Numerical study on hydraulic fracturing in tight gas formation in consideration of thermal effects and THM coupled processes

Feng, Wentao; Were, Patrick; Li, Mengting; Hou, Zhenshan; Zhou, Lei

doi:10.1016/j.petrol.2016.04.033

Cited by 39 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The effect of reservoir heterogeneity on fracture orientation was also investigated in tight gas reservoirs using XFEM and FVM approaches [33]. To numerically study the heat transport in the fracture and heat exchange between the fracture and formation, a new thermal module was added to FLAC3D [34]. To model the THM processes in an MM environment, two well established numerical simulators, FLAC3D and TOUGH2, were coupled to exchange data with non-linear coupling functions [35][36][37].…”

Section: Numerical Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiphase Multicomponent Numerical Modeling for Hydraulic Fracturing with N-Heptane for Efficient Stimulation in a Tight Gas Reservoir of Germany

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Conventionally, high-pressure water-based fluids have been injected for hydraulic stimulation of unconventional petroleum resources such as tight gas reservoirs. Apart from improving productivity, water-based frac-fluids have caused environmental and technical issues. As a result, much of the interest has shifted towards alternative frac-fluids. In this regard, n-heptane, as an alternative frac-fluid, is proposed. It necessitates the development of a multi-phase and multi-component (MM) numerical simulator for hydraulic fracturing. Therefore fracture, MM fluid flow, and proppant transport models are implemented in a thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) coupled FLAC3D-TMVOCMP framework. After verification, the model is applied to a real field case study for optimization of wellbore x in a tight gas reservoir using n-heptane as the frac-fluid. Sensitivity analysis is carried out to investigate the effect of important parameters, such as fluid viscosity, injection rate, reservoir permeability etc., on fracture geometry with the proposed fluid. The quicker fracture closure and flowback of n-heptane compared to water-based fluid is advantageous for better proppant placement, especially in the upper half of the fracture and the early start of natural gas production in tight reservoirs. Finally, fracture designs with a minimum dimensionless conductivity of 30 are proposed.

show abstract

Section: Numerical Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiphase Multicomponent Numerical Modeling for Hydraulic Fracturing with N-Heptane for Efficient Stimulation in a Tight Gas Reservoir of Germany

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The marine Longmaxi shale in South China is characterized by extremely low porosity and permeability, and has been exploited for shale gas by multistage hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling techniques [1]. Typically, the successful application of these techniques and stable shale gas production require the injection of large volumes of fracturing fluids and proppants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling the Viscoelastic Behavior of Quartz and Clay Minerals in Shale by Nanoindentation Creep Tests

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The viscoelastic behavior of minerals in shales is important in predicting the macroscale creep behavior of heterogeneous bulk shale. In this study, in situ indentation measurements of two major constitutive minerals (i.e., quartz and clay) in Longmaxi Formation shale from the Sichuan Basin, South China, were conducted using a nanoindentation technique and high-resolution optical microscope. Firstly, quartz and clay minerals were identified under an optical microscope based on their morphology, surface features, reflection characteristics, particle shapes, and indentation responses. Three viscoelastic models (i.e., three-element Voigt, Burger’s, and two-dashpot Kelvin models) were then used to fit the creep data for both minerals. Finally, the effects of peak load on the viscoelastic behavior of quartz and clay minerals were investigated. Our results show that the sizes of the residual imprints on clay minerals were larger than that of quartz for a specific peak load. Moreover, the initial creep rates and depths in clay minerals were higher than those in quartz. However, the creep rates of quartz and clay minerals displayed similar trends, which were independent of peak load. In addition, all three viscoelastic models produced good fits to the experimental data. However, due to the poor fit in the initial holding stage of the three-element Voigt model and instability of the two-dashpot Kelvin model, Burger’s model is best in obtaining the regression parameters. The regression results indicate that the viscoelastic parameters obtained by these models are associated with peak load, and that a relatively small peak load is more reliable for the determination of viscoelastic parameters. Furthermore, the regression values for the viscoelastic parameters of clay minerals were lower than those of quartz and the bulk shale, suggesting the former facilitates the viscoelastic deformation of shale. Our study provides a better understanding of the nanoscale viscoelastic properties of shale, which can be used to predict the time-dependent deformation of shale.

show abstract

“…The proven reserve of tight sandstone gas in China is approximately 3.5 × 10 12 m 3 with an annual production of 169 × 10 8 m 3 , demonstrating a great exploration potential (Zou et al 2013). Hydraulic fracturing is an important technique for tight sandstone reservoirs (Guo et al 2015;Feng et al 2016;Zhao et al 2016;Wang et al 2017a, b, c;Tian et al 2018). Nevertheless, in most basins of the world, reservoir "sweet spots" exist and searching for these "sweet spots" before hydraulic fracturing is crucial for successful exploration and development of tight sandstone gas (Zou et al 2014;Sun et al 2015Sun et al , 2019Wang et al 2015;Tian et al 2016;Zhang et al 2016;Tang et al 2017;Zhao et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of rock type on the pore structures and physical properties within a tight sandstone reservoir in the Ordos Basin, NW China

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The pore–throat systems and physical properties of tight sandstone reservoirs are complex, and deposition is thought to be a fundamental control for them. In this study, the impacts of the full ranges of rock types (from pebbly coarse sandstone to fine sandstone) on the pore structures and physical properties of the Permian tight sandstone reservoir in the eastern Ordos Basin were investigated comprehensively through a series of experiments including conventional physical testing, thin-section analysis, scanning electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance analysis and high-pressure mercury injection tests. The results showed that the coarser-grained sandstones tend to have higher feldspar content and lower percentage of cements, leading to strong dissolution, weak cementation and improved porosity and permeability. The medium sandstone has the highest level of quartz and the lowest average content of feldspar, resulting in strong heterogeneity of physical properties. Only those medium sandstone reservoirs with relatively high content of feldspars have better physical properties. Additionally, the coarser-grained sandstones contain relatively large dissolution pores (nearly 200 μm), whereas the finer-grained sandstones have more intercrystalline pores with a relatively more homogeneous pore structure. The pebbly coarse sandstone and coarse sandstone reservoirs are favorable targets with best physical properties.

show abstract

Numerical study on hydraulic fracturing in tight gas formation in consideration of thermal effects and THM coupled processes

Cited by 39 publications

References 18 publications

Multiphase Multicomponent Numerical Modeling for Hydraulic Fracturing with N-Heptane for Efficient Stimulation in a Tight Gas Reservoir of Germany

Multiphase Multicomponent Numerical Modeling for Hydraulic Fracturing with N-Heptane for Efficient Stimulation in a Tight Gas Reservoir of Germany

Modeling the Viscoelastic Behavior of Quartz and Clay Minerals in Shale by Nanoindentation Creep Tests

Impact of rock type on the pore structures and physical properties within a tight sandstone reservoir in the Ordos Basin, NW China

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About