A review of reservoir damage during hydraulic fracturing of deep and ultra-deep reservoirs

Deep and ultra-deep reservoirs have gradually become the primary focus of hydrocarbon exploration as a result of a series of significant discoveries in deep hydrocarbon exploration worldwide.These reservoirs present unique challenges due to their deep burial depth(4500-8882 m),low matrix permeability,complex crustal stress conditions,high temperature and pressure(HTHP,150-200℃,105-155 MPa),coupled with high salinity of formation water.Consequently,the costs associated with their exploitation and development are exceptionally high.In deep and ultra-deep reservoirs,hydraulic fracturing is commonly used to achieve high and stable production.During hydraulic fracturing,a substantial volume of fluid is injected into the reservoir.However,statistical analysis reveals that the flowback rate is typically less than 30%,leaving the majority of the fluid trapped within the reservoir.Therefore,hydraulic fracturing in deep reservoirs not only enhances the reservoir permeability by creating artificial fractures but also damages reservoirs due to the fracturing fluids involved.The challenging“three-high”environment of a deep reservoir,characterized by high temperature,high pressure,and high salinity,exacerbates conventional forms of damage,including water sensitivity,retention of fracturing fluids,rock creep,and proppant breakage.In addition,specific damage mechanisms come into play,such as fracturing fluid decomposition at elevated temperatures and proppant diagenetic reactions at HTHP conditions.Presently,the foremost concern in deep oil and gas development lies in effectively assessing the damage inflicted on these reservoirs by hydraulic fracturing,comprehending the underlying mechanisms,and selecting appropriate solutions.It's noteworthy that the majority of existing studies on reservoir damage primarily focus on conventional reservoirs,with limited attention given to deep reservoirs and a lack of systematic summaries.In light of this,our approach entails initially summarizing the current knowledge pertaining to the types of fracturing fluids employed in deep and ultra-deep reservoirs.Subsequently,we delve into a systematic examination of the damage processes and mechanisms caused by fracturing fluids within the context of hydraulic fracturing in deep reservoirs,taking into account the unique reservoir characteristics of high temperature,high pressure,and high in-situ stress.In addition,we provide an overview of research progress related to high-temperature deep reservoir fracturing fluid and the damage of aqueous fracturing fluids to rock matrix,both artificial and natural fractures,and sand-packed fractures.We conclude by offering a summary of current research advancements and future directions,which hold significant potential for facilitating the efficient development of deep oil and gas reservoirs while effectively mitigating reservoir damage.

Subsection and superposition method for reservoir formation damage evaluation of complex-structure wells

Kinds of complex-structure wells can effectively improve production,which are widely used.However,in the process of drilling and completion,complex-structure wells with long drilling cycle and large exposed area of reservoir can lead to the fact that reservoir near wellbore is more vulnerable to the working fluid invasion,resulting in more serious formation damage.In order to quantitatively describe the reservoir formation damage in the construction of complex-structure well,taking the inclined well section as the research object,the coordinate transformation method and conformal transformation method are given according to the flow characteristics of reservoir near wellbore in anisotropic reservoir.Then the local skin factor in orthogonal plane of wellbore is deduced.Considering the un-even distribution of local skin factor along the wellbore,the oscillation decreasing model and empirical equation model of damage zone radius distribution along the wellbore direction are established and then the total skin factor model of the whole well is superimposed to realize the reservoir damage evaluation of complex-structure wells.Combining the skin factor model with the production model,the production of complex-structure wells can be predicted more accurately.The two field application cases show that the accuracy of the model can be more than 90%,which can also fully reflect the invasion characteristics of drilling and completion fluid in any well section of complex-structure wells in anisotropic reservoir,so as to further provide guidance for the scientific establish-ment of reservoir production system.

Effects of salinity and ionic composition of smart water on mineral scaling in carbonate reservoirs during water flooding

This work was conducted to study the risk of formation damage as the result of mineral scales deposition during smart waterflooding into carbonate core sample,as well as the influence of injected water salinity and ionic composition on mineral scaling and precipitation.The reservoir flowing conditions were simulated by a new laboratory core-flooding procedure,which took into count of the effect of in-situ contact time(CT)of injected water and formation water on scaling.After the optimum CT was determined,extent of permeability decline was studied by the change in the salinity and ionic composition of injection seawater.The scaled core sample was analyzed visually by scanning electron microscopy(SEM)to study the crystal morphology of the scale.Under the experimental conditions,extent of permeability decline caused by CaSO_(4) and CaSO_(3) composite scales ranged from 61% to 79.1% of the initial permeability.The salinity and the ionic composition of injected smart water,and CT of the mixing waters had significant effects on the co-precipitation of CaSO_(4) and CaSO_(3) scales.The SEM images reveal that the loss of permeability is mainly caused by the accumulation and growth perpendicular to the pore wall of scale crystals.

Laboratory Research on the Performance of Fracturing Fluid System for Unconventional Oil and Gas Reservoir Transformation

Fracturing fluid is the blood of fracturing construction, which is very important for fracturing, which requires that fracturing fluid needs to have good performance. The three commonly used fracturing fluids for unconventional oil and gas reservoir transformation are: 1) Guar gum fracturing fluid;2) Water-based emulsion slippery water fracturing fluid;3) Oil-based emulsion slippery water fracturing fluid. In this paper, water samples and other experimental data provided by Mahu Oilfield are used to evaluate three different fracturing fluid systems in laboratory. The formulas of the three different fracturing fluid systems are: 1) Water-based emulsion slippery water fracturing fluid is clean slippery water fracturing fluid 0.1% JHFR-2D drag reducer + 0.2% JHFD-2 multifunctional additive;2) Oil-based emulsion slippery water fracturing fluid 0.1% A agent + 0.2% B agent;3) Guar gum fracturing fluid 0.1% guanidine gum + 0.5% drainage aid + 0.3% demulsifier. The compatibility, drag reduction performance, reservoir damage, residue content, anti-swelling performance, surface interfacial tension, viscosity and other properties of three different slippery water fracturing fluid systems were studied. Through laboratory experiments, the comprehensive indicators show that clean slippery water fracturing fluid has obvious advantages.

Research on Water Sensitivity and Velocity Sensitivity of Loose Sandstone Reservoir in China Offshore Oilfield

Aiming at the development characteristics of Bohai P oilfield, formation mechanism of reservoir damage was analyzed by mines of mineral composition, micro-pore structure, and seepage mechanism. Microscopic petrological observations and laboratory core experiments show that the content of clay minerals such as the Imon mixed layer and kaolinite is high with high porosity and good pore roar structure;the water sensitivity is medium to strong, The lower the salinity of injected water, the greater the drop in core permeability;the velocity-sensitive damage is strong, and permeability increases with the increase in flow velocity, and a large number of particles are observed in the produced fluid under the microscope. Aiming at the contradiction of velocity sensitivity between core permeability increase and the permeability decrease near the wellbore, the velocity sensitivity seepage model of “long-distance migration and blockage near the well” is proposed, and the permeability and formation distribution formula are deduced. The calculated value is close to the test value of actual pressure recovery test. The research results of water sensitivity and velocity sensitivity provide important guidance for Bohai P oilfield to improve production and absorption capacity and reservoir protection.

Sensitivity Analysis of Offshore Sandstone Reservoir—A Case Study of an Oilfield in the Western Bohai Sea

X oilfield is located in the Western Bohai Sea. During the water injection development process, the oil well productivity continued to decline. The effect of water injection and oil increase is poor. This time, by analyzing the sensitivity of the reservoir, the damage mode of the reservoir is analyzed, the reasons for the poor water injection effect are obtained, because of strong water sensitivity, medium to strong stress sensitivity, and the corresponding measures and suggestions are put forward, such as greater than 4500 mg/l of the salinity of injected water, timely supplement formation energy. Provide basis for the development of similar oil fields.

Investigation on microscopic invasion characteristics and retention mechanism of fracturing fluid in fractured porous media

Reservoir damage caused by guar gum fracturing fluid and slick water seriously affects the subsequent oil and gas production. However, the invasion characteristics and retention mechanisms of fracturing fluids in the fracture-matrix zone are still unclear. In this work, a microscopic model reflecting the characteristics of the fracture-matrix zone was designed. Based on the microfluidic experimental method, the process of fracturing fluid invasion, flowback and retention in the fracture-matrix zone was investigated visually and characterized quantitatively. The factors and mechanisms affecting fracturing fluid retention in the fracture-matrix zone were analyzed and clarified. The results indicated that in the invasion process, the frontal swept range of slick water was larger than that of the guar gum fracturing fluid, and the oil displacement efficiency and damage rate were lower than those of the guar gum fracturing fluid under the same invasion pressure. With the increase in invasion pressure, the damage rate of slick water increased from 61.09% to 82.77%, and that of the guar gum fracturing fluid decreased from 93.45% to83.36%. Before subsequent oil production, the invaded fracturing fluid was mainly concentrated in the medium-high permeability area of the fracture-matrix zone. The main resistance of slick water was capillary force, while that of the guar fracturing fluid was mainly viscous resistance. The fracturing fluid retention was most serious in the low permeability region and the region near the end of the fracture.The experimental and numerical simulation results showed that increasing the production pressure difference could improve the velocity field distribution of the fracture-matrix zone, increase the flowback swept range and finally reduce the retention rate of the fracture fluid. The retention mechanisms of slick water in the fracture-matrix zone include emulsion retention and flow field retention, while those of the guar gum fracturing fluid include viscous retention and flow field retention. Emulsion retention is caused by capillary force and flow interception effect. Viscous retention is caused by the viscous resistance of polymer, while flow-field retention is caused by uneven distribution of flowback velocity.