Gel Slugs: A Near-Wellbore Pressure-Loss Remediation Technique for Propped Fracturing

Author(s):  
S.T. Chipperfield ◽  
G.A. Roberts ◽  
W.K. Miller ◽  
R.S. Vandersypen
2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 569
Author(s):  
Nicholas Eades ◽  
Mohit Patter ◽  
Aldi Smokaj

Fracture stimulation in the Cooper Basin has long been challenged by high near-wellbore pressure loss (NWBPL) present in hydraulic fracture treatments. Though many strategies have been applied to either mitigate or prevent this, the industry is still in need of a broadly applicable, economic and practical solution. An approach that has significant potential, and targets NWBPL from its foundation, is perforation design. Perforation design has been shown in the past to have a significant effect on the initiation of a fracture and the success of its continued propagation. A commercial 3D hydraulic fracture simulator has been applied to data from Cooper Basin wells. These vertical wells contain tight sand intervals and are characterised by high differential stress. A sensitivity analysis has been performed using industry-standard GOHFER software, focusing on parameters including perforation diameter, shot density, interval length, number of intervals, and shot spacing. Though many previous authors have suggested that perforation design has limited impact on pressure loss, the analysis performed in this study indicates that there are methods inherent in perforation design that can impact on high NWBPL. In particular, this study has noted a potential for many cost-saving strategies that could be applied to future completions. This is an innovative study that examines the underlying links between perforation design and the resulting near-wellbore pressure loss. It focuses on problematic areas of the Cooper Basin in the hope that by examining these links useful recommendations can be made to the industry.


Author(s):  
Feifei Zhang ◽  
Stefan Miska ◽  
Mengjiao Yu ◽  
Evren Ozbayoglu ◽  
Nicholas Takach

In drilling operations, accurate estimation of pressure profile in the wellbore is essential to achieve better bottom hole pressure control. Adjusting the drilling fluid properties and optimizing flow rate require precise knowledge of the pressure profile in the circulation system. Annular pressure profile calculations must consider solids present in the drilling fluid because the solids drilled from formations may have a significant effect on pressure in the wellbore. In cases of high solids fraction or solid pack off, the pressure loss caused by solids is much higher than the friction pressure loss. This paper looks into the effect of solids on the wellbore pressure profile under different conditions. An extensive number of experiments were conducted on a 90-ft-long, 4.5″x8″ full-scale flow loop to simulate field conditions. The effects of solids on pressure profile in the annulus are investigated. In the experimental results, a significant difference is found between the pressure profile with solids and without solids in the wellbore. A practical approach to calculate the pressure profile by considering the effects of solids in the wellbore is developed. This approach is based on the results of solids behavior in the wellbore. Both solids fraction in the well and solids pack off are considered in the proposed approach. The prediction results are in good agreement with the experimental data. The results of this study show how the pressure profile in the wellbore varies when solids present in the annulus. The pressure gradient with solids can be several times larger than the pure friction loss without solids. A decrease in flow rate may lead to a higher pressure profile and the risk of solids pack off in the wellbore because it increases the solids fraction. Results of this paper may have important applications in drilling operations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 7446-7468
Author(s):  
Manish Sharma ◽  
Beena D. Baloni

In a turbofan engine, the air is brought from the low to the high-pressure compressor through an intermediate compressor duct. Weight and design space limitations impel to its design as an S-shaped. Despite it, the intermediate duct has to guide the flow carefully to the high-pressure compressor without disturbances and flow separations hence, flow analysis within the duct has been attractive to the researchers ever since its inception. Consequently, a number of researchers and experimentalists from the aerospace industry could not keep themselves away from this research. Further demand for increasing by-pass ratio will change the shape and weight of the duct that uplift encourages them to continue research in this field. Innumerable studies related to S-shaped duct have proven that its performance depends on many factors like curvature, upstream compressor’s vortices, swirl, insertion of struts, geometrical aspects, Mach number and many more. The application of flow control devices, wall shape optimization techniques, and integrated concepts lead a better system performance and shorten the duct length.  This review paper is an endeavor to encapsulate all the above aspects and finally, it can be concluded that the intermediate duct is a key component to keep the overall weight and specific fuel consumption low. The shape and curvature of the duct significantly affect the pressure distortion. The wall static pressure distribution along the inner wall significantly higher than that of the outer wall. Duct pressure loss enhances with the aggressive design of duct, incursion of struts, thick inlet boundary layer and higher swirl at the inlet. Thus, one should focus on research areas for better aerodynamic effects of the above parameters which give duct design with optimum pressure loss and non-uniformity within the duct.


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