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

Abstract

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.