Experimental study on the effect of fracture surface morphology on plugging efficiency during temporary plugging and diverting fracturing

Lou, Yuan; Zhou, Fujian; Li, Ben; Gao, Junjie; Yang, Xinlei; Cheng, Jiaqi; Wang, Jie

doi:10.1016/j.jngse.2020.103459

Cited by 50 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Analysis of the three groups of control experiments shows that the diverter formulation that can effectively plug partially open fractures does not easily form a plugging zone in the open fractures. The main reason is that the minimum fracture width (FW m ) of open fractures does not tend to decrease continuously but maintains a high level, , and a larger FW m is not conducive to the bridging of particles and the bonding of fibers. Fortunately, a sufficient diverter was injected into the open fracture and an effective plugging zone eventually formed in the fracture.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental Study on Plugging Behavior of Degradable Diverters in Partially Open Fracture in Temporary Plugging and Diverting Fracturing

Guo

Zhou

et al. 2023

ACS Omega

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Temporary plugging and diverting fracturing technology (TPDF) has been successfully applied to improve reservoir productivity. In real reservoirs, a considerable number of fractures have relatively rapidly decreasing fracture widths and closed ends. However, the plugging behavior of diverters in this typical fracture called the partially open fracture (POF) is still unclear because of the few related studies. This paper aims to investigate the plugging behavior of diverters at the fracture tip. The 3D-printed fracture model was used to reproduce the partially open fracture, and the morphological characteristics of the partially open fracture and the open fracture were compared based on the scan data. A series of plugging experiments were conducted to monitor the transport behavior of the diverter in partially open fractures through multiple pressure sensors on the fracture model and to investigate the influence of diverter formula and fracture type on plugging behavior. Finally, based on the experimental results, the plugging mechanism of diverters in partially open fractures was analyzed. The plugging experiments show that a higher-pressure distribution appears at the fracture tip when using a combination of fibers and particles, indicating that it is beneficial for the diverter to transport to the tip and form plugging in the fracture, and it should be noted that small changes in particle size and concentration had a significant influence on the plugging performance. Therefore, it is recommended to use a combination of fibers and particles of multiple sizes (maximum particle size not exceeding half of the fracture width) to achieve a better plugging effect. In addition, the plugging behaviors of partially open fractures and open fractures are different. For partially open fractures with widths of 1, 2, and 4 mm, the recommended formula of the diverter is 1 wt % fibers + 1 wt % 0.15 mm particles, 1 wt % fibers + 1 wt % 0.15 mm particles + 1 wt % 1 mm particles, and 1 wt % fibers + 1 wt % 0.15 mm particles + 1 wt % 1 mm particles + 1 wt % 2 mm particles, respectively. The above experimental results provide an experimental and theoretical basis for the application of TPDF in the field.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental Study on Plugging Behavior of Degradable Diverters in Partially Open Fracture in Temporary Plugging and Diverting Fracturing

Guo

Zhou

et al. 2023

ACS Omega

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“…For the development of unconventional reservoirs with low porosity and permeability, it is often necessary to use hydraulic fracturing to reconstruct the reservoir, but conventional hydraulic fracturing technology is easy to form a single symmetrical fracture in the reservoir; the reservoir reserves cannot be used effectively and the effect of fracturing is limited [ 1 , 2 ]. With the further development of petroleum exploration and development, temporary plugging diversion fracturing (TPDF) technology has become the main technology for low-permeability reservoir reconstruction [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. TPDF has been widely used in various oil fields to carry out repeated reconstruction of high-water-cut old oil wells and horizontal well reservoir reconstruction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Self-Degradation and Plugging Performance of Temperature-Controlled Degradable Polymer Temporary Plugging Agent

Xu,

Zhang,

Wang

et al. 2023

Polymers

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Temporary plugging diversion fracturing (TPDF) technology has been widely used in various oil fields for repeated reconstruction of high-water-cut old oil wells and horizontal well reservoir reconstruction. Previous studies have carried out in-depth study on the pressure-bearing law and placement morphology of different types of temporary plugging agents (TPAs) in fractures, but there are relatively few studies on TPA accumulation body permeability. To solve this problem, an experimental device for evaluating the TPA performance with adjustable fracture pores is proposed in this paper. Based on the test of fracturing fluid breaking time and residue content, the low damage of fracturing fluid to the reservoir is determined. The TPA degradation performance test determines whether the TPA causes damage to the hydraulic fracture after the temporary plugging fracturing. Finally, by testing the TPA pressure-bearing capacity and the temporary plugging aggregation body permeability, the plugging performance and the aggregation body permeability are determined. The results show the following: (1) Guar gum fracturing fluid shows good gel-breaking performance under the action of breaking agent, and the recommended concentration of breaking agent is 300 ppm. At 90~120 °C, the degradation rate of the three types of TPAs can reach more than 65%, and it can be effectively carried into the wellbore during the fracturing fluid flowback stage to achieve the effect of removing the TPA in the fracture. (2) The results of the pressure-bearing performance of the TPA show that the two kinds of TPAs can quickly achieve the plugging effect after plugging start: the effect of ZD-2 (poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA)) particle-and-powder combined TPA on forming an effective temporary plugging accumulation body in fractures is better than that of ZD-1 (PLGA) pure powder. There are large pores between the particles, and the fracturing fluid can still flow through the pores, so the ZD-3 (a mixture of lactide and PLGA) granular temporary plugging agent cannot form an effective plugging. (3) The law of length of the temporary plugging accumulation body shows that the ZD-2 combined TPA has stronger plugging ability for medium-aperture simulated fracture pores, while the ZD-1 powder TPA has stronger plugging ability for small aperture simulated fracture pores, and the ZD-3 granular TPA should be avoided alone as far as possible. This study further enriches and improves the understanding of the mechanism of temporary plugging diverting fracturing fluid.

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“…It can bridge on the fracture, or fill the gap between particulate diverters to form a tight barrier. A combination of particulate diverter and fiber was often applied in the fields [ 35 , 36 ]. Jianye Mouet et al [ 37 ] designed a multi-stage triaxial fracturing system and experimental procedures to satisfy the requirements of diverted fracturing in horizontal wells.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A New Compound Staged Gelling Acid Fracturing Method for Ultra-Deep Horizontal Wells

Wang¹,

Fan²,

Wang

et al. 2022

Gels

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Carbonate gas reservoirs in Sichuan are deeply buried, high temperature and strong heterogeneity. Staged acid fracturing is an effective means to improve production. Staged acidizing fracturing of ultra-deep horizontal wells faces the following problems: 1. Strong reservoir heterogeneity leads to the difficulty of fine segmentation; 2. The horizontal well section is long and running too many packers increases the completion risk; 3. Under high temperatures, the reaction speed between acid and rock is rapid and the acid action distance is short; and 4. The fracture conductivity is low under high-closure stress. In view of the above problems, the optimal fracture spacing is determined through productivity simulation. The composite temporary plugging of fibers and particles can increase the plugging layer pressure to 17.9 MPa, which can meet the requirements of the staged acid fracturing of horizontal wells. Through the gelling acid finger characteristic simulation and conductivity test, it is clear that the crosslinked authigenic acid and gelling acid in the Sichuan carbonate gas reservoir are injected alternately in three stages. When the proportion of gelling acid injected into a single section is 75% and the acid strength is 1.6 m3/m, the length and conductivity of acid corrosion fracture are the best. A total of 12 staged acid fracturing horizontal wells have been completed in the Sichuan carbonate gas reservoir, and the production is 2.1 times that of ordinary acid fracturing horizontal wells.

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Experimental study on the effect of fracture surface morphology on plugging efficiency during temporary plugging and diverting fracturing

Cited by 50 publications

References 17 publications

Experimental Study on Plugging Behavior of Degradable Diverters in Partially Open Fracture in Temporary Plugging and Diverting Fracturing

Experimental Study on Plugging Behavior of Degradable Diverters in Partially Open Fracture in Temporary Plugging and Diverting Fracturing

Evaluation of Self-Degradation and Plugging Performance of Temperature-Controlled Degradable Polymer Temporary Plugging Agent

A New Compound Staged Gelling Acid Fracturing Method for Ultra-Deep Horizontal Wells

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