Article
Energy & Fuels
Yongming Li, Ang Luo, Xi Chen, Leiming Cheng, Cheng Chang, Weiyang Xie
Summary: The distribution of pore pressure and water saturation in the matrix around fractures after hydraulic fracturing and a shut-in period significantly affects shale gas well production. This study couples the embedded discrete fracture model (EDFM) with an existing reservoir simulator to simulate hydraulic fracture propagation and matrix flow. A model for simulating the integration process of hydraulic fracturing, shut-in period, and well production is developed based on the dual media theory. The simulation results show the variations in pore pressure and water saturation during different periods and the decline in shale gas well production. These results were validated using field data from a shale gas well in Sichuan Province, China. The study also highlights the impact of micro-fracture system permeability on the decline rate of bottom hole pressure and the influence of the stimulated reservoir volume (SRV) size on the decrease amplitude of bottom hole pressure.
FRONTIERS IN ENERGY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Tiancheng Ji, Peixue Jiang, Ruina Xu
Summary: Hydraulic fracturing is widely used in shale gas development, but it can cause decline in production in water-sensitive formations. CO2 techniques, including CO2 fracturing, injection, and sequestration, can solve this problem, increase shale gas production, and store CO2 underground. The trade-off between the rising cost of deploying CO2 techniques and the benefit of increased shale gas production influences the technology portfolios for shale gas development. Financial incentives for carbon credits can provide compensation for the cost of CO2 techniques and further influence the technology portfolios. An optimization model is proposed to investigate the optimal technology mix for cost-effective shale gas development, considering different reservoir conditions and carbon price incentives. The results show that hydraulic fracturing is preferred in non-water sensitive scenarios, while CO2 fracturing and CO2 injection are preferred in water-sensitive scenarios. The synergistic deployment of CO2 fracturing and CO2 injection techniques can improve economic performance and carbon sequestration. This study provides critical insights for achieving cost-effective shale gas development while curbing carbon emissions.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Moises Ferreyra-Quiroz, Luis Fernando Lira-Barragan, Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi, Jose Maria Ponce-Ortega
Summary: This paper proposes a mathematical programming formulation to optimize the configuration of water and CO2 in shale gas hydraulic fracturing operations. The aim is to minimize the total annual cost while considering water availability and CO2 generation. The results show that increasing the percentage of CO2 in the fracturing fluid can reduce freshwater requirements but increases the overall cost, and the availability of freshwater has an impact on the optimization.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Grant Charles Mwakipunda, Edwin E. Nyakilla, Jennifer Sanford, Fravian Mwizarubi
Summary: This study investigates the influence of aligned and staggered multi-well placement patterns on shale gas recovery and CO2 sequestration. The results show that the staggered well pattern is more effective for CH4 gas recovery, while the aligned well pattern has advantages in CO2 storage. Additionally, drilling parameters, reservoir parameters, and injection timing play important roles in methane gas recovery and carbon dioxide gas storage.
JOURNAL OF ENERGY ENGINEERING
(2022)
Review
Energy & Fuels
Xiufeng Zhang, Wancheng Zhu, Zenghe Xu, Shuyuan Liu, Chenhui Wei
Summary: Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) is a promising fracturing fluid for unconventional reservoir stimulation, and laboratory experiments are essential for evaluating its hydraulic parameters and potential. The design of new or improved fracturing apparatuses plays a critical role in determining experimental results, and future research should focus on investigating the mechanism of SC-CO2 fracturing.
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Mechanics
Jia Deng, Jiujiu He, Jiujiang Li, Lan Zhang, Fuquan Song
Summary: This study focuses on the well pattern arrangement in CO2 enhanced gas recovery (CO2-EGR). Mathematical models of five-spot and seven-spot well patterns are established and validated, and equipotential and streamline charts are derived. The relationships between well pattern parameters and gas production rate are investigated, and an optimization strategy is proposed.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Fang Shi
Summary: It is of great significance to predict the production rate and estimate the ultimate recovery for the optimization of shale gas development. A novel approach using XFEM is proposed to simulate the processes of hydraulic fracturing and gas production, revealing that proppant size has a dominant influence on gas production, followed by proppant concentration, shale formation viscosity, proppant Young's modulus, and shale formation Young's modulus.
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Geological
Nghia Quoc Trinh, Simon Alexander Hagen, Helene Stromsvik, Trond Larsen, Eivind Grov
Summary: Hydraulic fracturing is commonly used to determine in situ rock stress, and the interpretation of shut-in pressure is a key aspect of this method. SINTEF has developed two practical methods, zero flow and water hammer, for defining shut-in pressure based on singular events in the pressure/flow development. In this study, 12 existing methods were compared with the two SINTEF methods through laboratory tests and a field test. The SINTEF methods are mainly applicable in hard rock environments with low permeability and have been used in hydroelectric power, tunneling, cavern projects, and mineral mining, but not in deep petroleum applications in porous rock.
ROCK MECHANICS AND ROCK ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Wang Qiang, Zhao Jinzhou, H. U. Yongquan, R. E. N. Lan, Zhao Chaoneng
Summary: A multi-process multi-phase flow model was developed to determine the optimal shut-in time after multi-cluster staged hydraulic fracturing in shale reservoirs. Factors such as osmotic pressure, membrane effect, elastic energy, and capillary force were considered. Through experiments and simulations, the main factors affecting the optimal shut-in time were identified.
PETROLEUM EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Economics
Michael M. Aba, Virginia Parente, Edmilson Moutinho Santos
Summary: This study analyzes the long-term impact of fracking on water resources and contamination in Brazil and proposes regulatory recommendations. The research findings suggest that the competition for water from potential fracking activities in Brazil is insignificant compared to the available water resources and other water demands.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Wenrui Shi, Ling Zhu, Meiyu Guo, Zisang Huang, Ganlu Wang, Lijie Lin, Li He, Yong Liao, Haoran He, Junshi Gong
Summary: Shale oil resources in China are abundant, but the traditional hydraulic fracturing technique consumes a large amount of water and causes environmental pollution. This study finds that CO2 fracturing technology can effectively reduce water consumption and store CO2, with CO2 methanol-based fracturing being the most effective.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Geological
Hai Qu, Shimao Tang, Ying Liu, Pengpeng Huang, Xiaoguang Wu, Zhonghua Liu, Chengying Li
Summary: The study shows that using liquid nitrogen (LN2) for shale fracturing can decrease the breakdown pressure, activate pre-existing fractures and bedding planes, and enhance formation permeability. Lower stress anisotropy, higher pumping rate, and lower bedding plane angle result in more complex fractures.
ROCK MECHANICS AND ROCK ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Henrik Wachtmeister, Magdalena Kuchler, Mikael Hook
Summary: This paper examines the political claims and hopes surrounding Poland's potential self-sufficiency in natural gas and becoming a gas exporter through shale gas production. It suggests that achieving such national expectations would require a significant amount of drilling and hydraulic fracturing, which would necessitate reconsideration of national energy security plans and expectations related to shale gas production.
NATURAL RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhihong Lei, Yanjun Zhang, Ling Zhou, Jian Zhou
Summary: CO2-basalt-water interaction safely converts CO2 into carbonate minerals, but can reduce storage efficiency and increase costs. Hydraulic fracturing is proposed to enhance permeability, with high CO2 sequestration capacity demonstrated in zones with good percolation conditions.
ENVIRONMENTAL EARTH SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Yanchao Li, Jianguo Shen, Longqing Zou, Yushi Zou, Xinfang Ma, Can Yang, Weiwei Wang
Summary: This study conducted simulation experiments to investigate the temporary plugging and diversion fracturing (TPDF) technique in a horizontal well with multiple clusters. A method of inner-fracture + inner-segment TPDF with multiple clusters of perforation in horizontal wells was proposed, and the influence of the number of clusters and the method of perforating on the effectiveness of TPDF was studied. The results showed that higher peak pressures and increased complexity of hydraulic fractures were observed when the number of perforation clusters was five.