Simulation of the Impact of Fracturing Fluid Induced Formation Damage in Shale Gas Reservoirs

Author(s):  
N. Farah ◽  
D.Y. Ding ◽  
Y.S. Wu
2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 207-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongling Zhang ◽  
Jing Wang ◽  
Haiyong Zhang

Shale gas is one of the primary types of unconventional reservoirs to be exploited in search for long-lasting resources. Production from shale gas reservoirs requires horizontal drilling with hydraulic fracturing to achieve the most economic production. However, plenty of parameters (e.g., fracture conductivity, fracture spacing, half-length, matrix permeability, and porosity,etc) have high uncertainty that may cause unexpected high cost. Therefore, to develop an efficient and practical method for quantifying uncertainty and optimizing shale-gas production is highly desirable. This paper focuses on analyzing the main factors during gas production, including petro-physical parameters, hydraulic fracture parameters, and work conditions on shale-gas production performances. Firstly, numerous key parameters of shale-gas production from the fourteen best-known shale gas reservoirs in the United States are selected through the correlation analysis. Secondly, a grey relational grade method is used to quantitatively estimate the potential of developing target shale gas reservoirs as well as the impact ranking of these factors. Analyses on production data of many shale-gas reservoirs indicate that the recovery efficiencies are highly correlated with the major parameters predicted by the new method. Among all main factors, the impact ranking of major factors, from more important to less important, is matrix permeability, fracture conductivity, fracture density of hydraulic fracturing, reservoir pressure, total organic content (TOC), fracture half-length, adsorbed gas, reservoir thickness, reservoir depth, and clay content. This work can provide significant insights into quantifying the evaluation of the development potential of shale gas reservoirs, the influence degree of main factors, and optimization of shale gas production.


2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxian B. Seales ◽  
Turgay Ertekin ◽  
John Yilin Wang

At the end of 2015 the U.S. held 5.6% or approximately 369 Tcf of worldwide conventional natural gas proved reserves (British Petroleum Company, 2016, “BP Statistical Review of World Energy June 2016,” British Petroleum Co., London). If unconventional gas sources are considered, natural gas reserves rise steeply to 2276 Tcf. Shale gas alone accounts for approximately 750 Tcf of the technically recoverable gas reserves in the U.S. (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2011, “Review of Emerging Resources: U.S. Shale Gas and Shale Oil plays,” U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC). However, this represents only a very small fraction of the gas associated with shale formations and is indicative of current technological limits. This manuscript addresses the question of recovery efficiency/recovery factor (RF) in fractured gas shales. Predictions of gas RF in fractured shale gas reservoirs are presented as a function of operating conditions, non-Darcy flow, gas slippage, proppant crushing, and proppant diagenesis. Recovery factors are simulated using a fully implicit, three-dimensional, two-phase, dual-porosity finite difference model that was developed specifically for this purpose. The results presented in this article provide clear insight into the range of recovery factors one can expect from a fractured shale gas formation, the impact that operation procedures and other phenomena have on these recovery factors, and the efficiency or inefficiency of contemporary shale gas production technology.


Geofluids ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Chao Qian ◽  
Xizhe Li ◽  
Weijun Shen ◽  
Wei Guo ◽  
Yong Hu ◽  
...  

Deep shale gas reservoirs are a significant alternative type of shale gas reservoir in China. The productivity of deep shale gas wells is lower than that of shallow shale, and the imbibition characteristics of deep shale have a significant effect on the retention and backflow of fracturing fluid and the productivity of shale gas wells. In this study, the pore structure characteristics of organic-rich deep shale in the Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation of Weiyuan-Luzhou play were analyzed by low-temperature nitrogen adsorption experiments, and then the imbibition characteristics and factors influencing deep shale were extensively investigated by spontaneous imbibition and nuclear magnetic resonance experiments. The results show that mainly micropores and mesopores are growing in the deep organic-rich shale of the Longmaxi Formation. The spontaneous imbibition curve of deep shale can be divided into an initial spontaneous imbibition stage, an intermediate transition stage, and a later diffusion stage, and the imbibition capacity coefficient of deep shale is lower than that of shallow shale. The transverse relaxation time (T2) spectrum distributions suggest that clay hydration and swelling produce new pores and microcracks, but then some pores and microfractures close. Deep shale reservoirs have an optimal hydration time when their physical properties are optimal. The increasing pore volume and the decreasing TOC content can enhance the imbibition capacity of shale. An inorganic salt solution, especially a KCl solution, has an inhibitory effect on the imbibition of shale. Higher salinity will result in a stronger inhibitory effect. It is crucial to determine the optimal amount of fracturing fluid and soaking time, and fracturing fluid with a high K+ content can be injected into the Longmaxi Formation deep shale to suppress hydration. These results provide theoretical guiding significance for comprehending the spontaneous imbibition and pore structure evolution characteristics of deep shale and enhancing methane production in deep shale gas reservoirs.


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