We developed an inversion technique to determine in situ stresses for elliptical boreholes of arbitrary trajectory. In this approach, borehole geometry, drilling-induced fracture information, and other available leak-...We developed an inversion technique to determine in situ stresses for elliptical boreholes of arbitrary trajectory. In this approach, borehole geometry, drilling-induced fracture information, and other available leak-off test data were used to construct a mathematical model, which was in turn applied to finding the inverse of an overdetermined system of equations.The method has been demonstrated by a case study in the Appalachian Basin, USA. The calculated horizontal stresses are in reasonable agreement with the reported regional stress study of the area, although there are no field measurement data of the studied well for direct calibration. The results also indicate that 2% of axis difference in the elliptical borehole geometry can cause a 5% difference in minimum horizontal stress calculation and a 10% difference in maximum horizontal stress calculation.展开更多
By introducing the coupling flow expressions of main fracture-matrix, secondary fracture-matrix and main fracture-secondary fracture into the traditional main fracture material balance equation, the “main fracture-se...By introducing the coupling flow expressions of main fracture-matrix, secondary fracture-matrix and main fracture-secondary fracture into the traditional main fracture material balance equation, the “main fracture-secondary fracture-matrix” leak-off coupling flow model is established. The pressure-dependent fracture width equation and the wellbore injection volume equation are coupled to solve the pressure-rate continuity problem. The simulation and calculation of the bottomhole pressure drop and fracture network closure after the pump stopping in slickwater volumetric fracturing treatment are realized. The research results show that the log-log curve of pump-stopping bottomhole pressure drop derivative presents five characteristic slope segments, reflecting four dominant stages, i.e. inter-fracture crossflow, fracture network leak-off, fracture network closure and residual leak-off, after pump shutdown. At the initial time of pump shutdown for volumetric fracturing treatment of horizontal well, the crossflow between main and secondary fractures is obvious, and then the leak-off becomes dominant. The leak-off of main and secondary fractures shows a non-uniform decreasing trend. Specifically, the leak-off of main fractures is slow, while that of secondary fractures is fast;the fracture network as a whole presents the leak-off law of fast first, then slow, until close to zero. The influence of fracture network conductivity on the shape of pressure decline curve is relatively weaker than that of fracture network size. The fracture network conductivity is positively correlated with leak-off volume and fracture closure. The secondary fracture size is positively correlated with leakoff volume and closure of the secondary fracture, but negatively correlated with closure of the main fracture. Field data validation proves that the proposed model and simulation results can effectively reflect the closure characteristics of the fracture network, and the interpretation results are reliable and can reflect the non-uniform stimulation performance of each fracturing stage of an actual horizontal well.展开更多
Deepwater sediments are prone to loss circulation in drilling due to a low overburden gradient. How to predict the magnitude of leak-off pressure more accurately is an important issue in the protection of drilling saf...Deepwater sediments are prone to loss circulation in drilling due to a low overburden gradient. How to predict the magnitude of leak-off pressure more accurately is an important issue in the protection of drilling safety and the reduction of drilling cost in deep water. Starting from the mechanical properties of a shallow formation and based on the basic theory of rock-soil mechanics, the stress distribution around a borehole was analyzed. It was found that the rock or soil on a borehole is in the plastic yield state before the effective tensile stress is generated, and the effective tangential and vertical stresses increase as the drilling fluid density increases; thus, tensile failure will not occur on the borehole wall. Based on the results of stress calculation, two mechanisms and leak-off pressure prediction models for shallow sediments in deepwater drilling were put forward, and the calculated values of these models were compared with the measured value of shallow leak-off pressure in actual drilling. The results show that the MHPS(minimum horizontal principle stress) model and the FIF(fracturing in formation) model can predict the lower and upper limits of leak-off pressure. The PLC(permeable lost circulation) model can comprehensively analyze the factors influencing permeable leakage and provide a theoretical basis for leak-off prevention and plugging in deepwater drilling.展开更多
During gel treatments for fractures, the leak-off behavior of gelant has a great effect on the water shut-off performance of gel. Experiments were carried out using a polymer/chromium(Cr^(3+)) gel system to explore th...During gel treatments for fractures, the leak-off behavior of gelant has a great effect on the water shut-off performance of gel. Experiments were carried out using a polymer/chromium(Cr^(3+)) gel system to explore the leak-off behavior and the water shut-off performance of gel in fractured media. Results of the gelant leak-off study show that the gelant leak-off from fracture into matrix contributes to the formation of the gelant leak-off layer during the gelant injection. Moreover, because of the gradual formation of the gelant leak-off layer along fracture, the initial leak-off ratio of gelant is relatively high, but it declines and finally levels off with the increase of the injection volume. The polymer concentration of gelant has a great effect on the chromium output in fluids produced from fractures. With the increase of the polymer concentration, the chromium concentration first decreases and then increases, and the leak-off depth of gelant into matrix is gradually reduced. Results of the water shut-off study present that the decrease of the chromium concentration inside the fracture greatly reduces the water shut-off performance after the gel formation. Therefore, because of the relatively high degree of chromium leak-off, enough injection volume of gelant is essential to ensure the sufficient chromium concentration inside the fracture and to further achieve a favorable water shut-off performance. On the premise of gel strength assurance inside the fracture, the water shut-off performance of gel gradually declines with the extension of the distance from the fracture inlet, and different leak-off degrees of gelant along the fracture are responsible for this phenomenon. Therefore, a proper degree of gelant leak-off contributes to enhancing the water shut-off performance of gel for fractures.展开更多
Fluid leak-off phenomenon plays a critical role in hydraulic fracturing operation.This phenomenon can be very impressive in successful operation of hydraulic fracturing.This operation is very complex in fractured rese...Fluid leak-off phenomenon plays a critical role in hydraulic fracturing operation.This phenomenon can be very impressive in successful operation of hydraulic fracturing.This operation is very complex in fractured reservoirs due to the reaction between induced fracture and natural fractures.In this study with the cohesive element method,the effect of presence of natural fracture on the magnitude of hydraulic fracturing fluid leak-off is investigated.First of all,cohesive element and extended finite element method methods are described.The fluid flow inside hydraulic fracture and the affecting parameters on leak-off of this fluid on adjacent environment are analyzed.Then,effects of natural fracture on hydraulic fracturing direction such as deviation,leak-off and the mutual influences(which includes the changes of stress regime around the natural fracture)and also changes in pore pressure are processed.The results indicate that presence of natural fracture will cause reduction in aperture of hydraulic fracture.This decrease will lead to extension of fluid lag and eventually delaying of leak-off phenomenon.However,this effect is negligible against the positive impact due to shear and normal displacement on increasing leak-off.展开更多
Based on the independently developed true triaxial multi-physical field large-scale physical simulation system of in-situ injection and production,we conducted physical simulation of long-term multi-well injection and...Based on the independently developed true triaxial multi-physical field large-scale physical simulation system of in-situ injection and production,we conducted physical simulation of long-term multi-well injection and production in the hot dry rocks of the Gonghe Basin,Qinghai Province,NW China.Through multi-well connectivity experiments,the spatial distribution characteristics of the natural fracture system in the rock samples and the connectivity between fracture and wellbore were clarified.The injection and production wells were selected to conduct the experiments,namely one injection well and two production wells,one injection well and one production well.The variation of several physical parameters in the production well was analyzed,such as flow rate,temperature,heat recovery rate and fluid recovery.The results show that under the combination of thermal shock and injection pressure,the fracture conductivity was enhanced,and the production temperature showed a downward trend.The larger the flow rate,the faster the decrease.When the local closed area of the fracture was gradually activated,new heat transfer areas were generated,resulting in a lower rate of increase or decrease in the mining temperature.The heat recovery rate was mainly controlled by the extraction flow rate and the temperature difference between injection and production fluid.As the conductivity of the leak-off channel increased,the fluid recovery of the production well rapidly decreased.The influence mechanisms of dominant channels and fluid leak-off on thermal recovery performance are different.The former limits the heat exchange area,while the latter affects the flow rate of the produced fluid.Both of them are important factors affecting the long-term and efficient development of hot dry rock.展开更多
基金support of the United States Department of Energy (DE-FE0026825, UCFER-University Coalition for Fossil Energy Research)
文摘We developed an inversion technique to determine in situ stresses for elliptical boreholes of arbitrary trajectory. In this approach, borehole geometry, drilling-induced fracture information, and other available leak-off test data were used to construct a mathematical model, which was in turn applied to finding the inverse of an overdetermined system of equations.The method has been demonstrated by a case study in the Appalachian Basin, USA. The calculated horizontal stresses are in reasonable agreement with the reported regional stress study of the area, although there are no field measurement data of the studied well for direct calibration. The results also indicate that 2% of axis difference in the elliptical borehole geometry can cause a 5% difference in minimum horizontal stress calculation and a 10% difference in maximum horizontal stress calculation.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51974332)。
文摘By introducing the coupling flow expressions of main fracture-matrix, secondary fracture-matrix and main fracture-secondary fracture into the traditional main fracture material balance equation, the “main fracture-secondary fracture-matrix” leak-off coupling flow model is established. The pressure-dependent fracture width equation and the wellbore injection volume equation are coupled to solve the pressure-rate continuity problem. The simulation and calculation of the bottomhole pressure drop and fracture network closure after the pump stopping in slickwater volumetric fracturing treatment are realized. The research results show that the log-log curve of pump-stopping bottomhole pressure drop derivative presents five characteristic slope segments, reflecting four dominant stages, i.e. inter-fracture crossflow, fracture network leak-off, fracture network closure and residual leak-off, after pump shutdown. At the initial time of pump shutdown for volumetric fracturing treatment of horizontal well, the crossflow between main and secondary fractures is obvious, and then the leak-off becomes dominant. The leak-off of main and secondary fractures shows a non-uniform decreasing trend. Specifically, the leak-off of main fractures is slow, while that of secondary fractures is fast;the fracture network as a whole presents the leak-off law of fast first, then slow, until close to zero. The influence of fracture network conductivity on the shape of pressure decline curve is relatively weaker than that of fracture network size. The fracture network conductivity is positively correlated with leak-off volume and fracture closure. The secondary fracture size is positively correlated with leakoff volume and closure of the secondary fracture, but negatively correlated with closure of the main fracture. Field data validation proves that the proposed model and simulation results can effectively reflect the closure characteristics of the fracture network, and the interpretation results are reliable and can reflect the non-uniform stimulation performance of each fracturing stage of an actual horizontal well.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program (973 Program, No. 2015CB251201)the National Science Foundation Innovative Research Groups (No. 51221003)the Science Foundation of China University of Petroleum, Beijing (No. ZX20150192)
文摘Deepwater sediments are prone to loss circulation in drilling due to a low overburden gradient. How to predict the magnitude of leak-off pressure more accurately is an important issue in the protection of drilling safety and the reduction of drilling cost in deep water. Starting from the mechanical properties of a shallow formation and based on the basic theory of rock-soil mechanics, the stress distribution around a borehole was analyzed. It was found that the rock or soil on a borehole is in the plastic yield state before the effective tensile stress is generated, and the effective tangential and vertical stresses increase as the drilling fluid density increases; thus, tensile failure will not occur on the borehole wall. Based on the results of stress calculation, two mechanisms and leak-off pressure prediction models for shallow sediments in deepwater drilling were put forward, and the calculated values of these models were compared with the measured value of shallow leak-off pressure in actual drilling. The results show that the MHPS(minimum horizontal principle stress) model and the FIF(fracturing in formation) model can predict the lower and upper limits of leak-off pressure. The PLC(permeable lost circulation) model can comprehensively analyze the factors influencing permeable leakage and provide a theoretical basis for leak-off prevention and plugging in deepwater drilling.
基金Project(51404280)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject(2014D-5006-0203)supported by the Petro China Innovation Foundation,China
文摘During gel treatments for fractures, the leak-off behavior of gelant has a great effect on the water shut-off performance of gel. Experiments were carried out using a polymer/chromium(Cr^(3+)) gel system to explore the leak-off behavior and the water shut-off performance of gel in fractured media. Results of the gelant leak-off study show that the gelant leak-off from fracture into matrix contributes to the formation of the gelant leak-off layer during the gelant injection. Moreover, because of the gradual formation of the gelant leak-off layer along fracture, the initial leak-off ratio of gelant is relatively high, but it declines and finally levels off with the increase of the injection volume. The polymer concentration of gelant has a great effect on the chromium output in fluids produced from fractures. With the increase of the polymer concentration, the chromium concentration first decreases and then increases, and the leak-off depth of gelant into matrix is gradually reduced. Results of the water shut-off study present that the decrease of the chromium concentration inside the fracture greatly reduces the water shut-off performance after the gel formation. Therefore, because of the relatively high degree of chromium leak-off, enough injection volume of gelant is essential to ensure the sufficient chromium concentration inside the fracture and to further achieve a favorable water shut-off performance. On the premise of gel strength assurance inside the fracture, the water shut-off performance of gel gradually declines with the extension of the distance from the fracture inlet, and different leak-off degrees of gelant along the fracture are responsible for this phenomenon. Therefore, a proper degree of gelant leak-off contributes to enhancing the water shut-off performance of gel for fractures.
文摘Fluid leak-off phenomenon plays a critical role in hydraulic fracturing operation.This phenomenon can be very impressive in successful operation of hydraulic fracturing.This operation is very complex in fractured reservoirs due to the reaction between induced fracture and natural fractures.In this study with the cohesive element method,the effect of presence of natural fracture on the magnitude of hydraulic fracturing fluid leak-off is investigated.First of all,cohesive element and extended finite element method methods are described.The fluid flow inside hydraulic fracture and the affecting parameters on leak-off of this fluid on adjacent environment are analyzed.Then,effects of natural fracture on hydraulic fracturing direction such as deviation,leak-off and the mutual influences(which includes the changes of stress regime around the natural fracture)and also changes in pore pressure are processed.The results indicate that presence of natural fracture will cause reduction in aperture of hydraulic fracture.This decrease will lead to extension of fluid lag and eventually delaying of leak-off phenomenon.However,this effect is negligible against the positive impact due to shear and normal displacement on increasing leak-off.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52192622,52304003).
文摘Based on the independently developed true triaxial multi-physical field large-scale physical simulation system of in-situ injection and production,we conducted physical simulation of long-term multi-well injection and production in the hot dry rocks of the Gonghe Basin,Qinghai Province,NW China.Through multi-well connectivity experiments,the spatial distribution characteristics of the natural fracture system in the rock samples and the connectivity between fracture and wellbore were clarified.The injection and production wells were selected to conduct the experiments,namely one injection well and two production wells,one injection well and one production well.The variation of several physical parameters in the production well was analyzed,such as flow rate,temperature,heat recovery rate and fluid recovery.The results show that under the combination of thermal shock and injection pressure,the fracture conductivity was enhanced,and the production temperature showed a downward trend.The larger the flow rate,the faster the decrease.When the local closed area of the fracture was gradually activated,new heat transfer areas were generated,resulting in a lower rate of increase or decrease in the mining temperature.The heat recovery rate was mainly controlled by the extraction flow rate and the temperature difference between injection and production fluid.As the conductivity of the leak-off channel increased,the fluid recovery of the production well rapidly decreased.The influence mechanisms of dominant channels and fluid leak-off on thermal recovery performance are different.The former limits the heat exchange area,while the latter affects the flow rate of the produced fluid.Both of them are important factors affecting the long-term and efficient development of hot dry rock.
