Optimization Of Hydraulic Fracture Stages And Sequencing In Unconventional Formations

Shale gas and/or oil play identification is subject to many screening processes for characteristics such as porosity, permeability, and brittleness. Evaluating shale gas and/or oil reservoirs and identifying potential sweet spots (portions of the reservoir rock that have high-quality kerogen content and brittle rock) requires taking into consideration multiple rock, reservoir, and geological parameters that govern production. The early determination of sweet spots for well site selection and fracturing in shale reservoirs is a challenge for many operators. With this limitation in mind, Optimization of Hydraulic Fracture Stages and Sequencing in Unconventional Formations develops an approach to improve the industry’s ability to evaluate shale gas and oil plays and is structured to lead the reader from general shale oil and gas characteristics to detailed sweet-spot classifications. The approach uses a new candidate selection and evaluation algorithm and screening criteria based on key geomechanical, petrophysical, and geochemical parameters and indices to obtain results consistent with existing shale plays and gain insights on the best development strategies going forward. The work introduces new criteria that accurately guide the development process in unconventional reservoirs in addition to reducing uncertainty and cost.

Hydraulic Fracturing in Unconventional Reservoirs: Theories, Operations, and Economic Analysis introduces the basic characteristics and theories surrounding hydraulic fracturing and the main process of fracturing in shale, including the main workflow, the details in case analysis, and the fundamental differences between theory, study, and practical operation. The book takes the complex nature of the hydraulic fracturing in unconventional reservoirs and applies a practical approach that can be useds as a workflow for designing fracture treatments in various shale basins across the world. Providing the audience with theories, best practices, operation and execution, and economic analysis of hydraulic fracturing in unconventional reservoirs, this reference guides the engineer and manager through broad topics including an introduction to unconventional reservoirs, advanced shale reservoir characterization, and shale gas in place calculation as well as expanding to basic theories of hydraulic fracturing and advanced topics in shale reservoir stimulation. Rounding out with coverage on the environmental aspects and practice problems on design and economic analysis, the book delivers the critical link needed between academia and industry for all aspects of hydraulic fracturing operations. Presents basic characteristics of unconventional reservoirs and introductory theories and practices on hydraulic fracturing, including post-fracturing analysis Includes an explanation of company assets and financial responsibility, with coverage on economic evaluation and how to predict decline curves Provides tactics on how to strengthen real-world skills with the inclusion of practice examples at the end of the book

A comprehensive overview of the key geologic, geomechanical and engineering principles that govern the development of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs. Covering hydrocarbon-bearing formations, horizontal drilling, reservoir seismology and environmental impacts, this is an invaluable resource for geologists, geophysicists and reservoir engineers.

This book is intended as a reference book for advanced graduate students and research engineers in shale gas development or rock mechanical engineering. Globally, there is widespread interest in exploiting shale gas resources to meet rising energy demands, maintain energy security and stability in supply and reduce dependence on higher carbon sources of energy, namely coal and oil. However, extracting shale gas is a resource intensive process and is dependent on the geological and geomechanical characteristics of the source rocks, making the development of certain formations uneconomic using current technologies. Therefore, evaluation of the physical and mechanical properties of shale, together with technological advancements, is critical in verifying the economic viability of such formation. Accurate geomechanical information about the rock and its variation through the shale is important since stresses along the wellbore can control fracture initiation and frac development. In addition, hydraulic fracturing has been widely employed to enhance the production of oil and gas from underground reservoirs. Hydraulic fracturing is a complex operation in which the fluid is pumped at a high pressure into a selected section of the wellbore. The interaction between the hydraulic fractures and natural fractures is the key to fracturing effectiveness prediction and high gas development. The development and growth of a hydraulic fracture through the natural fracture systems of shale is probably more complex than can be described here, but may be somewhat predictable if the fracture system and the development of stresses can be explained. As a result, comprehensive shale geomechanical experiments, physical modeling experiment and numerical investigations should be conducted to reveal the fracturing mechanical behaviors of shale.

Hydraulic fracturing is the key measure for improving recovery of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs. Prediction of fracture morphology and productivity after fracturing is critical for fracturing design and optimization. The hydraulic fracturing process is to open porous rocks by artificially injecting highly compressed fluid, and the hydraulic fracture will be closed under the compaction of in-situ stress during the production process. In this regard, hydraulic fracturing and production processes are both fluid-solid coupling processes involving fractures and porous rocks. This Research Topic aims to gather the latest studies addressing how to improve the prediction accuracy of hydraulic fracturing morphology and post-fracturing productivity through experimental and numerical investigation. The experimental research shall underline hydraulic fracturing and fracture conductivity experiments and associated experimental methods, while the numerical research shall pay particular attention to discrete fracture network models, including the calculation efficiency and accuracy as well as the applicability.

The expansion of unconventional petroleum resources in the recent decade and the rapid development of computational technology have provided the opportunity to develop and apply 3D numerical modeling technology to simulate the hydraulic fracturing of shale and tight sand formations. This book presents 3D numerical modeling technologies for hydraulic fracturing developed in recent years, and introduces solutions to various 3D geomechanical problems related to hydraulic fracturing. In the solution processes of the case studies included in the book, fully coupled multi-physics modeling has been adopted, along with innovative computational techniques, such as submodeling. In practice, hydraulic fracturing is an essential project component in shale gas/oil development and tight sand oil, and provides an essential measure in the process of drilling cuttings reinjection (CRI). It is also an essential measure for widened mud weight window (MWW) when drilling through naturally fractured formations; the process of hydraulic plugging is a typical application of hydraulic fracturing. 3D modeling and numerical analysis of hydraulic fracturing is essential for the successful development of tight oil/gas formations: it provides accurate solutions for optimized stage intervals in a multistage fracking job. It also provides optimized well-spacing for the design of zipper-frac wells. Numerical estimation of casing integrity under stimulation injection in the hydraulic fracturing process is one of major concerns in the successful development of unconventional resources. This topic is also investigated numerically in this book. Numerical solutions to several other typical geomechanics problems related to hydraulic fracturing, such as fluid migration caused by fault reactivation and seismic activities, are also presented. This book can be used as a reference textbook to petroleum, geotechnical and geothermal engineers, to senior undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students, and to geologists, hydrogeologists, geophysicists and applied mathematicians working in this field. This book is also a synthetic compendium of both the fundamentals and some of the most advanced aspects of hydraulic fracturing technology.

The stimulation of unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs is proven to improve their productivity to an extent that has rendered them economically viable. Generally, the stimulation design is a complex process dependent on intertwining factors such as the history of the formation, rock and reservoir fluid type, lithology and structural layout of the formation, cost, time, etc. A holistic grasp of these can be daunting, especially for people without sufficient experience and/or expertise in the exploitation of unconventional hydrocarbon reserves. This book presents the key facets integral to producing unconventional resources, and how the different components, if pieced together, can be used to create an integrated stimulation design. Areas covered are as follows: • stimulation methods, • fracturing fluids, • mixing and behavior of reservoir fluids, • assessment of reservoir performance, • integration of surface drilling data, • estimation of geomechanical properties and hydrocarbon saturation, and • health and safety. Exploitation of Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources: Hydraulic Fracturing and Other Recovery and Assessment Techniques is an excellent introduction to the subject area of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs, but it also complements existing information in the same discipline. It is an essential text for higher education students and professionals in academia, research, and the industry.

Microseismic Imaging of Hydraulic Fracturing: Improved Engineering of Unconventional Shale Reservoirs (SEG Distinguished Instructor Series No. 17) covers the use of microseismic data to enhance engineering design of hydraulic fracturing and well completion. The book, which accompanies the 2014 SEG Distinguished Instructor Short Course, describes the design, acquisition, processing, and interpretation of an effective microseismic project. The text includes a tutorial of the basics of hydraulic fracturing, including the geologic and geomechanical factors that control fracture growth. In addition to practical issues associated with collecting and interpreting microseismic data, potential pitfalls and quality-control steps are discussed. Actual case studies are used to demonstrate engineering benefits and improved production through the use of microseismic monitoring. Providing a practical user guide for survey design, quality control, interpretation, and application of microseismic hydraulic fracture monitoring, this book will be of interest to geoscientists and engineers involved in development of unconventional reservoirs.