and gas well production and water injection well. Fracturing fluid is the key factor in the fracture treatments. At present, water-based fracturing fluids are popular, because of low costs and steady performance, which has the largest applications. However, it performs badly in residue. The novel developed clearfrac fluid system named CF1 has lowresidue, cost affectivity, prior temperature resistance properties. Evaluation through a series of lab experiments, the experiments result show that the novel clearfrac fluid system can satisfy with the requirement of low damage and have favorable temperature resistance under 120 。C. The damage to the core matrix due to with the broken frac-fluid is low. Prior properties of the novel clear-fracturing fluid are suitable to high temperature and high pressure reservoirs. It is also a novel environmental friendly viscoelastic surfactant fracturing fluid. The development of the novel clear-fracturing fluid for hydraulic fracturing industry is significant.


1981 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 336-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. E. Warren

Well bore stresses induced by inflatable packers during hydraulic fracturing operations are investigated. The geologic formation is modeled as an unbounded homogeneous isotropic linear elastic solid containing an infinitely long circular cavity, while the packer is modeled as a semi-infinite thin-walled circular cylindrical shell. For given packer properties, these induced stresses are shown to depend on the difference between packer pressure and fracturing pressure and can become significant. Typical numerical results are obtained and presented graphically. Analytical approximations for the maximum values of these stresses are also presented. While these effects are of no importance in the usual application of hydraulic fracturing to enhance oil and gas recovery, they are crucial in attempts to estimate in-situ stresses from hydraulic fracturing pressure data.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Miriam R. Aczel ◽  
Karen E. Makuch

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.


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