Temporal variations in geochemistry of hydraulic fracturing fluid and flowback water in a tight oil reservoir

Hydraulic fracturing facilitates the development and exploitation of unconventional reservoirs.In this study,the injected hydraulic fracturing fluid(HFF)and flowback and produced water(FPW)in tight oil reservoirs of the Lucaogou Formation in the Junggar Basin are temporally sampled from day 1 to day 64.Freshwater is used for fracturing,and HFF is obtained.The chemical and isotopic parameters(including the water type,total salinity,total dissolved solids(TDS),pH,concentrations of Na^(+),Cl^(-),Ba^(+),K^(+),Fe^(2+)+Fe^(3+),and CO_(3)^(2-),dD,and δ^(18)O)are experimentally obtained,and their variations with time are systematically analyzed based on the flowback water.The results show that the water type,Na/Cl ratio,total salinity,and TDS of the FPW change periodically primarily due to the HFF mixing with formation water,thus causing δD and δ^(18)O to deviate from the meteoric water line of Xinjiang.Because of watererock interaction(WRI),the concentrations of Fe^(2+)+Fe^(3+)and CO_(3)^(2-)of the FPW increase over time,with the solution pH becoming more alkaline.Furthermore,based on the significant changes observed in the geochemistry of the FPW,three separate time intervals of flowback time are identified:Stage Ⅰ(<10 days),where the FPW is dominated by the HFF and the changes in ions and isotopes are mainly caused by the WRI;Stage Ⅱ(10-37 days),where the FPW is dominated by the addition of formation water to the HFF and the WRI is weakened;and finally,Stage Ⅲ(>37 days),where the FPW is dominated by the chemistry of the formation water.The methodology implemented in this study can provide critical support for the source identification of formation water.

Sensitivity assessment of strontium isotope as indicator of polluted groundwater for hydraulic fracturing flowback fluids produced in the Dameigou Shale of Qaidam Basin

Hydrogeochemical processes that would occur in polluted groundwater and aquifer system,may reduce the sensitivity of Sr isotope being the indicator of hydraulic fracturing flowback fluids(HFFF)in groundwater.In this paper,the Dameigou shale gas field in the northern Qaidam Basin was taken as the study area,where the hydrogeochemical processes affecting Sr isotope was analysed.Then,the model for Sr isotope in HFFF-polluted groundwater was constructed to assess the sensitivity of Sr isotope as HFFF indicator.The results show that the dissolution can release little Sr to polluted groundwater and cannot affect the εSr(the deviation of the 87Sr/86Sr ratio)of polluted groundwater.In the meantime,cation exchange can considerably affect Sr composition in the polluted groundwater.The Sr with low εSr is constantly released to groundwater from the solid phase of aquifer media by cation exchange with pollution of Quaternary groundwater by the HFFF and it accounts for 4.6% and 11.0% of Sr in polluted groundwater when the HFFF flux reaches 10% and 30% of the polluted groundwater,respectively.However,the Sr from cation exchange has limited impact on Sr isotope in polluted groundwater.Addition of Sr from cation exchange would only cause a 0.2%and 1.2% decrease in εSr of the polluted groundwater when the HFFF flux reaches 10% and 30% of the polluted groundwater,respectively.These results demonstrate that hydrogeochemical processes have little effect on the sensitivity of Sr isotope being the HFFF indicator in groundwater of the study area.For the scenario of groundwater pollution by HFFF,when the HFFF accounts for 5%(in volume percentage)of the polluted groundwater,the HFFF can result in detectable shifts of εSr(Δ_(εSr)=0.86)in natural groundwater.Therefore,after consideration of hydrogeochemical processes occurred in aquifer with input of the HFFF,Sr isotope is still a sensitive indicator of the Quaternary groundwater pollution by the HFFF produced in the Dameigou shale of Qaidam Basin.

Empirical study of gum ghatti as an alternative thickening agent in hydraulic fracturing

Gum ghatti(anogeissus latifolia)is being widely used as an emulsifier,thickener,stabilizer in food,pharmaceutical,and allied industries due to its shelf life,tolerance of heat,and pH stability.Considering the oil&gas industry application,it is ideal for a hydraulic fracturing fluid additive as a direct replacement for guar gum.Basically,unlike guar gum,it contains less residual hull and it is suitable for low permeability unconventional reservoir;mainly shale gas reservoir,where permeability counts trivial in amount.The polymer of ghatti aid exceptional rheological properties and help to produce higher molecular weight polymer;which has excellent proppant carrying capacity and fracture propagation.In this paper,the experimental study has been carried out in two different phases.This was achieved through optimization and characterization of hydraulic fracturing fluid which was embedded with gum matrices.In Phase-I,the study was carried out by using response surface methodology(RSM).Wherein,the relation between several explanatory and response variables have been measured.In Phase-II,the characterization was done by using a scanning electron microscope(SEM),differential scanning calorimeter(DSC),thermo-gravimetric analysis(TGA)and also,Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR).This experimental study will potentially benefit for development of a new hydraulic fracturing fluid.Where gum ghatti observed as a satisfactory alternative agent for guar gum.

Emergence of nanotechnology in the oil and gas industry:Emphasis on the application of silica nanoparticles

The application of nanotechnology in the oil and gas industry is on the rise as evidenced by the number of researches undertaken in the past few years.The quest to develop more game-changing technologies that can address the challenges currently facing the industry has spurred this growth.Several nanoparticles,of different sizes and at different concentrations,have been used in many investigations.In this work,the scope of the study covered the application of nanotechnology in drilling and hydraulic fracturing fluids,oilwell cementing,enhanced oil recovery(which includes transport study,and foam and emulsion stability),corrosion inhibition,logging operations,formation fines control during production,heavy oil viscosity reduction,hydrocarbon detection,methane release from gas hydrates,and drag reduction in porous media.The observed challenges associated with the use of nanoparticles are their stability in a liquid medium and transportability in reservoir rocks.The addition of viscosifier was implemented by researchers to ensure stability,and also,surface-treated nanoparticles have been used to facilitate stability and transportability.For the purpose of achieving better performance or new application,studies on synergistic effects are suggested for investigation in future nanotechnology research.The resulting technology from the synergistic studies may reinforce the current and future nanotechnology applications in the oil and gas industry,especially for high pressure and high temperature(HPHT)applications.To date,majority of the oil and gas industry nanotechnology publications are reports of laboratory experimental work;therefore,more field trials are recommended for further advancement of nanotechnology in this industry.Usually,nanoparticles are expensive;so,it will be cost beneficial to use the lowest nanoparticles concentration possible while still achieving an acceptable level of a desired performance.Hence,optimization studies are also recommended for examination in future nanotechnology research.