A New Method to Interpret Hydraulic Fracture Complexity in Unconventional Reservoir by Tilt Magnitude

Wang, Xin; Ding, Yun; Xiu, Nai Ling; Wang, Zhen Duo; Yan, Yu

doi:10.2523/17094-ms

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Currently, there is an abundance of unconventional oil and gas resources in China; however, their low porosity, low permeability, and strong heterogeneity [1,2] make them challenging to exploit. Therefore, the technology of multi-stage fractured horizontal wells should be adopted to improve the productivity of single wells [3][4][5][6][7][8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimization of Mathematical Function-Shaped Fracture Distribution Patterns for Multi-Stage Fractured Horizontal Wells

Zou

Zhou

et al. 2023

Energies

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A conventional oil and gas well does not have a natural production capacity, which necessitates a hydraulic fracturing operation. The effectiveness of the fracturing directly impacts the economic benefit of a single well. Among the various parameters, including fracture spacing, fracture width, and conductivity, fracture half-length is one of the main influencing factors on the productivity of horizontal wells. For conventional homogeneous reservoirs, research mainly focuses on fracture patterns with equal fracture lengths. However, in actual production processes, due to mutual interference and the superimposition of drainage areas between fractures, the production distribution of each fracture is non-uniform. Typical fracture distribution patterns mainly include uniform, staggered, dumbbell, and spindle. While many believe that the dumbbell-shaped fracture distribution pattern has the best effect, there has been no quantitative study on the length of each fracture under the dumbbell-shaped pattern. Based on this, this paper proposes a modeling approach for function-shaped fracture distribution that takes advantage of the high production of edge fractures and the low output of middle fractures in horizontal wells. The influence of this approach on production capacity is studied. Constant, linear, and parabolic functions are used to establish the relationship between fracture position and fracture half-length, optimizing the fracture distribution function to achieve the best production effect. This method can guide the horizontal well fracture distribution in the block to maximize productivity. The results show that the parabolic function-shaped model is better than the linear function-shaped model and the constant function-shaped model is the least effective. The research presented in this paper offers a new idea for optimizing on-site fracturing plans. It utilizes mathematical expressions to describe the parameters that affect productivity, which provides valuable guidance for designing multi-stage fractured horizontal wells in the field. In the future, this research will be extended by exploring the optimal fracture distribution function under different formation conditions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimization of Mathematical Function-Shaped Fracture Distribution Patterns for Multi-Stage Fractured Horizontal Wells

Zou

Zhou

et al. 2023

Energies

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CT Identification and Fractal Characterization of 3‐D Propagation and Distribution of Hydrofracturing Cracks in Low‐Permeability Heterogeneous Rocks

Liu

Gao

et al. 2018

JGR Solid Earth

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Understanding and characterization of the three‐dimensional (3‐D) propagation and distribution of hydrofracturing cracks in heterogeneous rock are key for enhancing the stimulation of low‐permeability petroleum reservoirs. In this study, we investigated the propagation and distribution characteristics of hydrofracturing cracks, by conducting true triaxial hydrofracturing tests and computed tomography on artificial heterogeneous rock specimens. Silica sand, Portland cement, and aedelforsite were mixed to create artificial heterogeneous rock specimens using the data of mineral compositions, coarse gravel distribution, and mechanical properties that were measured from the natural heterogeneous glutenite cores. To probe the effects of material heterogeneity on hydrofracturing cracks, the artificial homogenous specimens were created using the identical matrix compositions of the heterogeneous rock specimens and then fractured for comparison. The effects of horizontal geostress ratio on the 3‐D growth and distribution of cracks during hydrofracturing were examined. A fractal‐based method was proposed to characterize the complexity of fractures and the efficiency of hydrofracturing stimulation of heterogeneous media. The material heterogeneity and horizontal geostress ratio were found to significantly influence the 3‐D morphology, growth, and distribution of hydrofracturing cracks. A horizontal geostress ratio of 1.7 appears to be the upper limit for the occurrence of multiple cracks, and higher ratios cause a single crack perpendicular to the minimum horizontal geostress component. The fracturing efficiency is associated with not only the fractured volume but also the complexity of the crack network.

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Tiltmeter Hydraulic Fracturing Mapping on a Cluster of Horizontal Wells in a Tight Gas Reservoir

Zhou

Zeng

Jiang

et al. 2015

SPE/IATMI Asia Pacific Oil &Amp; Gas Conference and Exhibition

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This reservoir is a tight gas field and the target sand stone zones are generally staged fracturing treated at depths of roughly 1500 to 2800 meter. Knowing the direction or azimuth of the fracture orientation is important in development of this low permeability reservoir with horizontal wells. The paper presents surface tiltmeter hydraulic fracturing mapping results of 15 stages treatment in two horizontal wells at the same operational period. The two wells are part of a cluster of six horizontal wells located in North of Yulin, Shanxi province. Application of this technology is important in this tight gas field where fracture stimulation is a key method for production enhancement and reservoir development. This was the first deployment of tiltmeter mapping on a cluster of horizontal wells, and several modifications were made for the standard procedures. Using an array of 54 Surface Tiltmeters, the mapping was performed on all 15 treatments with the average perforation depths of TVD 2540 to 2545m at each horizontal section to determine hydraulic fracture azimuth and fracture length, respectively. For the first horizontal well R-3H, the tiltmeter mapping results show that, the azimuth of fractures is between N53 °E and N71 °E, and the fracture half length for stages fractures is between 112m and 149m. For the second horizontal well R-5H the tiltmeter mapping results show that, the azimuth of fractures is between N67 °E and N76 °E, and the fracture half length for stages fractures is between 107m and 142m. Besides, in the well R-3H from stage 7 to stage 9, the horizontal volume component of fractures, increased from 17% to 34%, as well as in the well R-5H from stage 5 to stage 9, the horizontal volume component of fractures significantly increased to 69% from 20%. Meanwhile, the production of the two wells after the fracturing was the first and second among the cluster of the six horizontal wells, respectively. Thus, by using the synchronous fracturing technology, we believe that it not only improved the complexity of the staged fractures between the two wells but also led to a better production enhancement.

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A New Method to Interpret Hydraulic Fracture Complexity in Unconventional Reservoir by Tilt Magnitude

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

Optimization of Mathematical Function-Shaped Fracture Distribution Patterns for Multi-Stage Fractured Horizontal Wells

Optimization of Mathematical Function-Shaped Fracture Distribution Patterns for Multi-Stage Fractured Horizontal Wells

CT Identification and Fractal Characterization of 3‐D Propagation and Distribution of Hydrofracturing Cracks in Low‐Permeability Heterogeneous Rocks

Tiltmeter Hydraulic Fracturing Mapping on a Cluster of Horizontal Wells in a Tight Gas Reservoir

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