Fracture propagation law of temporary plugging and diversion fracturing in shale reservoirs under completion experiments of horizontal well with multi-cluster sand jetting perforation

This study conducted temporary plugging and diversion fracturing(TPDF)experiments using a true triaxial fracturing simulation system within a laboratory setting that replicated a lab-based horizontal well completion with multi-cluster sand jetting perforation.The effects of temporary plugging agent(TPA)particle size,TPA concentration,single-cluster perforation number and cluster number on plugging pressure,multi-fracture diversion pattern and distribution of TPAs were investigated.A combination of TPAs with small particle sizes within the fracture and large particle sizes within the segment is conducive to increasing the plugging pressure and promoting the diversion of multi-fractures.The addition of fibers can quickly achieve ultra-high pressure,but it may lead to longitudinal fractures extending along the wellbore.The temporary plugging peak pressure increases with an increase in the concentration of the TPA,reaching a peak at a certain concentration,and further increases do not significantly improve the temporary plugging peak pressure.The breaking pressure and temporary plugging peak pressure show a decreasing trend with an increase in single-cluster perforation number.A lower number of single-cluster perforations is beneficial for increasing the breaking pressure and temporary plugging peak pressure,and it has a more significant control on the propagation of multi-cluster fractures.A lower number of clusters is not conducive to increasing the total number and complexity of artificial fractures,while a higher number of clusters makes it difficult to achieve effective plugging.The TPAs within the fracture is mainly concentrated in the complex fracture areas,especially at the intersections of fractures.Meanwhile,the TPAs within the segment are primarily distributed near the perforation cluster apertures which initiated complex fractures.

Plugging behaviors of temporary plugging particles in hydraulic fractures

Using the visualized experimental device of temporary plugging in hydraulic fractures, the plugging behaviors of temporary plugging particles with different sizes and concentrations in hydraulic fractures were experimentally analyzed under the conditions of different carrier fluid displacements and viscosities. The results show that the greater the carrier fluid viscosity and displacement, the more difficult it is to form a plugging layer, and that the larger the size and concentration of the temporary plugging particle, the less difficult it is to form a plugging layer. When the ratio of particle size to fracture width is 0.45, the formation of the plugging layer is mainly controlled by the mass concentration of the temporary plugging particle and the viscosity of the carrier fluid, and a stable plugging layer cannot form if the mass concentration of the temporary plugging particle is less than 20 kg/m^(3)or the viscosity of the carrier fluid is greater than 3 mPa·s. When the ratio of particle size to fracture width is 0.60, the formation of the plugging layer is mainly controlled by the mass concentration of the temporary plugging particle, and a stable plugging layer cannot form if the mass concentration of the temporary plugging particle is less than 10 kg/m^(3). When the ratio of particle size to fracture width is 0.75, the formation of the plugging layer is basically not affected by other parameters, and a stable plugging layer can form within the experimental conditions. The formation process of plugging layer includes two stages and four modes. The main controlling factors affecting the formation mode are the ratio of particle size to fracture width, carrier fluid displacement and carrier fluid viscosity.

Complex fracture propagation model and plugging timing optimization for temporary plugging fracturing in naturally fractured shale

In this paper,a viscoelasticity-plastic damage constitutive equation for naturally fractured shale is deduced,coupling nonlinear tensile-shear mixed fracture mode.Dynamic perforation-erosion on fluid re-distribution among multi-clusters are considered as well.DFN-FEM(discrete fracture network combined with finite element method)was developed to simulate the multi-cluster complex fractures propagation within temporary plugging fracturing(TPF).Numerical results are matched with field injection and micro-seismic monitoring data.Based on geomechanical characteristics of Weiyuan deep shale gas reservoir in Sichuan Basin,SW China,a multi-cluster complex fractures propagation model is built for TPF.To study complex fractures propagation and the permeability-enhanced region evolution,intersecting and competition mechanisms between the fractures before and after TPF treatment are revealed.Simulation results show that:fracture from middle cluster is restricted by the fractures from side-clusters,and side-clusters plugging is benefit for multi fractures propagation in uniformity;optimized TPF timing should be delayed within a higher density or strike of natural fractures;Within a reservoir-featured natural fractures distribution,optimized TPF timing for most clustered method is 2/3 of total fluid injection time as the optimal plugging time under different clustering modes.

Development of degradable pre-formed particle gel(DPPG)as temporary plugging agent for petroleum drilling and production

Temporary plugging agent(TPA)is widely used in many fields of petroleum reservoir drilling and production,such as temporary plugging while drilling and petroleum well stimulation by diverting in acidizing or fracturing operations.The commonly used TPA mainly includes hard particles,fibers,gels,and composite systems.However,current particles have many limitations in applications,such as insufficient plugging strength and slow degradation rate.In this paper,a degradable pre-formed particle gel(DPPG)was developed.Experimental results show that the DPPG has an excellent static swelling effect and self-degradation performance.With a decrease in the concentration of total monomers or cross-linker,the swelling volume of the synthesized DPPG gradually increases.However,the entire self-degradation time gradually decreases.The increase in 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid(AMPS)in the DPPG composition can significantly increase its swelling ratio and shorten the self-degradation time.Moreover,DPPG has excellent high-temperature resistance(150°C)and high-salinity resistance(200,000 mg/L NaCl).Core displacement results show that the DPPG has a perfect plugging effect in the porous media(the plugging pressure gradient was as high as 21.12 MPa),and the damage to the formation after degradation is incredibly minor.Therefore,the DPPG can be used as an up-and-coming TPA in oil fields.

Degradable preformed particle gel as temporary plugging agent for low-temperature unconventional petroleum reservoirs:Effect of molecular weight of the cross-linking agent

The development of unconventional petroleum resources has gradually become an important succession for increasing oil production.However,the related engineers and researchers are paying more and more attention to the application of temporary plugging agents(TPAs)for their efficient development.TPAs can expand the stimulated reservoir volume(SRV)and facilitate the flow of oil and gas to the bottom of the well.Particle-gels used as temporary plugging agents have the characteristics of the simple injection process,good deformation,high plugging strength,and complete self-degradation performance,which have been widely applied in recent years.In this paper,five samples of DPPG polymerized by different molecular weights of cross-linking agents were prepared.In addition,infrared spectroscopy analysis,differential calorimetry scanning(DSC)analysis,static particle gel swelling and degradation performance evaluation experiments,and dynamic temporary plugging performance experiments in cores were conducted at 34°C.Results show that as the molecular weight of the cross-linking agent(at 0.01 g)in the DPPG molecule decreased from 1,000 to 200 Da,the fewer cross-linking sites of DPPG,the looser the microscopic three-dimensional mesh structure formed.The swelling ratio increased from 7 to 33 times.However,the complete degradation time increased from 40 to 210 min.Moreover,the DSC results confirmed that the higher the molecular weight of the cross-linking agent,the worse is chemical stability and the more prone it to self-degradation.DPPG samples had good temporary plugging performance in reservoir cores.DPPGs prepared by the cross-linking agent with smaller molecular weight has a stronger swelling ratio,higher gel strength,and greater plugging strength in the core permeabilities.Moreover,the degraded DPPG is less damaging to the cores.However,their slower degradation rates take a slightly longer times to reach complete degradation.The results of this paper can provide new ideas and a theoretical basis for the development of particle gel-type temporary plugging agents(TPA)with controllable degradation time in low-temperature reservoirs.It can help to expand the application range of existing DPPG reservoir conditions.

Numerical investigation of refracturing with/without temporarily plugging diverters in tight reservoirs

Refracturing is an importa nt technique to tap the potential of reservoirs and boost production in depleted oil and gas fields.However,fracture propagation during refracturing,including both conventional refracturing and temporary-plugging refracturing remains poorly understood,especially for cases with non-uniform distribution of formation pressure due to long-term oil production and water injection.Therefore,taking pilot tests of refracturing with sidetracking horizontal wells in tight reservoirs in the Changqing Oilfield,China as an example,we establish a three-dimensional numerical model of conventional refracturing and a numerical model of temporary-plugging refracturing based on the discrete lattice method.Non-uniform distributions of formation pressure are imported in these models.We discuss the effects of key operating parameters such as injection rate,cluster spacing,and number of clusters on the propagation of multi-cluster fractures for conventional refracturing.For temporaryplugging refracturing,we examine the impacts of controlling factors such as the timing and number of temporary plugging on fracture propagation.In addition,we analyze a field case of temporaryplugging refracturing using well P3 in the Changqing Oilfield.The results show that fractures during re fracturing tend to propagate preferentially and dominantly in the depleted areas.Improved stimulation effect can be obtained with an optimal injection rate and a critical cluster spacing.The proposed model of temporary-plugging refracturing can well describe the temporary plugging of dominant existingfractures and the creation of new-fractures after fracturing fluid is forced to divert into other clusters from previous dominant clusters.Multiple temporary plugging can improve the balanced propagation of multi-cluster fractures and obtain the maximum fracture area.The established numerical model and research results provide theoretical guidance for the design and optimization of key operating parameters for refracturing,especially for temporary-plugging refracturing.

Quantitative investigation of multi-fracture morphology during TPDF through true tri-axial fracturing experiments and CT scanning

Due to the reservoir heterogeneity and the stress shadow effect, multiple hydraulic fractures within one fracturing segment cannot be initiated simultaneously and propagate evenly, which will cause a low effectiveness of reservoir stimulation. Temporary plugging and diverting fracturing(TPDF) is considered to be a potential uniform-stimulation method for creating multiple fractures simultaneously in the oilfield. However, the multi-fracture propagation morphology during TPDF is not clear now. The purpose of this study is to quantitatively investigate the multi-fracture propagation morphology during TPDF through true tri-axial fracturing experiments and CT scanning. Critical parameters such as fracture spacing, number of perforation clusters, the viscosity of fracturing fluid, and the in-situ stress have been investigated. The fracture geometry before and after diversion have been quantitively analyzed based on the two-dimensional CT slices and three-dimensional reconstruction method. The main conclusions are as follows:(1) When injecting the high viscosity fluid or perforating at the location with low in-situ stress, multiple hydraulic fractures would simultaneously propagate. Otherwise, only one hydraulic fracture was created during the initial fracturing stage(IFS) for most tests.(2) The perforation cluster effectiveness(PCE) has increased from 26.62% during the IFS to 88.86% after using diverters.(3) The diverted fracture volume has no apparent correlation with the pressure peak and peak frequency during the diversion fracturing stage(DFS) but is positively correlated with water-work.(4) Four types of plugging behavior in shale could be controlled by adjusting the diverter recipe and diverter injection time, and the plugging behavior includes plugging the natural fracture in the wellbore, plugging the previous hydraulic fractures, plugging the fracture tip and plugging the bedding.

High-strength and self-degradable sodium alginate/polyacrylamide preformed particle gels for conformance control to enhance oil recovery

Excess water production has become an important issue in the oil and gas extraction process.Preformed particle gels(PPGs),show the capability to control the conformance and reduce excess water cut.However,conventional PPGs have poor mechanical properties and their swollen particles are easily damaged by shearing force when passing through the fractures in formations,meanwhile PPGs can be also degraded into various byproducts,leading to permanent damage to the reservoir permeability after temporary plugging.Herein,a novel type of dual cross-linked PPGs(dPPGs)was designed and synthesized using sodium alginate(SA)and acrylamide(AAm),cross-linked with N,N’-methylenebisacrylamide(MBA)and Fe^(3+).Results show that dPPGs have excellent mechanical properties with a storage modulus up to 86,445 Pa,which is almost 20 times higher than other reported PPGs.Meanwhile,dPPGs can be completely degraded into liquid without any solid residues or byproducts and the viscosity of dPPGs degraded liquid was found to be lower than 5 mPa·s.A laboratory coreflooding test showed that the plugging efficiency of dPPGs was up to 99.83%on open fractures.The obtained results demonstrated that dPPGs could be used as economical and environment-friendly temporary plugging agent with high-strength,self-degradation,thermal stability,and salt stability,thus making it applicable to a wide range of conformance control to enhance oil recovery.

Techniques for improving fracture-controlled stimulated reservoir volume in ultra-deep fractured tight reservoirs: A case study of Kuqa piedmont clastic reservoirs, Tarim Basin, NW China

Based on analysis of the reasons for low efficiency and low production after fracturing of some wells in the ultra-deep fractured tight reservoirs of the Kuqa piedmont zone, Tarim Basin and the matching relationship between the in-situ stress field and natural fractures, technological methods for creating complex fracture networks are proposed. Through theoretical study and large-scale physical simulation experiments, the mechanical conditions for forming complex fracture network in the Kuqa piedmont ultra-deep reservoirs are determined. The effectiveness of temporary plugging and diversion, and multi-stage fracturing to activate natural fractures and consequently realize multi-stage diversion is verified. The coupling effect of hydraulic fractures and natural fractures activating each other and resulting in "fracture swarms" is observed. These insights provide theoretical support for improving fracture-controlled stimulated reservoir volume(FSRV) in ultra-deep tight reservoirs. In addition, following the concept of volume fracturing technology and based on the results of fracture conductivity experiments of different processes, fracturing technologies such as multi-stage fracture-network acid fracturing, "multi-stage temporary plugging + secondary fracturing", fracturing of multiple small layers by vertically softness-and-hardness-oriented subdivision, and weighted-fluid refracturing are proposed to increase the FSRV. New environment-friendly weighted-fluid with low cost and new fracturing fluid system with low viscosity and high proppant-carrying capacity are also developed. These techniques have achieved remarkable results in field application.

An analysis of the uniformity of multi-fracture initiation based on downhole video imaging technology: A case study of Mahu tight conglomerate in Junggar Basin, NW China

To solve the problem that the production of Mahu conglomerate reservoir is not up to expectation after the multi-cluster plus temporary plugging fracturing technology is applied in horizontal wells, stages 2–6 in the test well MaHW6285 are selected to carry out erosion tests with different pumping parameters. The downhole video imaging technology is used to monitor the degree of perforations erosion, and then the fracture initiation and proppant distribution of each cluster are analyzed. The results showed that proppant entered 76.7% of the perforations. The proppant was mainly distributed in a few perforation clusters, and the amount of proppant entered in most of the clusters was limited. The proppant distribution in Stage 4 was relatively uniform, and the fracture initiation of each cluster in the stage is more uniform. The proppant distribution in stages 2, 3, 5, and 6 was significantly uneven, and the uniform degree of fracture initiation in each cluster is low. More than 70% of the proppant dose in the stage entered clusters near the heel end, so the addition of diverters did not promote the uniform initiation of hydraulic fractures. There was a positive correlation between the amount of proppant added and the degree of perforations erosion, and the degree of perforations erosion ranged from 15% to 352%, with an average value of 74.5%, which was far higher than the statistical results of shale reservoir tests in North America. The use of 180° phase perforation(horizontal direction) can reduce the “Phase Bias” of perforations erosion, promote uniform perforations erosion and fluid inflow. The research results provide the basis for optimizing the pumping procedure, reducing the perforation erosion and improving the success rate of diversion.

Calculating minimum perforating depth with consideration of plastic deformation around well-hole

In order to obtain the perforation depth, the three zones with different permeability because of plastic deformation and fluid invasion were studied based on related theories. The study shows that the calculation of perforation depth should take account of not only damaged zone, but also plastic zone, because the plastic zone has much lower permeability. The required minimum perforation depth was obtained by making the solution of elastic/plastic equations, and the factors affecting perforation depth were analyzed accordingly.