Formation damage mechanism and control strategy of the compound function of drilling fluid and fracturing fluid in shale reservoirs

For the analysis of the formation damage caused by the compound function of drilling fluid and fracturing fluid,the prediction method for dynamic invasion depth of drilling fluid is developed considering the fracture extension due to shale minerals erosion by oil-based drilling fluid.With the evaluation for the damage of natural and hydraulic fractures caused by mechanical properties weakening of shale fracture surface,fracture closure and rock powder blocking,the formation damage pattern is proposed with consideration of the compound effect of drilling fluid and fracturing fluid.The formation damage mechanism during drilling and completion process in shale reservoir is revealed,and the protection measures are raised.The drilling fluid can deeply invade into the shale formation through natural and induced fractures,erode shale minerals and weaken the mechanical properties of shale during the drilling process.In the process of hydraulic fracturing,the compound effect of drilling fluid and fracturing fluid further weakens the mechanical properties of shale,results in fracture closure and rock powder shedding,and thus induces stress-sensitive damage and solid blocking damage of natural/hydraulic fractures.The damage can yield significant conductivity decrease of fractures,and restrict the high and stable production of shale oil and gas wells.The measures of anti-collapse and anti-blocking to accelerate the drilling of reservoir section,forming chemical membrane to prevent the weakening of the mechanical properties of shale fracture surface,strengthening the plugging of shale fracture and reducing the invasion range of drilling fluid,optimizing fracturing fluid system to protect fracture conductivity are put forward for reservoir protection.

Implication of Water-Rock Interaction for Enhancing Shale Gas Production

Horizontal well drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing technologies are at the root of commercial shale gas development and exploitation.During these processes,typically,a large amount of working fluid enters the formation,resulting in widespread water-rock interaction.Deeply understanding such effects is required to optimize the production system.In this study,the mechanisms of water-rock interaction and the associated responses of shale fabric are systematically reviewed for working fluids such as neutral fluids,acid fluids,alkali fluids and oxidative fluids.It is shown that shale is generally rich in water-sensitive components such as clay minerals,acidsensitive components(like carbonate minerals),alkali-sensitive components(like quartz),oxidative-sensitive components(like organic matter and pyrite),which easily lead to change of rock fabric and mechanical properties owing to water-rock interaction.According to the results,oxidizing acid fluids and oxidizing fracturing fluids should be used to enhance shale gas recovery.This study also indicates that an aspect playing an important role in increasing cumulative gas production is the optimization of the maximum shut-in time based on the change point of the wellhead pressure drop rate.Another important influential factor to be considered is the control of the wellhead pressure considering the stress sensitivity and creep characteristics of the fracture network.

Formation,evolution,reconstruction of black shales and their influence on shale oil and gas resource

Black shales are important products of material cycling and energy exchange among the lithosphere,atmosphere,hydrosphere,and biosphere.They are widely distributed throughout geological history and provide essential energy and mineral resources for the development of human society.They also record the evolution process of the earth and improve the understanding of the earth.This review focuses on the diagenesis and formation mechanisms of black shales sedimentation,composition,evolution,and reconstruction,which have had a significant impact on the formation and enrichment of shale oil and gas.In terms of sedimentary environment,black shales can be classified into three types:Marine,terrestrial,and marine-terrestrial transitional facies.The formation processes include mechanisms such as eolian input,hypopycnal flow,gravity-driven and offshore bottom currents.From a geological perspective,the formation of black shales is often closely related to global or regional major geological events.The enrichment of organic matter is generally the result of the interaction and coupling of several factors such as primary productivity,water redox condition,and sedimentation rate.In terms of evolution,black shales have undergone diagenetic evolution of inorganic minerals,thermal evolution of organic matter and hydrocarbon generation,interactions between organic matter and inorganic minerals,and pore evolution.In terms of reconstruction,the effects of fold deformation,uplift and erosion,and fracturing have changed the stress state of black shale reservoirs,thereby having a significant impact on the pore structure.Fluid activity promotes the formation of veins,and have changed the material composition,stress structure,and reservoir properties of black shales.Regarding resource effects,the deposition of black shales is fundamental for shale oil and gas resources,the evolution of black shales promotes the shale oil and gas formation and storage,and the reconstruction of black shales would have caused the heterogeneous distribution of oil and gas in shales.Exploring the formation mechanisms and interactions of black shales at different scales is a key to in-depth research on shale formation and evolution,as well as the key to revealing the mechanism controlling shale oil and gas accumulation.The present records can reveal how these processes worked in geological history,and improve our understanding of the coupling mechanisms among regional geological events,black shales evolution,and shale oil and gas formation and enrichment.

Optimizing the Diameter of Plugging Balls in Deep Shale Gas Wells

Deep shale gas reserves that have been fractured typically have many relatively close perforation holes. Due to theproximity of each fracture during the formation of the fracture network, there is significant stress interference,which results in uneven fracture propagation. It is common practice to use “balls” to temporarily plug fractureopenings in order to lessen liquid intake and achieve uniform propagation in each cluster. In this study, a diameteroptimization model is introduced for these plugging balls based on a multi-cluster fracture propagationmodel and a perforation dynamic abrasion model. This approach relies on proper consideration of the multiphasenature of the considered problem and the interaction force between the involved fluid and solid phases. Accordingly,it can take into account the behavior of the gradually changing hole diameter due to proppant continuousperforation erosion. Moreover, it can provide useful information about the fluid-dynamic behavior of the consideredsystem before and after plugging. It is shown that when the diameter of the temporary plugging ball is1.2 times that of the perforation hole, the perforation holes of each cluster can be effectively blocked.

Simulation and visualization of the displacement between CO2 and formation fluids at pore-scale levels and its application to the recovery of shale gas

This article reports recent developments and advances in the simulation of the CO2-formation fluid displacement behaviour at the pore scale of subsurface porous media. Roughly, there are three effective visualization approaches to detect and observe the CO2-formation fluid displacement mechanism at the micro-scale, namely, magnetic resonance imaging, X-ray computed tomography and fabricated micromodels, but they are not capable of investigating the dis- placement process at the nano-scale. Though a lab-on-chip approach for the direct visualization of the fluid flow behaviour in nanoscale channels has been developed using an advanced epi-fluorescence microscopy method combined with a nanofluidic chip, it is still a qualitative analysis method. The lattice Boltzmann method （LBM） can simulate the CO2 displacement processes in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional （3D） pore structure, but until now, the CO2 displace- ment mechanisms had not been thoroughly investigated and the 3D pore structure of real rock had not been directly taken into account in the simulation of the CO2 displacement process. The status of research on the applications of CO2 displacement to enhance shale gas recovery is also analyzed in this paper. The coupling of molecular dynamics and LBM in tandem is proposed to simulate the CO2-shale gas displacement process based on the 3D digital model of shale obtained from focused ion beams and scanning electron microscopy.

Enlightenment of calcite veins in deep Ordovician Wufeng-Silurian Longmaxi shales fractures to migration and enrichment of shale gas in southern Sichuan Basin, SW China

The relationship between fracture calcite veins and shale gas enrichment in the deep Ordovician Wufeng Formation-Silurian Longmaxi Formation (Wufeng-Longmaxi) shales in southern Sichuan Basin was investigated through core and thin section observations, cathodoluminescence analysis, isotopic geochemistry analysis, fluid inclusion testing, and basin simulation. Tectonic fracture calcite veins mainly in the undulating part of the structure and non-tectonic fracture calcite veins are mainly formed in the gentle part of the structure. The latter, mainly induced by hydrocarbon generation, occurred at the stage of peak oil and gas generation, while the former turned up with the formation of Luzhou paleouplift during the Indosinian. Under the influence of hydrocarbon generation pressurization process, fractures were opened and closed frequently, and oil and gas episodic activities are recorded by veins. The formation pressure coefficient at the maximum paleodepth exceeds 2.0. The formation uplift stage after the Late Yanshanian is the key period for shale gas migration. Shale gas migrates along the bedding to the high part of the structure. The greater the structural fluctuation is, the more intense the shale gas migration activity is, and the loss is more. The gentler the formation is, the weaker the shale gas migration activity is, and the loss is less. The shale gas enrichment in the core of gentle anticlines and gentle synclines is relatively higher.

Thermo-sensitive polymer nanospheres as a smart plugging agent for shale gas drilling operations

Emulsifier-free poly（methyl methacrylate-styrene） [P（MMA-St）] nanospheres with an average particle size of 100 nm were synthesized in an isopropyl alcoholwater medium by a solvothermal method. Then, through radical graft copolymerization of thermo-sensitive mono- mer N-isopropylacrylamide （NIPAm） and hydrophilic monomer acrylic acid （AA） onto the surface of P（MMA- St） nanospheres at 80 ℃, a series of thermo-sensitive polymer nanospheres, named SD-SEAL with different lower critical solution temperatures （LCST）, were prepared by adjusting the mole ratio of NIPAm to AA. The products were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, particle size distribution, and specific surface area analysis. The temperature-sensitive behavior was studied by light transmittance tests, while the sealing performance was investigated by pressure transmission tests with Lungmachi Formation shales. The experimental results showed that the synthesized nanoparticles are sensitive to temperature and had apparent LCST values which increased with an increase in hydrophilic monomer AA. When the temperature was higher than its LCST value, SD- SEAL played a dual role of physical plugging and chemical inhibition, slowed down pressure transmission, and reduced shale permeability remarkably. The plugged layer of shale was changed to being hydrophobic, which greatly improved the shale stability

Tectonic and geological setting of the earthquake hazards in the Changning shale gas development zone, Sichuan Basin, SW China

Hydraulic fracturing is a key technology in shale gas extraction,whether hydraulic fracturing induces earthquakes has become a hot topic in the public and the focus of scholars’research.The urgency of shale gas mining and the catastrophic nature of earthquakes highlight the urgent need to study this issue.The Changning anticline at the southern margin of the Sichuan Basin is a key area for shale gas exploitation.Taking this as an example,this paper applies the velocity model of the study area to reposition the M5.7 magnitude earthquake on December 16,2018 and the M5.3 magnitude earthquake on January 03,2019 and their aftershock sequence in this area.Using shale gas exploration drilling and reflection seismic data to carry out structural analysis,and recovering the tectonic geological setting of earthquake occurrence by restoring the formation process of the Changning anticline,to further explore the seismic mechanism.Our results show that the Changning anticline is a large basement fault-bend fold,and the displacement of the fault forming the anticline is 18 km,and the Changning anticline absorbs 33%of the fault slip.The Silurian Longmaxi Formation of the Changning anticline experienced larger-parallel shearing along underlying basement faults,forming a micro-fracture system.The footwall ramp of the basement fault is reactivated at present,earthquakes in this area mostly occur along the footwall ramp of the basement fault and above and below it.The anticlinal and synclinal hinge zones are also the earthquake concentration areas,but the earthquake magnitude decreases upwards along the kink-band,and small earthquakes below M2.0 occur in the Silurian Longmaxi Formation.So far,the earthquake in the Changning anticline mainly occurred in the southern limb of the anticline,which is a natural earthquake formed along the footwall ramp of the basement fault.The earthquakes in the Changning area are possible related to the geo-tectonic setting for the southeast outward compression of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at present,the moderate or large-scale earthquakes in the southwest Sichuan Basin are mainly due to the reactivation during late Quaternary of the earlier formed faults.It is suggested to carry out scientific monitoring of seismic activities in shale gas development zones.

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.

Laponite:a promising nanomaterial to formulate high-performance water-based drilling fluids

High-performance water-based drilling fluids(HPWBFs)are essential to wellbore stability in shale gas exploration and development.Laponite is a synthetic hectorite clay composed of disk-shaped nanoparticles.This paper analyzed the application potential of laponite in HPWBFs by evaluating its shale inhibition,plugging and lubrication performances.Shale inhibition performance was studied by linear swelling test and shale recovery test.Plugging performance was analyzed by nitrogen adsorption experiment and scanning electron microscope(SEM)observation.Extreme pressure lubricity test was used to evaluate the lubrication property.Experimental results show that laponite has good shale inhibition property,which is better than commonly used shale inhibitors,such as polyamine and KCl.Laponite can effectively plug shale pores.It considerably decreases the surface area and pore volume of shale,and SEM results show that it can reduce the porosity of shale and form a seamless nanofilm.Laponite is beneficial to increase lubricating property of drilling fluid by enhancing the drill pipes/wellbore interface smoothness and isolating the direct contact between wellbore and drill string.Besides,laponite can reduce the fluid loss volume.According to mechanism analysis,the good performance of laponite nanoparticles is mainly attributed to the disk-like nanostructure and the charged surfaces.

Calculation of safe drilling mud density window for shale formation by considering chemo-poro-mechanical coupling effect

It is difficult to define safe drilling mud density window for shale sections.To solve this problem,the general Biot effective stress principle developed by Heidug and Wong was modified.The Weibull statistical model was used to characterize the hydration strainrelated strength damage.Considering drilling fluid sealing barrier on shale,a calculation method of safe drilling mud density has been established for shale formation under drilling fluid sealing-inhibition-reverse osmosis effect,combined with a flow-diffusion coupling model.The influence of drilling fluid sealing and inhibiting parameters on safe drilling mud density window was analyzed.The study shows that enhancing drilling fluid sealing performance can reduce the pore pressure transmission and solute diffusion;the inhibiting performance of drilling fluid,especially inhibition to strength damage,is crucial for the wellbore collapse pressure of shale section with significant hydration property.The improvement of drilling fluid sealing and inhibition performance can lower collapse pressure and enhance fracturing pressure,and thus making the safe drilling fluid density window wider and the collapse period of wellbore longer.If there is osmosis flow in shale,induced osmosis flow can make the gap between collapse pressure and fracturing pressure wider,and the stronger the sealing ability of drilling fluid,the wider the gap will be.The safe drilling mud density window calculation method can analyze the relationships between collapse pressure,fracturing pressure and drilling fluid anti collapse performance,and can be used to optimize drilling fluid performance.

In-situ Fluid Phase Variation along the Thermal Maturation Gradient in Shale Petroleum Systems and Its Impact on Well Production Performance

In-situ fluid phase behavior is important in determining hydrocarbon contents and the multiphase flow through shale reservoirs.The gas-to-oil ratio(GOR) has been recognized as a critical indicator of fluid types.However,little is known about the impact of fluid phase variation across the thermal maturity on shale oil/gas production(e.g.,estimated ultimate recovery,EUR).According to the specific gravity ratio of oil/gas,the producing GOR was converted and normalized into a mass fraction of gas in total hydrocarbons(MGOR) to compare North American shale oil/gas plays with Chinese shale oil and hybrid gas-condensate plays.A correlation between MGOR,the fluid phases,and production data was established to identify five phase stages of flow.MGORvaries systematically with the different production zones,which shows promise in rapidly indicating the well production performance and high production stages of shale oil/gas plays.The hybrid shale gas condensate index,Tmax,and total gas contents were integrated to present the fluid types and maturity of shale gas-condensates,which indicates fluid phase and production variation across thermal evolution.The results offer a unique perspective on the shale oil reservoir producibility based on the impact of GOR on fluid phases and EUR from the dominant global oil/gas plays.

Economic Assessment and Review of Waterless Fracturing Technologies in Shale Resource Development: A Case Study

Our database tracking of USA water usage per well indicates that traditionally shale operators have been using, on average 3 to 6 million gallons of water; even up to 8 million for the en- tire life cycle of the well based on its suitability for re-fracturing to stimulate their long and lateral ho- rizontal welis. According to our data, sourcing, storage, transportation, treatment, and disposal of this large volume of water could account for up to 10% of overall drilling and completion costs. With in- creasingly stringent regulations governing the use of fresh water and growing challenges associated with storage and use of produced and flowback water in hydraulic fracturing, finding alternative sources of fracturing fluid is already a hot debate among both the scientific community and industry experts. On the other hand, waterless fracturing technology providers claim their technology can solve the concerns of water availability for shale development. This study reviews high-level technical issues and opportunities in this challenging and growing market and evaluates key economic drivers behind water management practices such as waterless fracturing technologies, based on a given shale gas play in the United States and experience gained in Canada. Water costs are analyzed under a variety of scenarios with and without the use of （fresh） water. The results are complemented by surveys from several oil and gas operators. Our economic analysis shows that fresh water usage offers the greatest economic return. In regions where water sourcing is a challenge, however, the short-term economic advantage of using non-fresh water-based fracturing outweighs the capital costs required by waterless fracturing methods. Until waterless methods are cost competitive, recycled water usage with low treatment offers a similar net present value （NPV） to that of sourcing freshwater via truck, for in- stance.

A New Hybrid Stress Element with Fluid

In the process of shale gas exploitation,there exits two difficult problems:one is the real numerical simulation of a tremendous number of holes in actual shale;the other is the fluid–solid coupling problem involved in holes,where the difficulty of transition at the interface between the Eulerian grid and the Lagrangian grid becomes the most important.In response to these two problems,this paper establishes an element model with both fluid and solid.At the fluid–solid interface,the equilibrium condition of the surface force is introduced to obtain the modified complementary energy functional,and a new hybrid stress element with fluid is derived.The comparison of the simulation results with those of the ordinary commercial finite element software verifies the effectiveness and efficiency of this element,and proves its applicability in the problem of shale with numerous holes.Furthermore,this element can be extended to general problems of solid with fluid in.

Growing seismicity in the Sichuan Basin and its association with industrial activities

In the Sichuan Basin,seismic activity has been low historically,but in the past few decades,a series of moderate to strong earthquakes have occurred.Especially since 2015,earthquake activity has seen an unprecedented continuous growth trend,and the magnitude of events is increasing.Following the M5.7 Xingwen earthquake on 18 Dec.2018,which was suggested to be induced by shale gas hydraulic fracturing,a swarm of earthquakes with a maximum magnitude up to M6.0 struck Changning and the surrounding counties.Questions arose about the possible involvement of industrial actions in these destructive events.In fact,underground fluid injection in salt mine fields has been occurring in the Sichuan Basin for more than70 years.Disposal of wastewater in natural gas fields has also continued for about 40 years.Since 2008,injection for shale gas development in the southern Sichuan Basin has increased rapidly.The possible link between the increasing seismicity and increasing injection activity is an important issue.Although surrounded by seismically active zones to the southwest and northwest,the Sichuan Basin is a rather stable region with a wide range of geological settings.First,we present a brief review of earthquakes of magnitude 5 or higher since 1600 to obtain the long-term event rate and explore the possible link between the rapidly increasing trend of seismic activity and industrial injection activities in recent decades.Second,based on a review of previous research results,combined with the latest data,we describe a comprehensive analysis of the characteristics and occurrence conditions of natural and injection-induced major seismic clusters in the Sichuan Basin since 1700.Finally,we list some conclusions and insights,which provide a better understanding of why damaging events occur so that they can either be avoided or mitigated,point out scientific questions that need urgent research,and propose a general framework based on geomechanics for assessment and management of earthquake-related risks.