A Novel and Cost-Effective Clay Control Approach in Water-Sensitive Sandstone Gas Reservoir of Saudi Arabia During Proppant Fracturing Treatment

Malik, Ataur R.; Ghamdi, Abdulwahab H.; Senturk, Nejla H.; Leal, Jairo; Atwi, Mohammed A.; Soriano, Eduardo

doi:10.2118/168107-ms

All Days 2013

DOI: 10.2118/168107-ms

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A Novel and Cost-Effective Clay Control Approach in Water-Sensitive Sandstone Gas Reservoir of Saudi Arabia During Proppant Fracturing Treatment

Ataur R. Malik

Abdulwahab H. Ghamdi

Nejla H. Senturk

et al.

Abstract: Clay swelling, dispersion and migration due to water-sensitive clay minerals in the producing formation can substantially reduce rock and retained proppant permeability resulting in reduced well productivity. The effects of water-based fracturing fluids in water-sensitive formations have been extensively investigated which led to development of different types of clay stabilizers based on type of clays, bottomhole temperature, and clay protection time. The use of KCl or NaCl brine up to concentration of 6% is … Show more

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Cited by 3 publications

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An Overview of the Completion Challenges in a Tight-Gas Formation in Saudi Arabia

Leal

Duarte

Soriano

et al. 2014

Day 3 Thu, February 27, 2014

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Tight gas refers to natural gas reservoirs that have very low porosities and permeabilities. Most of the tight-gas reservoirs presently being developed are sandstone formations, although carbonate rocks can also be tight-gas producers. The standard industry definition for a tight-gas reservoir is a rock with matrix porosity of 10% or less and permeability of 0.1 millidarcy or less, exclusive of natural fracture permeability. Unconventional gas resources, including tight sands, constitute some of the largest components of remaining natural gas resources in the Middle East and North Africa. Developing unconventional and tight-gas reservoirs will allow Saudi Arabia to better meet rising domestic energy needs.During the past decade, conventional formations were stimulated successfully in Saudi Arabia using conventional completion techniques. However, as the development of existing fields continues into deeper formations and the exploration of new reservoirs is mainly toward unconventional reservoirs, new challenges are now faced, especially considering that lower permeabilities, higher stresses, and higher temperatures are experienced. An evaluation of the current techniques is necessarily in order to overcome the challenges in these extreme conditions. This paper reviews the successful application of specific completion techniques and technologies being implemented in the development of tight-gas reservoirs currently being exploited in Saudi Arabia.

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An Overview of the Completion Challenges in a Tight-Gas Formation in Saudi Arabia

Leal

Duarte

Soriano

et al. 2014

Day 3 Thu, February 27, 2014

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Computational Modeling of Temporary Clay Stabilizers Supported by Performance Testing

Aften¹,

Ma²

2015

Day 2 Tue, April 14, 2015

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The performance of systematically substituted temporary clay stabilizers has significant correlation with performances predicted by computational modeling. The model binding energies of different clay stabilizers onto various bentonite crystalline faces were independently calculated and corresponded well with a standard bench-top performance method indicating a systematic approach in the development of temporary clay stabilization performance may be realized. Various clay stabilizers are employed when stimulation requiring aqueous based fluids is necessary in water sensitive formations. Typically, if swelling or migrating clays are present, temporary or permanent stabilizers are utilized. Low molecular weight temporary stabilizers as a rule perform above a critical level concentration, but as the stabilizers concentration diminishes in the fracturing fluid due to flowback, formation fluid displacement, or other mechanisms, the clay can swell reducing porosity and permeability. Permanent stabilizers are generally higher molecular weight and can adhere to single or multiple clay platelets thus dissolution of the stabilizer into the fluid is not favored and the beneficial anti-swell effect is of higher duration. It was discovered when using binding energies of substituted ammonium ions on a bentonite interlayer, the binding energies correlated well with performance testing. The binding energy of ammonium ions substituted with 0 to 4 methyl groups or choline were calculated on the 001 crystal face(s) of bentonite. Bentonite being a 2:1 swelling clay had its inter-crystalline space gapped at 8 to 20Å. Unique molecular ions were introduced to this space and the binding energies were calculated using a Monte Carlo Isothermal Adsorption method. Performance testing was then conducted using a low pressure Bariod fluid loss cell. A set concentration of sodium bentonite was blended into water a specific RPM and duration in the presence of the particular ammonium ion, placed in the cell and pressure was applied and leak off rate were measured. The resulting leak off rates were compared to the binding energy. The design of efficient temporary clay stabilizers can be directly linked to performance. Further, the duration of the stabilization may also be modeled in a way where experimentation would be difficult in flow through porous media.

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Optimized Clay Control Fracturing Fluid Used in a Highly Water-Sensitive Tight Oil Reservoir Hydraulic Fracturing Application in Xinjiang Oil Field: Case Study

Mao

Chen

Gan

et al. 2021

Day 1 Tue, October 12, 2021

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The candidate wells are tight oil wells and most of the wells in the area have a low recovery rate of fracturing fluid after fracturing treatment. The lithology is glutenite with weak cementation and a high sensitivity tendency. This paper presents the process of sensitivity evaluation and fracturing fluid evaluation. Also, this paper introduces a customized and optimized clay control fracturing fluid wells in a highly sensitive reservoir. Per local national standard, traditional methods of swelling test (ST) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed for qualitative formation cutting analysis. An innovative trial was then developed to evaluate cores quantitatively by water sensitivity. A clay stabilizer was then chosen to be used for the highly sensitive cores and regain permeability testing of the broken fracturing fluid was performed. Based on the analysis and evaluation, a customized treatment design was initiated for the hydraulic fracturing treatment. The qualitative evaluation showed the rock is highly water sensitive and the cores easily collapse because of weak cementation. No flow could be established during traditional core flow tests with brine. The newly developed method used kerosene as the working fluid to prevent the cores from contact with water or brine. The core flow tests resulted in a velocity sensitivity damage rate of 92%, which is considered as highly velocity sensitive. Accordingly, a special clay stabilizer was chosen to be used in the fracturing fluid and the permeability damage of the broken fracturing fluid is only 26.9%(Table 16). Field results have shown that the fracturing fluid recovery rate in treated wells is higher than the area average level and treated wells have significant oil production increase. The innovative clay control fracturing fluid and its field application reduces the influence of water and velocity sensitivity. The customized treatment with special clay stabilizer helps increase the recovery rate of fracturing fluid in reservoirs with severe clay stability and weak cementation issues.

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A Novel and Cost-Effective Clay Control Approach in Water-Sensitive Sandstone Gas Reservoir of Saudi Arabia During Proppant Fracturing Treatment

Cited by 3 publications

References 8 publications

An Overview of the Completion Challenges in a Tight-Gas Formation in Saudi Arabia

An Overview of the Completion Challenges in a Tight-Gas Formation in Saudi Arabia

Computational Modeling of Temporary Clay Stabilizers Supported by Performance Testing

Optimized Clay Control Fracturing Fluid Used in a Highly Water-Sensitive Tight Oil Reservoir Hydraulic Fracturing Application in Xinjiang Oil Field: Case Study

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