Hydraulic fracturing proppants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. P. P. de Campos

Full Text Available Abstract Hydrocarbon reservoirs can be classified as unconventional or conventional depending on the oil and gas extraction difficulty, such as the need for high-cost technology and techniques. The hydrocarbon extraction from bituminous shale, commonly known as shale gas/oil, is performed by using the hydraulic fracturing technique in unconventional reservoirs where 95% water, 0.5% of additives and 4.5% of proppants are used. Environmental problems related to hydraulic fracturing technique and better performance/development of proppants are the current challenge faced by companies, researchers, regulatory agencies, environmentalists, governments and society. Shale gas is expected to increase USA fuel production, which triggers the development of new proppants and technologies of exploration. This paper presents a review of the definition of proppants, their types, characteristics and situation in the world market and information about manufacturers. The production of nanoscale materials such as anticorrosive and intelligent proppants besides proppants with carbon nanotubes is already carried out on a scale of tonnes per year in Belgium, Germany and Asia countries.

A critical review of the risks to water resources from unconventional shale gas development and hydraulic fracturing in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Vengosh, Avner; Jackson, Robert B; Warner, Nathaniel; Darrah, Thomas H; Kondash, Andrew

2014-01-01

The rapid rise of shale gas development through horizontal drilling and high volume hydraulic fracturing has expanded the extraction of hydrocarbon resources in the U.S. The rise of shale gas development has triggered an intense public debate regarding the potential environmental and human health effects from hydraulic fracturing. This paper provides a critical review of the potential risks that shale gas operations pose to water resources, with an emphasis on case studies mostly from the U.S. Four potential risks for water resources are identified: (1) the contamination of shallow aquifers with fugitive hydrocarbon gases (i.e., stray gas contamination), which can also potentially lead to the salinization of shallow groundwater through leaking natural gas wells and subsurface flow; (2) the contamination of surface water and shallow groundwater from spills, leaks, and/or the disposal of inadequately treated shale gas wastewater; (3) the accumulation of toxic and radioactive elements in soil or stream sediments near disposal or spill sites; and (4) the overextraction of water resources for high-volume hydraulic fracturing that could induce water shortages or conflicts with other water users, particularly in water-scarce areas. Analysis of published data (through January 2014) reveals evidence for stray gas contamination, surface water impacts in areas of intensive shale gas development, and the accumulation of radium isotopes in some disposal and spill sites. The direct contamination of shallow groundwater from hydraulic fracturing fluids and deep formation waters by hydraulic fracturing itself, however, remains controversial.

Regional economic impacts of the unconventional promotion of natural gas (Hydraulic Fracturing). Preliminary study; Regionaloekonomische Auswirkungen der unkonventionellen Erdgasfoerderung (Hydraulic Fracturing). Vorstudie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bizer, Kilian; Bossmeyer, Christoph

2012-07-01

Actually, there is a controversial public discussion on the exploitation of conventional natural gas by means of hydraulic fracturing (Fracking). The contribution under consideration examines the geologic, toxicological or technical as well as legal points of contact with respect to the different effects for the actor groups. Based on the existing scientific realizations, the regional economic effects of the fracking technology and the subsequent promotion of unconventional natural gas deposits have to be worked out.

Influence of perforation erosion on multiple growing hydraulic fractures in multi-stage fracturing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yongming Li

2018-02-01

Full Text Available In multi-stage hydraulic fracturing, the limited-entry method is widely used to promote uniform growth of multiple fractures. However, this method's effectiveness may be lost because the perforations will be eroded gradually during the fracturing period. In order to study the influence of perforation erosion on multiple growing hydraulic fractures, we combined the solid–fluid coupled model of hydraulic fracture growth with an empirical model of perforation erosion to implement numerical simulation. The simulations show clearly that the erosion of perforation will significantly deteriorate the non-uniform growth of multiple fractures. Based on the numerical model, we also studied the influences of proppant concentration and injection rates on perforation erosion in multi-stage hydraulic fracturing. The results indicate that the initial erosion rates become higher with the rising proppant concentration, but the growth of multiple hydraulic fractures is not sensitive to the varied proppant concentration. In addition, higher injection rates are beneficial significantly to the limited-entry design, leading to more uniform growth of fractures. Thus, in multi-stage hydraulic fracturing enough high injection rates are proposed to keep uniform growths. Keywords: Unconventional oil and gas reservoir, Horizontal well, Perforation friction, Perforation erosion, Multi-stage hydraulic fracturing, Numerical simulation, Mathematic model, Uniform growth of fractures

New tracers identify hydraulic fracturing fluids and accidental releases from oil and gas operations.

Science.gov (United States)

Warner, N R; Darrah, T H; Jackson, R B; Millot, R; Kloppmann, W; Vengosh, A

2014-11-04

Identifying the geochemical fingerprints of fluids that return to the surface after high volume hydraulic fracturing of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs has important applications for assessing hydrocarbon resource recovery, environmental impacts, and wastewater treatment and disposal. Here, we report for the first time, novel diagnostic elemental and isotopic signatures (B/Cl, Li/Cl, δ11B, and δ7Li) useful for characterizing hydraulic fracturing flowback fluids (HFFF) and distinguishing sources of HFFF in the environment. Data from 39 HFFFs and produced water samples show that B/Cl (>0.001), Li/Cl (>0.002), δ11B (25-31‰) and δ7Li (6-10‰) compositions of HFFF from the Marcellus and Fayetteville black shale formations were distinct in most cases from produced waters sampled from conventional oil and gas wells. We posit that boron isotope geochemistry can be used to quantify small fractions (∼0.1%) of HFFF in contaminated fresh water and likely be applied universally to trace HFFF in other basins. The novel environmental application of this diagnostic isotopic tool is validated by examining the composition of effluent discharge from an oil and gas brine treatment facility in Pennsylvania and an accidental spill site in West Virginia. We hypothesize that the boron and lithium are mobilized from exchangeable sites on clay minerals in the shale formations during the hydraulic fracturing process, resulting in the relative enrichment of boron and lithium in HFFF.

Modeling of fault reactivation and induced seismicity during hydraulic fracturing of shale-gas reservoirs

Science.gov (United States)

We have conducted numerical simulation studies to assess the potential for injection-induced fault reactivation and notable seismic events associated with shale-gas hydraulic fracturing operations. The modeling is generally tuned toward conditions usually encountered in the Marce...

Legal aspects of the hydraulic fracturing method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Duraj

2011-12-01

Full Text Available In recent months the possibility of extracting shale gas by way of the hydraulic fracturing method in Poland as well as across EU territory has been widely discussed. The European Parliament is to decide whether to ban this method. There are various legal, ecological and economical aspects influencing European legislators. It is hard not to notice how strongly the anti- and pro- hydraulic fracturing lobbies are connected with business. At the moment there are no specific regulations that relate directly to this extraction method, neither in the EU as a whole nor in Poland. However, in Poland a new Geological and Mining Act is supposed to come into force on 1st January 2012, which will regulate natural gas extraction with a view to ensure proper extraction of shale gas in the near future. This article is aimed at showing Polish regulations, both planned and currently in force, as well as the relevant EU law in respect of shale gas extraction. The author would like to emphasize the need to create one coherent legislative regime which would enable entrepreneurs to commence extraction by way of hydraulic fracturing without creating a danger for the environment.

Interaction between Hydraulic Fracturing Process and Pre-existing Natural Fractures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meng, C.

2010-01-01

Hydraulic fracturing is employed as a stimulation treatment by the oil and gas industry to enhance the hydro-carbon recoveries. The rationale is that by creating fractures from the wellbore into the surrounding formations, the conductivity between the well and reservoir is significantly increased

Recent Developments in Multiscale and Multiphase Modelling of the Hydraulic Fracturing Process

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Yong Sheng

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Recently hydraulic fracturing of rocks has received much attention not only for its economic importance but also for its potential environmental impact. The hydraulically fracturing technique has been widely used in the oil (EOR and gas (EGR industries, especially in the USA, to extract more oil/gas through the deep rock formations. Also there have been increasing interests in utilising the hydraulic fracturing technique in geological storage of CO2 in recent years. In all cases, the design and implementation of the hydraulic fracturing process play a central role, highlighting the significance of research and development of this technique. However, the uncertainty behind the fracking mechanism has triggered public debates regarding the possible effect of this technique on human health and the environment. This has presented new challenges in the study of the hydraulic fracturing process. This paper describes the hydraulic fracturing mechanism and provides an overview of past and recent developments of the research performed towards better understandings of the hydraulic fracturing and its potential impacts, with particular emphasis on the development of modelling techniques and their implementation on the hydraulic fracturing.

77 FR 27451 - Permitting Guidance for Oil and Gas Hydraulic Fracturing Activities Using Diesel Fuels-Draft...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-10

... (other than diesel fuels) pursuant to hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal... during HF related to oil, gas, or geothermal operations must obtain a UIC permit before injection begins... diesel fuels are available through the UIC Class II Program, the well class for oil and gas activities.\\1...

An overview of hydraulic fracturing and other formation stimulation technologies for shale gas production

OpenAIRE

GANDOSSI Luca

2013-01-01

The technology of hydraulic fracturing for hydrocarbon well stimulation is not new, but only fairly recently has become a very common and widespread technique, especially in North America, due to technological advances that have allowed extracting natural gas from so-called unconventional reservoirs (tight sands, coal beds and shale formations). The conjunction of techniques such as directional drilling, high volume fracturing, micro-seismic monitoring, etc. with the development of multi-well...

Surrogate-based optimization of hydraulic fracturing in pre-existing fracture networks

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Mingjie; Sun, Yunwei; Fu, Pengcheng; Carrigan, Charles R.; Lu, Zhiming; Tong, Charles H.; Buscheck, Thomas A.

2013-08-01

Hydraulic fracturing has been used widely to stimulate production of oil, natural gas, and geothermal energy in formations with low natural permeability. Numerical optimization of fracture stimulation often requires a large number of evaluations of objective functions and constraints from forward hydraulic fracturing models, which are computationally expensive and even prohibitive in some situations. Moreover, there are a variety of uncertainties associated with the pre-existing fracture distributions and rock mechanical properties, which affect the optimized decisions for hydraulic fracturing. In this study, a surrogate-based approach is developed for efficient optimization of hydraulic fracturing well design in the presence of natural-system uncertainties. The fractal dimension is derived from the simulated fracturing network as the objective for maximizing energy recovery sweep efficiency. The surrogate model, which is constructed using training data from high-fidelity fracturing models for mapping the relationship between uncertain input parameters and the fractal dimension, provides fast approximation of the objective functions and constraints. A suite of surrogate models constructed using different fitting methods is evaluated and validated for fast predictions. Global sensitivity analysis is conducted to gain insights into the impact of the input variables on the output of interest, and further used for parameter screening. The high efficiency of the surrogate-based approach is demonstrated for three optimization scenarios with different and uncertain ambient conditions. Our results suggest the critical importance of considering uncertain pre-existing fracture networks in optimization studies of hydraulic fracturing.

Hydraulic Fracturing: Paving the Way for a Sustainable Future?

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Jiangang Chen

2014-01-01

Full Text Available With the introduction of hydraulic fracturing technology, the United States has become the largest natural gas producer in the world with a substantial portion of the production coming from shale plays. In this review, we examined current hydraulic fracturing literature including associated wastewater management on quantity and quality of groundwater. We conclude that proper documentation/reporting systems for wastewater discharge and spills need to be enforced at the federal, state, and industrial level. Furthermore, Underground Injection Control (UIC requirements under SDWA should be extended to hydraulic fracturing operations regardless if diesel fuel is used as a fracturing fluid or not. One of the biggest barriers that hinder the advancement of our knowledge on the hydraulic fracturing process is the lack of transparency of chemicals used in the practice. Federal laws mandating hydraulic companies to disclose fracturing fluid composition and concentration not only to federal and state regulatory agencies but also to health care professionals would encourage this practice. The full disclosure of fracturing chemicals will allow future research to fill knowledge gaps for a better understanding of the impacts of hydraulic fracturing on human health and the environment.

Hydraulic fracturing: paving the way for a sustainable future?

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jiangang; Al-Wadei, Mohammed H; Kennedy, Rebekah C M; Terry, Paul D

2014-01-01

With the introduction of hydraulic fracturing technology, the United States has become the largest natural gas producer in the world with a substantial portion of the production coming from shale plays. In this review, we examined current hydraulic fracturing literature including associated wastewater management on quantity and quality of groundwater. We conclude that proper documentation/reporting systems for wastewater discharge and spills need to be enforced at the federal, state, and industrial level. Furthermore, Underground Injection Control (UIC) requirements under SDWA should be extended to hydraulic fracturing operations regardless if diesel fuel is used as a fracturing fluid or not. One of the biggest barriers that hinder the advancement of our knowledge on the hydraulic fracturing process is the lack of transparency of chemicals used in the practice. Federal laws mandating hydraulic companies to disclose fracturing fluid composition and concentration not only to federal and state regulatory agencies but also to health care professionals would encourage this practice. The full disclosure of fracturing chemicals will allow future research to fill knowledge gaps for a better understanding of the impacts of hydraulic fracturing on human health and the environment.

Social costs from proximity to hydraulic fracturing in New York State

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popkin, Jennifer H.; Duke, Joshua M.; Borchers, Allison M.; Ilvento, Thomas

2013-01-01

The study reports data from an economic choice experiment to determine the likely welfare impacts of hydraulic fracturing, in this case using natural gas extracted by hydraulic fracturing for household electricity. Data were collected from an Internet survey of 515 residents of New York State. The welfare analysis indicated that on average households incur a welfare loss from in-state hydraulic fracturing as the source of their electricity. The evidence suggests that households in shale counties bear more costs from HF electricity than households out of shale counties. The average welfare loss is substantive, estimated at 40–46% of average household electric bills in shale counties and 16–20% of bills in counties without shale. The evidence also suggests that relative proximity to HF well sites also increases cost borne by households. -- Highlights: •New York households were surveyed to determine impacts of hydraulic fracturing. •Households on average lose welfare if hydraulic fracturing gas provides their electricity. •The average welfare loss is estimated to be 16–46% of respondents’ electricity bill. •The welfare impacts were heterogeneous, with some predicted to have welfare gain. •Proximity to hydraulic fracturing wells decreases welfare, on average

Hydraulic Fracturing and Microseismicity: Global Perspective in Oil Exploration

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J.R. Kayal

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Induced microseismicity is a common phenomenon in oil and gas reservoirs due to changes in internal stress accompanied by hydraulic fracturing and oil-gas extraction. These microseismicity can be monitored to understand the direction and type of hydraulic fracturing and pre-existing faults by precise hypocenter location and focal mechanism studies. Normal as well as strike-slip faulting earthquakes occur due to opening up of new cracks/fractures, and thrust/reverse faulting earthquakes due to compaction or closing of existing fractures. Further, frequency-magnitude relation (b-value and fractal dimension (D-value of the spatial and temporal clusterization of induced microseismicity may be much useful to characterize the fractures / existing faults and the stress regimes. Seismic tomography, on the other hand, can image the heterogeneous velocity structures / perturbations in the reservoir due to fractures and oil-gas-water contents. A few global case studies are illustrated to understand these processes and to draw attention towards importance of these studies in oil industries.

Intelligent fracture creation for shale gas development

KAUST Repository

Douglas, Craig C.

2011-05-14

Shale gas represents a major fraction of the proven reserves of natural gas in the United States and a collection of other countries. Higher gas prices and the need for cleaner fuels provides motivation for commercializing shale gas deposits even though the cost is substantially higher than traditional gas deposits. Recent advances in horizontal drilling and multistage hydraulic fracturing, which dramatically lower costs of developing shale gas fields, are key to renewed interest in shale gas deposits. Hydraulically induced fractures are quite complex in shale gas reservoirs. Massive, multistage, multiple cluster treatments lead to fractures that interact with existing fractures (whether natural or induced earlier). A dynamic approach to the fracturing process so that the resulting network of reservoirs is known during the drilling and fracturing process is economically enticing. The process needs to be automatic and done in faster than real-time in order to be useful to the drilling crews.

Upfront predictions of hydraulic fracturing and gas production in underexplored shale gas basins: Example of the posidonia shale formation in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

TerHeege, J.H.; Zijp, M.; DeBruin, G.; Buijze, L.

2014-01-01

Upfront predictions of hydraulic fracturing and gas production of potential shale gas targets in Europe are important as often large potential resources are deduced without detailed knowledge on the potential for successful stimulation. Such predictions are challenging as they need to be based on

Disclosure of hydraulic fracturing fluid chemical additives: analysis of regulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Maule, Alexis L; Makey, Colleen M; Benson, Eugene B; Burrows, Isaac J; Scammell, Madeleine K

2013-01-01

Hydraulic fracturing is used to extract natural gas from shale formations. The process involves injecting into the ground fracturing fluids that contain thousands of gallons of chemical additives. Companies are not mandated by federal regulations to disclose the identities or quantities of chemicals used during hydraulic fracturing operations on private or public lands. States have begun to regulate hydraulic fracturing fluids by mandating chemical disclosure. These laws have shortcomings including nondisclosure of proprietary or "trade secret" mixtures, insufficient penalties for reporting inaccurate or incomplete information, and timelines that allow for after-the-fact reporting. These limitations leave lawmakers, regulators, public safety officers, and the public uninformed and ill-prepared to anticipate and respond to possible environmental and human health hazards associated with hydraulic fracturing fluids. We explore hydraulic fracturing exemptions from federal regulations, as well as current and future efforts to mandate chemical disclosure at the federal and state level.

Impact of ductility on hydraulic fracturing in shales

Science.gov (United States)

MacMinn, Chris; Auton, Lucy

2016-04-01

Hydraulic fracturing is a method for extracting natural gas and oil from low-permeability rocks such as shale via the high-pressure injection of fluid into the bulk of the rock. The goal is to initiate and propagate fractures that will provide hydraulic access deeper into the reservoir, enabling gas or oil to be collected from a larger region of the rock. Fracture is the tensile failure of a brittle material upon reaching a threshold tensile stress, but some shales have a high clay content and may yield plastically before fracturing. Plastic deformation is the shear failure of a ductile material, during which stress relaxes through irreversible rearrangements of the particles of the material. Here, we investigate the impact of the ductility of shales on hydraulic fracturing. We first consider a simple, axisymmetric model for radially outward fluid injection from a wellbore into a ductile porous rock. We use this model to show that plastic deformation greatly reduces the maximum tensile stress, and that this maximum stress does not always occur at the wellbore. We then complement these results with laboratory experiments in an analogue system, and with numerical simulations based on the discrete element method (DEM), both of which suggest that ductile failure can indeed dramatically change the resulting deformation pattern. These results imply that hydraulic fracturing may fail in ductile rocks, or that the required injection rate for fracking may be much larger than the rate predicted from models that assume purely elastic mechanical behavior.

Rio Blanco massive hydraulic fracture: project definition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-01-01

A recent Federal Power Commission feasibility study assessed the possibility of economically producing gas from three Rocky Mountain basins. These basins have potentially productive horizons 2,000 to 4,000 feet thick containing an estimated total of 600 trillion cubic feet of gas in place. However, the producing sands are of such low permeability and heterogeneity that conventional methods have failed to develop these basins economically. The Natural Gas Technology Task Force, responsible for preparing the referenced feasibility study, determined that, if effective well stimulation methods for these basins can be developed, it might be possible to recover 40 to 50 percent of the gas in place. The Task Force pointed out two possible underground fracturing methods: Nuclear explosive fracturing, and massive hydraulic fracturing. They argued that once technical viability has been demonstrated, and with adequate economic incentives, there should be no reason why one or even both of these approaches could not be employed, thus making a major contribution toward correcting the energy deficiency of the Nation. A joint Government-industry demonstration program has been proposed to test the relative effectiveness of massive hydraulic fracturing of the same formation and producing horizons that were stimulated by the Rio Blanco nuclear project

Multi-zone coupling productivity of horizontal well fracturing with complex fracture networks in shale gas reservoirs

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Weiyao Zhu

2018-02-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a series of specific studies were carried out to investigate the complex form of fracture networks and figure out the multi-scale flowing laws of nano/micro pores–complex fracture networks–wellbore during the development of shale reservoirs by means of horizontal well fracturing. First, hydraulic fractures were induced by means of Brazilian splitting tests. Second, the forms of the hydraulic fractures inside the rock samples were observed by means of X-ray CT scanning to measure the opening of hydraulic fractures. Third, based on the multi-scale unified flowing model, morphological description of fractures and gas flowing mechanism in the matrix–complex fracture network–wellbore, the productivity equation of single-stage horizontal well fracturing which includes diffusion, slipping and desorption was established. And fourthly, a productivity prediction model of horizontal well multi-stage fracturing in the shale reservoir was established considering the interference between the multi-stage fracturing zones and the pressure drop in the horizontal wellbore. The following results were obtained. First, hydraulic fractures are in the form of a complex network. Second, the measured opening of hydraulic fractures is in the range of 4.25–453 μm, averaging 112 μm. Third, shale gas flowing in different shapes of fracture networks follows different nonlinear flowing laws. Forth, as the fracture density in the strongly stimulated zones rises and the distribution range of the hydraulic fractures in strongly/weakly stimulated zones enlarges, gas production increases gradually. As the interference occurs in the flowing zones of fracture networks between fractured sections, the increasing amplitude of gas production rates decreases. Fifth, when the length of a simulated horizontal well is 1500 m and the half length of a fracture network in the strongly stimulated zone is 100 m, the productivity effect of stage 10 fracturing is the

An overview of hydraulic fracturing and other formation stimulation technologies for shale gas production - Update 2015

OpenAIRE

GANDOSSI Luca; VON ESTORFF Ulrik

2015-01-01

The technology of hydraulic fracturing for hydrocarbon well stimulation is not new, but only fairly recently has become a very common and widespread technique, especially in North America, due to technological advances that have allowed extracting natural gas from so-called unconventional reservoirs (tight sands, coal beds and shale formations). The conjunction of techniques such as directional drilling, high volume fracturing, micro-seismic monitoring, etc. with the development of multi-well...

Microbial community changes in hydraulic fracturing fluids and produced water from shale gas extraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Murali Mohan, Arvind; Hartsock, Angela; Bibby, Kyle J; Hammack, Richard W; Vidic, Radisav D; Gregory, Kelvin B

2013-11-19

Microbial communities associated with produced water from hydraulic fracturing are not well understood, and their deleterious activity can lead to significant increases in production costs and adverse environmental impacts. In this study, we compared the microbial ecology in prefracturing fluids (fracturing source water and fracturing fluid) and produced water at multiple time points from a natural gas well in southwestern Pennsylvania using 16S rRNA gene-based clone libraries, pyrosequencing, and quantitative PCR. The majority of the bacterial community in prefracturing fluids constituted aerobic species affiliated with the class Alphaproteobacteria. However, their relative abundance decreased in produced water with an increase in halotolerant, anaerobic/facultative anaerobic species affiliated with the classes Clostridia, Bacilli, Gammaproteobacteria, Epsilonproteobacteria, Bacteroidia, and Fusobacteria. Produced water collected at the last time point (day 187) consisted almost entirely of sequences similar to Clostridia and showed a decrease in bacterial abundance by 3 orders of magnitude compared to the prefracturing fluids and produced water samplesfrom earlier time points. Geochemical analysis showed that produced water contained higher concentrations of salts and total radioactivity compared to prefracturing fluids. This study provides evidence of long-term subsurface selection of the microbial community introduced through hydraulic fracturing, which may include significant implications for disinfection as well as reuse of produced water in future fracturing operations.

Multiphase flow models for hydraulic fracturing technology

Science.gov (United States)

Osiptsov, Andrei A.

2017-10-01

The technology of hydraulic fracturing of a hydrocarbon-bearing formation is based on pumping a fluid with particles into a well to create fractures in porous medium. After the end of pumping, the fractures filled with closely packed proppant particles create highly conductive channels for hydrocarbon flow from far-field reservoir to the well to surface. The design of the hydraulic fracturing treatment is carried out with a simulator. Those simulators are based on mathematical models, which need to be accurate and close to physical reality. The entire process of fracture placement and flowback/cleanup can be conventionally split into the following four stages: (i) quasi-steady state effectively single-phase suspension flow down the wellbore, (ii) particle transport in an open vertical fracture, (iii) displacement of fracturing fluid by hydrocarbons from the closed fracture filled with a random close pack of proppant particles, and, finally, (iv) highly transient gas-liquid flow in a well during cleanup. The stage (i) is relatively well described by the existing hydralics models, while the models for the other three stages of the process need revisiting and considerable improvement, which was the focus of the author’s research presented in this review paper. For stage (ii), we consider the derivation of a multi-fluid model for suspension flow in a narrow vertical hydraulic fracture at moderate Re on the scale of fracture height and length and also the migration of particles across the flow on the scale of fracture width. At the stage of fracture cleanaup (iii), a novel multi-continua model for suspension filtration is developed. To provide closure relationships for permeability of proppant packings to be used in this model, a 3D direct numerical simulation of single phase flow is carried out using the lattice-Boltzmann method. For wellbore cleanup (iv), we present a combined 1D model for highly-transient gas-liquid flow based on the combination of multi-fluid and

Fracture Propagation, Fluid Flow, and Geomechanics of Water-Based Hydraulic Fracturing in Shale Gas Systems and Electromagnetic Geophysical Monitoring of Fluid Migration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jihoon; Um, Evan; Moridis, George

2014-12-01

We investigate fracture propagation induced by hydraulic fracturing with water injection, using numerical simulation. For rigorous, full 3D modeling, we employ a numerical method that can model failure resulting from tensile and shear stresses, dynamic nonlinear permeability, leak-off in all directions, and thermo-poro-mechanical effects with the double porosity approach. Our numerical results indicate that fracture propagation is not the same as propagation of the water front, because fracturing is governed by geomechanics, whereas water saturation is determined by fluid flow. At early times, the water saturation front is almost identical to the fracture tip, suggesting that the fracture is mostly filled with injected water. However, at late times, advance of the water front is retarded compared to fracture propagation, yielding a significant gap between the water front and the fracture top, which is filled with reservoir gas. We also find considerable leak-off of water to the reservoir. The inconsistency between the fracture volume and the volume of injected water cannot properly calculate the fracture length, when it is estimated based on the simple assumption that the fracture is fully saturated with injected water. As an example of flow-geomechanical responses, we identify pressure fluctuation under constant water injection, because hydraulic fracturing is itself a set of many failure processes, in which pressure consistently drops when failure occurs, but fluctuation decreases as the fracture length grows. We also study application of electromagnetic (EM) geophysical methods, because these methods are highly sensitive to changes in porosity and pore-fluid properties due to water injection into gas reservoirs. Employing a 3D finite-element EM geophysical simulator, we evaluate the sensitivity of the crosswell EM method for monitoring fluid movements in shaly reservoirs. For this sensitivity evaluation, reservoir models are generated through the coupled flow

Impacts of bedding directions of shale gas reservoirs on hydraulically induced crack propagation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keming Sun

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Shale gas reservoirs are different from conventional ones in terms of their bedding architectures, so their hydraulic fracturing rules are somewhat different. In this paper, shale hydraulic fracturing tests were carried out by using the triaxial hydraulic fracturing test system to identify the effects of natural bedding directions on the crack propagation in the process of hydraulic fracturing. Then, the fracture initiation criterion of hydraulic fracturing was prepared using the extended finite element method. On this basis, a 3D hydraulic fracturing computation model was established for shale gas reservoirs. And finally, a series of studies were performed about the effects of bedding directions on the crack propagation created by hydraulic fracturing in shale reservoirs. It is shown that the propagation rules of hydraulically induced fractures in shale gas reservoirs are jointly controlled by the in-situ stress and the bedding plane architecture and strength, with the bedding direction as the main factor controlling the crack propagation directions. If the normal tensile stress of bedding surface reaches its tensile strength after the fracturing, cracks will propagate along the bedding direction, and otherwise vertical to the minimum in-situ stress direction. With the propagating of cracks along bedding surfaces, the included angle between the bedding normal direction and the minimum in-situ stress direction increases, the fracture initiation and propagation pressures increase and the crack areas decrease. Generally, cracks propagate in the form of non-plane ellipsoids. With the injection of fracturing fluids, crack areas and total formation filtration increase and crack propagation velocity decreases. The test results agree well with the calculated crack propagation rules, which demonstrate the validity of the above-mentioned model.

Seismic characteristics of tensile fracture growth induced by hydraulic fracturing

Science.gov (United States)

Eaton, D. W. S.; Van der Baan, M.; Boroumand, N.

2014-12-01

Hydraulic fracturing is a process of injecting high-pressure slurry into a rockmass to enhance its permeability. Variants of this process are used for unconventional oil and gas development, engineered geothermal systems and block-cave mining; similar processes occur within volcanic systems. Opening of hydraulic fractures is well documented by mineback trials and tiltmeter monitoring and is a physical requirement to accommodate the volume of injected fluid. Numerous microseismic monitoring investigations acquired in the audio-frequency band are interpreted to show a prevalence of shear-dominated failure mechanisms surrounding the tensile fracture. Moreover, the radiated seismic energy in the audio-frequency band appears to be a miniscule fraction (<< 1%) of the net injected energy, i.e., the integral of the product of fluid pressure and injection rate. We use a simple penny-shaped crack model as a predictive framework to describe seismic characteristics of tensile opening during hydraulic fracturing. This model provides a useful scaling relation that links seismic moment to effective fluid pressure within the crack. Based on downhole recordings corrected for attenuation, a significant fraction of observed microseismic events are characterized by S/P amplitude ratio < 5. Despite the relatively small aperture of the monitoring arrays, which precludes both full moment-tensor analysis and definitive identification of nodal planes or axes, this ratio provides a strong indication that observed microseismic source mechanisms have a component of tensile failure. In addition, we find some instances of periodic spectral notches that can be explained by an opening/closing failure mechanism, in which fracture propagation outpaces fluid velocity within the crack. Finally, aseismic growth of tensile fractures may be indicative of a scenario in which injected energy is consumed to create new fracture surfaces. Taken together, our observations and modeling provide evidence that

Physical simulation study on the hydraulic fracture propagation of coalbed methane well

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Caifang; Zhang, Xiaoyang; Wang, Meng; Zhou, Longgang; Jiang, Wei

2018-03-01

As the most widely used technique to modify reservoirs in the exploitation of unconventional natural gas, hydraulic fracturing could effectively raise the production of CBM wells. To study the propagation rules of hydraulic fractures, analyze the fracture morphology, and obtain the controlling factors, a physical simulation experiment was conducted with a tri-axial hydraulic fracturing test system. In this experiment, the fracturing sample - including the roof, the floor, and the surrounding rock - was prepared from coal and similar materials, and the whole fracturing process was monitored by an acoustic emission instrument. The results demonstrated that the number of hydraulic fractures in coal is considerably higher than that observed in other parts, and the fracture morphology was complex. Vertical fractures were interwoven with horizontal fractures, forming a connected network. With the injection of fracturing fluid, a new hydraulic fracture was produced and it extended along the preexisting fractures. The fracture propagation was a discontinuous, dynamic process. Furthermore, in-situ stress plays a key role in fracture propagation, causing the fractures to extend in a direction perpendicular to the minimum principal stress. To a certain extent, the different mechanical properties of the coal and the other components inhibited the vertical propagation of hydraulic fractures. Nonetheless, the vertical stress and the interfacial property are the major factors to influence the formation of the "T" shaped and "工" shaped fractures.

Numerical simulation of the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing of tight/shale gas reservoirs on near-surface groundwater: Background, base cases, shallow reservoirs, short-term gas, and water transport

Science.gov (United States)

Reagan, Matthew T; Moridis, George J; Keen, Noel D; Johnson, Jeffrey N

2015-01-01

Hydrocarbon production from unconventional resources and the use of reservoir stimulation techniques, such as hydraulic fracturing, has grown explosively over the last decade. However, concerns have arisen that reservoir stimulation creates significant environmental threats through the creation of permeable pathways connecting the stimulated reservoir with shallower freshwater aquifers, thus resulting in the contamination of potable groundwater by escaping hydrocarbons or other reservoir fluids. This study investigates, by numerical simulation, gas and water transport between a shallow tight-gas reservoir and a shallower overlying freshwater aquifer following hydraulic fracturing operations, if such a connecting pathway has been created. We focus on two general failure scenarios: (1) communication between the reservoir and aquifer via a connecting fracture or fault and (2) communication via a deteriorated, preexisting nearby well. We conclude that the key factors driving short-term transport of gas include high permeability for the connecting pathway and the overall volume of the connecting feature. Production from the reservoir is likely to mitigate release through reduction of available free gas and lowering of reservoir pressure, and not producing may increase the potential for release. We also find that hydrostatic tight-gas reservoirs are unlikely to act as a continuing source of migrating gas, as gas contained within the newly formed hydraulic fracture is the primary source for potential contamination. Such incidents of gas escape are likely to be limited in duration and scope for hydrostatic reservoirs. Reliable field and laboratory data must be acquired to constrain the factors and determine the likelihood of these outcomes. Key Points: Short-term leakage fractured reservoirs requires high-permeability pathways Production strategy affects the likelihood and magnitude of gas release Gas release is likely short-term, without additional driving forces PMID

Hydraulic fracturing of rock-fill dam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun-Jie WANG

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The condition in which hydraulic fracturing in core of earth-rock fill dam maybe induced, the mechanism by which the reason of hydraulic fracturing canbe explained, and the failure criterion by which the occurrence of hydraulicfracturing can be determined, were investigated. The condition dependson material properties such as, cracks in the core and low permeability ofcore soil, and “water wedging” action in cracks. An unsaturated core soiland fast impounding are the prerequisites for the formation of “waterwedging” action. The mechanism of hydraulic fracturing can be explainedby fracture mechanics. The crack propagation induced by water pressuremay follow any of mode I, mode II and mixed mode I-II. Based on testingresults of a core soil, a new criterion for hydraulic fracturing was suggested,from which mechanisms of hydraulic fracturing in the core of rock-fill damwere discussed. The results indicated that factors such as angle betweencrack surface and direction of principal stress, local stress state at thecrack, and fracture toughness KIC of core soil may largely affect theinduction of hydraulic fracturing and the mode of the propagation of thecrack.The condition in which hydraulic fracturing in core of earth-rock fill dam maybe induced, the mechanism by which the reason of hydraulic fracturing canbe explained, and the failure criterion by which the occurrence of hydraulicfracturing can be determined, were investigated. The condition dependson material properties such as, cracks in the core and low permeability ofcore soil, and “water wedging” action in cracks. An unsaturated core soiland fast impounding are the prerequisites for the formation of “waterwedging” action. The mechanism of hydraulic fracturing can be explainedby fracture mechanics. The crack propagation induced by water pressuremay follow any of mode I, mode II and mixed mode I-II. Based on testingresults of a core soil, a new criterion for hydraulic fracturing

Numerical investigation on hydraulic fracture cleanup and its impact on the productivity of a gas well with a non-Newtonian fluid model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Friedel, T. [Schlumberger Data and Consulting Services, Sugar Land, TX (United States)

2006-07-01

There are many damage mechanisms associated with hydraulically fractured gas wells. These include hydraulic damage caused by invading fluids during the treatment and damage due to the stresses exerted on the fracture face. Damage to the proppant pack can also reduce conductivity and non-Darcy flow. However, these are not the only impacts of impaired productivity in tight-gas reservoirs, which do not respond to hydraulic fracturing as expected. Some sustain a flat production profile or show only a slow increase in production rate for several weeks or months. This is due to poor rock quality, strong stress dependency in permeability, hydraulic and mechanical damage. Another reason for the poor performance is related to the cleanup of the cross-linked fracturing fluid with its non-Newtonian characteristics. This paper presented an improved 3-phase cleanup model for the investigation of polymer gel cleanup. Yield stress was considered according to the Herschel-Bulkley rheology model. The viscosity model is based on the exact analytical solution, including the plug flow zone. According to data in the published literature, half of the gel phase can be recovered. The gel saturation gradually increases towards the fracture tips, thereby lowering the fracture conductivities. The residing gel damages the permeability and porosity of the proppant pack or causes damage to the fracture face, thereby reducing production potential. These results are in agreement with field observations where fracture half-lengths, conductivities and productivity are also lower than expected. Preliminary results suggest that capillary forces and load-water recovery have little influence on gel cleanup. 16 refs., 2 tabs., 17 figs.

Elucidating hydraulic fracturing impacts on groundwater quality using a regional geospatial statistical modeling approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burton, Taylour G., E-mail: tgburton@uh.edu [Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston, W455 Engineering Bldg. 2, Houston, TX 77204-4003 (United States); Rifai, Hanadi S., E-mail: rifai@uh.edu [Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston, N138 Engineering Bldg. 1, Houston, TX 77204-4003 (United States); Hildenbrand, Zacariah L., E-mail: zac@informenv.com [Inform Environmental, LLC, Dallas, TX 75206 (United States); Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019 (United States); Carlton, Doug D., E-mail: doug.carlton@mavs.uta.edu [Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019 (United States); Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX (United States); Fontenot, Brian E., E-mail: brian.fonteno@mavs.uta.edu [Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019 (United States); Schug, Kevin A., E-mail: kschug@uta.edu [Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019 (United States); Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX (United States)

2016-03-01

Hydraulic fracturing operations have been viewed as the cause of certain environmental issues including groundwater contamination. The potential for hydraulic fracturing to induce contaminant pathways in groundwater is not well understood since gas wells are completed while isolating the water table and the gas-bearing reservoirs lay thousands of feet below the water table. Recent studies have attributed ground water contamination to poor well construction and leaks in the wellbore annulus due to ruptured wellbore casings. In this paper, a geospatial model of the Barnett Shale region was created using ArcGIS. The model was used for spatial analysis of groundwater quality data in order to determine if regional variations in groundwater quality, as indicated by various groundwater constituent concentrations, may be associated with the presence of hydraulically fractured gas wells in the region. The Barnett Shale reservoir pressure, completions data, and fracture treatment data were evaluated as predictors of groundwater quality change. Results indicated that elevated concentrations of certain groundwater constituents are likely related to natural gas production in the study area and that beryllium, in this formation, could be used as an indicator variable for evaluating fracturing impacts on regional groundwater quality. Results also indicated that gas well density and formation pressures correlate to change in regional water quality whereas proximity to gas wells, by itself, does not. The results also provided indirect evidence supporting the possibility that micro annular fissures serve as a pathway transporting fluids and chemicals from the fractured wellbore to the overlying groundwater aquifers. - Graphical abstract: A relative increase in beryllium concentrations in groundwater for the Barnett Shale region from 2001 to 2011 was visually correlated with the locations of gas wells in the region that have been hydraulically fractured over the same time period

Elucidating hydraulic fracturing impacts on groundwater quality using a regional geospatial statistical modeling approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burton, Taylour G.; Rifai, Hanadi S.; Hildenbrand, Zacariah L.; Carlton, Doug D.; Fontenot, Brian E.; Schug, Kevin A.

2016-01-01

Hydraulic fracturing operations have been viewed as the cause of certain environmental issues including groundwater contamination. The potential for hydraulic fracturing to induce contaminant pathways in groundwater is not well understood since gas wells are completed while isolating the water table and the gas-bearing reservoirs lay thousands of feet below the water table. Recent studies have attributed ground water contamination to poor well construction and leaks in the wellbore annulus due to ruptured wellbore casings. In this paper, a geospatial model of the Barnett Shale region was created using ArcGIS. The model was used for spatial analysis of groundwater quality data in order to determine if regional variations in groundwater quality, as indicated by various groundwater constituent concentrations, may be associated with the presence of hydraulically fractured gas wells in the region. The Barnett Shale reservoir pressure, completions data, and fracture treatment data were evaluated as predictors of groundwater quality change. Results indicated that elevated concentrations of certain groundwater constituents are likely related to natural gas production in the study area and that beryllium, in this formation, could be used as an indicator variable for evaluating fracturing impacts on regional groundwater quality. Results also indicated that gas well density and formation pressures correlate to change in regional water quality whereas proximity to gas wells, by itself, does not. The results also provided indirect evidence supporting the possibility that micro annular fissures serve as a pathway transporting fluids and chemicals from the fractured wellbore to the overlying groundwater aquifers. - Graphical abstract: A relative increase in beryllium concentrations in groundwater for the Barnett Shale region from 2001 to 2011 was visually correlated with the locations of gas wells in the region that have been hydraulically fractured over the same time period

Test plan: Hydraulic fracturing and hydrologic tests in Marker Beds 139 and 140

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wawersik, W.R.; Beauheim, R.L.

1991-03-01

Combined hydraulic fracturing and hydrological measurements in this test plan are designed to evaluate the potential influence of fracture formation in anhydrite Marker Beds 139 and 140 on gas pressure in and gas flow from the disposal rooms in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant with time. The tests have the further purpose of providing comparisons of permeabilities of anhydrite interbeds in an undisturbed (virgin) state and after fracture development and/or opening and dilation of preexisting partially healed fractures. Three sets of combined hydraulic fracturing and hydrological measurements are planned. A set of trial measurements is expected to last four to six weeks. The duration of each subsequent experiment is anticipated to be six to eight weeks

Executive Summary, Hydraulic Fracturing Study - Draft Assessment 2015

Science.gov (United States)

In this Executive Summary of the HF Draft report, EPA highlights the reviews of scientific literature to assess the potential for hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas to change the quality or quantity of drinking water resources.

Experimental Investigation of Crack Extension Patterns in Hydraulic Fracturing with Shale, Sandstone and Granite Cores

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianming He

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Hydraulic fracturing is an important method of reservoir stimulation in the exploitation of geothermal resources, and conventional and unconventional oil and gas resources. In this article, hydraulic fracturing experiments with shale, sandstone cores (from southern Sichuan Basin, and granite cores (from Inner Mongolia were conducted to investigate the different hydraulic fracture extension patterns in these three reservoir rocks. The different reactions between reservoir lithology and pump pressure can be reflected by the pump pressure monitoring curves of hydraulic fracture experiments. An X-ray computer tomography (CT scanner was employed to obtain the spatial distribution of hydraulic fractures in fractured shale, sandstone, and granite cores. From the microscopic and macroscopic observation of hydraulic fractures, different extension patterns of the hydraulic fracture can be analyzed. In fractured sandstone, symmetrical hydraulic fracture morphology could be formed, while some micro cracks were also induced near the injection hole. Although the macroscopic cracks in fractured granite cores are barely observed by naked eye, the results of X-ray CT scanning obviously show the morphology of hydraulic fractures. It is indicated that the typical bedding planes well developed in shale formation play an important role in the propagation of hydraulic fractures in shale cores. The results also demonstrated that heterogeneity influenced the pathway of the hydraulic fracture in granite cores.

3D Simulation of Multiple Simultaneous Hydraulic Fractures with Different Initial Lengths in Rock

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, X.; Rayudu, N. M.; Singh, G.

2017-12-01

Hydraulic fracturing is widely used technique for extracting shale gas. During this process, fractures with various initial lengths are induced in rock mass with hydraulic pressure. Understanding the mechanism of propagation and interaction between these induced hydraulic cracks is critical for optimizing the fracking process. In this work, numerical results are presented for investigating the effect of in-situ parameters and fluid properties on growth and interaction of multi simultaneous hydraulic fractures. A fully coupled 3D fracture simulator, TOUGH- GFEM is used for simulating the effect of different vital parameters, including in-situ stress, initial fracture length, fracture spacing, fluid viscosity and flow rate on induced hydraulic fractures growth. This TOUGH-GFEM simulator is based on 3D finite volume method (FVM) and partition of unity element method (PUM). Displacement correlation method (DCM) is used for calculating multi - mode (Mode I, II, III) stress intensity factors. Maximum principal stress criteria is used for crack propagation. Key words: hydraulic fracturing, TOUGH, partition of unity element method , displacement correlation method, 3D fracturing simulator

OPTIMIZATION OF INFILL DRILLING IN NATURALLY-FRACTURED TIGHT-GAS RESERVOIRS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lawrence W. Teufel; Her-Yuan Chen; Thomas W. Engler; Bruce Hart

2004-05-01

A major goal of industry and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) fossil energy program is to increase gas reserves in tight-gas reservoirs. Infill drilling and hydraulic fracture stimulation in these reservoirs are important reservoir management strategies to increase production and reserves. Phase II of this DOE/cooperative industry project focused on optimization of infill drilling and evaluation of hydraulic fracturing in naturally-fractured tight-gas reservoirs. The cooperative project involved multidisciplinary reservoir characterization and simulation studies to determine infill well potential in the Mesaverde and Dakota sandstone formations at selected areas in the San Juan Basin of northwestern New Mexico. This work used the methodology and approach developed in Phase I. Integrated reservoir description and hydraulic fracture treatment analyses were also conducted in the Pecos Slope Abo tight-gas reservoir in southeastern New Mexico and the Lewis Shale in the San Juan Basin. This study has demonstrated a methodology to (1) describe reservoir heterogeneities and natural fracture systems, (2) determine reservoir permeability and permeability anisotropy, (3) define the elliptical drainage area and recoverable gas for existing wells, (4) determine the optimal location and number of new in-fill wells to maximize economic recovery, (5) forecast the increase in total cumulative gas production from infill drilling, and (6) evaluate hydraulic fracture simulation treatments and their impact on well drainage area and infill well potential. Industry partners during the course of this five-year project included BP, Burlington Resources, ConocoPhillips, and Williams.

A New Tree-Type Fracturing Method for Stimulating Coal Seam Gas Reservoirs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qian Li

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Hydraulic fracturing is used widely to stimulate coalbed methane production in coal mines. However, some factors associated with conventional hydraulic fracturing, such as the simple morphology of the fractures it generates and inhomogeneous stress relief, limit its scope of application in coal mines. These problems mean that gas extraction efficiency is low. Conventional fracturing may leave hidden pockets of gas, which will be safety hazards for subsequent coal mining operations. Based on a new drilling technique applicable to drilling boreholes in coal seams, this paper proposes a tree-type fracturing technique for stimulating reservoir volumes. Tree-type fracturing simulation experiments using a large-scale triaxial testing apparatus were conducted in the laboratory. In contrast to the single hole drilled for conventional hydraulic fracturing, the tree-type sub-boreholes induce radial and tangential fractures that form complex fracture networks. These fracture networks can eliminate the “blank area” that may host dangerous gas pockets. Gas seepage in tree-type fractures was analyzed, and gas seepage tests after tree-type fracturing showed that permeability was greatly enhanced. The equipment developed for tree-type fracturing was tested in the Fengchun underground coal mine in China. After implementing tree-type fracturing, the gas extraction rate was around 2.3 times greater than that for traditional fracturing, and the extraction rate remained high for a long time during a 30-day test. This shortened the gas drainage time and improved gas extraction efficiency.

Numerical simulation of the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing of tight/shale gas reservoirs on near-surface ground water: background, base cases, shallow reservoirs, short-term gas and water transport

Science.gov (United States)

Researchers examined gas and water transport between a deep tight shale gas reservoir and a shallow overlying aquifer in the two years following hydraulic fracturing, assuming a pre-existing connecting pathway.

Hydraulic fracturing tests in anhydrite interbeds in the WIPP, Marker Beds 139 and 140

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Howard, C L [RE/SPEC Inc., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Wawersik, W. R.; Carlson, L. V.; Henfling, J. A.; Borns, D. J.; Beauheim, R. L.; Roberts, R. M.

1997-05-01

Hydraulic fracturing tests were integrated with hydrologic tests to estimate the conditions under which gas pressure in the disposal rooms in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, Carlsbad, NM (WIPP) will initiate and advance fracturing in nearby anhydrite interbeds. The measurements were made in two marker beds in the Salado formation, MB139 and MB140, to explore the consequences of existing excavations for the extrapolation of results to undisturbed ground. The interpretation of these measurements is based on the pressure-time records in two injection boreholes and several nearby hydrologic observation holes. Data interpretations were aided by post-test borehole video surveys of fracture traces that were made visible by ultraviolet illumination of fluorescent dye in the hydraulic fracturing fluid. The conclusions of this report relate to the upper- and lower-bound gas pressures in the WIPP, the paths of hydraulically and gas-driven fractures in MB139 and MB140, the stress states in MB139 and MB140, and the probable in situ stress states in these interbeds in undisturbed ground far away from the WIPP.

Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas: Impacts from the Hydraulic Fracturing Water Cycle on Drinking Water Resources in the United States (Final Report)

Science.gov (United States)

This final report provides a review and synthesis of available scientific information concerning the relationship between hydraulic fracturing activities and drinking water resources in the United States. The report is organized around activities in the hydraulic...

Understanding hydraulic fracturing: a multi-scale problem

Science.gov (United States)

Hyman, J. D.; Jiménez-Martínez, J.; Viswanathan, H. S.; Carey, J. W.; Porter, M. L.; Rougier, E.; Karra, S.; Kang, Q.; Frash, L.; Chen, L.; Lei, Z.; O’Malley, D.; Makedonska, N.

2016-01-01

Despite the impact that hydraulic fracturing has had on the energy sector, the physical mechanisms that control its efficiency and environmental impacts remain poorly understood in part because the length scales involved range from nanometres to kilometres. We characterize flow and transport in shale formations across and between these scales using integrated computational, theoretical and experimental efforts/methods. At the field scale, we use discrete fracture network modelling to simulate production of a hydraulically fractured well from a fracture network that is based on the site characterization of a shale gas reservoir. At the core scale, we use triaxial fracture experiments and a finite-discrete element model to study dynamic fracture/crack propagation in low permeability shale. We use lattice Boltzmann pore-scale simulations and microfluidic experiments in both synthetic and shale rock micromodels to study pore-scale flow and transport phenomena, including multi-phase flow and fluids mixing. A mechanistic description and integration of these multiple scales is required for accurate predictions of production and the eventual optimization of hydrocarbon extraction from unconventional reservoirs. Finally, we discuss the potential of CO2 as an alternative working fluid, both in fracturing and re-stimulating activities, beyond its environmental advantages. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Energy and the subsurface’. PMID:27597789

Metabolic Capability of a Predominant Halanaerobium sp. in Hydraulically Fractured Gas Wells and Its Implication in Pipeline Corrosion

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Renxing; Davidova, Irene A.; Marks, Christopher R.; Stamps, Blake W.; Harriman, Brian H.; Stevenson, Bradley S.; Duncan, Kathleen E.; Suflita, Joseph M.

2016-01-01

Microbial activity associated with produced water from hydraulic fracturing operations can lead to gas souring and corrosion of carbon-steel equipment. We examined the microbial ecology of produced water and the prospective role of the prevalent microorganisms in corrosion in a gas production field in the Barnett Shale. The microbial community was mainly composed of halophilic, sulfidogenic bacteria within the order Halanaerobiales, which reflected the geochemical conditions of highly saline water containing sulfur species (S2O32-, SO42-, and HS-). A predominant, halophilic bacterium (strain DL-01) was subsequently isolated and identified as belonging to the genus Halanaerobium. The isolate could degrade guar gum, a polysaccharide polymer used in fracture fluids, to produce acetate and sulfide in a 10% NaCl medium at 37°C when thiosulfate was available. To mitigate potential deleterious effects of sulfide and acetate, a quaternary ammonium compound was found to be an efficient biocide in inhibiting the growth and metabolic activity of strain DL-01 relative to glutaraldehyde and tetrakis (hydroxymethyl) phosphonium sulfate. Collectively, our findings suggest that predominant halophiles associated with unconventional shale gas extraction could proliferate and produce sulfide and acetate from the metabolism of polysaccharides used in hydraulic fracturing fluids. These metabolic products might be returned to the surface and transported in pipelines to cause pitting corrosion in downstream infrastructure. PMID:27446028

Numerical Simulation of the Propagation of Hydraulic and Natural Fracture Using Dijkstra’s Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanfang Wu

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Utilization of hydraulic-fracturing technology is dramatically increasing in exploitation of natural gas extraction. However the prediction of the configuration of propagated hydraulic fracture is extremely challenging. This paper presents a numerical method of obtaining the configuration of the propagated hydraulic fracture into discrete natural fracture network system. The method is developed on the basis of weighted fracture which is derived in combination of Dijkstra’s algorithm energy theory and vector method. Numerical results along with experimental data demonstrated that proposed method is capable of predicting the propagated hydraulic fracture configuration reasonably with high computation efficiency. Sensitivity analysis reveals a number of interesting observation results: the shortest path weight value decreases with increasing of fracture density and length, and increases with increasing of the angle between fractures to the maximum principal stress direction. Our method is helpful for evaluating the complexity of the discrete fracture network, to obtain the extension direction of the fracture.

Simulation of a multistage fractured horizontal well in a water-bearing tight fractured gas reservoir under non-Darcy flow

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Rui-Han; Zhang, Lie-Hui; Wang, Rui-He; Zhao, Yu-Long; Huang, Rui

2018-06-01

Reservoir development for unconventional resources such as tight gas reservoirs is in increasing demand due to the rapid decline of production in conventional reserves. Compared with conventional reservoirs, fluid flow in water-bearing tight gas reservoirs is subject to more nonlinear multiphase flow and gas slippage in nano/micro matrix pores because of the strong collisions between rock and gas molecules. Economic gas production from tight gas reservoirs depends on extensive application of water-based hydraulic fracturing of horizontal wells, associated with non-Darcy flow at a high flow rate, geomechanical stress sensitivity of un-propped natural fractures, complex flow geometry and multiscale heterogeneity. How to efficiently and accurately predict the production performance of a multistage fractured horizontal well (MFHW) is challenging. In this paper, a novel multicontinuum, multimechanism, two-phase simulator is established based on unstructured meshes and the control volume finite element method to analyze the production performance of MFHWs. The multiple interacting continua model and discrete fracture model are coupled to integrate the unstimulated fractured reservoir, induced fracture networks (stimulated reservoir volumes, SRVs) and irregular discrete hydraulic fractures. Several simulations and sensitivity analyses are performed with the developed simulator for determining the key factors affecting the production performance of MFHWs. Two widely applied fracturing models, classic hydraulic fracturing which generates long double-wing fractures and the volumetric fracturing aimed at creating large SRVs, are compared to identify which of them can make better use of tight gas reserves.

Optimization of fracture length in gas/condensate reservoirs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mohan, J.; Sharma, M.M.; Pope, G.A. [Society of Petroleum Engineers, Richardson, TX (United States)]|[Texas Univ., Austin, TX (United States)

2006-07-01

A common practice that improves the productivity of gas-condensate reservoirs is hydraulic fracturing. Two important variables that determine the effectiveness of hydraulic fractures are fracture length and fracture conductivity. Although there are no simple guidelines for the optimization of fracture length and the factors that affect it, it is preferable to have an optimum fracture length for a given proppant volume in order to maximize productivity. An optimization study was presented in which fracture length was estimated at wells where productivity was maximized. An analytical expression that takes into account non-Darcy flow and condensate banking was derived. This paper also reviewed the hydraulic fracturing process and discussed previous simulation studies that investigated the effects of well spacing and fracture length on well productivity in low permeability gas reservoirs. The compositional simulation study and results and discussion were also presented. The analytical expression for optimum fracture length, analytical expression with condensate dropout, and equations for the optimum fracture length with non-Darcy flow in the fracture were included in an appendix. The Computer Modeling Group's GEM simulator, an equation-of-state compositional simulator, was used in this study. It was concluded that for cases with non-Darcy flow, the optimum fracture lengths are lower than those obtained with Darcy flow. 18 refs., 5 tabs., 22 figs., 1 appendix.

Selective perceptions of hydraulic fracturing.

Science.gov (United States)

Sarge, Melanie A; VanDyke, Matthew S; King, Andy J; White, Shawna R

2015-01-01

Hydraulic fracturing (HF) is a focal topic in discussions about domestic energy production, yet the American public is largely unfamiliar and undecided about the practice. This study sheds light on how individuals may come to understand hydraulic fracturing as this unconventional production technology becomes more prominent in the United States. For the study, a thorough search of HF photographs was performed, and a systematic evaluation of 40 images using an online experimental design involving N = 250 participants was conducted. Key indicators of hydraulic fracturing support and beliefs were identified. Participants showed diversity in their support for the practice, with 47 percent expressing low support, 22 percent high support, and 31 percent undecided. Support for HF was positively associated with beliefs that hydraulic fracturing is primarily an economic issue and negatively associated with beliefs that it is an environmental issue. Level of support was also investigated as a perceptual filter that facilitates biased issue perceptions and affective evaluations of economic benefit and environmental cost frames presented in visual content of hydraulic fracturing. Results suggested an interactive relationship between visual framing and level of support, pointing to a substantial barrier to common understanding about the issue that strategic communicators should consider.

The functional potential of microbial communities in hydraulic fracturing source water and produced water from natural gas extraction characterized by metagenomic sequencing.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arvind Murali Mohan

Full Text Available Microbial activity in produced water from hydraulic fracturing operations can lead to undesired environmental impacts and increase gas production costs. However, the metabolic profile of these microbial communities is not well understood. Here, for the first time, we present results from a shotgun metagenome of microbial communities in both hydraulic fracturing source water and wastewater produced by hydraulic fracturing. Taxonomic analyses showed an increase in anaerobic/facultative anaerobic classes related to Clostridia, Gammaproteobacteria, Bacteroidia and Epsilonproteobacteria in produced water as compared to predominantly aerobic Alphaproteobacteria in the fracturing source water. The metabolic profile revealed a relative increase in genes responsible for carbohydrate metabolism, respiration, sporulation and dormancy, iron acquisition and metabolism, stress response and sulfur metabolism in the produced water samples. These results suggest that microbial communities in produced water have an increased genetic ability to handle stress, which has significant implications for produced water management, such as disinfection.

Self-potential observations during hydraulic fracturing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moore, Jeffrey R.; Glaser, Steven D.

2007-09-13

The self-potential (SP) response during hydraulic fracturing of intact Sierra granite was investigated in the laboratory. Excellent correlation of pressure drop and SP suggests that the SP response is created primarily by electrokinetic coupling. For low pressures, the variation of SP with pressure drop is linear, indicating a constant coupling coefficient (Cc) of -200 mV/MPa. However for pressure drops >2 MPa, the magnitude of the Cc increases by 80% in an exponential trend. This increasing Cc is related to increasing permeability at high pore pressures caused by dilatancy of micro-cracks, and is explained by a decrease in the hydraulic tortuosity. Resistivity measurements reveal a decrease of 2% prior to hydraulic fracturing and a decrease of {approx}35% after fracturing. An asymmetric spatial SP response created by injectate diffusion into dilatant zones is observed prior to hydraulic fracturing, and in most cases this SP variation revealed the impending crack geometry seconds before failure. At rupture, injectate rushes into the new fracture area where the zeta potential is different than in the rock porosity, and an anomalous SP spike is observed. After fracturing, the spatial SP distribution reveals the direction of fracture propagation. Finally, during tensile cracking in a point load device with no water flow, a SP spike is observed that is caused by contact electrification. However, the time constant of this event is much less than that for transients observed during hydraulic fracturing, suggesting that SP created solely from material fracture does not contribute to the SP response during hydraulic fracturing.

Information and dialogue process on safety and environmental effects of the hydraulic fracturing technology; Der Informations- und Dialogprozess zur Sicherheit und Umweltvertraeglichkeit der Fracking-Technologie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borchardt, Dietrich; Richter, Sandra [Helmholtz-Zentrum fuer Umweltforschung - UFZ, Magdeburg (Germany); Ewen, Christoph [team ewen, Darmstadt (Germany); Hammerbacher, Ruth [hammerbacher gmbh - beratung und projekte, Osnabrueck (Germany)

2012-10-15

After the big success of hydraulic fracturing in the USA, natural gas utilities are now planning natural gas production from nonconventional deposits (shale gas, coal seam gas) by hydraulic fracturing also in Germany. In order to calm public fears, an 'information and dialogue process on safety and environmental effects of the hydraulic fracturing technology' was initiated. A risk study carried out by a team of neutral experts gives recommendations for a well-founded, careful and realistic discussion of the environmental compatibility of hydraulic fracturing.

Information and dialogue process on safety and environmental effects of the hydraulic fracturing technology; Der Informations- und Dialogprozess zur Sicherheit und Umweltvertraeglichkeit der Fracking-Technologie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borchardt, Dietrich; Richter, Sandra [Helmholtz-Zentrum fuer Umweltforschung - UFZ, Magdeburg (Germany); Ewen, Christoph [team ewen, Darmstadt (Germany); Hammerbacher, Ruth [hammerbacher gmbh - beratung und projekte, Osnabrueck (Germany)

2012-10-15

After the big success of hydraulic fracturing in the USA, natural gas utilities are now planning natural gas production from nonconventional deposits (shale gas, coal seam gas) by hydraulic fracturing also in Germany. In order to calm public fears, an 'information and dialogue process on safety and environmental effects of the hydraulic fracturing technology' was initiated. A risk study carried out by a team of neutral experts gives recommendations for a well-founded, careful and realistic discussion of the environmental compatibility of hydraulic fracturing.

Shallow Aquifer Vulnerability From Subsurface Fluid Injection at a Proposed Shale Gas Hydraulic Fracturing Site

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, M. P.; Worrall, F.; Davies, R. J.; Hart, A.

2017-11-01

Groundwater flow resulting from a proposed hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operation was numerically modeled using 91 scenarios. Scenarios were chosen to be a combination of hydrogeological factors that a priori would control the long-term migration of fracking fluids to the shallow subsurface. These factors were induced fracture extent, cross-basin groundwater flow, deep low hydraulic conductivity strata, deep high hydraulic conductivity strata, fault hydraulic conductivity, and overpressure. The study considered the Bowland Basin, northwest England, with fracking of the Bowland Shale at ˜2,000 m depth and the shallow aquifer being the Sherwood Sandstone at ˜300-500 m depth. Of the 91 scenarios, 73 scenarios resulted in tracked particles not reaching the shallow aquifer within 10,000 years and 18 resulted in travel times less than 10,000 years. Four factors proved to have a statistically significant impact on reducing travel time to the aquifer: increased induced fracture extent, absence of deep high hydraulic conductivity strata, relatively low fault hydraulic conductivity, and magnitude of overpressure. Modeling suggests that high hydraulic conductivity formations can be more effective barriers to vertical flow than low hydraulic conductivity formations. Furthermore, low hydraulic conductivity faults can result in subsurface pressure compartmentalization, reducing horizontal groundwater flow, and encouraging vertical fluid migration. The modeled worst-case scenario, using unlikely geology and induced fracture lengths, maximum values for strata hydraulic conductivity and with conservative tracer behavior had a particle travel time of 130 years to the base of the shallow aquifer. This study has identified hydrogeological factors which lead to aquifer vulnerability from shale exploitation.

Hydraulic fracturing chemicals and fluids technology

CERN Document Server

Fink, Johannes

2013-01-01

When classifying fracturing fluids and their additives, it is important that production, operation, and completion engineers understand which chemical should be utilized in different well environments. A user's guide to the many chemicals and chemical additives used in hydraulic fracturing operations, Hydraulic Fracturing Chemicals and Fluids Technology provides an easy-to-use manual to create fluid formulations that will meet project-specific needs while protecting the environment and the life of the well. Fink creates a concise and comprehensive reference that enables the engineer to logically select and use the appropriate chemicals on any hydraulic fracturing job. The first book devoted entirely to hydraulic fracturing chemicals, Fink eliminates the guesswork so the engineer can select the best chemicals needed on the job while providing the best protection for the well, workers and environment. Pinpoints the specific compounds used in any given fracturing operation Provides a systematic approach to class...

Environmental concerns and regulatory initiatives related to hydraulic fracturing in shale gas formations: potential implications for North American gas supply

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sumi, Lisa [Earthworks (Canada)

2010-09-15

Shale gas resources have been referred to as a game changer for North America and it is expected that shale gas will account for over 30% of the natural gas production in North America by 2020. However, the development of this resource has raised several concerns, notably in terms of water use and contamination; more stringent regulations could be implemented in the coming years. The aim of this paper is to present the effect that more stringent regulations would have on gas development in the Marcellus shale, which accounts for 20% of North American shale gas production. Information on hydraulic fracturing and its environmental impacts is provided herein, along with information on the regulatory initiatives underway in the Marcellus shale region. This paper pointed out that novel regulations relating to shale gas development could significantly reduce the growth in shale gas production.

Hydraulic fracture considerations in oil sand overburden dams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cameron, R.; Madden, B.; Danku, M. [Syncrude Canada Ltd., Fort McMurray, AB (Canada)

2008-07-01

This paper discussed hydraulic fracture potential in the dry-filled temporary dams used in the oil sands industry. Hydraulic fractures can occur when reservoir fluid pressures are greater than the minimum stresses in a dam. Stress and strain conditions are influenced by pore pressures, levels of compaction in adjacent fills as well as by underlying pit floor and abutment conditions. Propagation pressure and crack initiation pressures must also be considered in order to provide improved hydraulic fracture protection to dams. Hydraulic fractures typically result in piping failures. Three cases of hydraulic fracture at oil sands operations in Alberta were presented. The study showed that hydraulic fracture failure modes must be considered in dam designs, particularly when thin compacted lift of dry fill are used to replace wetted clay cores. The risk of hydraulic fractures can be reduced by eliminating in situ bedrock irregularities and abutments. Overpressure heights, abutment sloping, and the sloping of fills above abutments, as well as the dam's width and base conditions must also be considered in relation to potential hydraulic fractures. It was concluded that upstream sand beaches and internal filters can help to prevent hydraulic fractures in dams in compacted control zones. 5 refs., 16 figs.

Radiological issues associated with the recent boom in oil and gas hydraulic fracturing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lopez, Alejandro

2013-01-01

As the worldwide hydraulic fracturing 'fracking' market continued to grow to an estimated $37 Billion in 2012, the need to understand and manage radiological issues associated with fracking is becoming imperative. Fracking is a technique that injects pressurized fluid into rock layer to propagate fractures that allows natural gas and other petroleum products to be more easily extracted. Radioactivity is associated with fracking in two ways. Radioactive tracers are frequently a component of the injection fluid used to determine the injection profile and locations of fractures. Second, because there are naturally-occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in the media surrounding and containing oil and gas deposits, the process of fracking can dislodge radioactive materials and transport them to the surface in the wastewater and gases. Treatment of the wastewater to remove heavy metals and other contaminates can concentrate the NORM into technologically-enhanced NORM (TENORM). Regulations to classify, transport, and dispose of the TENORM and other radioactive waste can be complicated and cumbersome and vary widely in the international community and even between states/provinces. In many cases, regulations on NORM and TENORM do not even exist. Public scrutiny and regulator pressure will only continue to increase as the world demands on oil and gas continue to rise and greater quantities of TENORM materials are produced. Industry experts, health physicists, regulators, and public communities must work together to understand and manage radiological issues to ensure reasonable and effective regulations protective of the public, environment, and worker safety and health are implemented. (authors)

Radiological issues associated with the recent boom in oil and gas hydraulic fracturing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lopez, Alejandro [AMEC Environment and Infrastructure, 800 North Bell Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15106 (United States)

2013-07-01

As the worldwide hydraulic fracturing 'fracking' market continued to grow to an estimated $37 Billion in 2012, the need to understand and manage radiological issues associated with fracking is becoming imperative. Fracking is a technique that injects pressurized fluid into rock layer to propagate fractures that allows natural gas and other petroleum products to be more easily extracted. Radioactivity is associated with fracking in two ways. Radioactive tracers are frequently a component of the injection fluid used to determine the injection profile and locations of fractures. Second, because there are naturally-occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in the media surrounding and containing oil and gas deposits, the process of fracking can dislodge radioactive materials and transport them to the surface in the wastewater and gases. Treatment of the wastewater to remove heavy metals and other contaminates can concentrate the NORM into technologically-enhanced NORM (TENORM). Regulations to classify, transport, and dispose of the TENORM and other radioactive waste can be complicated and cumbersome and vary widely in the international community and even between states/provinces. In many cases, regulations on NORM and TENORM do not even exist. Public scrutiny and regulator pressure will only continue to increase as the world demands on oil and gas continue to rise and greater quantities of TENORM materials are produced. Industry experts, health physicists, regulators, and public communities must work together to understand and manage radiological issues to ensure reasonable and effective regulations protective of the public, environment, and worker safety and health are implemented. (authors)

A reactive transport modelling approach to assess the leaching potential of hydraulic fracturing fluids associated with coal seam gas extraction

Science.gov (United States)

Mallants, Dirk; Simunek, Jirka; Gerke, Kirill

2015-04-01

Coal Seam Gas production generates large volumes of "produced" water that may contain compounds originating from the use of hydraulic fracturing fluids. Such produced water also contains elevated concentrations of naturally occurring inorganic and organic compounds, and usually has a high salinity. Leaching of produced water from storage ponds may occur as a result of flooding or containment failure. Some produced water is used for irrigation of specific crops tolerant to elevated salt levels. These chemicals may potentially contaminate soil, shallow groundwater, and groundwater, as well as receiving surface waters. This paper presents an application of scenario modelling using the reactive transport model for variably-saturated media HP1 (coupled HYDRUS-1D and PHREEQC). We evaluate the fate of hydraulic fracturing chemicals and naturally occurring chemicals in soil as a result of unintentional release from storage ponds or when produced water from Coal Seam Gas operations is used in irrigation practices. We present a review of exposure pathways and relevant hydro-bio-geo-chemical processes, a collation of physico-chemical properties of organic/inorganic contaminants as input to a set of generic simulations of transport and attenuation in variably saturated soil profiles. We demonstrate the ability to model the coupled processes of flow and transport in soil of contaminants associated with hydraulic fracturing fluids and naturally occurring contaminants.

The Behaviour of Fracture Growth in Sedimentary Rocks: A Numerical Study Based on Hydraulic Fracturing Processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lianchong Li

2016-03-01

Full Text Available To capture the hydraulic fractures in heterogeneous and layered rocks, a numerical code that can consider the coupled effects of fluid flow, damage, and stress field in rocks is presented. Based on the characteristics of a typical thin and inter-bedded sedimentary reservoir, China, a series of simulations on the hydraulic fracturing are performed. In the simulations, three points, i.e., (1 confining stresses, representing the effect of in situ stresses, (2 strength of the interfaces, and (3 material properties of the layers on either side of the interface, are crucial in fracturing across interfaces between two adjacent rock layers. Numerical results show that the hydrofracture propagation within a layered sequence of sedimentary rocks is controlled by changing in situ stresses, interface properties, and lithologies. The path of the hydraulic fracture is characterized by numerous deflections, branchings, and terminations. Four types of potential interaction, i.e., penetration, arrest, T-shaped branching, and offset, between a hydrofracture and an interface within the layered rocks are formed. Discontinuous composite fracture segments resulting from out-of-plane growth of fractures provide a less permeable path for fluids, gas, and oil than a continuous planar composite fracture, which are one of the sources of the high treating pressures and reduced fracture volume.

Hydraulic fracturing for natural gas: impact on health and environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, David O

2016-03-01

Shale deposits exist in many parts of the world and contain relatively large amounts of natural gas and oil. Recent technological developments in the process of horizontal hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracturing or fracking) have suddenly made it economically feasible to extract natural gas from shale. While natural gas is a much cleaner burning fuel than coal, there are a number of significant threats to human health from the extraction process as currently practiced. There are immediate threats to health resulting from air pollution from volatile organic compounds, which contain carcinogens such as benzene and ethyl-benzene, and which have adverse neurologic and respiratory effects. Hydrogen sulfide, a component of natural gas, is a potent neuro- and respiratory toxin. In addition, levels of formaldehyde are elevated around fracking sites due to truck traffic and conversion of methane to formaldehyde by sunlight. There are major concerns about water contamination because the chemicals used can get into both ground and surface water. Much of the produced water (up to 40% of what is injected) comes back out of the gas well with significant radioactivity because radium in subsurface rock is relatively water soluble. There are significant long-term threats beyond cancer, including exacerbation of climate change due to the release of methane into the atmosphere, and increased earthquake activity due to disruption of subsurface tectonic plates. While fracking for natural gas has significant economic benefits, and while natural gas is theoretically a better fossil fuel as compared to coal and oil, current fracking practices pose significant adverse health effects to workers and near-by residents. The health of the public should not be compromized simply for the economic benefits to the industry.

Shale gas is good for industry: welcome to Gas-land; Dordogne is not masochist; hydraulic fracturing, and then?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

James, Olivier; Chandes, Camille; Dupin, Ludovic

2012-01-01

A first article outlines that the exploitation of shale gases would favour a competitiveness boost for the industry (notably for the electricity sector, the chemical sector and other sectors depending on them), but that environmental drawbacks and European characteristics could also limit this boost. The author evokes activities of shale gas exploitation in the USA and their consequences in terms of gas prices, or for extraction equipment manufacturers or for the chemical industry. The different issues are discussed: environment, global warming, and energy supply. A second article describes the main shale gas sites in Texas notably that of Fort Worth which is within the city itself. A third article reports the struggle of Dordogne local authorities and citizen associations against projects of shale gas exploitation by hydraulic fracturing. As this extraction process is forbidden in France, a last article outlines that the development of another technique would require ten more years. Some perspectives are evoked

Microbial communities in flowback water impoundments from hydraulic fracturing for recovery of shale gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mohan, Arvind Murali; Hartsock, Angela; Hammack, Richard W; Vidic, Radisav D; Gregory, Kelvin B

2013-12-01

Hydraulic fracturing for natural gas extraction from shale produces waste brine known as flowback that is impounded at the surface prior to reuse and/or disposal. During impoundment, microbial activity can alter the fate of metals including radionuclides, give rise to odorous compounds, and result in biocorrosion that complicates water and waste management and increases production costs. Here, we describe the microbial ecology at multiple depths of three flowback impoundments from the Marcellus shale that were managed differently. 16S rRNA gene clone libraries revealed that bacterial communities in the untreated and biocide-amended impoundments were depth dependent, diverse, and most similar to species within the taxa [gamma]-proteobacteria, [alpha]-proteobacteria, δ-proteobacteria, Clostridia, Synergistetes, Thermotogae, Spirochetes, and Bacteroidetes. The bacterial community in the pretreated and aerated impoundment was uniform with depth, less diverse, and most similar to known iodide-oxidizing bacteria in the [alpha]-proteobacteria. Archaea were identified only in the untreated and biocide-amended impoundments and were affiliated to the Methanomicrobia class. This is the first study of microbial communities in flowback water impoundments from hydraulic fracturing. The findings expand our knowledge of microbial diversity of an emergent and unexplored environment and may guide the management of flowback impoundments.

Monitoring hydraulic fractures: state estimation using an extended Kalman filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rochinha, Fernando Alves; Peirce, Anthony

2010-01-01

There is considerable interest in using remote elastostatic deformations to identify the evolving geometry of underground fractures that are forced to propagate by the injection of high pressure viscous fluids. These so-called hydraulic fractures are used to increase the permeability in oil and gas reservoirs as well as to pre-fracture ore-bodies for enhanced mineral extraction. The undesirable intrusion of these hydraulic fractures into environmentally sensitive areas or into regions in mines which might pose safety hazards has stimulated the search for techniques to enable the evolving hydraulic fracture geometries to be monitored. Previous approaches to this problem have involved the inversion of the elastostatic data at isolated time steps in the time series provided by tiltmeter measurements of the displacement gradient field at selected points in the elastic medium. At each time step, parameters in simple static models of the fracture (e.g. a single displacement discontinuity) are identified. The approach adopted in this paper is not to regard the sequence of sampled elastostatic data as independent, but rather to treat the data as linked by the coupled elastic-lubrication equations that govern the propagation of the evolving hydraulic fracture. We combine the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) with features of a recently developed implicit numerical scheme to solve the coupled free boundary problem in order to form a novel algorithm to identify the evolving fracture geometry. Numerical experiments demonstrate that, despite excluding significant physical processes in the forward numerical model, the EKF-numerical algorithm is able to compensate for the un-modeled dynamics by using the information fed back from tiltmeter data. Indeed the proposed algorithm is able to provide reasonably faithful estimates of the fracture geometry, which are shown to converge to the actual hydraulic fracture geometry as the number of tiltmeters is increased. Since the location of

Microseismic imaging using Geometric-mean Reverse-Time Migration in Hydraulic Fracturing Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, J.; Ng, R.; Nakata, N.

2017-12-01

Unconventional oil and gas exploration techniques such as hydraulic fracturing are associated with microseismic events related to the generation and development of fractures. For example, hydraulic fracturing, which is popular in Southern Oklahoma, produces earthquakes that are greater than magnitude 2.0. Finding the accurate locations, and mechanisms, of these events provides important information of local stress conditions, fracture distribution, hazard assessment, and economical impact. The accurate source location is also important to separate fracking-induced and wastewater disposal induced seismicity. Here, we implement a wavefield-based imaging method called Geometric-mean Reverse-Time Migration (GmRTM), which takes the advantage of accurate microseismic location based on wavefield back projection. We apply GmRTM to microseismic data collected during hydraulic fracturing for imaging microseismic source locations, and potentially, fractures. Assuming an accurate velocity model, GmRTM can improve the spatial resolution of source locations compared to HypoDD or P/S travel-time based methods. We will discuss the results from GmRTM and HypoDD using this field dataset and synthetic data.

The Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Agriculture

OpenAIRE

Beng Ong

2014-01-01

Hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking”) is a method of extracting oil and natural gas trapped in deep rock layers underground by pumping water, sand, and other chemicals/additives at high pressures into a well drilled vertically, and then horizontally into the rocks.Advocates of fracking in U.S. have skillfully positioned domestic natural gas as a sensible alternative energy to the country’s goals of reducing carbon emissions and dependence on foreign oil, while simultaneously creating jobs loca...

Characteristic Length Scales in Fracture Networks: Hydraulic Connectivity through Periodic Hydraulic Tests

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, M.; Bour, O.; Le Borgne, T.; Longuevergne, L.; Lavenant, N.; Cole, M. C.; Guiheneuf, N.

2017-12-01

Determining hydraulic and transport connectivity in fractured bedrock has long been an important objective in contaminant hydrogeology, petroleum engineering, and geothermal operations. A persistent obstacle to making this determination is that the characteristic length scale is nearly impossible to determine in sparsely fractured networks. Both flow and transport occur through an unknown structure of interconnected fracture and/or fracture zones making the actual length that water or solutes travel undetermined. This poses difficulties for flow and transport models. For, example, hydraulic equations require a separation distance between pumping and observation well to determine hydraulic parameters. When wells pairs are close, the structure of the network can influence the interpretation of well separation and the flow dimension of the tested system. This issue is explored using hydraulic tests conducted in a shallow fractured crystalline rock. Periodic (oscillatory) slug tests were performed at the Ploemeur fractured rock test site located in Brittany, France. Hydraulic connectivity was examined between three zones in one well and four zones in another, located 6 m apart in map view. The wells are sufficiently close, however, that the tangential distance between the tested zones ranges between 6 and 30 m. Using standard periodic formulations of radial flow, estimates of storativity scale inversely with the square of the separation distance and hydraulic diffusivity directly with the square of the separation distance. Uncertainty in the connection paths between the two wells leads to an order of magnitude uncertainty in estimates of storativity and hydraulic diffusivity, although estimates of transmissivity are unaffected. The assumed flow dimension results in alternative estimates of hydraulic parameters. In general, one is faced with the prospect of assuming the hydraulic parameter and inverting the separation distance, or vice versa. Similar uncertainties exist

Adaptive Finite Element-Discrete Element Analysis for Microseismic Modelling of Hydraulic Fracture Propagation of Perforation in Horizontal Well considering Pre-Existing Fractures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yongliang Wang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Hydrofracturing technology of perforated horizontal well has been widely used to stimulate the tight hydrocarbon reservoirs for gas production. To predict the hydraulic fracture propagation, the microseismicity can be used to infer hydraulic fractures state; by the effective numerical methods, microseismic events can be addressed from changes of the computed stresses. In numerical models, due to the challenges in accurately representing the complex structure of naturally fractured reservoir, the interaction between hydraulic and pre-existing fractures has not yet been considered and handled satisfactorily. To overcome these challenges, the adaptive finite element-discrete element method is used to refine mesh, effectively identify the fractures propagation, and investigate microseismic modelling. Numerical models are composed of hydraulic fractures, pre-existing fractures, and microscale pores, and the seepage analysis based on the Darcy’s law is used to determine fluid flow; then moment tensors in microseismicity are computed based on the computed stresses. Unfractured and naturally fractured models are compared to assess the influences of pre-existing fractures on hydrofracturing. The damaged and contact slip events were detected by the magnitudes, B-values, Hudson source type plots, and focal spheres.

Uncertainty in hydraulic tests in fractured rock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji, Sung-Hoon; Koh, Yong-Kwon

2014-01-01

Interpretation of hydraulic tests in fractured rock has uncertainty because of the different hydraulic properties of a fractured rock to a porous medium. In this study, we reviewed several interesting phenomena which show uncertainty in a hydraulic test at a fractured rock and discussed their origins and the how they should be considered during site characterisation. Our results show that the estimated hydraulic parameters of a fractured rock from a hydraulic test are associated with uncertainty due to the changed aperture and non-linear groundwater flow during the test. Although the magnitude of these two uncertainties is site-dependent, the results suggest that it is recommended to conduct a hydraulic test with a little disturbance from the natural groundwater flow to consider their uncertainty. Other effects reported from laboratory and numerical experiments such as the trapping zone effect (Boutt, 2006) and the slip condition effect (Lee, 2014) can also introduce uncertainty to a hydraulic test, which should be evaluated in a field test. It is necessary to consider the way how to evaluate the uncertainty in the hydraulic property during the site characterisation and how to apply it to the safety assessment of a subsurface repository. (authors)

Impacts on water quality by hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, B.; Stute, M.; Chillrud, S. N.; Ross, J. M.; Howarth, M.; Panettieri, R.; Saberi, P.

2015-12-01

Shale gas development, including drilling and hydraulic fracturing, is rapidly increasing throughout the United States and, indeed, the rest of the world. Systematic surveys of water quality both pre- and post drilling/production are sparse. To examine the impacts of shale gas production on water quality, pilot studies have been conducted in adjacent counties of western NY (Chemung, Tioga, Broome, and Delaware) and northern PA (Bradford, Susquehanna, and Wayne). These 7 counties along the border of NY and PA share similar geology and demographic compositions and have been identified as a key area to develop shale gas with the key difference that active fracking is occurring in PA but there is no fracking yet in NY. Measurements include a suite of major and trace elements, methane and its stable isotopes, noble gases and tritium for dating purposes, and the primary radioactive elements of potential concern, radon and radium. We found elevated methane levels on both sides of the border. Higher levels of major ions were observed in PA samples close to the gas wells in the valley, possibly from hydraulic fracturing activities. The lab analysis of samples collected in recently launched 100 Bottom Project is ongoing and the results will be presented in this conference.

The Influence of Hydraulic Fracturing on Carbon Storage Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Pengcheng; Settgast, Randolph R.; Hao, Yue; Morris, Joseph P.; Ryerson, Frederick J.

2017-12-01

Conventional principles of the design and operation of geologic carbon storage (GCS) require injecting CO2 below the caprock fracturing pressure to ensure the integrity of the storage complex. In nonideal storage reservoirs with relatively low permeability, pressure buildup can lead to hydraulic fracturing of the reservoir and caprock. While the GCS community has generally viewed hydraulic fractures as a key risk to storage integrity, a carefully designed stimulation treatment under appropriate geologic conditions could provide improved injectivity while maintaining overall seal integrity. A vertically contained hydraulic fracture, either in the reservoir rock or extending a limited height into the caprock, provides an effective means to access reservoir volume far from the injection well. Employing a fully coupled numerical model of hydraulic fracturing, solid deformation, and matrix fluid flow, we study the enabling conditions, processes, and mechanisms of hydraulic fracturing during CO2 injection. A hydraulic fracture's pressure-limiting behavior dictates that the near-well fluid pressure is only slightly higher than the fracturing pressure of the rock and is insensitive to injection rate and mechanical properties of the formation. Although a fracture contained solely within the reservoir rock with no caprock penetration, would be an ideal scenario, poroelastic principles dictate that sustaining such a fracture could lead to continuously increasing pressure until the caprock fractures. We also investigate the propagation pattern and injection pressure responses of a hydraulic fracture propagating in a caprock subjected to heterogeneous in situ stress. The results have important implications for the use of hydraulic fracturing as a tool for managing storage performance.

Hydraulic fracturing as an interpretive policy problem: lessons on energy controversies in Europe and the U.S.A.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dodge, Jennifer; Metze, Tamara

2017-01-01

This special issue addresses hydraulic fracturing for shale gas extraction as an interpretive policy problem. Bringing together empirical cases from the U.S.A., the Netherlands, the U.K., Poland, and Germany, we identify three approaches to the interpretation of hydraulic fracturing in the article:

Characterization of the Oriskany and Berea Sandstones: Evaluating Biogeochemical Reactions of Potential Sandstone–Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Interaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verba, Circe [National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Albany, OR (United States); Harris, Aubrey [National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Albany, OR (United States)

2016-07-07

The Marcellus shale, located in the mid-Atlantic Appalachian Basin, has been identified as a source for natural gas and targeted for hydraulic fracturing recovery methods. Hydraulic fracturing is a technique used by the oil and gas industry to access petroleum reserves in geologic formations that cannot be accessed with conventional drilling techniques (Capo et al., 2014). This unconventional technique fractures rock formations that have low permeability by pumping pressurized hydraulic fracturing fluids into the subsurface. Although the major components of hydraulic fracturing fluid are water and sand, chemicals, such as recalcitrant biocides and polyacrylamide, are also used (Frac Focus, 2015). There is domestic concern that the chemicals could reach groundwater or surface water during transport, storage, or the fracturing process (Chapman et al., 2012). In the event of a surface spill, understanding the natural attenuation of the chemicals in hydraulic fracturing fluid, as well as the physical and chemical properties of the aquifers surrounding the spill site, will help mitigate potential dangers to drinking water. However, reports on the degradation pathways of these chemicals are limited in existing literature. The Appalachian Basin Marcellus shale and its surrounding sandstones host diverse mineralogical suites. During the hydraulic fracturing process, the hydraulic fracturing fluids come into contact with variable mineral compositions. The reactions between the fracturing fluid chemicals and the minerals are very diverse. This report: 1) describes common minerals (e.g. quartz, clay, pyrite, and carbonates) present in the Marcellus shale, as well as the Oriskany and Berea sandstones, which are located stratigraphically below and above the Marcellus shale; 2) summarizes the existing literature of the degradation pathways for common hydraulic fracturing fluid chemicals [polyacrylamide, ethylene glycol, poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride), glutaraldehyde

Effect of Random Natural Fractures on Hydraulic Fracture Propagation Geometry in Fractured Carbonate Rocks

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhiyuan; Wang, Shijie; Zhao, Haiyang; Wang, Lei; Li, Wei; Geng, Yudi; Tao, Shan; Zhang, Guangqing; Chen, Mian

2018-02-01

Natural fractures have a significant influence on the propagation geometry of hydraulic fractures in fractured reservoirs. True triaxial volumetric fracturing experiments, in which random natural fractures are created by placing cement blocks of different dimensions in a cuboid mold and filling the mold with additional cement to create the final test specimen, were used to study the factors that influence the hydraulic fracture propagation geometry. These factors include the presence of natural fractures around the wellbore, the dimension and volumetric density of random natural fractures and the horizontal differential stress. The results show that volumetric fractures preferentially formed when natural fractures occurred around the wellbore, the natural fractures are medium to long and have a volumetric density of 6-9%, and the stress difference is less than 11 MPa. The volumetric fracture geometries are mainly major multi-branch fractures with fracture networks or major multi-branch fractures (2-4 fractures). The angles between the major fractures and the maximum horizontal in situ stress are 30°-45°, and fracture networks are located at the intersections of major multi-branch fractures. Short natural fractures rarely led to the formation of fracture networks. Thus, the interaction between hydraulic fractures and short natural fractures has little engineering significance. The conclusions are important for field applications and for gaining a deeper understanding of the formation process of volumetric fractures.

Microbial communities in flowback water impoundments from hydraulic fracturing for recovery of shale gas.

Science.gov (United States)

Murali Mohan, Arvind; Hartsock, Angela; Hammack, Richard W; Vidic, Radisav D; Gregory, Kelvin B

2013-12-01

Hydraulic fracturing for natural gas extraction from shale produces waste brine known as flowback that is impounded at the surface prior to reuse and/or disposal. During impoundment, microbial activity can alter the fate of metals including radionuclides, give rise to odorous compounds, and result in biocorrosion that complicates water and waste management and increases production costs. Here, we describe the microbial ecology at multiple depths of three flowback impoundments from the Marcellus shale that were managed differently. 16S rRNA gene clone libraries revealed that bacterial communities in the untreated and biocide-amended impoundments were depth dependent, diverse, and most similar to species within the taxa γ-proteobacteria, α-proteobacteria, δ-proteobacteria, Clostridia, Synergistetes, Thermotogae, Spirochetes, and Bacteroidetes. The bacterial community in the pretreated and aerated impoundment was uniform with depth, less diverse, and most similar to known iodide-oxidizing bacteria in the α-proteobacteria. Archaea were identified only in the untreated and biocide-amended impoundments and were affiliated to the Methanomicrobia class. This is the first study of microbial communities in flowback water impoundments from hydraulic fracturing. The findings expand our knowledge of microbial diversity of an emergent and unexplored environment and may guide the management of flowback impoundments. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design and Implementation of Energized Fracture Treatment in Tight Gas Sands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mukul Sharma; Kyle Friehauf

2009-12-31

Hydraulic fracturing is essential for producing gas and oil at an economic rate from low permeability sands. Most fracturing treatments use water and polymers with a gelling agent as a fracturing fluid. The water is held in the small pore spaces by capillary pressure and is not recovered when drawdown pressures are low. The un-recovered water leaves a water saturated zone around the fracture face that stops the flow of gas into the fracture. This is a particularly acute problem in low permeability formations where capillary pressures are high. Depletion (lower reservoir pressures) causes a limitation on the drawdown pressure that can be applied. A hydraulic fracturing process can be energized by the addition of a compressible, sometimes soluble, gas phase into the treatment fluid. When the well is produced, the energized fluid expands and gas comes out of solution. Energizing the fluid creates high gas saturation in the invaded zone, thereby facilitating gas flowback. A new compositional hydraulic fracturing model has been created (EFRAC). This is the first model to include changes in composition, temperature, and phase behavior of the fluid inside the fracture. An equation of state is used to evaluate the phase behavior of the fluid. These compositional effects are coupled with the fluid rheology, proppant transport, and mechanics of fracture growth to create a general model for fracture creation when energized fluids are used. In addition to the fracture propagation model, we have also introduced another new model for hydraulically fractured well productivity. This is the first and only model that takes into account both finite fracture conductivity and damage in the invaded zone in a simple analytical way. EFRAC was successfully used to simulate several fracture treatments in a gas field in South Texas. Based on production estimates, energized fluids may be required when drawdown pressures are smaller than the capillary forces in the formation. For this field

Diffusive Imaging of Hydraulically Induced and Natural Fracture Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Eftekhari, B.; Marder, M. P.; Patzek, T. W.

2017-12-01

Hydraulic fracturing of tight shales continues to provide the US with a major source of energy. Efficiency of gas recovery in shales depends upon the geometry of the resulting network of fractures, the details of which are not yet fully understood. The present research explores how much of the underlying geometry can be deduced from the time dependence of the flow of gas out of the reservoir. We consider both ideal and real gas. In the case of real gas, we calculate production rate for parallel planar hydrofractures embedded in an infinite reservoir. Transport is governed by a nonlinear diffusion equation, which we solve exactly with a scaling curve. The scaling curve production rate declines initially as 1 over square root time, then as an exponential, and finally as 1 over square root of time again at late time. We show that for a given hydraulically fractured well, the onsets of transition between different decline regimes provides a direct estimate of a characteristic spacing of the underlying fracture network. We show that the scaling solution accurately fits the production history of more than 15,000 wells in the Barnett Shale. Almost all of the wells either have not yet transitioned into the late time decline or have been refractured while in exponential decline. However, there are 36 wells which show the late time transition. These allow us to calculate the characteristic spacing, which turns out to have a mode at about 10 m, a minimum at 1.6 m and a maximum at 13.3 m. We estimate that over 30 years these wells will produce on average about 45% more gas because of diffusion from the infinite external reservoir than they would if this contribution is neglected. Finally, we compute the rate at which ideal gas diffuses within an infinite region of rock into a specific absorbing fractal fracture network, which we model using geological constraints and percolation theory. Our solution employs a Brownian walk and the first passage kinetic Monte Carlo algorithm

Determining the hydraulic and fracture properties of the Coal Seam Gas well by numerical modelling and GLUE analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Askarimarnani, Sara; Willgoose, Garry; Fityus, Stephen

2017-04-01

Coal seam gas (CSG) is a form of natural gas that occurs in some coal seams. Coal seams have natural fractures with dual-porosity systems and low permeability. In the CSG industry, hydraulic fracturing is applied to increase the permeability and extract the gas more efficiently from the coal seam. The industry claims that it can design fracking patterns. Whether this is true or not, the public (and regulators) requires assurance that once a well has been fracked that the fracking has occurred according to plan and that the fracked well is safe. Thus defensible post-fracking testing methodologies for gas generating wells are required. In 2009 a fracked well HB02, owned by AGL, near Broke, NSW, Australia was subjected to "traditional" water pump-testing as part of this assurance process. Interpretation with well Type Curves and simple single phase (i.e. only water, no gas) highlighted deficiencies in traditional water well approaches with a systemic deviation from the qualitative characteristic of well drawdown curves (e.g. concavity versus convexity of drawdown with time). Accordingly a multiphase (i.e. water and methane) model of the well was developed and compared with the observed data. This paper will discuss the results of this multiphase testing using the TOUGH2 model and its EOS7C constitutive model. A key objective was to test a methodology, based on GLUE monte-carlo calibration technique, to calibrate the characteristics of the frack using the well test drawdown curve. GLUE involves a sensitivity analysis of how changes in the fracture properties change the well hydraulics through and analysis of the drawdown curve and changes in the cone of depression. This was undertaken by changing the native coal, fracture, and gas parameters to see how changing those parameters changed the match between simulations and the observed well drawdown. Results from the GLUE analysis show how much information is contained in the well drawdown curve for estimating field scale

Hydraulic conductivity of rock fractures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmerman, R.W.; Bodvarsson, G.S.

1994-10-01

Yucca Mountain, Nevada contains numerous geological units that are highly fractured. A clear understanding of the hydraulic conductivity of fractures has been identified as an important scientific problem that must be addressed during the site characterization process. The problem of the flow of a single-phase fluid through a rough-walled rock fracture is discussed within the context of rigorous fluid mechanics. The derivation of the cubic law is given as the solution to the Navier-Stokes equations for flow between smooth, parallel plates, the only fracture geometry that is amenable to exact treatment. The various geometric and kinetic conditions that are necessary in order for the Navier-Stokes equations to be replaced by the more tractable lubrication or Hele-Shaw equations are studied and quantified. Various analytical and numerical results are reviewed pertaining to the problem of relating the effective hydraulic aperture to the statistics of the aperture distribution. These studies all lead to the conclusion that the effective hydraulic aperture is always less than the mean aperture, by a factor that depends on the ratio of the mean value of the aperture to its standard deviation. The tortuosity effect caused by regions where the rock walls are in contact with each other is studied using the Hele-Shaw equations, leading to a simple correction factor that depends on the area fraction occupied by the contact regions. Finally, the predicted hydraulic apertures are compared to measured values for eight data sets from the literature for which aperture and conductivity data were available on the same fracture. It is found that reasonably accurate predictions of hydraulic conductivity can be made based solely on the first two moments of the aperture distribution function, and the proportion of contact area. 68 refs

Hydraulic fracture diagnostic: recent advances and their impact; Analyses de la fracturation hydraulique: progres recents et leur impact

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wolhart, St.L. [GRI, United States (United States)

2000-07-01

The use of hydraulic fracturing has grown tremendously since its introduction over 50 years ago. Most wells in low permeability reservoirs are not economic without hydraulic fracture stimulation. Hydraulic fracturing is also seeing increasing use in high permeability applications. The success of this technology can be attributed to the great strides made in three areas: hydraulic fracture theory and modeling, improved surface and subsurface equipment and advanced fluid systems and proppers. However, industry still has limited capabilities when it comes to determining the geometry of the created hydraulic fracture. This limitation, in turn places limits on the continued improvement of hydraulic fracturing as a means to optimize productivity and recovery. GRI's Advanced Hydraulic Fracture Diagnostics Program has developed two new technologies, microseismic hydraulic fracture mapping and downhole tilt-meter hydraulic fracture mapping, to address this limitation. These two technologies have been utilized to improve field development and reduce hydraulic fracturing costs. This paper reviews these technologies and presents case histories of their use. (author)

Hydraulic Fracturing and Production Optimization in Eagle Ford Shale Using Coupled Geomechanics and Fluid Flow Model

Science.gov (United States)

Suppachoknirun, Theerapat; Tutuncu, Azra N.

2017-12-01

With increasing production from shale gas and tight oil reservoirs, horizontal drilling and multistage hydraulic fracturing processes have become a routine procedure in unconventional field development efforts. Natural fractures play a critical role in hydraulic fracture growth, subsequently affecting stimulated reservoir volume and the production efficiency. Moreover, the existing fractures can also contribute to the pressure-dependent fluid leak-off during the operations. Hence, a reliable identification of the discrete fracture network covering the zone of interest prior to the hydraulic fracturing design needs to be incorporated into the hydraulic fracturing and reservoir simulations for realistic representation of the in situ reservoir conditions. In this research study, an integrated 3-D fracture and fluid flow model have been developed using a new approach to simulate the fluid flow and deliver reliable production forecasting in naturally fractured and hydraulically stimulated tight reservoirs. The model was created with three key modules. A complex 3-D discrete fracture network model introduces realistic natural fracture geometry with the associated fractured reservoir characteristics. A hydraulic fracturing model is created utilizing the discrete fracture network for simulation of the hydraulic fracture and flow in the complex discrete fracture network. Finally, a reservoir model with the production grid system is used allowing the user to efficiently perform the fluid flow simulation in tight formations with complex fracture networks. The complex discrete natural fracture model, the integrated discrete fracture model for the hydraulic fracturing, the fluid flow model, and the input dataset have been validated against microseismic fracture mapping and commingled production data obtained from a well pad with three horizontal production wells located in the Eagle Ford oil window in south Texas. Two other fracturing geometries were also evaluated to optimize

Increasing the effectiveness of the hydraulic fracturing of seams with the use of the pattern recognition method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rasizade, Ya M; Nagiev, T M; Kuznetsov, V I; Mikerin, B P

1977-08-01

An examination is made of using a sequential diagnostic procedure for increasing the effectiveness of the hydraulic fracturing of seams in boreholes of the gas and oil drilling administration of the Khadyzhenneft' association. The use of the pattern recognition method was shown to make it possible to increase the effectiveness of hydraulic fracturing by up to 80%. 4 references, 1 figure, 3 tables.

Characterisation of hydraulically-active fractures in a fractured ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... in the initial stage of a site investigation to select the optimal site location or to evaluate the hydrogeological properties of fractures in underground exploration studies, such as those related geothermal reservoir evaluation and radioactive waste disposal. Keywords: self-potential method, hydraulically-conductive fractures, ...

An Improved Rate-Transient Analysis Model of Multi-Fractured Horizontal Wells with Non-Uniform Hydraulic Fracture Properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Youwei He

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Although technical advances in hydraulically fracturing and drilling enable commercial production from tight reservoirs, oil/gas recovery remains at a low level. Due to the technical and economic limitations of well-testing operations in tight reservoirs, rate-transient analysis (RTA has become a more attractive option. However, current RTA models hardly consider the effect of the non-uniform production on rate decline behaviors. In fact, PLT results demonstrate that production profile is non-uniform. To fill this gap, this paper presents an improved RTA model of multi-fractured horizontal wells (MFHWs to investigate the effects of non-uniform properties of hydraulic fractures (production of fractures, fracture half-length, number of fractures, fracture conductivity, and vertical permeability on rate transient behaviors through the diagnostic type curves. Results indicate obvious differences on the rate decline curves among the type curves of uniform properties of fractures (UPF and non-uniform properties of fractures (NPF. The use of dimensionless production integral derivative curve magnifies the differences so that we can diagnose the phenomenon of non-uniform production. Therefore, it’s significant to incorporate the effects of NPF into the RDA models of MFHWs, and the model proposed in this paper enables us to better evaluate well performance based on long-term production data.

Impact of Petrophysical Properties on Hydraulic Fracturing and Development in Tight Volcanic Gas Reservoirs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yinghao Shen

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The volcanic reservoir is an important kind of unconventional reservoir. The aqueous phase trapping (APT appears because of fracturing fluids filtration. However, APT can be autoremoved for some wells after certain shut-in time. But there is significant distinction for different reservoirs. Experiments were performed to study the petrophysical properties of a volcanic reservoir and the spontaneous imbibition is monitored by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR and pulse-decay permeability. Results showed that natural cracks appear in the samples as well as high irreducible water saturation. There is a quick decrease of rock permeability once the rock contacts water. The pores filled during spontaneous imbibition are mainly the nanopores from NMR spectra. Full understanding of the mineralogical effect and sample heterogeneity benefits the selection of segments to fracturing. The fast flow-back scheme is applicable in this reservoir to minimize the damage. Because lots of water imbibed into the nanopores, the main flow channels become larger, which are beneficial to the permeability recovery after flow-back of hydraulic fracturing. This is helpful in understanding the APT autoremoval after certain shut-in time. Also, Keeping the appropriate production differential pressure is very important in achieving the long term efficient development of volcanic gas reservoirs.

Evaluation of Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) Plays for Potential Impact on USACE-Managed Waterways

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. ERDC/TN DOTS-15-1 January 2015 Evaluation of Hydraulic Fracturing ( Fracking ) Plays...fracturing operations (hydrofracturing or “ fracking ”) to increase petrochemical (natural gas and petroleum) production resulted in elevated environmental...Shale, has raised concerns that fracking operations could impact waterways managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The purpose of this

Water quality studied in areas of unconventional oil and gas development, including areas where hydraulic fracturing techniques are used, in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Susong, David D.; Gallegos, Tanya J.; Oelsner, Gretchen P.

2012-01-01

Domestic oil and gas production and clean water are critical for economic growth, public health, and national security of the United States. As domestic oil and gas production increases in new areas and old fields are enhanced, there is increasing public concern about the effects of energy production on surface-water and groundwater quality. To a great extent, this concern arises from the improved hydraulic fracturing techniques being used today, including horizontal drilling, for producing unconventional oil and gas in low-permeability formations.

Periodic Hydraulic Testing for Discerning Fracture Network Connections

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, M.; Le Borgne, T.; Bour, O.; Guihéneuf, N.; Cole, M.

2015-12-01

Discrete fracture network (DFN) models often predict highly variable hydraulic connections between injection and pumping wells used for enhanced oil recovery, geothermal energy extraction, and groundwater remediation. Such connections can be difficult to verify in fractured rock systems because standard pumping or pulse interference tests interrogate too large a volume to pinpoint specific connections. Three field examples are presented in which periodic hydraulic tests were used to obtain information about hydraulic connectivity in fractured bedrock. The first site, a sandstone in New York State, involves only a single fracture at a scale of about 10 m. The second site, a granite in Brittany, France, involves a fracture network at about the same scale. The third site, a granite/schist in the U.S. State of New Hampshire, involves a complex network at scale of 30-60 m. In each case periodic testing provided an enhanced view of hydraulic connectivity over previous constant rate tests. Periodic testing is particularly adept at measuring hydraulic diffusivity, which is a more effective parameter than permeability for identify the complexity of flow pathways between measurement locations. Periodic tests were also conducted at multiple frequencies which provides a range in the radius of hydraulic penetration away from the oscillating well. By varying the radius of penetration, we attempt to interrogate the structure of the fracture network. Periodic tests, therefore, may be uniquely suited for verifying and/or calibrating DFN models.

Invasion-Flowback Processes During Hydraulic Fracturing Well Interference

Science.gov (United States)

Kenzhekhanov, Shaken; He, Kai; Xu, Liang; Lord, Paul; Lozano, Martin; Neeves, Keith; Yin, Xiaolong

2017-11-01

Drainage-imbibition cycles that simulate hydraulic fracturing fluid's invasion and flowback during well interference were investigated using NOA81 microfluidic micromodels. Well interference is quite common in unconventional oil and gas fields. It is not unusual for the fracturing fluid injected into a well to be discovered in a nearby well. Normally, the effect of such interference is considered to be negative, as fracturing fluid will be imbibed into the porous rock and block the flow path of hydrocarbons. However, field data show that some interferences are beneficial, and microfluidic experiments presented in this study show that surfactant in the fracturing fluid may be a reason for the observed positive interference. Two fluid drainage-imbibition cycles were conducted in micromodels. The first cycle simulates fracturing of the old well and the second cycle simulates fluid invasion from the new well into the old well's fracture network. The experimental data show that while most such interferences indeed can cause production loss, when the old well's fracturing fluid does not contain surfactant yet the new well's fracturing fluid does, interference can be positive, as the residual water saturation in the porous medium is effectively reduced by surfactants.

Numerical simulation study of fracturing wells for shale gas with gas–water two-phase flow system under desorption and diffusion conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinzhou Zhao

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Hydraulic fracturing is an essential technology in developing shale gas reservoirs, not to mention, accurate prediction of productivity in fractured shale gas wells is the foundation of an efficient development in shale gas reservoirs. This paper establishes a gas–water two-phase flow percolation mathematical model by a determined numerical simulation and calculation method under desorption and diffusion conditions. By means of simulating for a post-frac performance of the shale gas reservoir, this paper devotes to a quantitative analysis the impact of fracture parameters, physical parameters, and desorption–diffusion parameters. The outcome of this research indicates that hydraulic fracturing can improve single well production and it's an effective measure in the development of shale gas. The conductivity of hydraulic fractures and the permeability of natural fractures are the main influences on shale gas production. The higher these factors are, the higher the gas and water productions are. In comparison, the matrix permeability and diffusion coefficients have minimal influences on production.

An XFEM Model for Hydraulic Fracturing in Partially Saturated Rocks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salimzadeh Saeed

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Hydraulic fracturing is a complex multi-physics phenomenon. Numerous analytical and numerical models of hydraulic fracturing processes have been proposed. Analytical solutions commonly are able to model the growth of a single hydraulic fracture into an initially intact, homogeneous rock mass. Numerical models are able to analyse complex problems such as multiple hydraulic fractures and fracturing in heterogeneous media. However, majority of available models are restricted to single-phase flow through fracture and permeable porous rock. This is not compatible with actual field conditions where the injected fluid does not have similar properties as the host fluid. In this study we present a fully coupled hydro-poroelastic model which incorporates two fluids i.e. fracturing fluid and host fluid. Flow through fracture is defined based on lubrication assumption, while flow through matrix is defined as Darcy flow. The fracture discontinuity in the mechanical model is captured using eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM while the fracture propagation criterion is defined through cohesive fracture model. The discontinuous matrix fluid velocity across fracture is modelled using leak-off loading which couples fracture flow and matrix flow. The proposed model has been discretised using standard Galerkin method, implemented in Matlab and verified against several published solutions. Multiple hydraulic fracturing simulations are performed to show the model robustness and to illustrate how problem parameters such as injection rate and rock permeability affect the hydraulic fracturing variables i.e. injection pressure, fracture aperture and fracture length. The results show the impact of partial saturation on leak-off and the fact that single-phase models may underestimate the leak-off.

Numerical Simulation of Hydraulic Fracture Propagation Guided by Single Radial Boreholes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tiankui Guo

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Conventional hydraulic fracturing is not effective in target oil development zones with available wellbores located in the azimuth of the non-maximum horizontal in-situ stress. To some extent, we think that the radial hydraulic jet drilling has the function of guiding hydraulic fracture propagation direction and promoting deep penetration, but this notion currently lacks an effective theoretical support for fracture propagation. In order to verify the technology, a 3D extended finite element numerical model of hydraulic fracturing promoted by the single radial borehole was established, and the influences of nine factors on propagation of hydraulic fracture guided by the single radial borehole were comprehensively analyzed. Moreover, the term ‘Guidance factor (Gf’ was introduced for the first time to effectively quantify the radial borehole guidance. The guidance of nine factors was evaluated through gray correlation analysis. The experimental results were consistent with the numerical simulation results to a certain extent. The study provides theoretical evidence for the artificial control technology of directional propagation of hydraulic fracture promoted by the single radial borehole, and it predicts the guidance effect of a single radial borehole on hydraulic fracture to a certain extent, which is helpful for planning well-completion and fracturing operation parameters in radial borehole-promoted hydraulic fracturing technology.

Overcoming tortuosity in hydraulic fracture operations in the Pilar Field, Alagoas, Brazil; Operacoes de fraturamento hidraulico no Campo de Pilar, Alagoas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Payao, Edson da C. [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Gomes, Luiz A.Q.M.; Araujo, Josue de S. [Schlumberger, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2004-07-01

The growing demand of natural gas by the industries in the Northeast of Brazil is the main drive for the conversion campaign witnessed in the oil wells producing at marginal rates from the Coqueiro Seco formation in the Pilar field, State of Alagoas, to gas wells producing from the deep Penedo reservoir, with total depths in the vicinity of 3500 meters. One of the important steps for increasing natural gas production in the Pilar field is the hydraulic fracturing operations in the Penedo formation. The process of creating these fractures show a distinct behavior from the treatments performed in the shallow Coqueiro Seco formation, aiming at improved oil productivity. This paper describes the completion strategy for the wells converted from oil to gas producers, highlighting the problems faced and overcome during the hydraulic fracture treatments. In deviated wells crossing the deep Penedo reservoir, the risk of multiple fractures and influence of tortuosity have been diminished through corrective techniques, unique for each one of the existing wells. In the early hydraulic fracture treatments performed in the Pilar field, premature screen-outs were commonplace, disencouraging the use of the technique. The need to produce gas brought new ideas to the battlefield, and their implementation led to results beyond expectations. (author)

XFEM modeling of hydraulic fracture in porous rocks with natural fractures

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Tao; Liu, ZhanLi; Zeng, QingLei; Gao, Yue; Zhuang, Zhuo

2017-08-01

Hydraulic fracture (HF) in porous rocks is a complex multi-physics coupling process which involves fluid flow, diffusion and solid deformation. In this paper, the extended finite element method (XFEM) coupling with Biot theory is developed to study the HF in permeable rocks with natural fractures (NFs). In the recent XFEM based computational HF models, the fluid flow in fractures and interstitials of the porous media are mostly solved separately, which brings difficulties in dealing with complex fracture morphology. In our new model the fluid flow is solved in a unified framework by considering the fractures as a kind of special porous media and introducing Poiseuille-type flow inside them instead of Darcy-type flow. The most advantage is that it is very convenient to deal with fluid flow inside the complex fracture network, which is important in shale gas extraction. The weak formulation for the new coupled model is derived based on virtual work principle, which includes the XFEM formulation for multiple fractures and fractures intersection in porous media and finite element formulation for the unified fluid flow. Then the plane strain Kristianovic-Geertsma-de Klerk (KGD) model and the fluid flow inside the fracture network are simulated to validate the accuracy and applicability of this method. The numerical results show that large injection rate, low rock permeability and isotropic in-situ stresses tend to lead to a more uniform and productive fracture network.

Database for Hydraulically Conductive Fractures. Update 2010

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tammisto, E.; Palmen, J.

2011-02-01

Posiva flow logging (PFL) with 0.5 m test interval and made in 10 cm steps can be used for exact depth determination of hydraulically conductive fractures. Together with drillhole wall images and fracture data from core logging PFL provides possibilities to detect single conductive fractures. In this report, the results of PFL are combined to the fracture data in drillholes OL-KR49 .. OL-KR53, OL-KR50B, OL-KR52B and OLKR53B and pilot holes ONK-PH11 - ONK-PH13. The results are used mainly in development of hydroDFN- models. The conductive fractures were first recognised from the PFL data and digital drillhole images and then the fractures from the core logging corresponding to the ones picked from the digital drillhole images were identified. The conductive fractures were recognised from the images primarily based on openness of fractures or a visible flow in the image. In most of the cases of measured flow, no tails of flow were seen in the image. In these cases, the conductive fractures were recognised from the image based on openness of fractures and a matching depth. According to the results the hydraulically conductive fractures/zones can be distinguished from the drillhole wall images in most cases. An important phase in the work is to calibrate the depth of the image and the flow logging with the sample length. The hydraulic conductivity is clearly higher in the upper part of the bedrock in the depth range 0-150 m below sea level than deeper in the bedrock. The frequency of hydraulically conductive fractures detected in flow logging (T > 10 -10 -10 -9 m 2 /s) in depth range 0-150 m varies from 0.07 to 0.84 fractures/meter of sample length. Deeper in the rock the conductive fractures are less frequent, but occur often in groups of few fractures. In drillholes OL-KR49 .. OL-KR53, OL-KR50B, OL-KR52B and OL-KR53B about 8.5 % of all fractures and 4.4 % of the conductive fractures are within HZ-structures. (orig.)

Numerical Investigation into the Effect of Natural Fracture Density on Hydraulic Fracture Network Propagation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhaohui Chong

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Hydraulic fracturing is an important method to enhance permeability in oil and gas exploitation projects and weaken hard roofs of coal seams to reduce dynamic disasters, for example, rock burst. It is necessary to fully understand the mechanism of the initiation, propagation, and coalescence of hydraulic fracture network (HFN caused by fluid flow in rock formations. In this study, a coupled hydro-mechanical model was built based on synthetic rock mass (SRM method to investigate the effects of natural fracture (NF density on HFN propagation. Firstly, the geometrical structures of NF obtained from borehole images at the field scale were applied to the model. Secondly, the micro-parameters of the proposed model were validated against the interaction between NF and hydraulic fracture (HF in physical experiments. Finally, a series of numerical simulations were performed to study the mechanism of HFN propagation. In addition, confining pressure ratio (CPR and injection rate were also taken into consideration. The results suggested that the increase of NF density drives the growth of stimulated reservoir volume (SRV, concentration area of injection pressure (CAIP, and the number of cracks caused by NF. The number of tensile cracks caused by rock matrix decrease gradually with the increase of NF density, and the number of shear cracks caused by rock matrix are almost immune to the change of NF density. The propagation orientation of HFN and the breakdown pressure in rock formations are mainly controlled by CPR. Different injection rates would result in a relatively big difference in the gradient of injection pressure, but this difference would be gradually narrowed with the increase of NF density. Natural fracture density is the key factor that influences the percentages of different crack types in HFN, regardless of the value of CPR and injection rate. The proposed model may help predict HFN propagation and optimize fracturing treatment designs in

Estimating the hydraulic conductivity of two-dimensional fracture networks

Science.gov (United States)

Leung, C. T.; Zimmerman, R. W.

2010-12-01

Most oil and gas reservoirs, as well as most potential sites for nuclear waste disposal, are naturally fractured. In these sites, the network of fractures will provide the main path for fluid to flow through the rock mass. In many cases, the fracture density is so high as to make it impractical to model it with a discrete fracture network (DFN) approach. For such rock masses, it would be useful to have recourse to analytical, or semi-analytical, methods to estimate the macroscopic hydraulic conductivity of the fracture network. We have investigated single-phase fluid flow through stochastically generated two-dimensional fracture networks. The centres and orientations of the fractures are uniformly distributed, whereas their lengths follow either a lognormal distribution or a power law distribution. We have considered the case where the fractures in the network each have the same aperture, as well as the case where the aperture of each fracture is directly proportional to the fracture length. The discrete fracture network flow and transport simulator NAPSAC, developed by Serco (Didcot, UK), is used to establish the “true” macroscopic hydraulic conductivity of the network. We then attempt to match this conductivity using a simple estimation method that does not require extensive computation. For our calculations, fracture networks are represented as networks composed of conducting segments (bonds) between nodes. Each bond represents the region of a single fracture between two adjacent intersections with other fractures. We assume that the bonds are arranged on a kagome lattice, with some fraction of the bonds randomly missing. The conductance of each bond is then replaced with some effective conductance, Ceff, which we take to be the arithmetic mean of the individual conductances, averaged over each bond, rather than over each fracture. This is in contrast to the usual approximation used in effective medium theories, wherein the geometric mean is used. Our

Toughness-Dominated Regime of Hydraulic Fracturing in Cohesionless Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Germanovich, L. N.; Hurt, R. S.; Ayoub, J.; Norman, W. D.

2011-12-01

This work examines the mechanisms of hydraulic fracturing in cohesionless particulate materials with geotechnical, geological, and petroleum applications. For this purpose, experimental techniques have been developed, and used to quantify the initiation and propagation of hydraulic fractures in saturated particulate materials. The fracturing liquid is injected into particulate materials, which are practically cohesionless. The liquid flow is localized in thin self-propagating crack-like conduits. By analogy we call them 'cracks' or 'hydraulic fractures.' When a fracture propagates in a solid, new surfaces are created by breaking material bonds. Consequently, the material is in tension at the fracture tip. Because the particulate material is already 'fractured,' no new surface is created and no fracturing process per se is involved. Therefore, the conventional fracture mechanics principles cannot be directly applied. Based on the laboratory observations, performed on three particulate materials (Georgia Red Clay, silica flour, and fine sand, and their mixtures), this work offers physical concepts to explain the observed phenomena. The goal is to determine the controlling parameters of fracture behavior and to quantify their effects. An important conclusion of our work is that all parts of the cohesionless particulate material (including the tip zone of hydraulic fracture) are likely to be in compression. The compressive stress state is an important characteristic of hydraulic fracturing in particulate materials with low, or no, cohesion (such as were used in our experiments). At present, two kinematic mechanisms of fracture propagation, consistent with the compressive stress regime, can be offered. The first mechanism is based on shear bands propagating ahead of the tip of an open fracture. The second is based on the tensile strain ahead of the fracture tip and reduction of the effective stresses to zero within the leak-off zone. Scaling indicates that in our

Data Analytics of Hydraulic Fracturing Data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Jovan Yang [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Viswanathan, Hari [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Hyman, Jeffery [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Middleton, Richard [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-08-11

These are a set of slides on the data analytics of hydraulic fracturing data. The conclusions from this research are the following: they proposed a permeability evolution as a new mechanism to explain hydraulic fracturing trends; they created a model to include this mechanism and it showed promising results; the paper from this research is ready for submission; they devised a way to identify and sort refractures in order to study their effects, and this paper is currently being written.

The Pennsylvania Experience with Hydraulic Fracturing for Shale Gas Development: Relatively Infrequent Water Quality Incidents with Lots of Public Attention

Science.gov (United States)

Brantley, S. L.; Li, Z.; Yoxtheimer, D.; Vidic, R.

2015-12-01

New techniques of hydraulic fracturing - "fracking" - have changed the United States over the last 10 years into a leading producer of natural gas extraction from shale. The first such gas well in Pennsylvania was drilled and completed using high-volume hydraulic fracturing in 2004. By late 2014, more than 8500 of these gas wells had been drilled in the Marcellus Shale gas field in Pennsylvania alone. Almost 1000 public complaints about groundwater quality were logged by the PA Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) between 2008 and 2012. Only a fraction of these were attributed to unconventional gas development. The most common problem was gas migration into drinking water, but contamination incidents also included spills, seepage, or leaks of fracking fluids, brine salts, or very occasionally, radioactive species. Many problems of gas migration were from a few counties in the northeastern part of the state. However, sometimes one gas well contaminated multiple water wells. For example, one gas well was reported by the state regulator to have contaminated 18 water wells with methane near Dimock PA. It can be argued that such problems at a relatively small fraction of gas wells initiated pockets of pushback against fracking worldwide. This resistance to fracking has grown even though fracking has been in use in the U.S.A. since the 1940s. We have worked as part of an NSF-funded project (the Shale Network) to share water quality data and publish it online using the CUAHSI Hydrologic Information System. Sharing data has led to collaborative investigation of specific contamination incidents to understand how problems can occur, and to efforts to quantify the frequency of impacts. The Shale Network efforts have also highlighted the need for more transparency with water quality data in the arena related to the energy-water nexus. As more data are released, new techniques of data analysis will allow better understanding of how to tune best practices to be

A new method in predicting productivity of multi-stage fractured horizontal well in tight gas reservoirs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yunsheng Wei

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The generally accomplished technique for horizontal wells in tight gas reservoirs is by multi-stage hydraulic fracturing, not to mention, the flow characteristics of a horizontal well with multiple transverse fractures are very intricate. Conventional methods, well as an evaluation unit, are difficult to accurately predict production capacity of each fracture and productivity differences between wells with a different number of fractures. Thus, a single fracture sets the minimum evaluation unit, matrix, fractures, and lateral wellbore model that are then combined integrally to approximate horizontal well with multiple transverse hydraulic fractures in tight gas reservoirs. This paper presents a new semi-analytical methodology for predicting the production capacity of a horizontal well with multiple transverse hydraulic fractures in tight gas reservoirs. Firstly, a mathematical flow model used as a medium, which is disturbed by finite conductivity vertical fractures and rectangular shaped boundaries, is established and explained by the Fourier integral transform. Then the idea of a single stage fracture analysis is incorporated to establish linear flow model within a single fracture with a variable rate. The Fredholm integral numerical solution is applicable for the fracture conductivity function. Finally, the pipe flow model along the lateral wellbore is adapted to couple multi-stages fracture mathematical models, and the equation group of predicting productivity of a multi-stage fractured horizontal well. The whole flow process from the matrix to bottom-hole and production interference between adjacent fractures is also established. Meanwhile, the corresponding iterative algorithm of the equations is given. In this case analysis, the productions of each well and fracture are calculated under the different bottom-hole flowing pressure, and this method also contributes to obtaining the distribution of pressure drop and production for every

Characterization of the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing fluids for wells located in the Marcellus Shale Play.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Huan; Carter, Kimberly E

2017-09-15

Hydraulic fracturing, coupled with the advances in horizontal drilling, has been used for recovering oil and natural gas from shale formations and has aided in increasing the production of these energy resources. The large volumes of hydraulic fracturing fluids used in this technology contain chemical additives, which may be toxic organics or produce toxic degradation byproducts. This paper investigated the chemicals introduced into the hydraulic fracturing fluids for completed wells located in Pennsylvania and West Virginia from data provided by the well operators. The results showed a total of 5071 wells, with average water volumes of 5,383,743 ± 2,789,077 gal (mean ± standard deviation). A total of 517 chemicals was introduced into the formulated hydraulic fracturing fluids. Of the 517 chemicals listed by the operators, 96 were inorganic compounds, 358 chemicals were organic species, and the remaining 63 cannot be identified. Many toxic organics were used in the hydraulic fracturing fluids. Some of them are carcinogenic, including formaldehyde, naphthalene, and acrylamide. The degradation of alkylphenol ethoxylates would produce more toxic, persistent, and estrogenic intermediates. Acrylamide monomer as a primary degradation intermediate of polyacrylamides is carcinogenic. Most of the chemicals appearing in the hydraulic fracturing fluids can be removed when adopting the appropriate treatments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Failure Mode of the Water-filled Fractures under Hydraulic Pressure in Karst Tunnels

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Dong Xin

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Water-filled fractures continue to grow after the excavation of karst tunnels, and the hydraulic pressure in these fractures changes along with such growth. This paper simplifies the fractures in the surrounding rock as flat ellipses and then identifies the critical hydraulic pressure values required for the occurrence of tensile-shear and compression-shear failures in water-filled fractures in the case of plane stress. The occurrence of tensile-shear fracture requires a larger critical hydraulic pressure than compression-shear failure in the same fracture. This paper examines the effects of fracture strike and lateral pressure coefficient on critical hydraulic pressure, and identifies compression-shear failure as the main failure mode of water-filled fractures. This paper also analyses the hydraulic pressure distribution in fractures with different extensions, and reveals that hydraulic pressure decreases along with the continuous growth of fractures and cannot completely fill a newly formed fracture with water. Fracture growth may be interrupted under the effect of hydraulic tensile shear.

GPU-Based Computation of Formation Pressure for Multistage Hydraulically Fractured Horizontal Wells in Tight Oil and Gas Reservoirs

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Rongwang Yin

2018-01-01

Full Text Available A mathematical model for multistage hydraulically fractured horizontal wells (MFHWs in tight oil and gas reservoirs was derived by considering the variations in the permeability and porosity of tight oil and gas reservoirs that depend on formation pressure and mixed fluid properties and introducing the pseudo-pressure; analytical solutions were presented using the Newman superposition principle. The CPU-GPU asynchronous computing model was designed based on the CUDA platform, and the analytic solution was decomposed into infinite summation and integral forms for parallel computation. Implementation of this algorithm on an Intel i5 4590 CPU and NVIDIA GT 730 GPU demonstrates that computation speed increased by almost 80 times, which meets the requirement for real-time calculation of the formation pressure of MFHWs.

The Role of the Rock on Hydraulic Fracturing of Tight Shales

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Suarez-Rivera, R.; Green, S.; Stanchits, S.; Yang, Y.

2011-12-01

Successful economic production of oil and gas from nano-darcy-range permeability, tight shale reservoirs, is achieved via massive hydraulic fracturing. This is so despite their limited hydrocarbon in place, on per unit rock volume basis. As a reference, consider a typical average porosity of 6% and an average hydrocarbon saturation of 50% to 75%. The importance of tight shales results from their large areal extent and vertical thickness. For example, the areal extent of the Anwar field in Saudi Arabia of 3230 square miles (and 300 ft thick), while the Marcellus shale alone is over 100,000 square miles (and 70 to 150 ft thick). The low permeability of the rock matrix, the predominantly mineralized rock fabric, and the high capillary forces to both brines and hydrocarbons, restrict the mobility of pore fluids in these reservoirs. Thus, one anticipates that fluids do not move very far within tight shales. Successful production, therefore results from maximizing the surface area of contact with the reservoir by massive hydraulic fracturing from horizontal bore holes. This was the conceptual breakthrough of the previous decade and the one that triggered the emergence of gas shales, and recently oily shales, as important economic sources of energy. It is now understood that the process can be made substantially more efficient, more sustainable, and more cost effective by understanding the rock. This will be the breakthrough of this decade. Microseismic monitoring, mass balance calculations, and laboratory experiments of hydraulic fracturing on tight shales indicate the development of fracture complexity and fracture propagation that can not be explained in detail in this layered heterogeneous media. It is now clear that in tight shales the large-scale formation fabric is responsible for fracture complexity. For example, the presence and pervasiveness of mineralized fractures, bed interfaces, lithologic contacts, and other types of discontinuities, and their orientation

Baseflow recession analysis in a large shale play: Climate variability and anthropogenic alterations mask effects of hydraulic fracturing

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Arciniega-Esparza, Saúl; Breña-Naranjo, Jose Agustín; Hernández-Espriú, Antonio; Pedrozo-Acuña, Adrián; Scanlon, Bridget R.; Nicot, Jean Philippe; Young, Michael H.; Wolaver, Brad D.; Alcocer-Yamanaka, Victor Hugo

2017-10-01

Water resources development and landscape alteration exert marked impacts on water-cycle dynamics, including areas subjected to hydraulic fracturing (HF) for exploitation of unconventional oil and gas resources found in shale or tight sandstones. Here we apply a conceptual framework for linking baseflow analysis to changes in water demands from different sectors (e.g. oil/gas extraction, irrigation, and municipal consumption) and climatic variability in the semiarid Eagle Ford play in Texas, USA. We hypothesize that, in water-limited regions, baseflow (Qb) changes are partly due (along with climate variability) to groundwater abstraction. For a more realistic assessment, the analysis was conducted in two different sets of unregulated catchments, located outside and inside the Eagle Ford play. Three periods were considered in the analysis related to HF activities: pre-development (1980-2000), moderate (2001-2008) and intensive (2009-2015) periods. Results indicate that in the Eagle Ford play region, temporal changes in baseflow cannot be directly related to the increase in hydraulic fracturing. Instead, substantial baseflow declines during the intensive period of hydraulic fracturing represent the aggregated effects from the combination of: (1) a historical exceptional drought during 2011-2012; (2) increased groundwater-based irrigation; and (3) an intensive hydraulic fracturing activity.

Volume fracturing of deep shale gas horizontal wells

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Tingxue Jiang

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Deep shale gas reservoirs buried underground with depth being more than 3500 m are characterized by high in-situ stress, large horizontal stress difference, complex distribution of bedding and natural cracks, and strong rock plasticity. Thus, during hydraulic fracturing, these reservoirs often reveal difficult fracture extension, low fracture complexity, low stimulated reservoir volume (SRV, low conductivity and fast decline, which hinder greatly the economic and effective development of deep shale gas. In this paper, a specific and feasible technique of volume fracturing of deep shale gas horizontal wells is presented. In addition to planar perforation, multi-scale fracturing, full-scale fracture filling, and control over extension of high-angle natural fractures, some supporting techniques are proposed, including multi-stage alternate injection (of acid fluid, slick water and gel and the mixed- and small-grained proppant to be injected with variable viscosity and displacement. These techniques help to increase the effective stimulated reservoir volume (ESRV for deep gas production. Some of the techniques have been successfully used in the fracturing of deep shale gas horizontal wells in Yongchuan, Weiyuan and southern Jiaoshiba blocks in the Sichuan Basin. As a result, Wells YY1HF and WY1HF yielded initially 14.1 × 104 m3/d and 17.5 × 104 m3/d after fracturing. The volume fracturing of deep shale gas horizontal well is meaningful in achieving the productivity of 50 × 108 m3 gas from the interval of 3500–4000 m in Phase II development of Fuling and also in commercial production of huge shale gas resources at a vertical depth of less than 6000 m.

The Criteria for the Selection of Wells for Hydraulic Fracturing

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O.V. Salimov

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Various methods of selection of wells for hydraulic fracturing are analyzed. It is established that all methods can be divided into three large groups: criteria in the table form of boundary values of parameters, statistical methods of pattern recognition, methods of engineering calculation. The complication or use of additional parameters only leads to a reduction in the number of wells at which hydraulic fracturing is possible. It is shown that the use of reservoir properties of rocks, which are already used by hydraulic fracturing simulators, is not practicable as selection criteria. It is required to include in the selection criteria only those additional factors on which the effectiveness of hydraulic fracturing depends directly.

Dynamic Response in Transient Stress-Field Behavior Induced by Hydraulic Fracturing

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Jenkins, Andrew

magnitude. These types of shifts are of great concern because they can impact subsequent fracture development causing non-uniform fracture propagation and the potential overlapping of fracture paths as they extend from the wellbore at the point of injection. The dynamics of stress variation that occur with respect to hydraulic fracturing is a somewhat new area of study. In order to accomplish the goals of this thesis and continue future research in this area a new transient model has been developed in order to asses these dynamic systems and determine their influence on fracture behavior. This applies the use of a fully coupled finite element method in 2-D using linear elastic fracture mechanics which is then expanded using displacement discontinuity to a cohesive zone model in 3-D. A static boundary element model was also used to determine stress fields surrounding static, predetermined fracture geometries. These models have been verified against analytical solutions for simple cases and are now being applied to more detailed case studies and analysis. These models have been briefly discussed throughout this thesis in order to give insight on their current capabilities and application as well as their future potential within this area of research. The majority of this work introduces transient stress field prediction to cases of single and multiple hydraulic fractures. The static assessment of these stresses is determined for verification of results to those found in publication which leads into these transient stress field variations. A new method has been developed and applied to the stress state prediction for the first time in a transient fracture model which is partly based upon a critical distance theory. These dynamic interactions can provide useful insight to pertinent issues within the petroleum and natural gas industry such as those to hydraulic fracturing fluid loss and induced seismic events, as well as to applications of efficiency and optimization of the

Monitoring concentration and isotopic composition of methane in groundwater in the Utica Shale hydraulic fracturing region of Ohio.

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Claire Botner, E; Townsend-Small, Amy; Nash, David B; Xu, Xiaomei; Schimmelmann, Arndt; Miller, Joshua H

2018-05-03

Degradation of groundwater quality is a primary public concern in rural hydraulic fracturing areas. Previous studies have shown that natural gas methane (CH 4 ) is present in groundwater near shale gas wells in the Marcellus Shale of Pennsylvania, but did not have pre-drilling baseline measurements. Here, we present the results of a free public water testing program in the Utica Shale of Ohio, where we measured CH 4 concentration, CH 4 stable isotopic composition, and pH and conductivity along temporal and spatial gradients of hydraulic fracturing activity. Dissolved CH 4 ranged from 0.2 μg/L to 25 mg/L, and stable isotopic measurements indicated a predominantly biogenic carbonate reduction CH 4 source. Radiocarbon dating of CH 4 in combination with stable isotopic analysis of CH 4 in three samples indicated that fossil C substrates are the source of CH 4 in groundwater, with one 14 C date indicative of modern biogenic carbonate reduction. We found no relationship between CH 4 concentration or source in groundwater and proximity to active gas well sites. No significant changes in CH 4 concentration, CH 4 isotopic composition, pH, or conductivity in water wells were observed during the study period. These data indicate that high levels of biogenic CH 4 can be present in groundwater wells independent of hydraulic fracturing activity and affirm the need for isotopic or other fingerprinting techniques for CH 4 source identification. Continued monitoring of private drinking water wells is critical to ensure that groundwater quality is not altered as hydraulic fracturing activity continues in the region. Graphical abstract A shale gas well in rural Appalachian Ohio. Photo credit: Claire Botner.

Characterisation of hydraulically-active fractures in a fractured ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2015-01-07

Jan 7, 2015 ... injection and recovery tests were conducted for verification of the ... Keywords: self-potential method, hydraulically-conductive fractures, constant pressure injection and recovery ...... porous media 1: theory of the zeta potential.

Streaming potential modeling in fractured rock: Insights into the identification of hydraulically active fractures

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Roubinet, D.; Linde, N.; Jougnot, D.; Irving, J.

2016-05-01

Numerous field experiments suggest that the self-potential (SP) geophysical method may allow for the detection of hydraulically active fractures and provide information about fracture properties. However, a lack of suitable numerical tools for modeling streaming potentials in fractured media prevents quantitative interpretation and limits our understanding of how the SP method can be used in this regard. To address this issue, we present a highly efficient two-dimensional discrete-dual-porosity approach for solving the fluid flow and associated self-potential problems in fractured rock. Our approach is specifically designed for complex fracture networks that cannot be investigated using standard numerical methods. We then simulate SP signals associated with pumping conditions for a number of examples to show that (i) accounting for matrix fluid flow is essential for accurate SP modeling and (ii) the sensitivity of SP to hydraulically active fractures is intimately linked with fracture-matrix fluid interactions. This implies that fractures associated with strong SP amplitudes are likely to be hydraulically conductive, attracting fluid flow from the surrounding matrix.

Effect of rock rheology on fluid leak- off during hydraulic fracturing

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Yarushina, V. M.; Bercovici, D.; Oristaglio, M. L.

2012-04-01

In this communication, we evaluate the effect of rock rheology on fluid leak­off during hydraulic fracturing of reservoirs. Fluid leak-off in hydraulic fracturing is often nonlinear. The simple linear model developed by Carter (1957) for flow of fracturing fluid into a reservoir has three different regions in the fractured zone: a filter cake on the fracture face, formed by solid additives from the fracturing fluid; a filtrate zone affected by invasion of the fracturing fluid; and a reservoir zone with the original formation fluid. The width of each zone, as well as its permeability and pressure drop, is assumed to remain constant. Physical intuition suggests some straightforward corrections to this classical theory to take into account the pressure dependence of permeability, the compressibility or non-Newtonian rheology of fracturing fluid, and the radial (versus linear) geometry of fluid leak­off from the borehole. All of these refinements, however, still assume that the reservoir rock adjacent to the fracture face is non­deformable. Although the effect of poroelastic stress changes on leak-off is usually thought to be negligible, at the very high fluid pressures used in hydraulic fracturing, where the stresses exceed the rock strength, elastic rheology may not be the best choice. For example, calculations show that perfectly elastic rock formations do not undergo the degree of compaction typically seen in sedimentary basins. Therefore, pseudo-elastic or elastoplastic models are used to fit observed porosity profiles with depth. Starting from balance equations for mass and momentum for fluid and rock, we derive a hydraulic flow equation coupled with a porosity equation describing rock compaction. The result resembles a pressure diffusion equation with the total compressibility being a sum of fluid, rock and pore-space compressibilities. With linear elastic rheology, the bulk formation compressibility is dominated by fluid compressibility. But the possibility

Vibrational modes of hydraulic fractures: Inference of fracture geometry from resonant frequencies and attenuation

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Lipovsky, Bradley P.; Dunham, Eric M.

2015-02-01

Oscillatory seismic signals arising from resonant vibrations of hydraulic fractures are observed in many geologic systems, including volcanoes, glaciers and ice sheets, and hydrocarbon and geothermal reservoirs. To better quantify the physical dimensions of fluid-filled cracks and properties of the fluids within them, we study wave motion along a thin hydraulic fracture waveguide. We present a linearized analysis, valid at wavelengths greater than the fracture aperture, that accounts for quasi-static elastic deformation of the fracture walls, as well as fluid viscosity, inertia, and compressibility. In the long-wavelength limit, anomalously dispersed guided waves known as crack or Krauklis waves propagate with restoring force from fracture wall elasticity. At shorter wavelengths, the waves become sound waves within the fluid channel. Wave attenuation in our model is due to fluid viscosity, rather than seismic radiation from crack tips or fracture wall roughness. We characterize viscous damping at both low frequencies, where the flow is always fully developed, and at high frequencies, where the flow has a nearly constant velocity profile away from viscous boundary layers near the fracture walls. Most observable seismic signals from resonating fractures likely arise in the boundary layer crack wave limit, where fluid-solid coupling is pronounced and attenuation is minimal. We present a method to estimate the aperture and length of a resonating hydraulic fracture using both the seismically observed quality factor and characteristic frequency. Finally, we develop scaling relations between seismic moment and characteristic frequency that might be useful when interpreting the statistics of hydraulic fracture events.

Analysis of BTEX groundwater concentrations from surface spills associated with hydraulic fracturing operations.

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Gross, Sherilyn A; Avens, Heather J; Banducci, Amber M; Sahmel, Jennifer; Panko, Julie M; Tvermoes, Brooke E

2013-04-01

Concerns have arisen among the public regarding the potentialfor drinking-water contamination from the migration of methane gas and hazardous chemicals associated with hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. However, little attention has been paid to the potentialfor groundwater contamination resulting from surface spills from storage and production facilities at active well sites. We performed a search for publically available data regarding groundwater contamination from spills at ULS. drilling sites. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) database was selected for further analysis because it was the most detailed. The majority ofspills were in Weld County, Colorado, which has the highest density of wells that used hydraulic fracturing for completion, many producing both methane gas and crude oil. We analyzed publically available data reported by operators to the COGCC regarding surface spills that impacted groundwater From July 2010 to July 2011, we noted 77 reported surface spills impacting the groundwater in Weld County, which resulted in surface spills associated with less than 0.5% of the active wells. The reported data included groundwater samples that were analyzed for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, andxylene (BTEX) components of crude oil. For groundwater samples taken both within the spill excavation area and on the first reported date of sampling, the BTEX measurements exceeded National Drinking Water maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) in 90, 30, 12, and 8% of the samples, respectively. However, actions taken to remediate the spills were effective at reducing BJTEX levels, with at least 84% of the spills reportedly achieving remediation as of May 2012. Our analysis demonstrates that surface spills are an important route of potential groundwater contamination from hydraulic fracturing activities and should be a focus of programs to protect groundwater While benzene can occur naturally in groundwater sources, spills and migration

Quantifying Discrete Fracture Network Connectivity in Hydraulic Fracturing Stimulation

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Urbancic, T.; Ardakani, E. P.; Baig, A.

2017-12-01

Hydraulic fracture stimulations generally result in microseismicity that is associated with the activation or extension of pre-existing microfractures and discontinuities. Microseismic events acquired under 3D downhole sensor coverage provide accurate event locations outlining hydraulic fracture growth. Combined with source characteristics, these events provide a high quality input for seismic moment tensor inversion and eventually constructing the representative discrete fracture network (DFN). In this study, we investigate the strain and stress state, identified fracture orientation, and DFN connectivity and performance for example stages in a multistage perf and plug completion in a North American shale play. We use topology, the familiar concept in many areas of structural geology, to further describe the relationships between the activated fractures and their effectiveness in enhancing permeability. We explore how local perturbations of stress state lead to the activation of different fractures sets and how that effects the DFN interaction and complexity. In particular, we observe that a more heterogeneous stress state shows a higher percentage of sub-horizontal fractures or bedding plane slips. Based on topology, the fractures are evenly distributed from the injection point, with decreasing numbers of connections by distance. The dimensionless measure of connection per branch and connection per line are used for quantifying the DFN connectivity. In order to connect the concept of connectivity back to productive volume and stimulation efficiency, the connectivity is compared with the character of deformation in the reservoir as deduced from the collective behavior of microseismicity using robustly determined source parameters.

Sustainable Management of Flowback Water during Hydraulic Fracturing of Marcellus Shale for Natural Gas Production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vidic, Radisav [Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

2015-01-24

This study evaluated the feasibility of using abandoned mine drainage (AMD) as make- up water for the reuse of produced water for hydraulic fracturing. There is an abundance of AMD sources near permitted gas wells as documented in this study that can not only serve as makeup water and reduce the demand on high quality water resources but can also as a source of chemicals to treat produced water prior to reuse. The assessment of AMD availability for this purpose based on proximity and relevant regulations was accompanied by bench- and pilot-scale studies to determine optimal treatment to achieve desired water quality for use in hydraulic fracturing. Sulfate ions that are often present in AMD at elevated levels will react with Ba²⁺ and Sr²⁺ in produced water to form insoluble sulfate compounds. Both membrane microfiltration and gravity separation were evaluated for the removal of solids formed as a result of mixing these two impaired waters. Laboratory studies revealed that neither AMD nor barite formed in solution had significant impact on membrane filtration but that some produced waters contained submicron particles that can cause severe fouling of microfiltration membrane. Coagulation/flocculation was found to be an effective process for the removal of suspended solids and both bench- and pilot-scale studies revealed that optimal process conditions can consistently achieve the turbidity of the finished water below 5 NTU. Adjusting the blending ratio of AMD and produced water can achieve the desired effluent sulfate concentration that can be accurately predicted by chemical thermodynamics. Co-treatment of produced water and AMD will result in elevated levels of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in the solid waste generated in this process due to radium co-precipitation with barium sulfate. Laboratory studies revealed that the mobility of barite that may form in the subsurface due to the presence of sulfate in the fracturing fluid can be

Experience in North America Tight Oil Reserves Development. Horizontal Wells and Multistage Hydraulic Fracturing

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R.R. Ibatullin

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The accelerated development of horizontal drilling technology in combination with the multistage hydraulic fracturing of the reservoir has expanded the geological conditions for commercial oil production from tight reservoirs in North America. Geological and physical characteristics of tight reservoirs in North America are presented, as well as a comparison of the geological and physical properties of the reservoirs of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin and the Volga-Ural oil and gas province, in particular, in the territory of Tatarstan. The similarity of these basins is shown in terms of formation and deposition. New drilling technologies for horizontal wells (HW and multistage hydraulic fracturing are considered. The drilling in tight reservoirs is carried out exclusively on hydrocarbon-based muds The multi-stage fracturing technology with the use of sliding sleeves, and also slick water – a low-viscous carrier for proppant is the most effective solution for conditions similar to tight reservoirs in the Devonian formation of Tatarstan. Tax incentives which are actively used for the development of HW and multistage fracturing technologies in Canada are described. wells, multistage fracturing

Advanced hydraulic fracturing methods to create in situ reactive barriers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murdoch, L.

1997-01-01

This article describes the use of hydraulic fracturing to increase permeability in geologic formations where in-situ remedial action of contaminant plumes will be performed. Several in-situ treatment strategies are discussed including the use of hydraulic fracturing to create in situ redox zones for treatment of organics and inorganics. Hydraulic fracturing methods offer a mechanism for the in-situ treatment of gently dipping layers of reactive compounds. Specialized methods using real-time monitoring and a high-energy jet during fracturing allow the form of the fracture to be influenced, such as creation of assymmetric fractures beneath potential sources (i.e. tanks, pits, buildings) that should not be penetrated by boring. Some examples of field applications of this technique such as creating fractures filled with zero-valent iron to reductively dechlorinate halogenated hydrocarbons, and the use of granular activated carbon to adsorb compounds are discussed

Development of technical means for directional hydraulic fracturing with shearing loading of borehole walls

Science.gov (United States)

Rybalkin, LA; Patutin, AV; Patutin, DV

2018-03-01

During the process of mineral deposits’ mining one of the most important conditions for safe and economically profitable work of a mining enterprise is obtaining timely information on the stress state of the developed massif. One of the most common methods of remote study of the geomechanical state of the rock massif is hydraulic fracturing of the formation. Directional hydraulic fracturing is a type of the method employed to form cracks across production wells. This technology was most widely used in the gas industry to extract gas from shale formations. In mining, this technology is used to set up filtration screens, to integrate degassing, to soften the hard roof of coal seams. Possible practical appliance is the expansion of the application field of this technology to intensify the production of viscous oil, to leach non-ferrous metals, to create in the rock massif anti-filtration screens for various purposes, as well as to measure stresses acting along the wells.

Database for hydraulically conductive fractures. Update 2009

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmen, J.; Tammisto, E.; Ahokas, H.

2010-03-01

Posiva flow logging (PFL) with a 0.5 m test interval and made in 10 cm steps can be used for the determination of the depth of hydraulically conductive fractures. Together with drillhole wall images and fracture data from core logging, PFL provides possibilities to detect individual conductive fractures. In this report, the results of PFL are combined with fracture data on drillholes OL-KR41 - OL-KR48, OL-KR41B - OLKR45B and pilot holes ONK-PH8 - ONK-PH10. In addition, HTU-data measured by 2 m section length and 2 m steps in holes OL-KR39 and OL-KR40 at depths 300-700 m were analyzed and combined with fracture data in a similar way. The conductive fractures were first recognised from PFL data and digital drillhole images and then the fractures from the core logging that correspond to the ones picked from the digital drillhole images were identified. The conductive fractures were primarily recognised in the images based on the openness of fractures or a visible flow in the image. In most of the cases, no tails of flow were seen in the image. In these cases the conductive fractures were recognised in the image based on the openness of fractures and a matching depth. On the basis of the results hydraulically conductive fractures/zones could in most cases be distinguished in the drillhole wall images. An important phase in the work is the calibration of the depth of the image, flow logging and the HTU logging with the sample length. In addition to results of PFL-correlation, Hydraulic Testing Unit (HTU) data measured by 2 m section length and 2 m steps was studied at selected depths for holes OL-KR39, OL-KR40, OL-KR42 and OL-KR45. Due to low HTU section depth accuracy the conducting fractures were successfully correlated with Fracture Data Base (FDB) fractures only in drillholes OL-KR39 and OL-KR40. HTU-data depth matching in these two drillholes was performed using geophysical Single Point Resistance (SPR) data both from geophysical and PFL measurements as a depth

Assessing the monitoring performance using a synthetic microseismic catalogue for hydraulic fracturing

Science.gov (United States)

Ángel López Comino, José; Kriegerowski, Marius; Cesca, Simone; Dahm, Torsten; Mirek, Janusz; Lasocki, Stanislaw

2016-04-01

Hydraulic fracturing is considered among the human operations which could induce or trigger seismicity or microseismic activity. The influence of hydraulic fracturing operations is typically expected in terms of weak magnitude events. However, the sensitivity of the rock mass to trigger seismicity varies significantly for different sites and cannot be easily predicted prior to operations. In order to assess the sensitivity of microseismity to hydraulic fracturing operations, we perform a seismic monitoring at a shale gas exploration/exploitation site in the central-western part of the Peribaltic synclise at Pomerania (Poland). The monitoring will be continued before, during and after the termination of hydraulic fracturing operations. The fracking operations are planned in April 2016 at a depth 4000 m. A specific network setup has been installed since summer 2015, including a distributed network of broadband stations and three small-scale arrays. The network covers a region of 60 km2. The aperture of small scale arrays is between 450 and 950 m. So far no fracturing operations have been performed, but seismic data can already be used to assess the seismic noise and background microseismicity, and to investigate and assess the detection performance of our monitoring setup. Here we adopt a recently developed tool to generate a synthetic catalogue and waveform dataset, which realistically account for the expected microseismicity. Synthetic waveforms are generated for a local crustal model, considering a realistic distribution of hypocenters, magnitudes, moment tensors, and source durations. Noise free synthetic seismograms are superposed to real noise traces, to reproduce true monitoring conditions at the different station locations. We estimate the detection probability for different magnitudes, source-receiver distances, and noise conditions. This information is used to estimate the magnitude of completeness at the depth of the hydraulic fracturing horizontal wells

ADVANCED FRACTURING TECHNOLOGY FOR TIGHT GAS: AN EAST TEXAS FIELD DEMONSTRATION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mukul M. Sharma

2005-03-01

The primary objective of this research was to improve completion and fracturing practices in gas reservoirs in marginal plays in the continental United States. The Bossier Play in East Texas, a very active tight gas play, was chosen as the site to develop and test the new strategies for completion and fracturing. Figure 1 provides a general location map for the Dowdy Ranch Field, where the wells involved in this study are located. The Bossier and other tight gas formations in the continental Unites States are marginal plays in that they become uneconomical at gas prices below $2.00 MCF. It was, therefore, imperative that completion and fracturing practices be optimized so that these gas wells remain economically attractive. The economic viability of this play is strongly dependent on the cost and effectiveness of the hydraulic fracturing used in its well completions. Water-fracs consisting of proppant pumped with un-gelled fluid is the type of stimulation used in many low permeability reservoirs in East Texas and throughout the United States. The use of low viscosity Newtonian fluids allows the creation of long narrow fractures in the reservoir, without the excessive height growth that is often seen with cross-linked fluids. These low viscosity fluids have poor proppant transport properties. Pressure transient tests run on several wells that have been water-fractured indicate a long effective fracture length with very low fracture conductivity even when large amounts of proppant are placed in the formation. A modification to the water-frac stimulation design was needed to transport proppant farther out into the fracture. This requires suspending the proppant until the fracture closes without generating excessive fracture height. A review of fracture diagnostic data collected from various wells in different areas (for conventional gel and water-fracs) suggests that effective propped lengths for the fracture treatments are sometimes significantly shorter than those

Electromagnetic Monitoring of Hydraulic Fracturing: Relationship to Permeability, Seismicity, and Stress

Science.gov (United States)

Thiel, Stephan

2017-09-01

Hydraulic fracking is a geoengineering application designed to enhance subsurface permeability to maximize fluid and gas flow. Fracking is commonly used in enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), tight shale gas, and coal seam gas (CSG) plays and in CO_2 storage scenarios. Common monitoring methods include microseismics and mapping small earthquakes with great resolution associated with fracture opening at reservoir depth. Recently, electromagnetic (EM) methods have been employed in the field to provide an alternative way of direct detection of fluids as they are pumped in the ground. Surface magnetotelluric (MT) measurements across EGS show subtle yet detectable changes during fracking derived from time-lapse MT deployments. Changes are directional and are predominantly aligned with current stress field, dictating preferential fracture orientation, supported by microseismic monitoring of frack-related earthquakes. Modeling studies prior to the injection are crucial for survey design and feasibility of monitoring fracks. In particular, knowledge of sediment thickness plays a fundamental role in resolving subtle changes. Numerical forward modeling studies clearly favor some form of downhole measurement to enhance sensitivity; however, these have yet to be conclusively demonstrated in the field. Nevertheless, real surface-based monitoring examples do not necessarily replicate the expected magnitude of change derived from forward modeling and are larger than expected in some cases from EGS and CSG systems. It appears the injected fluid volume alone cannot account for the surface change in resistivity, but connectedness of pore space is also significantly enhanced and nonlinear. Recent numerical studies emphasize the importance of percolation threshold of the fracture network on both electrical resistivity and permeability, which may play an important role in accounting for temporal changes in surface EM measurements during hydraulic fracking.

Evaluation of scale effects on hydraulic characteristics of fractured rock using fracture network model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ijiri, Yuji; Sawada, Atsushi; Uchida, Masahiro; Ishiguro, Katsuhiko; Umeki, Hiroyuki; Sakamoto, Kazuhiko; Ohnishi, Yuzo

2001-01-01

It is important to take into account scale effects on fracture geometry if the modeling scale is much larger than the in-situ observation scale. The scale effect on fracture trace length, which is the most scale dependent parameter, is investigated using fracture maps obtained at various scales in tunnel and dam sites. We found that the distribution of fracture trace length follows negative power law distribution in regardless of locations and rock types. The hydraulic characteristics of fractured rock is also investigated by numerical analysis of discrete fracture network (DFN) model where power law distribution of fracture radius is adopted. We found that as the exponent of power law distribution become larger, the hydraulic conductivity of DFN model increases and the travel time in DFN model decreases. (author)

Estimates of hydraulic fracturing (Frac) sand production, consumption, and reserves in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Bleiwas, Donald I.

2015-01-01

The practice of fracturing reservoir rock in the United States as a method to increase the flow of oil and gas from wells has a relatively long history and can be traced back to 1858 in Fredonia, New York, when a gas well situated in shale of the Marcellus Formation was successfully fractured using black powder as a blasting agent. Nearly all domestic hydraulic fracturing, often referred to as hydrofracking or fracking, is a process where fluids are injected under high pressure through perforations in the horizontal portion of a well casing in order to generate fractures in reservoir rock with low permeability (“tight”). Because the fractures are in contact with the well bore they can serve as pathways for the recovery of gas and oil. To prevent the fractures generated by the fracking process from closing or becoming obstructed with debris, material termed “proppant,” most commonly high-silica sand, is injected along with water-rich fluids to maintain or “prop” open the fractures. The first commercial application of fracking in the oil and gas industry took place in Oklahoma and Texas during the 1940s. In 1949, over 300 wells, mostly vertical, were fracked (ALL Consulting, LLC, 2012; McGee, 2012; Veil, 2012) and used silica sand as a proppant (Fracline, 2011). The resulting increase in well productivity demonstrated the significant potential that fracking might have for the oil and gas industry.

Simulation of quasi-static hydraulic fracture propagation in porous media with XFEM

Science.gov (United States)

Juan-Lien Ramirez, Alina; Neuweiler, Insa; Löhnert, Stefan

2015-04-01

Hydraulic fracturing is the injection of a fracking fluid at high pressures into the underground. Its goal is to create and expand fracture networks to increase the rock permeability. It is a technique used, for example, for oil and gas recovery and for geothermal energy extraction, since higher rock permeability improves production. Many physical processes take place when it comes to fracking; rock deformation, fluid flow within the fractures, as well as into and through the porous rock. All these processes are strongly coupled, what makes its numerical simulation rather challenging. We present a 2D numerical model that simulates the hydraulic propagation of an embedded fracture quasi-statically in a poroelastic, fully saturated material. Fluid flow within the porous rock is described by Darcy's law and the flow within the fracture is approximated by a parallel plate model. Additionally, the effect of leak-off is taken into consideration. The solid component of the porous medium is assumed to be linear elastic and the propagation criteria are given by the energy release rate and the stress intensity factors [1]. The used numerical method for the spatial discretization is the eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM) [2]. It is based on the standard Finite Element Method, but introduces additional degrees of freedom and enrichment functions to describe discontinuities locally in a system. Through them the geometry of the discontinuity (e.g. a fracture) becomes independent of the mesh allowing it to move freely through the domain without a mesh-adapting step. With this numerical model we are able to simulate hydraulic fracture propagation with different initial fracture geometries and material parameters. Results from these simulations will also be presented. References [1] D. Gross and T. Seelig. Fracture Mechanics with an Introduction to Micromechanics. Springer, 2nd edition, (2011) [2] T. Belytschko and T. Black. Elastic crack growth in finite elements with minimal

Laboratory tests of hydraulic fracturing and swell healing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thunbo, Christensen Claes; Foged, Christensen Helle; Foged, Niels

1998-01-01

New laboratory test set-ups and test procedures are described - for testing the formation of hydraulically induced fractures as well as the potential for subsequent fracture closurefrom the relase of a swelling potential. The main purpose with the tests is to provide information on fracturing str...

Case Study Analysis of the Impacts of Water Acquisition for Hydraulic Fracturing on Local Water Availability

Science.gov (United States)

Hydraulic fracturing (HF) is used to develop unconventional gas reserves, but the technology requires large volumes of water, placing demands on local water resources and potentially creating conflict with other users and ecosystems. This study examines the balance between water ...

Spills of Hydraulic Fracturing Chemicals on Agricultural Topsoil: Biodegradation, Sorption, and Co-contaminant Interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

McLaughlin, Molly C; Borch, Thomas; Blotevogel, Jens

2016-06-07

Hydraulic fracturing frequently occurs on agricultural land. Yet the extent of sorption, transformation, and interactions among the numerous organic frac fluid and oil and gas wastewater constituents upon environmental release is hardly known. Thus, this study aims to advance our current understanding of processes that control the environmental fate and toxicity of commonly used hydraulic fracturing chemicals. Poly(ethylene glycol) surfactants were completely biodegraded in agricultural topsoil within 42-71 days, but their transformation was impeded in the presence of the biocide glutaraldehyde and was completely inhibited by salt at concentrations typical for oil and gas wastewater. At the same time, aqueous glutaraldehyde concentrations decreased due to sorption to soil and were completely biodegraded within 33-57 days. While no aqueous removal of polyacrylamide friction reducer was observed over a period of 6 months, it cross-linked with glutaraldehyde, further lowering the biocide's aqueous concentration. These findings highlight the necessity to consider co-contaminant effects when we evaluate the risk of frac fluid additives and oil and gas wastewater constituents in agricultural soils in order to fully understand their human health impacts, likelihood for crop uptake, and potential for groundwater contamination.

Percolation Theory and Modern Hydraulic Fracturing

Science.gov (United States)

Norris, J. Q.; Turcotte, D. L.; Rundle, J. B.

2015-12-01

During the past few years, we have been developing a percolation model for fracking. This model provides a powerful tool for understanding the growth and properties of the complex fracture networks generated during a modern high volume hydraulic fracture stimulations of tight shale reservoirs. The model can also be used to understand the interaction between the growing fracture network and natural reservoir features such as joint sets and faults. Additionally, the model produces a power-law distribution of bursts which can easily be compared to observed microseismicity.

Hydraulic Fracturing and the Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Ayatollahy Tafti, T.; Aminzadeh, F.; Jafarpour, B.; de Barros, F.

2013-12-01

In this presentation, we highlight two key environmental concerns of hydraulic fracturing (HF), namely induced seismicity and groundwater contamination (GC). We examine the induced seismicity (IS) associated with different subsurface fluid injection and production (SFIP) operations and the key operational parameters of SFIP impacting it. In addition we review the key potential sources for possible water contamination. Both in the case of IS and GC we propose modeling and data analysis methods to quantify the risk factors to be used for monitoring and risk reduction. SFIP include presents a risk in hydraulic fracturing, waste water injection, enhanced oil recovery as well as geothermal energy operations. Although a recent report (NRC 2012) documents that HF is not responsible for most of the induced seismicities, we primarily focus on HF here. We look into vaious operational parameters such as volume and rate of water injection, the direction of the well versus the natural fracture network, the depth of the target and the local stress field and fault system, as well as other geological features. The latter would determine the potential for triggering tectonic related events by small induced seismicity events. We provide the building blocks for IS risk assessment and monitoring. The system we propose will involve adequate layers of complexity based on mapped seismic attributes as well as results from ANN and probabilistic predictive modeling workflows. This leads to a set of guidelines which further defines 'safe operating conditions' and 'safe operating zones' which will be a valuable reference for future SFIP operations. We also illustrate how HF can lead to groundwater aquifer contamination. The source of aquifer contamination can be the hydrocarbon gas or the chemicals used in the injected liquid in the formation. We explore possible pathways of contamination within and discuss the likelihood of contamination from each source. Many of the chemical compounds used

Estimation of Fracture Porosity in an Unsaturated Fractured Welded Tuff Using Gas Tracer Testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

B.M. Freifeild

2001-01-01

Kinematic fracture porosity is an important hydrologic transport parameter for predicting the potential of rapid contaminant migration through fractured rock. The transport velocity of a solute moving within a fracture network is inversely related to the fracture porosity. Since fracture porosity is often one or two orders of magnitude smaller than matrix porosity, and fracture permeability is often orders of magnitude greater than matrix permeability, solutes may travel significantly faster in the fracture network than in the surrounding matrix. This dissertation introduces a new methodology for conducting gas tracer tests using a field portable mass spectrometer along with analytical tools for estimating fracture porosity using the measured tracer concentration breakthrough curves. Field experiments were conducted at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, consisting of air-permeability transient testing and gas-tracer-transport tests. The experiments were conducted from boreholes drilled within an underground tunnel as part of an investigation of rock mass hydrological behavior. Air-permeability pressure transients, recorded during constant mass flux injections, have been analyzed using a numerical inversion procedure to identify fracture permeability and porosity. Dipole gas tracer tests have also been conducted from the same boreholes used for air-permeability testing. Mass breakthrough data has been analyzed using a random walk particle-tracking model, with a dispersivity that is a function of the advective velocity. The estimated fracture porosity using the tracer test and air-injection test data ranges from .001 to .015. These values are an order of magnitude greater than the values estimated by others using hydraulically estimated fracture apertures. The estimates of porosity made using air-permeability test data are shown to be highly sensitive to formation heterogeneity. Uncertainty analyses performed on the gas tracer test results show high confidence in the parameter

Estimation of Fracture Porosity in an Unsaturated Fractured Welded Tuff Using Gas Tracer Testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

B.M. Freifeild

2001-10-18

Kinematic fracture porosity is an important hydrologic transport parameter for predicting the potential of rapid contaminant migration through fractured rock. The transport velocity of a solute moving within a fracture network is inversely related to the fracture porosity. Since fracture porosity is often one or two orders of magnitude smaller than matrix porosity, and fracture permeability is often orders of magnitude greater than matrix permeability, solutes may travel significantly faster in the fracture network than in the surrounding matrix. This dissertation introduces a new methodology for conducting gas tracer tests using a field portable mass spectrometer along with analytical tools for estimating fracture porosity using the measured tracer concentration breakthrough curves. Field experiments were conducted at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, consisting of air-permeability transient testing and gas-tracer-transport tests. The experiments were conducted from boreholes drilled within an underground tunnel as part of an investigation of rock mass hydrological behavior. Air-permeability pressure transients, recorded during constant mass flux injections, have been analyzed using a numerical inversion procedure to identify fracture permeability and porosity. Dipole gas tracer tests have also been conducted from the same boreholes used for air-permeability testing. Mass breakthrough data has been analyzed using a random walk particle-tracking model, with a dispersivity that is a function of the advective velocity. The estimated fracture porosity using the tracer test and air-injection test data ranges from .001 to .015. These values are an order of magnitude greater than the values estimated by others using hydraulically estimated fracture apertures. The estimates of porosity made using air-permeability test data are shown to be highly sensitive to formation heterogeneity. Uncertainty analyses performed on the gas tracer test results show high confidence in the parameter

Estimation of fracture porosity in an unsaturated fractured welded tuff using gas tracer testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freifeld, Barry Mark [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2001-12-01

Kinematic fracture porosity is an important hydrologic transport parameter for predicting the potential of rapid contaminant migration through fractured rock. The transport velocity of a solute moving within a fracture network is inversely related to the fracture porosity. Since fracture porosity is often one or two orders of magnitude smaller than matrix porosity, and fracture permeability is often orders of magnitude greater than matrix permeability, solutes may travel significantly faster in the fracture network than in the surrounding matrix. This dissertation introduces a new methodology for conducting gas tracer tests using a field portable mass spectrometer along with analytical tools for estimating fracture porosity using the measured tracer concentration breakthrough curves. Field experiments were conducted at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, consisting of air-permeability transient testing and gas-tracer-transport tests. The experiments were conducted from boreholes drilled within an underground tunnel as part of an investigation of rock mass hydrological behavior. Air-permeability pressure transients, recorded during constant mass flux injections, have been analyzed using a numerical inversion procedure to identify fracture permeability and porosity. Dipole gas tracer tests have also been conducted from the same boreholes used for air-permeability testing. Mass breakthrough data has been analyzed using a random walk particle-tracking model, with a dispersivity that is a function of the advective velocity. The estimated fracture porosity using the tracer test and air-injection test data ranges from .001 to .015. These values are an order of magnitude greater than the values estimated by others using hydraulically estimated fracture apertures. The estimates of porosity made using air-permeability test data are shown to be highly sensitive to formation heterogeneity. Uncertainty analyses performed on the gas tracer test results show high confidence in the parameter

The risk of hydraulic fracturing on public health in the UK and the UK's fracking legislation.

Science.gov (United States)

Reap, Elisabeth

2015-01-01

Hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas from shale rock is a new, rapidly expanding industry in the United States (US). However, there is concern that these operations could be having large negative impacts such as groundwater contamination, increased air pollution and seismic events. The United Kingdom (UK) is looking at the potential for emulating the success of 'shale gas' in the US. Differences in population density and geological conditions mean that the public health impacts recorded in the US cannot be directly extrapolated to the UK. There is limited academic literature available but findings suggest that the UK government is not fully recognising the inherent risks of hydraulic fracturing exposed by this literature. Government reports suggest a reliance on engineering solutions and better practice to overcome problems found in the US when evidence suggests that there are inherent risks and impacts that cannot be eliminated. This study applies US results to approximate the impact of one exposure pathway, inhalation of hydrocarbons by the public from operational air emissions over the 30 year lifetime of a well and finds that 7.2 extra cancer cases from exposure to air contamination would be expected in the UK if all test sites, approved test sites and test sites awaiting approval as of January 2015 went on to extract gas. In conclusion, limited assessment of the public health implications of hydraulic fracturing operations is available but the UK government appears to not be applying the precautionary principle to potentially significant legislation.

Increasing the production efficiency and reducing the environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing

Science.gov (United States)

Viswanathan, H. S.

2016-12-01

Shale gas is an unconventional fossil energy resource profoundly impacting US energy independence and is projected to last for at least 100 years. Production of methane and other hydrocarbons from low permeability shale involves hydraulic fracturing of rock, establishing fracture connectivity, and multiphase fluid-flow and reaction processes all of which are poorly understood. The result is inefficient extraction with many environmental concerns. A science-based capability is required to quantify the governing mesoscale fluid-solid interactions, including microstructural control of fracture patterns and the interaction of engineered fluids with hydrocarbon flow. These interactions depend on coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes over scales from microns to tens of meters. Determining the key mechanisms in subsurface THMC systems has been impeded due to the lack of sophisticated experimental methods to measure fracture aperture and connectivity, multiphase permeability, and chemical exchange capacities at the high temperature, pressure, and stresses present in the subsurface. In this study, we developed and prototyped the microfluidic and triaxial core flood experiments required to reveal the fundamental dynamics of fracture-fluid interactions. The goal is transformation of hydraulic fracturing from present ad hoc approaches to science-based strategies while safely enhancing production. Specifically, we have demonstrated an integrated experimental/modeling approach that allows for a comprehensive characterization of fluid-solid interactions and develop models that can be used to determine the reservoir operating conditions necessary to gain a degree of control over fracture generation, fluid flow, and interfacial processes over a range of subsurface conditions.

Numerical Evaluation and Optimization of Multiple Hydraulically Fractured Parameters Using a Flow-Stress-Damage Coupled Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Wang

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Multiple-factor analysis and optimization play a critical role in the the ability to maximizethe stimulated reservoir volume (SRV and the success of economic shale gas production. In this paper, taking the typical continental naturally fractured silty laminae shale in China as anexample, response surface methodology (RSM was employed to optimize multiple hydraulic fracturing parameters to maximize the stimulated area in combination with numerical modeling based on the coupled flow-stress-damage (FSD approach. This paper demonstrates hydraulic fracturing effectiveness by defining two indicesnamelythe stimulated reservoir area (SRA and stimulated silty laminae area (SLA. Seven uncertain parameters, such as laminae thickness, spacing, dip angle, cohesion, internal friction angle (IFA, in situ stress difference (SD, and an operational parameter-injection rate (IR with a reasonable range based on silty Laminae Shale, Southeastern Ordos Basin, are used to fit a response of SRA and SLA as the objective function, and finally identity the optimum design under the parameters based on simultaneously maximizingSRA and SLA. In addition, asensitivity analysis of the influential factors is conducted for SRA and SLA. The aim of the study is to improve the artificial ability to control the fracturing network by means of multi-parameteroptimization. This work promises to provide insights into the effective exploitation of unconventional shale gas reservoirs via optimization of the fracturing design for continental shale, Southeastern Ordos Basin, China.

“Fracking” controversy and communication: Using national survey data to understand public perceptions of hydraulic fracturing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boudet, Hilary; Clarke, Christopher; Bugden, Dylan; Maibach, Edward; Roser-Renouf, Connie; Leiserowitz, Anthony

2014-01-01

The recent push to develop unconventional sources of oil and gas both in the U.S. and abroad via hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) has generated a great deal of controversy. Effectively engaging stakeholders and setting appropriate policies requires insights into current public perceptions of this issue. Using a nationally representative U.S. sample (N=1061), we examine public perceptions of hydraulic fracturing including: “top of mind” associations; familiarity with the issue; levels of support/opposition; and predictors of such judgments. Similar to findings on other emerging technologies, our results suggest limited familiarity with the process and its potential impacts and considerable uncertainty about whether to support it. Multiple regression analysis (r 2 =.49) finds that women, those holding egalitarian worldviews, those who read newspapers more than once a week, those more familiar with hydraulic fracturing, and those who associate the process with environmental impacts are more likely to oppose fracking. In contrast, people more likely to support fracking tend to be older, hold a bachelor's degree or higher, politically conservative, watch TV news more than once a week, and associate the process with positive economic or energy supply outcomes. Based on these findings, we discuss recommendations for future research, risk communication, and energy policy. - Highlights: • We conducted a survey of Americans' views on hydraulic fracturing in September 2012. • A majority of Americans have heard little or nothing about hydraulic fracturing. • Many Americans do not know if they support/oppose it or are undecided. • Those who have made a decision are evenly split between support and opposition. • Predictors of support include education, media use and top of mind associations

Managing flowback and produced water from hydraulic fracturing under stochastic environment

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, X.; Sun, A. Y.; Duncan, I. J.; Vesselinov, V. V.

2017-12-01

A large volume of wastewater is being generated from hydraulic fracturing in shale gas plays, including flowback and produced water. The produced wastewater in terms of its quantity and quality has become one of the main environmental problems facing shale gas industries worldwide. Cost-effective planning and management of flowback and produced water is highly desirable. Careful choice of treatment, disposal, and reuse options can lower costs and reduce potential environmental impacts. To handle the recourse issue in decision-making, a two-stage stochastic management model is developed to provide optimal alternatives for fracturing wastewater management. The proposed model is capable of prompting corrective actions to allow decision makers to adjust the pre-defined management strategies. By using this two-stage model, potential penalties arising from decision infeasibility can be minimized. The applicability of the proposed model is demonstrated using a representative synthetic example, in which tradeoffs between economic and environmental goals are quantified. This approach can generate informed defensible decisions for shale gas wastewater management. In addition, probabilistic and non-probabilistic uncertainties are effectively addressed.

Hydraulic fracturing - an attempt of DEM simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Kosmala, Alicja; Foltyn, Natalia; Klejment, Piotr; Dębski, Wojciech

2017-04-01

Hydraulic fracturing is a technique widely used in oil, gas and unconventional reservoirs exploitation in order to enable the oil/gas to flow more easily and enhance the production. It relays on pumping into a rock a special fluid under a high pressure which creates a set of microcracks which enhance porosity of the reservoir rock. In this research, attempt of simulation of such hydrofracturing process using the Discrete Element Method approach is presented. The basic assumption of this approach is that the rock can be represented as an assembly of discrete particles cemented into a rigid sample (Potyondy 2004). An existence of voids among particles simulates then a pore system which can be filled out by fracturing fluid, numerically represented by much smaller particles. Following this microscopic point of view and its numerical representation by DEM method we present primary results of numerical analysis of hydrofracturing phenomena, using the ESyS-Particle Software. In particular, we consider what is happening in distinct vicinity of the border between rock sample and fracking particles, how cracks are creating and evolving by breaking bonds between particles, how acoustic/seismic energy is releasing and so on. D.O. Potyondy, P.A. Cundall. A bonded-particle model for rock. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, 41 (2004), pp. 1329-1364.

Characteristics and management of flowback/produced water from hydraulically fractured wells in California - findings from the California SB 4 assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Varadharajan, C.; Cooley, H.; Heberger, M. G.; Stringfellow, W. T.; Domen, J. K.; Sandelin, W.; Camarillo, M. K.; Jordan, P. D.; Reagan, M. T.; Donnelly, K.; Birkholzer, J. T.; Long, J. C. S.

2015-12-01

As part of a recent assessment of well stimulation in California, we analyzed the hazards and potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing (the primary form of well stimulation in California) on water resources, which included an analysis of the quantity and quality of flowback/produced water generated, current management and disposal practices, associated potential release mechanisms and transport pathways that can lead to contaminants being released into the environment, and practices to mitigate or avoid impacts from produced water on water resources. The wastewater returned after stimulation includes "recovered fluids" (flowback fluids collected into tanks following stimulation, but before the start of production) and "produced water" (water extracted with oil and gas during production). In contrast to hydraulic fracturing in regions with primarily gas production, the quantities of recovered fluids from hydraulically fractured wells in California are small in comparison to the fluids injected (typically analysis indicates some fraction of returning fracturing fluids is likely present in produced water from wells that have been hydraulically fractured. Chemical measurements of recovered fluids show that some samples can contain high levels of some contaminants, including total carbohydrates (indicating the presence of guar, a component of fracturing fluid), total dissolved solids (TDS), trace elements and naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM). Data on produced water chemistry are more limited. In California, produced water is typically managed via pipelines and disposed or reused in many ways. A majority of produced water from hydraulically fractured wells in California is disposed in percolation pits, many of which may lie in areas with good groundwater quality. Some of the remaining produced water is injected into Class II wells; although a few of the wells are under review or have been shut down since they were injecting into aquifers. Other methods of

Support to the identification of potential risks for the environment and human health arising from hydrocarbons operations involving hydraulic fracturing in Europe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Broomfield, L.; Lelland, A.

2012-09-15

The potential risks for the environment and human health arising from shale gas production (hydraulic fracturing) in Europe are assessed. As readily accessible oil and gas reserves are becoming progressively limited, the energy supply industry is turning more to unconventional reserves, which were previously too complex or too expensive to extract, like shale gas. There are significant shale gas reserves in Europe. Permission is being sought in many EU Member States for exploratory works and to bring forward projects for hydraulic fracturing and extraction of shale gas. As with any drilling and extraction process, shale gas extraction brings environmental and health risks which need to be understood and addressed. CE Delft conducted the legal assessment on shale gas related EU legislation. Gaps and uncertainties have been addressed, but no real risks within the legislation have been discovered. A large part of the shale gas related legislation is part of the individual member states legislation and not directly addressed by EU legislation.

40 CFR 147.52 - State-administered program-Hydraulic Fracturing of Coal Beds.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Fracturing of Coal Beds. 147.52 Section 147.52 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... PROGRAMS Alabama § 147.52 State-administered program—Hydraulic Fracturing of Coal Beds. The UIC program for hydraulic fracturing of coal beds in the State of Alabama, except those on Indian lands, is the program...

A Holistic Assessment of Energy Production: Environmental, Economic, and Social Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing in Williams County, North Dakota

Science.gov (United States)

Jagdeo, J.; Ravikumar, A. P.; Grubert, E.; Brandt, A. R.

2016-12-01

Unconventional oil and natural gas production in the U.S. has increased tenfold between 2005 and 2014 due to advances in hydraulic fracturing technology. Prior studies of hydraulic fracturing activity have mainly focused on two themes: the environmental impacts related to air and water pollution or the direct and spillover economic benefits resulting from oil booms at the state and local level. However, the impacts of hydraulic fracturing extend beyond these effects. Oil-boom counties have experienced environmental changes in land-use and water supply and witnessed social changes in demographics, crime, and health, factors that are not typically evaluated in regard to hydraulic fracturing. Hence, there is a need to consider the holistic effects of oil production on communities. This study examines the environmental, economic, and social impacts of oil and gas activity in Williams County, North Dakota by comparing its pre-boom ( 2005) and post-boom ( 2014) conditions. Annual oil production in Williams County increased from 3.4 million barrels in 2005 to 56 million barrels in 2014, providing an ideal test-case to study the impact of energy development on surrounding communities. We compared changes in multiple impact categories, attributed directly or indirectly to hydraulic fracturing activity, to trends at the national level. For example, between 2005 and 2014, CO2 and CH4 emissions primarily from oil and gas activity increased by 360 thousand metric tons CO2e, corresponding to a 20-fold increase. Concurrently, national emissions decreased by 10.5%. Over twenty indicators were analyzed across environmental, social and economic impact categories, including land-use change, median household income, and crime rates. The datasets were normalized using federal regulations for upper and lower bounds, or calibrated against national averages. Normalized indicators are then aggregated to provide a single-value `impact-factor'. Such `impact-factor' maps will provide a

Application of Phase-Field Techniques to Hydraulically- and Deformation-Induced Fracture.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Culp, David [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Miller, Nathan [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Schweizer, Laura [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-08-01

Phase-field techniques provide an alternative approach to fracture problems which mitigate some of the computational expense associated with tracking the crack interface and the coalescence of individual fractures. The technique is extended to apply to hydraulically driven fracture such as would occur during fracking or CO₂ sequestration. Additionally, the technique is applied to a stainless steel specimen used in the Sandia Fracture Challenge. It was found that the phase-field model performs very well, at least qualitatively, in both deformation-induced fracture and hydraulically-induced fracture, though spurious hourglassing modes were observed during coupled hydralically-induced fracture. Future work would include performing additional quantitative benchmark tests and updating the model as needed.

Combined Permeability Improvement Technology of High-pressure Hydraulic Slotting with Hydraulic Fracturing and Its Application%高压水力割缝和压裂联合增透技术及应用

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

秦江涛; 陈玉涛

2016-01-01

针对白皎煤矿突出煤层构造应力高、透气性系数低、瓦斯抽采效果差等问题,在238底板瓦斯抽采巷对B4煤层采用了水力割缝和压裂联合增透技术,应用结果表明该技术相比水力压裂技术和普通抽采技术提高了煤层透气性,瓦斯抽采纯量较水力压裂钻孔提高了1.33倍,瓦斯体积分数是普通抽采钻孔的2.76倍,联合增透钻孔汇总瓦斯体积分数保持在30%以上且无衰减,具有良好的抽采效果.%To counter the problems of high structural stress, low air permeability coefficient and poor gas drainage effect of the outburst coal seam in Baijiao Mine, the gas drainage test in B4 seam by 238 floor drainage roadway was carried out with the combined permeability improvement technology of high-pressure hydraulic slotting with hydraulic fracturing. The application results showed that this technology improved the permeability of the coal seam as compared to the hydraulic fracturing technology and the conventional gas drainage technology. The pure gas drainage volume increased 1. 33 times to that by hydraulic fracturing, the volume fraction of gas was 2. 76 times higher than that by the conventional drainage boreholes, the summary volume fraction of gas with the combined permeability improvement technology maintained over 30% without any attenuation, so this technology has good drainage effect.

Toxicity Assessment for EPA's Hydraulic Fracturing Study

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This dataset contains data used to develop multiple manuscripts on the toxicity of chemicals associated with the hydraulic fracturing industry. These manuscripts...

Pioneer hydraulic fracturing intervention on Brazilian Amazon Forest; Operacao pioneira de fraturamento hidraulico na selva Amazonica brasileira

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ferreira, Cledeilson; Silva, Luis A.; Duque, Luis H.; Steffan, Rodolfo H.P.; Guimaraes, Zacarias [Baker Hughes, Houston, TX (United States); Sabino, Afonso H. dos S.; Corregio, Fabio; Ferreira, Jose Carlos da Silva; Melo, Marcelo Moura; Ludovice, Roberto C. [Petroleo Brasileiro S.A (PETROBRAS), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2012-07-01

Hydraulic fracturing is a stimulation technique where fluid is pumped with enough energy to create a fracture in the reservoir and to propagate it filling the broken zone with proppant agent. To the end of the treatment the proppant agent will support the fracture creating a production flow path, once it will have permeability higher than the original formation. Since a long time it was desired to use that technique to explore tight reservoirs in the Solimoes basin. However the lack of information on the interest zones, the great amount of equipment and fluids volumes involved hindered the application in an area that withholds a environmental certification. In November 10th of 2011 these challenges were surpassed. This article describes the technique, job details and results of the pioneering hydraulic fracturing intervention in the heart of the Amazon forest that became economically viable the gas production in tight reservoirs of the Solimoes basin with minimum environmental impact. (author)

Hydraulic conductivities of fractures and matrix in Slovenian carbonate aquifers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timotej Verbovšek

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Hydraulic conductivities and specific storage coefficients of fractures and matrix in Slovenian carbonate aquifers were determined by Barker’s method for pumping test analysis, based on fractional flow dimension. Values are presented for limestones and mainly for dolomites, and additionally for separate aquifers, divided by age andlithology in several groups. Data was obtained from hydrogeological reports for 397 water wells, and among these, 79 pumping tests were reinterpreted. Hydraulic conductivities of fractures are higher than the hydraulic conductivities of matrix, and the differences are highly statistically significant. Likewise, differences are significant for specific storage, and the values of these coefficients are higher in the matrix. Values of all coefficients vary in separate aquifers, and the differences can be explained by diagenetic effects, crystal size, degree of fracturing, andcarbonate purity. Comparison of the methods, used in the reports, and the Barker’s method (being more suitable for karstic and fractured aquifers, shows that the latter fits real data better.

Sulfide Generation by Dominant Halanaerobium Microorganisms in Hydraulically Fractured Shales

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Booker, Anne E.; Borton, Mikayla A.; Daly, Rebecca A.; Welch, Susan A.; Nicora, Carrie D.; Hoyt, David W.; Wilson, Travis; Purvine, Samuel O.; Wolfe, Richard A.; Sharma, Shikha; Mouser, Paula J.; Cole, David R.; Lipton, Mary S.; Wrighton, Kelly C.; Wilkins, Michael J.; McMahon, Katherine

2017-07-05

Hydraulic fracturing of black shale formations has greatly increased United States oil and natural gas recovery. However, the accumulation of biomass in subsurface reservoirs and pipelines is detrimental because of possible well souring, microbially induced corrosion, and pore clogging. Temporal sampling of produced fluids from a well in the Utica Shale revealed the dominance ofHalanaerobiumstrains within thein situmicrobial community and the potential for these microorganisms to catalyze thiosulfate-dependent sulfidogenesis. From these field data, we investigated biogenic sulfide production catalyzed by aHalanaerobiumstrain isolated from the produced fluids using proteogenomics and laboratory growth experiments. Analysis ofHalanaerobiumisolate genomes and reconstructed genomes from metagenomic data sets revealed the conserved presence of rhodanese-like proteins and anaerobic sulfite reductase complexes capable of converting thiosulfate to sulfide. Shotgun proteomics measurements using aHalanaerobiumisolate verified that these proteins were more abundant when thiosulfate was present in the growth medium, and culture-based assays identified thiosulfate-dependent sulfide production by the same isolate. Increased production of sulfide and organic acids during the stationary growth phase suggests that fermentativeHalanaerobiumuses thiosulfate to remove excess reductant. These findings emphasize the potential detrimental effects that could arise from thiosulfate-reducing microorganisms in hydraulically fractured shales, which are undetected by current industry-wide corrosion diagnostics.

IMPORTANCEAlthough thousands of wells in deep shale formations across the United States have been hydraulically fractured for oil and gas recovery, the impact of microbial metabolism within these environments is poorly understood. Our

Trends in hydraulic fracturing distributions and treatment fluids, additives, proppants, and water volumes applied to wells drilled in the United States from 1947 through 2010: data analysis and comparison to the literature

Science.gov (United States)

Gallegos, Tanya J.; Varela, Brian A.

2015-01-01

Hydraulic fracturing is presently the primary stimulation technique for oil and gas production in low-permeability, unconventional reservoirs. Comprehensive, published, and publicly available information regarding the extent, location, and character of hydraulic fracturing in the United States is scarce. This national spatial and temporal analysis of data on nearly 1 million hydraulically fractured wells and 1.8 million fracturing treatment records from 1947 through 2010 (aggregated in Data Series 868) is used to identify hydraulic fracturing trends in drilling methods and use of proppants, treatment fluids, additives, and water in the United States. These trends are compared to the literature in an effort to establish a common understanding of the differences in drilling methods, treatment fluids, and chemical additives and of how the newer technology has affected the water use volumes and areal distribution of hydraulic fracturing. Historically, Texas has had the highest number of records of hydraulic fracturing treatments and associated wells in the United States documented in the datasets described herein. Water-intensive horizontal/directional drilling has also increased from 6 percent of new hydraulically fractured wells drilled in the United States in 2000 to 42 percent of new wells drilled in 2010. Increases in horizontal drilling also coincided with the emergence of water-based “slick water” fracturing fluids. As such, the most current hydraulic fracturing materials and methods are notably different from those used in previous decades and have contributed to the development of previously inaccessible unconventional oil and gas production target areas, namely in shale and tight-sand reservoirs. Publicly available derivative datasets and locations developed from these analyses are described.

The successful use of transverse hydraulic fractures from horizontal wellbores

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crosby, D. G.; Yang, Z.; Rahman, S. S. [New South Wales Univ., NSW (Australia)

1998-12-31

Since a significant proportion of the world`s recoverable hydrocarbon resources exist in reservoirs possessing permeabilities of less than one milli-Darcy (mD), some form of permeability enhancement or stimulation is necessary if the hydrocarbons are to be exploited economically. Multi-stage, transversely fractured horizontal wellbores are shown to have the potential to greatly increase production from low permeability formations. To overcome the problems caused by near-wellbore tortuosity, common to wells with multiple fracturing from the same perforated interval, a criterion was devised which predicts the wellbore pressures to initiate secondary multiple transverse hydraulic fractures in close proximity to primary fractures. The criterion, confirmed by laboratory experiments, demonstrates that transversely fractured horizontal wellbores have limited capacities to resist the initiation of multiple fractures from adjacent perforations. This characteristic can be used in designing hydraulic fracture treatments to establish injection pressure limits or threshold pressures, above which additional multiple fractures will initiate and propagate from the wellbore. 23 refs., 1 tab., 10 figs.

穿层孔吞吐压裂水力强化抽采技术研究及应用%Research and application of gas drainage with hydraulic reinforcement of water stimulation fracture in borehole through strata

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

辛新平; 高建良; 马耕

2014-01-01

为了解决低透气性煤层高效抽采的难题，采用穿层孔吞吐压裂水力强化改善煤层透气性。分析了水力强化工艺穿层孔瓦斯运移产出过程，研究了水力强化对硬煤储层和软煤层中瓦斯渗透率的影响，分析了水力强化对煤体渗透率的作用及增透机理，并进行了现场效果应用。结果表明：穿层孔吞吐压裂技术提高了煤层透气性，形成瓦斯产出通道，在硬煤中水力强化可在顶底板形成“虚拟储层”，瓦斯以渗流为主，软煤中以扩散运移为主；吞吐压裂水力强化通过形成洞穴和裂隙，增加煤层渗透性，减少瓦斯抽采流量衰减系数，提高瓦斯抽采效率。现场实施吞吐压裂水力措施后抽采纯量由14.8 m³增加至31.9~42.8 m³；抽采体积分数由14.1%增加至73.9%~77.5%，该技术具有较高的实际推广应用价值。%In order to solve the problem of how to efficiently extract the coal seam with low permeabil-ity, the hydraulic measures of stimulation fracturing through strata borehole has been adopted to im-prove the permeability of coal seam. The gas migration process through borehole in the hydraulic en-hanced technology has been analyzed. The effect of hydraulic reinforcement measures on hard and soft coal seam permeability has been studied, and the effect and mechanism of hydraulic reinforcement on the permeability of coal mass has been analyzed, and finally, the field experiment of hydraulic fracturing has been carried out. Research results show that the hydraulic measures of stimulation fracturing through strata borehole technology can improve the permeability of coal seam and contribute to form gas flow channel. There is“virtual reservoir”in roof and floor in hard coal seam and the gas shows see-page mainly, while, in soft coal seam gas shows diffusion migration mainly. The hydraulic measures of stimulation fracturing can increase the permeability of coal seam through

Report on alternative techniques to hydraulic fracturing for the exploration and exploitation of non conventional hydrocarbons - National Assembly No. 1581 / Senate No. 174

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LENOIR, Jean-Claude; BATAILLE, Christian

2013-01-01

Based on several hearings, and on missions in the USA and in Poland, this report addresses the issue of alternative techniques to hydraulic fracturing which appeared to be more advanced than hearings performed for a preliminary report had suggested. A first part outlines the necessity of fracturing the rock, and presents several possible modalities, proposes a detailed overview of alternative techniques to hydraulic fracturing used in the USA and in Poland. The second part outlines that coal gas is already an exploitable resource without rock fracturing; it discusses the possible perspectives thus associated for the old French coal-mining sites, outlines that this resource can be exploited without requiring hydraulic fracturing, and comments the first assessments. The third part addresses the possible management of risks associated with hydraulic fracturing: risks vary from one region to the other and therefore require further studies; the non-conventional hydrocarbon issue is addressed in different ways in the USA; the use of this technique must be controlled by public authorities. The next part outlines the need of an assessment of national resources before any assessment of the economic impact. The last part formulates several proposals for the future

Influence of heat treatment on the wear life of hydraulic fracturing tools

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheng, Chao; Liu, Yonghong; Wang, Hanxiang; Qin, Jie; Shen, Yang; Zhang, Shihong [China University of Petroleum, Qingdao (China)

2017-02-15

Wear phenomenon has caused severe damage or failure of fracturing tools in oil and gas industry. In this paper, influence of heat treatment on the mechanical properties and wear resistance of fracturing tool made of lamellar graphite grey cast iron were investigated. The surface composition and microstructure were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and metallographic microscope. Sliding wear tests were performed to study the tribological behavior. Tests results showed that wear rates of treated specimens decreased by 33 %. Besides, worn morphology and wear debris were analyzed using Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Energy dispersive Xray spectra (EDS). Wear failure mechanisms of specimens were identified. Furthermore, on-site experiment results indicated that wear loss of treated samples decreased by 37.5 %. The wear life of hydraulic fracturing tools can be improved obviously by the heat treatment.

Influence of heat treatment on the wear life of hydraulic fracturing tools

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, Chao; Liu, Yonghong; Wang, Hanxiang; Qin, Jie; Shen, Yang; Zhang, Shihong

2017-01-01

Wear phenomenon has caused severe damage or failure of fracturing tools in oil and gas industry. In this paper, influence of heat treatment on the mechanical properties and wear resistance of fracturing tool made of lamellar graphite grey cast iron were investigated. The surface composition and microstructure were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and metallographic microscope. Sliding wear tests were performed to study the tribological behavior. Tests results showed that wear rates of treated specimens decreased by 33 %. Besides, worn morphology and wear debris were analyzed using Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Energy dispersive Xray spectra (EDS). Wear failure mechanisms of specimens were identified. Furthermore, on-site experiment results indicated that wear loss of treated samples decreased by 37.5 %. The wear life of hydraulic fracturing tools can be improved obviously by the heat treatment

Hydraulic fracturing in well ONM 15, Hassi-Messaoud field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kerbouc, P

1968-01-01

In the Hassi-Messaoud field, hydraulic fracturing has been an extremely difficult problem because of the difficult conditions, and numerous tests run with conventional techniques which have had good results elswhere in the Sahara and worldwide, have given poor results. In Dec. 1967, the CFP(A) succeeded in an experimental fracturing operation on the ONM 15 well, increasing the production from 1 to 11 mU3D/hr. The principal results were: (1) in the sandstone reservoir of Hassi-Messaoud, the fracture was successfully propped with high-strength glass beads; (2) the orientation of the fracture was vertical; and (3) in certain favorable cases, such as wells that were mudded off or had a permeability barrier close to the well, the productivity can be increased by a factor of 10. However, it can still not be stated that hydraulic fracturing will be an economic stimulation method for the Hassi-Messaoud reservoir.

4D synchrotron X-ray imaging to understand porosity development in shales during exposure to hydraulic fracturing fluid

Science.gov (United States)

Kiss, A. M.; Bargar, J.; Kohli, A. H.; Harrison, A. L.; Jew, A. D.; Lim, J. H.; Liu, Y.; Maher, K.; Zoback, M. D.; Brown, G. E.

2016-12-01

Unconventional (shale) reservoirs have emerged as the most important source of petroleum resources in the United States and represent a two-fold decrease in greenhouse gas emissions compared to coal. Despite recent progress, hydraulic fracturing operations present substantial technical, economic, and environmental challenges, including inefficient recovery, wastewater production and disposal, contaminant and greenhouse gas pollution, and induced seismicity. A relatively unexplored facet of hydraulic fracturing operations is the fluid-rock interface, where hydraulic fracturing fluid (HFF) contacts shale along faults and fractures. Widely used, water-based fracturing fluids contain oxidants and acid, which react strongly with shale minerals. Consequently, fluid injection and soaking induces a host of fluid-rock interactions, most notably the dissolution of carbonates and sulfides, producing enhanced or "secondary" porosity networks, as well as mineral precipitation. The competition between these mechanisms determines how HFF affects reactive surface area and permeability of the shale matrix. The resultant microstructural and chemical changes may also create capillary barriers that can trap hydrocarbons and water. A mechanistic understanding of the microstructure and chemistry of the shale-HFF interface is needed to design new methodologies and fracturing fluids. Shales were imaged using synchrotron micro-X-ray computed tomography before, during, and after exposure to HFF to characterize changes to the initial 3D structure. CT reconstructions reveal how the secondary porosity networks advance into the shale matrix. Shale samples span a range of lithologies from siliceous to calcareous to organic-rich. By testing shales of different lithologies, we have obtained insights into the mineralogic controls on secondary pore network development and the morphologies at the shale-HFF interface and the ultimate composition of produced water from different facies. These results

Research on comprehensive gas permeability improvement technology by hydraulic fracturing and slotting in coal seam with complex geological conditions and low permeability%复杂地质低渗煤层水力压裂-割缝综合瓦斯增透技术研究

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

贾同千; 饶孜; 何庆兵; 宋润权; 白鑫

2017-01-01

Aiming at the problem of gas drainage in the coal seam with complex geological conditions and low permeability in Baijiao Coal Mine,the hydraulic fracturing technology was applied to carry out the regional gas permeability improvement,and its application effect was analyzed according to the situation of field gas drainage.Aiming at the blind area of regional gas permeability improvement by hydraulic fracturing,the technical measure of localized gas permeability improvement by hydraulic slotting was put forward,then the comprehensive gas permeability improvement technology by hydraulic fracturing and slotting in coal seam with complex geological conditions and low permeability was formed,and the field verification was conducted.The results showed that the average pure flow rate of gas drainage for three fracturing boreholes in the hydraulic fracturing zone increased by 15.8 times than that of regular single borehole gas drainage in 238 floor laneway,and the gas drainage concentration increased by 4％.The pure flow rate of gas drainage in the fractured area increased by 2.1 times than that of the comparison zone,but there existed the blind area by the regional measures of hydraulic fracturing due to the restriction of geological conditions such as fault and coal seam hardness.The gas concentration of drainage borehole in the hydraulic slotting permeability improvement zone increased by 4.9 times on the average,and the pure flow rate of gas increased by 3.3 times on the average.It has strong adaptability to different geological conditions,but the influence range of slotting is small,and the drainage time is short.The comprehensive gas permeability improvement technology by hydraulic fracturing and slotting in coal seam with complex geological conditions and low permeability integrates the advantages of hydraulic fracturing and slotting,and it has strong adaptability to coal seam with complex geological conditions,which improves the gas control level greatly.The field

The Effect of Loading Rate on Hydraulic Fracturing in Synthetic Granite - a Discrete Element Study

Science.gov (United States)

Tomac, I.; Gutierrez, M.

2015-12-01

Hydraulic fracture initiation and propagation from a borehole in hard synthetic rock is modeled using the two dimensional Discrete Element Method (DEM). DEM uses previously established procedure for modeling the strength and deformation parameters of quasi-brittle rocks with the Bonded Particle Model (Itasca, 2004). A series of simulations of laboratory tests on granite in DEM serve as a reference for synthetic rock behavior. Fracturing is enabled by breaking parallel bonds between DEM particles as a result of the local stress state. Subsequent bond breakage induces fracture propagation during a time-stepping procedure. Hydraulic fracturing occurs when pressurized fluid induces hoop stresses around the wellbore which cause rock fracturing and serves for geo-reservoir permeability enhancement in oil, gas and geothermal industries. In DEM, a network of fluid pipes and reservoirs is used for mathematical calculation of fluid flow through narrow channels between DEM particles, where the hydro-mechanical coupling is fully enabled. The fluid flow calculation is superimposed with DEM stress-strain calculation at each time step. As a result, the fluid pressures during borehole pressurization in hydraulic fracturing, as well as, during the fracture propagation from the borehole, can be simulated. The objective of this study is to investigate numerically a hypothesis that fluid pressurization rate, or the fluid flow rate, influences upon character, shape and velocity of fracture propagation in rock. The second objective is to better understand and define constraints which are important for successful fracture propagation in quasi-brittle rock from the perspective of flow rate, fluid density, viscosity and compressibility relative to the rock physical properties. Results from this study indicate that not only too high fluid flow rates cause fracture arrest and multiple fracture branching from the borehole, but also that the relative compressibility of fracturing fluid and

Fuel for Debate: Three Studies of the Political Mobilization for and against Hydraulic Fracturing in New York State

Science.gov (United States)

Dokshin, Fedor Aleksandrovich

This dissertation uses the context of the unfolding boom in oil and gas production enabled by hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") technology to ask several interrelated questions: What motivates people to oppose or support industrial development? How do material interests interact with political identities to shape political mobilization? What consequences does this political contestation have for policymaking? Three stand-alone articles, each using unique data and methods, provide new evidence for answering these questions. The three studies place a common emphasis on the multiple meanings that fracking has for opponents and supporters of proposed development as well as the alternative structural conditions that give rise to the divergent beliefs and the social networks that facilitate mobilization. The first article, examines the passage of local zoning ordinances prohibiting fracking and identifies spatial and temporal processes that influenced the pattern of ordinance adoption. The second article, looks more closely at political mobilization for and against hydraulic fracturing by examining individual-level data collected from one town's debate over a proposed ban on oil and gas development. The third article uses a large set of public comments to directly examine the meanings that the public attached to hydraulic fracturing and whether residents who live in close proximity to proposed development understood the industry in systematically different terms than individuals who participated in the debate despite facing little or no direct impact from fracking.

Deformation Behavior between Hydraulic and Natural Fractures Using Fully Coupled Hydromechanical Model with XFEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fei Liu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available There has been a growing consensus that preexisting natural fractures play an important role during stimulation. A novel fully coupled hydromechanical model using extended finite element method is proposed. This directly coupled scheme avoids the cumbersome process during calculating the fluid pressure in complicated fracture networks and translating into an equivalent nodal force. Numerical examples are presented to simulate the hydraulic fracture propagation paths for simultaneous multifracture treatments with properly using the stress shadow effects for horizontal wells and to reveal the deformation response and interaction mechanism between hydraulic induced fracture and nonintersected natural fractures at orthotropic and nonorthotropic angles. With the stress shadow effects, the induced hydraulic flexural fracture deflecting to wellbore rather than transverse fracture would be formed during the progress of simultaneous fracturing for a horizontal well. The coupled hydromechanical simulation reveals that the adjacent section to the intersection is opened and the others are closed for orthogonal natural fracture, while the nonorthogonal natural fracture is activated near the intersection firstly and along the whole section with increasing perturbed stresses. The results imply that the induced hydraulic fracture tends to cross orthotropic natural fracture, while it is prior to being arrested by the nonorthotropic natural fracture.

The study of crosslinked fluid leakoff in hydraulic fracturing physical simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grothe, Vinicius Perrud; Ribeiro, Paulo Roberto [Universidade Estadual de Campinas, SP (Brazil). Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica. Dept. de Engenharia de Petroleo; Sousa, Jose Luiz Antunes de Oliveira e [Universidade Estadual de Campinas, SP (Brazil). Faculdade de Engenharia. Dept. de Estruturas; Fernandes, Paulo Dore [PETROBRAS S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Centro de Pesquisas

2000-07-01

The fluid loss plays an important role in the design and execution of hydraulic fracturing treatments. The main objectives of this work were: the study of the fluid loss associated with the propagation of hydraulic fractures generated at laboratory; and the comparison of two distinct methods for estimating leakoff coefficients - Nolte analysis and the filtrate volume vs. square root of time plot. Synthetic rock samples were used as well as crosslinked hydroxypropyl guar (HPG) fluids in different polymer concentrations. The physical simulations comprised the confinement of (0.1 x 0.1 x 0.1) m{sup 3} rock samples in a load cell for the application of an in situ stress field. Different flow rates were employed in order to investigate shear effects on the overall leakoff coefficient. Horizontal radial fractures were hydraulically induced with approximate diameters, what was accomplished by controlling the injection time. Leakoff coefficients determined by means of the pressure decline analysis were compared to coefficients obtained from static filtration tests, considering similar experimental conditions. The research results indicated that the physical simulation of hydraulic fracturing may be regarded as an useful tool for evaluating the effectiveness of fracturing fluids and that it can supply reliable estimates of fluid loss coefficients. (author)

Experimental insights into geochemical changes in hydraulically fractured Marcellus Shale

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marcon, Virginia; Joseph, Craig; Carter, Kimberly E.; Hedges, Sheila W.; Lopano, Christina L.; Guthrie, George D.; Hakala, J. Alexandra

2017-01-01

Hydraulic fracturing applied to organic-rich shales has significantly increased the recoverable volume of methane available for U.S. energy consumption. Fluid-shale reactions in the reservoir may affect long-term reservoir productivity and waste management needs through changes to fracture mineral composition and produced fluid chemical composition. We performed laboratory experiments with Marcellus Shale and lab-generated hydraulic fracturing fluid at elevated pressures and temperatures to evaluate mineral reactions and the release of trace elements into solution. Results from the experiment containing fracturing chemicals show evidence for clay and carbonate dissolution, secondary clay and anhydrite precipitation, and early-stage (24–48 h) fluid enrichment of certain elements followed by depletion in later stages (i.e. Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Sc, Zn). Other elements such as As, Fe, Mn, Sr, and Y increased in concentration and remained elevated throughout the duration of the experiment with fracturing fluid. Geochemical modeling of experimental fluid data indicates primary clay dissolution, and secondary formation of smectites and barite, after reaction with fracturing fluid. Changes in aqueous organic composition were observed, indicating organic additives may be chemically transformed or sequestered by the formation after hydraulic fracturing. The NaCl concentrations in our fluids are similar to measured concentrations in Marcellus Shale produced waters, showing that these experiments are representative of reservoir fluid chemistries and can provide insight on geochemical reactions that occur in the field. These results can be applied towards evaluating the evolution of hydraulically-fractured reservoirs, and towards understanding geochemical processes that control the composition of produced water from unconventional shales. - Highlights: • Metal concentrations could be at their peak in produced waters recovered 24–48 after fracturing. • Carbonate

Numerical Study of Critical Role of Rock Heterogeneity in Hydraulic Fracture Propagation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

J. Zhou; H. Huang; M. Deo

2016-03-01

Log and seismic data indicate that most shale formations have strong heterogeneity. Conventional analytical and semi-analytical fracture models are not enough to simulate the complex fracture propagation in these highly heterogeneous formation. Without considering the intrinsic heterogeneity, predicted morphology of hydraulic fracture may be biased and misleading in optimizing the completion strategy. In this paper, a fully coupling fluid flow and geomechanics hydraulic fracture simulator based on dual-lattice Discrete Element Method (DEM) is used to predict the hydraulic fracture propagation in heterogeneous reservoir. The heterogeneity of rock is simulated by assigning different material force constant and critical strain to different particles and is adjusted by conditioning to the measured data and observed geological features. Based on proposed model, the effects of heterogeneity at different scale on micromechanical behavior and induced macroscopic fractures are examined. From the numerical results, the microcrack will be more inclined to form at the grain weaker interface. The conventional simulator with homogeneous assumption is not applicable for highly heterogeneous shale formation.

Deliberating the perceived risks, benefits, and societal implications of shale gas and oil extraction by hydraulic fracturing in the US and UK

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Merryn; Partridge, Tristan; Harthorn, Barbara Herr; Pidgeon, Nick

2017-04-01

Shale gas and oil production in the US has increased rapidly in the past decade, while interest in prospective development has also arisen in the UK. In both countries, shale resources and the method of their extraction (hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking') have been met with opposition amid concerns about impacts on water, greenhouse gas emissions, and health effects. Here we report the findings of a qualitative, cross-national deliberation study of public perceptions of shale development in UK and US locations not yet subject to extensive shale development. When presented with a carefully calibrated range of risks and benefits, participants' discourse focused on risks or doubts about benefits, and potential impacts were viewed as inequitably distributed. Participants drew on direct, place-based experiences as well as national contexts in deliberating shale development. These findings suggest that shale gas development already evokes a similar 'signature' of risk across the US and UK.

Direct Imaging of Natural Fractures and Stress Compartments Stimulated by Hydraulic Fracturing

Science.gov (United States)

Lacazette, A.; Vermilye, J. M.

2014-12-01

This contribution will present results from passive seismic studies of hydraulic fracture treatments in North American and Asian basins. One of the key data types is a comparatively new surface-based seismic imaging product - "Tomographic Fracture Images®" (TFI®). The procedure is an extension of Seismic Emission Tomography (SET), which is well-established and widely used. Conventional microseismic results - microearthquake hypocenter locations, magnitudes, and focal mechanism solutions - are also obtained from the data via a branch of the processing workflow. TFI is accomplished by summing the individual time steps in a multidimensional SET hypervolume over extended periods of time, such as an entire frac stage. The dimensions of a SET hypervolume are the X, Y, and Z coordinates of the voxels, the time step (typically on the order of 100 milliseconds), and the seismic activity value. The resulting summed volume is skeletonized to produce images of the main fracture surfaces, which are known to occupy the maximum activity surfaces of the high activity clouds from theory, field studies, and experiments. The orientation vs. area of the resulting TFIs can be analyzed in detail and compared with independent data sets such as volumetric structural attributes from reflection seismic data and borehole fracture data. We find that the primary effect of hydraulic fracturing is to stimulate preexisting natural fracture networks and faults. The combination of TFIs with hypocenter distributions and microearthquake focal mechanisms provides detailed information on subsurface stress compartmentalization. Faults are directly imaged which allows discrimination of fault planes from auxiliary planes of focal mechanism solutions. Examples that will be shown include simultaneous movement on a thrust fault and tear fault and examples of radically different stress compartments (e.g. extensional vs. wrench faulting) stimulated during a single hydraulic fracture treatment. The figure

School and Community Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing within Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale Region, and the Dilemmas of Educational Leadership in Gasfield Boomtowns

Science.gov (United States)

Schafft, Kai A.; Biddle, Catharine

2014-01-01

Innovations associated with gas and oil drilling technology, including new hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling techniques, have recently led to dramatic boomtown development in many rural areas that have endured extended periods of economic decline. The Marcellus Shale play, one of the world's largest gas-bearing shale formations, lies…

Hydraulic Shearing and Hydraulic Jacking Observed during Hydraulic Stimulations in Fractured Geothermal Reservoir in Pohang, Korea

Science.gov (United States)

Min, K. B.; Park, S.; Xie, L.; Kim, K. I.; Yoo, H.; Kim, K. Y.; Choi, J.; Yoon, K. S.; Yoon, W. S.; Lee, T. J.; Song, Y.

2017-12-01

Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) relies on sufficient and irreversible enhancement of reservoir permeability through hydraulic stimulation and possibility of such desirable change of permeability is an open question that can undermine the universality of EGS concept. We report results of first hydraulic stimulation campaign conducted in two deep boreholes in fractured granodiorite geothermal reservoir in Pohang, Korea. Borehole PX-1, located at 4.22 km, was subjected to the injection of 3,907 m3 with flow rate of up to 18 kg/s followed by bleeding off of 1,207 m3. The borehole PX-2, located at 4.35 km, was subjected to the injection of 1,970 m3 with flow rate of up to 46 kg/sIn PX-1, a sharp distinct decline of wellhead pressure was observed at around 16 MPa of wellhead pressure which was similar to the predicted injection pressure to induce hydraulic shearing. Injectivity interpretation before and after the hydraulic shearing indicates that permanent increase of permeability was achieved by a factor of a few. In PX-2, however, injectivity was very small and hydraulic shearing was not observed due possibly to the near wellbore damage made by the remedying process of lost circulation such as using lost circulation material during drilling. Flow rate of larger than 40 kg/s was achieved at very high well head pressure of nearly 90 MPa. Hydraulic jacking, that is reversible opening and closure of fracture with change of injection pressure, was clearly observed. Although sharp increase of permeability due to fracture opening was achieved with elevated injection pressure, the increased permeability was reversed with decreased injection pressure.Two contrasting response observed in the same reservoir at two different boreholes which is apart only 600 m apart provide important implication that can be used for the stimulation strategy for EGS.This work was supported by the New and Renewable Energy Technology Development Program of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology

A gas migration test in saturated, fractured rock. Final report for the Joint UKDOE/AECL Project. Phase 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gascoyne, M.; Wuschke, D.M.; Brown, A.; Hayles, J.G.; Kozak, E.T.; Lodha, G.S.; Thorne, G.A. [Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., Pinawa, MB (Canada). Whiteshell Labs.

1991-12-31

Helium gas was injected at constant pressure into an inclined fracture zone through an access borehole at a depth of about 40 m, in the Lac du Bonnet granite, southeastern Manitoba. The gas flow rate, arrival time and pattern of distribution of gas at the surface were monitored by soil gas surveys. The field results were compared with predictions of a simple analytical model. Good agreement was found when the influence of vertical fracturing in the bedrock and a low-permeability overburden were included in the model. The model was then used to determine the hydraulic conductivity of individual gas flow paths in the fractured rock. (author).

A gas migration test in saturated, fractured rock. Final report for the Joint UKDOE/AECL Project. Phase 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gascoyne, M; Wuschke, D M; Brown, A; Hayles, J G; Kozak, E T; Lodha, G S; Thorne, G A [Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., Pinawa, MB (Canada). Whiteshell Labs.

1992-12-31

Helium gas was injected at constant pressure into an inclined fracture zone through an access borehole at a depth of about 40 m, in the Lac du Bonnet granite, southeastern Manitoba. The gas flow rate, arrival time and pattern of distribution of gas at the surface were monitored by soil gas surveys. The field results were compared with predictions of a simple analytical model. Good agreement was found when the influence of vertical fracturing in the bedrock and a low-permeability overburden were included in the model. The model was then used to determine the hydraulic conductivity of individual gas flow paths in the fractured rock. (author).

Overview of Chronic Oral Toxicity Values for Chemicals Present in Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids, Flowback and Produced Waters

Science.gov (United States)

as part of EPA's Hydraulic Fracturing Drinking Water Assessment, EPA is summarizing existing toxicity data for chemicals reported to be used in hydraulic fracturing fluids and/or found in flowback or produced waters from hydraulically fractured wells

'Fracking' Controversy and Communication: Using National Survey Data to Understand Public Perceptions of Hydraulic Fracturing (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Boudet, H. S.

2013-12-01

The recent push to develop unconventional sources of oil and gas both in the U.S. and abroad via hydraulic fracturing ('fracking') has generated a great deal of controversy. Effectively engaging stakeholders and setting appropriate policies requires insights into current public perceptions of this issue. Using a nationally representative U.S. sample (N=1,061), we examine public perceptions of hydraulic fracturing including: 'top of mind' associations; familiarity with the issue; levels of support/opposition; and predictors of such judgments. Similar to findings on other emerging technologies, our results suggest limited familiarity with the process and its potential impacts and considerable uncertainty about whether to support it. Multiple regression analysis (r2 = 0.49) finds that women, those holding egalitarian worldviews, those who read newspapers more than once a week, those more familiar with hydraulic fracturing, and those who associate the process with environmental impacts are more likely to oppose fracking. In contrast, people more likely to support fracking tend to be older, hold a bachelor's degree or higher, politically conservative, watch TV news more than once a week, and associate the process with positive economic or energy supply outcomes. Based on these findings, we discuss recommendations for future research, risk communication, and energy policy.

An Experimental Investigation of Hydraulic Fracturing in Shale Considering Anisotropy and Using Freshwater and Supercritical CO2

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Jianming He

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The process of hydraulic fracturing makes use of a liquid to fracture reservoir rocks for the exploitation of unconventional resources. Hence, it is vital to understand the processes that produce the fracture networks that occur during hydraulic fracturing. A shale reservoir is one of the largest unconventional resources and it displays obvious anisotropic characteristics due to its inherent sedimentary structures. The viscosity and flow ability of the fracturing fluid plays an important role in this process. We conducted a series of hydraulic fracturing tests on shale cores (from the southern Sichuan Basin using freshwater and supercritical CO2 (SCO2 as fracturing fluids to investigate the different modes of fracture propagation. The pump pressure curves that we obtained during the fracturing experiment show how the shale responded to each of the fracturing fluids. We examined the influence of the anisotropic characteristics on the propagation of hydraulic fractures by conducting a series of hydraulic fracturing experiments on the shale cores using different bedding orientations. The bedding orientation of the shale had a profound influence on the fracture propagation when using either freshwater or a SCO2 fluid. The breakdown pressure of the shale core was affected not only by the bedding orientation but also by the fracturing fluid. A macroscopic observation of the fractures revealed different fracture geometries and propagation patterns. The results demonstrated that the anisotropic structures and the fracturing fluids could influence the path of the hydraulic fracture.

Cooperative federalism and hydraulic fracturing: a human right to a clean environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Burleson, Elizabeth

2012-01-01

This Article argues that filling the energy governance gaps regarding unconventional natural gas can best be accomplished through collaborative governance that is genuinely adaptive and cooperative. Through cooperative federalism, combined with procedural rights for inclusive, innovative decision-making, state and non-state actors should design and implement the requisite safeguards before further natural gas development advances. Hydraulic fracturing provisions are strikingly fragmented and have sparked a fierce debate about chemical disclosure, radioactive wastewater disposal, and greenhouse gas emissions. United States natural gas production may stunt the direction and intensity of renewable energy by up to two decades and will not provide a bridge to a sound energy policy if it "erode[s] efforts to prepare a landing at the other end of the bridge." Unconventional natural gas extraction need not become a transition to a new addiction. This Article analyzes how cooperative federalism and inclusive decision-making can provide legitimacy and transparency when balancing property rights against police powers to regulate natural gas production.

Quantifying Water-Rock Interactions during Hydraulic Fracturing from the Analysis of Flowback Water

Science.gov (United States)

Osselin, F.; Nightingale, M.; Kloppmann, W.; Gaucher, E.; Clarkson, C.; Mayer, B.

2017-12-01

Hydraulic fracturing technologies have facilitated the rapid development of shale gas and other unconventional resources throughout the world. In order to get sufficient access to the trapped hydrocarbon, it is necessary to fracture the bedrock and increase its permeability. Fracturing fluids are usually composed of tens of thousand of cubic meters of low salinity water with numerous additives, such as viscosity agent or breakers. The objective of this study was to investigate and quantify the water-rock interactions during hydraulic fracturing. This study was based on repeated sampling of flowback water from a hydraulically fractured well in Alberta, Canada. The flowback water was sampled 24 times during the first week and one last time after one, and analyzed for major ions and trace elements, as well as stable isotopes of sulfate and water among others. Results showed that salinity rapidly increases up to 100 000 mg/L at the end of the first week. We demonstrate that conservative species such as Na and Cl follow a clear two end-members mixing line, while some species including sulfate had much higher concentrations (8 times higher than the expected value from the mixing line). This indicates that the rapid increase of salinity in flowback water is caused by both mixing with formation water initially present in the shale formation, and from water-rock interactions triggered by the fracturing fluid and in some cases by the additives. Stable isotope data suggest that additional sulfate is mobilized as a consequence of pyrite oxidation, releasing sulfate, iron and potentially other heavy metals into the flowback water. This release of excess sulfate can be detrimental because it has the potential to promote scaling of sulfate minerals. Moreover, pyrite oxidation is a highly acidifying reaction and this may decrease the effectiveness of other additives, and promote carbonate minerals dissolution enhancing further scaling. We propose that a better control of the

A Thermoelastic Hydraulic Fracture Design Tool for Geothermal Reservoir Development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahmad Ghassemi

2003-06-30

Geothermal energy is recovered by circulating water through heat exchange areas within a hot rock mass. Geothermal reservoir rock masses generally consist of igneous and metamorphic rocks that have low matrix permeability. Therefore, cracks and fractures play a significant role in extraction of geothermal energy by providing the major pathways for fluid flow and heat exchange. Thus, knowledge of conditions leading to formation of fractures and fracture networks is of paramount importance. Furthermore, in the absence of natural fractures or adequate connectivity, artificial fracture are created in the reservoir using hydraulic fracturing. At times, the practice aims to create a number of parallel fractures connecting a pair of wells. Multiple fractures are preferred because of the large size necessary when using only a single fracture. Although the basic idea is rather simple, hydraulic fracturing is a complex process involving interactions of high pressure fluid injections with a stressed hot rock mass, mechanical interaction of induced fractures with existing natural fractures, and the spatial and temporal variations of in-situ stress. As a result it is necessary to develop tools that can be used to study these interactions as an integral part of a comprehensive approach to geothermal reservoir development, particularly enhanced geothermal systems. In response to this need we have set out to develop advanced thermo-mechanical models for design of artificial fractures and rock fracture research in geothermal reservoirs. These models consider the significant hydraulic and thermo-mechanical processes and their interaction with the in-situ stress state. Wellbore failure and fracture initiation is studied using a model that fully couples poro-mechanical and thermo-mechanical effects. The fracture propagation model is based on a complex variable and regular displacement discontinuity formulations. In the complex variable approach the displacement discontinuities are

Coupled Fracture and Flow in Shale in Hydraulic Fracturing

Science.gov (United States)

Carey, J. W.; Mori, H.; Viswanathan, H.

2014-12-01

Production of hydrocarbon from shale requires creation and maintenance of fracture permeability in an otherwise impermeable shale matrix. In this study, we use a combination of triaxial coreflood experiments and x-ray tomography characterization to investigate the fracture-permeability behavior of Utica shale at in situ reservoir conditions (25-50 oC and 35-120 bars). Initially impermeable shale core was placed between flat anvils (compression) or between split anvils (pure shear) and loaded until failure in the triaxial device. Permeability was monitored continuously during this process. Significant deformation (>1%) was required to generate a transmissive fracture system. Permeability generally peaked at the point of a distinct failure event and then dropped by a factor of 2-6 when the system returned to hydrostatic failure. Permeability was very small in compression experiments (fashion as pressure increased. We also observed that permeability decreased with increasing fluid flow rate indicating that flow did not follow Darcy's Law, possibly due to non-laminar flow conditions, and conformed to Forscheimer's law. The coupled deformation and flow behavior of Utica shale, particularly the large deformation required to initiate flow, indicates the probable importance of activation of existing fractures in hydraulic fracturing and that these fractures can have adequate permeability for the production of hydrocarbon.

A gas migration test in saturated, fractured rock - final report for the joint UKDOE/AECL project, phase 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gascoyne, M.; Wuschke, D.M.; Brown, A.; Hayles, J.G.; Kozak, E.T.; Lodha, G.S.; Thorne, G.A.

1991-12-01

Helium gas was injected at constant pressure into an inclined fracture zone through an access borehole at a depth of about 40 m, in the Lac du Bonnet granite, southeastern Manitoba. The gas flow rate, arrival time and pattern of distribution of gas at the surface were monitored by soil gas surveys. The field results were compared with predictions of a simple analytical model derived from Thunvik and Braester (1987). Good agreement was found when the influence of vertical fracturing in the bedrock and a low-permeability overburden were included in the model. The model was then used to determined the hydraulic conductivity of individual gas flow paths in the fractured rock. (author). 23 refs., 5 tabs., 37 figs

A review on risk assessment techniques for hydraulic fracturing water and produced water management implemented in onshore unconventional oil and gas production.

Science.gov (United States)

Torres, Luisa; Yadav, Om Prakash; Khan, Eakalak

2016-01-01

The objective of this paper is to review different risk assessment techniques applicable to onshore unconventional oil and gas production to determine the risks to water quantity and quality associated with hydraulic fracturing and produced water management. Water resources could be at risk without proper management of water, chemicals, and produced water. Previous risk assessments in the oil and gas industry were performed from an engineering perspective leaving aside important social factors. Different risk assessment methods and techniques are reviewed and summarized to select the most appropriate one to perform a holistic and integrated analysis of risks at every stage of the water life cycle. Constraints to performing risk assessment are identified including gaps in databases, which require more advanced techniques such as modeling. Discussions on each risk associated with water and produced water management, mitigation strategies, and future research direction are presented. Further research on risks in onshore unconventional oil and gas will benefit not only the U.S. but also other countries with shale oil and gas resources. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An integrated geophysical and hydraulic investigation to characterize a fractured-rock aquifer, Norwalk, Connecticut

Science.gov (United States)

Lane, J.W.; Williams, J.H.; Johnson, C.D.; Savino, D.M.; Haeni, F.P.

2002-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey conducted an integrated geophysical and hydraulic investigation at the Norden Systems, Inc. site in Norwalk, Connecticut, where chlorinated solvents have contaminated a fractured-rock aquifer. Borehole, borehole-to-borehole, surface-geophysical, and hydraulic methods were used to characterize the site bedrock lithology and structure, fractures, and transmissive zone hydraulic properties. The geophysical and hydraulic methods included conventional logs, borehole imagery, borehole radar, flowmeter under ambient and stressed hydraulic conditions, and azimuthal square-array direct-current resistivity soundings. Integrated interpretation of geophysical logs at borehole and borehole-to-borehole scales indicates that the bedrock foliation strikes northwest and dips northeast, and strikes north-northeast to northeast and dips both southeast and northwest. Although steeply dipping fractures that cross-cut foliation are observed, most fractures are parallel or sub-parallel to foliation. Steeply dipping reflectors observed in the radar reflection data from three boreholes near the main building delineate a north-northeast trending feature interpreted as a fracture zone. Results of radar tomography conducted close to a suspected contaminant source area indicate that a zone of low electromagnetic (EM) velocity and high EM attenuation is present above 50 ft in depth - the region containing the highest density of fractures. Flowmeter logging was used to estimate hydraulic properties in the boreholes. Thirty-three transmissive fracture zones were identified in 11 of the boreholes. The vertical separation between transmissive zones typically is 10 to 20 ft. Open-hole and discrete-zone transmissivity was estimated from heat-pulse flowmeter data acquired under ambient and stressed conditions. The open-hole transmissivity ranges from 2 to 86 ft2/d. The estimated transmissivity of individual transmissive zones ranges from 0.4 to 68 ft2/d. Drawdown monitoring

Numerical simulation of hydraulic fracturing and associated microseismicity using finite-discrete element method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qi Zhao

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Hydraulic fracturing (HF technique has been extensively used for the exploitation of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs. HF enhances the connectivity of less permeable oil and gas-bearing rock formations by fluid injection, which creates an interconnected fracture network and increases the hydrocarbon production. Meanwhile, microseismic (MS monitoring is one of the most effective approaches to evaluate such stimulation process. In this paper, the combined finite-discrete element method (FDEM is adopted to numerically simulate HF and associated MS. Several post-processing tools, including frequency-magnitude distribution (b-value, fractal dimension (D-value, and seismic events clustering, are utilized to interpret numerical results. A non-parametric clustering algorithm designed specifically for FDEM is used to reduce the mesh dependency and extract more realistic seismic information. Simulation results indicated that at the local scale, the HF process tends to propagate following the rock mass discontinuities; while at the reservoir scale, it tends to develop in the direction parallel to the maximum in-situ stress.

Feasibility study on application of volume acid fracturing technology to tight gas carbonate reservoir development

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Nianyin Li

2015-09-01

Full Text Available How to effectively develop tight-gas carbonate reservoir and achieve high recovery is always a problem for the oil and gas industry. To solve this problem, domestic petroleum engineers use the combination of the successful experiences of North American shale gas pools development by stimulated reservoir volume (SRV fracturing with the research achievements of Chinese tight gas development by acid fracturing to propose volume acid fracturing technology for fractured tight-gas carbonate reservoir, which has achieved a good stimulation effect in the pilot tests. To determine what reservoir conditions are suitable to carry out volume acid fracturing, this paper firstly introduces volume acid fracturing technology by giving the stimulation mechanism and technical ideas, and initially analyzes the feasibility by the comparison of reservoir characteristics of shale gas with tight-gas carbonate. Then, this paper analyzes the validity and limitation of the volume acid fracturing technology via the analyses of control conditions for volume acid fracturing in reservoir fracturing performance, natural fracture, horizontal principal stress difference, orientation of in-situ stress and natural fracture, and gives the solution for the limitation. The study results show that the volume acid fracturing process can be used to greatly improve the flow environment of tight-gas carbonate reservoir and increase production; the incremental or stimulation response is closely related with reservoir fracturing performance, the degree of development of natural fracture, the small intersection angle between hydraulic fracture and natural fracture, the large horizontal principal stress difference is easy to form a narrow fracture zone, and it is disadvantageous to create fracture network, but the degradable fiber diversion technology may largely weaken the disadvantage. The practices indicate that the application of volume acid fracturing process to the tight-gas carbonate

Monitoring Hydraulic Fracturing Using Ground-Based Controlled Source Electromagnetics

Science.gov (United States)

Hickey, M. S.; Trevino, S., III; Everett, M. E.

2017-12-01

Hydraulic fracturing allows hydrocarbon production in low permeability formations. Imaging the distribution of fluid used to create a hydraulic fracture can aid in the characterization of fracture properties such as extent of plume penetration as well as fracture azimuth and symmetry. This could contribute to improving the efficiency of an operation, for example, in helping to determine ideal well spacing or the need to refracture a zone. A ground-based controlled-source electromagnetics (CSEM) technique is ideal for imaging the fluid due to the change in field caused by the difference in the conductive properties of the fluid when compared to the background. With advances in high signal to noise recording equipment, coupled with a high-power, broadband transmitter we can show hydraulic fracture extent and azimuth with minimal processing. A 3D finite element code is used to model the complete well casing along with the layered subsurface. This forward model is used to optimize the survey design and isolate the band of frequencies with the best response. In the field, the results of the modeling are also used to create a custom pseudorandom numeric (PRN) code to control the frequencies transmitted through a grounded dipole source. The receivers record the surface voltage across two grounded dipoles, one parallel and one perpendicular to the transmitter. The data are presented as the displays of amplitude ratios across several frequencies with the associated spatial information. In this presentation, we show multiple field results in multiple basins in the United States along with the CSEM theory used to create the survey designs.

Effect of Poroelasticity on Hydraulic Fracture Interactions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Usui, Tomoya; Salimzadeh, Saeed; Paluszny, Adriana

2017-01-01

This study investigates, by performing finite element-based simulations, the influence of fluid leak-off and poroelasticity on growth of multiple hydraulic fractures that initiate from a single horizontal well. In this research, poroelastic deformation of the matrix is coupled with fluid flow in ...

Hydraulic fracturing in anisotropic and heterogeneous rocks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Valliappan, V.; Remmers, J.J.C.; Barnhoorn, A.; Smeulders, D.M.J.

2017-01-01

In this paper, we present a two dimensional model for modelling the hydraulic fracture process in anisotropic and heterogeneous rocks. The model is formulated using extended finite elements (XFEM) in combination with Newton-Raphson method for spatial and Euler's implicit scheme for time. The

The disposal of intermediate-level radioactive liquid waste by hydraulic fracturing process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Ruilin; Zhou Hanchen; Gao Yuzhu; Qiao Wen; Wang Wentao

1993-01-01

The hydraulic fracturing process is characterized by combination of the treatment with the disposal of ILLW (intermediate-level liquid waste). It is of cement solidification in deep geology stratum. First of all, it is necessary to select a suitable disposal site with detailed information on geology and hydrogeology. The process has such advantages as simple, low cost, large capacity of disposal, safe and reliable in technology. It is an attractive process of ILLW. Since 1980's, the research and the concept design of the hydraulic fracturing process have been initiated for disposal of ILLW. It is demonstrated by the field tests. The authors considered that the geological structure near Sichuan Nuclear Fuel Plant fits the disposal of ILLW by the hydraulic fracturing process

The disposal of intermediate-level radioactive liquid waste by hydraulic fracturing process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruilin, Chen; Hanchen, Zhou; Yuzhu, Gao; Wen, Qiao; Wentao, Wang [Beijing Inst. of Nuclear Engineering (China)

1994-12-31

The hydraulic fracturing process is characterized by combination of the treatment with the disposal of ILLW (intermediate-level liquid waste). It is of cement solidification in deep geology stratum. First of all, it is necessary to select a suitable disposal site with detailed information on geology and hydrogeology. The process has such advantages as simple, low cost, large capacity of disposal, safe and reliable in technology. It is an attractive process of ILLW. Since 1980`s, the research and the concept design of the hydraulic fracturing process have been initiated for disposal of ILLW. It is demonstrated by the field tests. The authors considered that the geological structure near Sichuan Nuclear Fuel Plant fits the disposal of ILLW by the hydraulic fracturing process.

Disposal of waste by hydraulic fracturing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tamura, T.; Weeren, H.

1984-01-01

Liquid radioactive waste solutions at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have been disposed of for nearly 20 years by preparing a slurry, injecting it into bedding plane fractures formed in low-permeability shale, and allowing the slurry to set into a solid. Three major considerations are required for this method: a rock formation that forms horizontal or bedding plane fractures and is highly impermeable, a plant facility that can develop sufficient hydraulic pressure to fracture the rock and to inject the slurry, and a slurry that can be pumped into the fracture and that will set, preferably, into a low-leaching solid. The requirements and desirable conditions of the formation, the process and facility as used for radioactive waste disposal, and the mix formulation and slurry properties that were required for injection and solidification are described. The intent of this paper is to stimulate interest in this technique for possible application to nonnuclear wastes

Shale Gas Technology. White Paper

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-09-15

Shale gas is extracted using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking'. None of which are particularly new technologies or shale gas specific. In this white paper attention is paid to Horizontal drilling; Hydraulic fracturing or 'frackin'; Other 'unconventionals'; and Costs.

The risks of hydraulic fracturing and the responsibilities of engineers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Kirkman

2017-03-01

Full Text Available One third of U.S. natural gas is extracted by injecting fluid at high pressure into shale formations, a process associated with a number of possible hazards and risks that have become the subject of intense public controversy. We develop a three-part schema to make sense of risks of hydraulic fracturing and the responsibilities of engineers: the lab, the field, and the forum. In the lab, researchers seek to answer basic questions about, for example, the behavior of shale under particular conditions; there uncertainty seems to arise at every turn. In the field, engineers and others work to implement technological processes, such as hydraulic fracturing and the subsequent extraction of oil and gas; hazards may arise as natural and social systems respond in sometimes surprising ways. In the forum, the public and their representatives deliberate about risk and acceptable risk, questions that are framed in ethical as well as technical terms. The difficulty of characterizing – and in living up to – the responsibilities of engineers lie in part in the apparent distance between the lab and the forum. We examine in turn uncertainties in the lab, hazards in the field, and deliberation in the forum, leading to the conclusion that scientists and engineers can and should help to inform public deliberation but that their research cannot, on its own, resolve all controversies. Scientists and engineers who seek to inform deliberation should be mindful of the scope and limits of their authority, clear and modest in communicating research findings to the public, and careful to avoid even apparent conflicts of interest wherever possible. We close by drawing from the lab-field-forum schema to suggest a direction for pedagogical innovations aimed at the formation of responsible engineers in the context of college-level degree programs.

Strontium isotopes test long-term zonal isolation of injected and Marcellus formation water after hydraulic fracturing.

Science.gov (United States)

Kohl, Courtney A Kolesar; Capo, Rosemary C; Stewart, Brian W; Wall, Andrew J; Schroeder, Karl T; Hammack, Richard W; Guthrie, George D

2014-08-19

One concern regarding unconventional hydrocarbon production from organic-rich shale is that hydraulic fracture stimulation could create pathways that allow injected fluids and deep brines from the target formation or adjacent units to migrate upward into shallow drinking water aquifers. This study presents Sr isotope and geochemical data from a well-constrained site in Greene County, Pennsylvania, in which samples were collected before and after hydraulic fracturing of the Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale. Results spanning a 15-month period indicated no significant migration of Marcellus-derived fluids into Upper Devonian/Lower Mississippian units located 900-1200 m above the lateral Marcellus boreholes or into groundwater sampled at a spring near the site. Monitoring the Sr isotope ratio of water from legacy oil and gas wells or drinking water wells can provide a sensitive early warning of upward brine migration for many years after well stimulation.

Advances in coalbed methane reservoirs using integrated reservoir characterization and hydraulic fracturing in Karaganda coal basin, Kazakhstan

Science.gov (United States)

Ivakhnenko, Aleksandr; Aimukhan, Adina; Kenshimova, Aida; Mullagaliyev, Fandus; Akbarov, Erlan; Mullagaliyeva, Lylia; Kabirova, Svetlana; Almukhametov, Azamat

2017-04-01

Coalbed methane from Karaganda coal basin is considered to be an unconventional source of energy for the Central and Eastern parts of Kazakhstan. These regions are situated far away from the main traditional sources of oil and gas related to Precaspian petroleum basin. Coalbed methane fields in Karaganda coal basin are characterized by geological and structural complexity. Majority of production zones were characterized by high methane content and extremely low coal permeability. The coal reservoirs also contained a considerable natural system of primary, secondary, and tertiary fractures that were usually capable to accommodate passing fluid during hydraulic fracturing process. However, after closing was often observed coal formation damage including the loss of fluids, migration of fines and higher pressures required to treat formation than were expected. Unusual or less expected reservoir characteristics and values of properties of the coal reservoir might be the cause of the unusual occurred patterns in obtained fracturing, such as lithological peculiarities, rock mechanical properties and previous natural fracture systems in the coals. Based on these properties we found that during the drilling and fracturing of the coal-induced fractures have great sensitivity to complex reservoir lithology and stress profiles, as well as changes of those stresses. In order to have a successful program of hydraulic fracturing and avoid unnecessary fracturing anomalies we applied integrated reservoir characterization to monitor key parameters. In addition to logging data, core sample analysis was applied for coalbed methane reservoirs to observe dependence tiny lithological variations through the magnetic susceptibility values and their relation to permeability together with expected principal stress. The values of magnetic susceptibility were measured by the core logging sensor, which is equipped with the probe that provides volume magnetic susceptibility parameters

Hydraulic properties of 3D rough-walled fractures during shearing: An experimental study

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Qian; Ma, Guowei; Jing, Hongwen; Wang, Huidong; Su, Haijian; Wang, Yingchao; Liu, Richeng

2017-12-01

This study experimentally analyzed the influence of shear processes on nonlinear flow behavior through 3D rough-walled rock fractures. A high-precision apparatus was developed to perform stress-dependent fluid flow tests of fractured rocks. Then, water flow tests on rough-walled fractures with different mechanical displacements were conducted. At each shear level, the hydraulic pressure ranged from 0 to 0.6 MPa, and the normal load varied from 7 to 35 kN. The results show that (i) the relationship between the volumetric flow rate and hydraulic gradient of rough-walled fractures can be well fit using Forchheimer's law. Notably, both the linear and nonlinear coefficients in Forchheimer's law decrease during shearing; (ii) a sixth-order polynomial function is used to evaluate the transmissivity based on the Reynolds number of fractures during shearing. The transmissivity exhibits a decreasing trend as the Reynolds number increases and an increasing trend as the shear displacement increases; (iii) the critical hydraulic gradient, critical Reynolds number and equivalent hydraulic aperture of the rock fractures all increase as the shear displacement increases. When the shear displacement varies from 0 to 15 mm, the critical hydraulic gradient ranges from 0.3 to 2.2 for a normal load of 7 kN and increases to 1.8-8.6 for a normal load of 35 kN; and (iv) the Forchheimer law results are evaluated by plotting the normalized transmissivity of the fractures during shearing against the Reynolds number. An increase in the normal load shifts the fitted curves downward. Additionally, the Forchheimer coefficient β decreases with the shear displacement but increases with the applied normal load.

Stimuli Responsive/Rheoreversible Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids for Enhanced Geothermal Energy Production (Part I)

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez, C. A.; Jung, H. B.; Shao, H.; Bonneville, A.; Heldebrant, D.; Hoyt, D.; Zhong, L.; Holladay, J.

2014-12-01

Cost-effective yet safe creation of high-permeability reservoirs inside deep crystalline bedrock is the primary challenge for the viability of enhanced geothermal systems and unconventional oil/gas recovery. Current reservoir stimulation processes utilize brute force (hydraulic pressures in the order of hundreds of bar) to create/propagate fractures in the bedrock. Such stimulation processes entail substantial economic costs ($3.3 million per reservoir as of 2011). Furthermore, the environmental impacts of reservoir stimulation are only recently being determined. Widespread concerns about the environmental contamination have resulted in a number of regulations for fracturing fluids advocating for greener fracturing processes. To reduce the costs and environmental impact of reservoir stimulation, we developed an environmentally friendly and recyclable hydraulic fracturing fluid that undergoes a controlled and large volume expansion with a simultaneous increase in viscosity triggered by CO2 at temperatures relevant for reservoir stimulation in Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS). The volume expansion, which will specifically occurs at EGS depths of interest, generates an exceptionally large mechanical stress in fracture networks of highly impermeable rock propagating fractures at effective stress an order of magnitude lower than current technology. This paper will concentrate on the presentation of this CO2-triggered expanding hydrogel formed from diluted aqueous solutions of polyallylamine (PAA). Aqueous PAA-CO2 mixtures also show significantly higher viscosities than conventional rheology modifiers at similar pressures and temperatures due to the cross-linking reaction of PAA with CO2, which was demonstrated by chemical speciation studies using in situ HP-HT 13C MAS-NMR. In addtion, PAA shows shear-thinning behavior, a critical advantage for the use of this fluid system in EGS reservoir stimulation. The high pressure/temperature experiments and their results as well

Formation of Particulate Matter from the Oxidation of Evaporated Wastewater from Hydraulic Fracturing Activity

Science.gov (United States)

Hildebrandt Ruiz, L.; Bean, J. K.; Bilotto, A.

2017-12-01

The use of hydraulic fracturing for production of petroleum and natural gas has increased dramatically in the last decade, but the environmental impacts of this technology remain unclear. Experiments were conducted to quantify airborne emissions from twelve samples of hydraulic fracturing flowback wastewater collected in the Permian Basin, as well as the photochemical processing of these emissions leading to the formation of particulate matter. The concentration of total volatile carbon (TVC, hydrocarbons evaporating at room temperature) averaged 29 milligrams of carbon per liter (mgC/L) and the TVC evaporation rate averaged 1357 mgC/L-m2-min. After photochemical oxidation under high NOx conditions the amount of organic particulate matter formed per milliliter of wastewater evaporated averaged 24 micrograms (µg); the amount of ammonium nitrate formed averaged 262 µg. In the state of Texas, the potential formation of PM from evaporated flowback wastewater is similar to the estimated PM emissions from diesel engines used in oil rigs, emphasizing the need to quantify wastewater evaporation and atmospheric processing of these emissions.

Hydro-mechanical coupled simulation of hydraulic fracturing using the eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM)

Science.gov (United States)

Youn, Dong Joon

This thesis presents the development and validation of an advanced hydro-mechanical coupled finite element program analyzing hydraulic fracture propagation within unconventional hydrocarbon formations under various conditions. The realistic modeling of hydraulic fracturing is necessarily required to improve the understanding and efficiency of the stimulation technique. Such modeling remains highly challenging, however, due to factors including the complexity of fracture propagation mechanisms, the coupled behavior of fracture displacement and fluid pressure, the interactions between pre-existing natural and initiated hydraulic fractures and the formation heterogeneity of the target reservoir. In this research, an eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM) scheme is developed allowing for representation of single or multiple fracture propagations without any need for re-meshing. Also, the coupled flows through the fracture are considered in the program to account for their influence on stresses and deformations along the hydraulic fracture. In this research, a sequential coupling scheme is applied to estimate fracture aperture and fluid pressure with the XFEM. Later, the coupled XFEM program is used to estimate wellbore bottomhole pressure during fracture propagation, and the pressure variations are analyzed to determine the geometry and performance of the hydraulic fracturing as pressure leak-off test. Finally, material heterogeneity is included into the XFEM program to check the effect of random formation property distributions to the hydraulic fracture geometry. Random field theory is used to create the random realization of the material heterogeneity with the consideration of mean, standard deviation, and property correlation length. These analyses lead to probabilistic information on the response of unconventional reservoirs and offer a more scientific approach regarding risk management for the unconventional reservoir stimulation. The new stochastic approach

Organic compounds in hydraulic fracturing fluids and wastewaters: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Luek, Jenna L; Gonsior, Michael

2017-10-15

High volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) of shale to stimulate the release of natural gas produces a large quantity of wastewater in the form of flowback fluids and produced water. These wastewaters are highly variable in their composition and contain a mixture of fracturing fluid additives, geogenic inorganic and organic substances, and transformation products. The qualitative and quantitative analyses of organic compounds identified in HVHF fluids, flowback fluids, and produced waters are reviewed here to communicate knowledge gaps that exist in the composition of HVHF wastewaters. In general, analyses of organic compounds have focused on those amenable to gas chromatography, focusing on volatile and semi-volatile oil and gas compounds. Studies of more polar and non-volatile organic compounds have been limited by a lack of knowledge of what compounds may be present as well as quantitative methods and standards available for analyzing these complex mixtures. Liquid chromatography paired with high-resolution mass spectrometry has been used to investigate a number of additives and will be a key tool to further research on transformation products that are increasingly solubilized through physical, chemical, and biological processes in situ and during environmental contamination events. Diverse treatments have been tested and applied to HVHF wastewaters but limited information has been published on the quantitative removal of individual organic compounds. This review focuses on recently published information on organic compounds identified in flowback fluids and produced waters from HVHF. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing the induced seismicity by hydraulic fracturing at the Wysin site (Poland)

Science.gov (United States)

Ángel López Comino, José; Cesca, Simone; Kriegerowski, Marius; Heimann, Sebastian; Dahm, Torsten; Mirek, Janusz; Lasocky, Stanislaw

2017-04-01

Induced seismicity related to industrial processes including shale gas and oil exploitation is a current issues that implies enough reasons to be concerned. Hydraulic fracturing usually induces weak events. However, scenarios with larger earthquakes are possible, e.g. if the injected fluids alter friction conditions and trigger the failure of neighbouring faults. This work is focused on a hydrofracking experiment monitored in the framework of the SHEER (SHale gas Exploration and Exploitation induced Risks) EU project at the Wysin site, located in the central-western part of the Peribaltic synclise of Pomerania, Poland. A specific network setup has been installed combining surface installation with three small-scale arrays and a shallow borehole installation. The fracking operations were carried out in June and July 2016 at a depth 4000 m. The monitoring has been operational before, during and after the termination of hydraulic fracturing operations. We apply a recently developed automated full waveform detection algorithm based on the stacking of smooth characteristic function and the identification of high coherence in the signals recorded at different stations. The method was tested with synthetic data and different detector levels yielding values of magnitude of completeness around 0.1. An unsupervised detection catalogue is generated with real data for a time period May-September 2016. We identify strong temporal changes (day/night) of the detection performance. A manual revision of the detected signals reveals that most detections are associated to local and regional seismic signals. Only two events could be assigned to the volume potentially affected by the fracking operations.

Hydraulic fracturing in granite under geothermal conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Solberg, P.; Lockner, D.; Byerlee, J.D.

1980-01-01

The experimental hydraulic fracturing of granite under geothermal conditions produces tensile fracture at rapid fluid injection rates and shear fracture at slow injection rates and elevated differential stress levels. A sudden burst of acoustic emission activity accompanies tensile fracture formation whereas the acoustic emission rate increases exponentially prior to shear fracture. Temperature does not significantly affect the failure mechanism, and the experimental results have not demonstrated the occurrence of thermal fracturing. A critical result of these experiments is that fluid injection at intermediate rates and elevated differential stress levels increases permeability by more than an order of magnitude without producing macroscopic fractures, and low-level acoustic emission activity occurs simultaneously near the borehole and propagates outward into the specimen with time. Permeability measurements conducted at atmospheric pressure both before and after these experiments show that increased permeability is produced by permanent structural changes in the rock. Although results of this study have not demonstrated the occurrence of thermal fracturing, they suggest that fluid injection at certain rates in situ may markedly increase local permeability. This could prove critical to increasing the efficiency of heat exchange for geothermal energy extraction from hot dry rock. ?? 1980.

Transport of Gas Phase Radionuclides in a Fractured, Low-Permeability Reservoir

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, C. A.; Chapman, J.

2001-12-01

The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (predecessor to the Department of Energy, DOE) oversaw a joint program between industry and government in the 1960s and 1970s to develop technology to enhance production from low-permeability gas reservoirs using nuclear stimulation rather than conventional means (e.g., hydraulic and/or acid fracturing). Project Rio Blanco, located in the Piceance Basin, Colorado, was the third experiment under the program. Three 30-kiloton nuclear explosives were placed in a 2134 m deep well at 1780, 1899, and 2039 m below the land surface and detonated in May 1973. Although the reservoir was extensively fractured, complications such as radionuclide contamination of the gas prevented production and subsequent development of the technology. Two-dimensional numerical simulations were conducted to identify the main transport processes that have occurred and are currently occurring in relation to the detonations, and to estimate the extent of contamination in the reservoir. Minor modifications were made to TOUGH2, the multiphase, multicomponent reservoir simulator developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories. The simulator allows the explicit incorporation of fractures, as well as heat transport, phase change, and first order radionuclide decay. For a fractured two-phase (liquid and gas) reservoir, the largest velocities are of gases through the fractures. In the gas phase, tritium and one isotope of krypton are the principle radionuclides of concern. However, in addition to existing as a fast pathway, fractures also permit matrix diffusion as a retardation mechanism. Another retardation mechanism is radionuclide decay. Simulations show that incorporation of fractures can significantly alter transport rates, and that radionuclides in the gas phase can preferentially migrate upward due to the downward gravity drainage of liquid water in the pores. This project was funded by the National Nuclear Security Administration, Nevada Operations Office

Design philosophy and practice of asymmetrical 3D fracturing and random fracturing: A case study of tight sand gas reservoirs in western Sichuan Basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianchun Guo

2015-03-01

Full Text Available At present two technical models are commonly taken in tight gas reservoir stimulation: conventional massive fracturing and SRV fracturing, but how to select a suitable fracturing model suitable for reservoir characteristics is still a question waiting to be answered. In this paper, based on the analysis of geological characteristics and seepage mechanism of tight gas and shale gas reservoirs, the differences between stimulation philosophy of tight gas reservoirs and shale reservoirs are elucidated, and the concept that a suitable stimulation model should be selected based on reservoir geological characteristics and seepage mechanism aiming at maximally improving the seepage capability of a reservoir. Based on this concept, two fracturing design methods were proposed for two tight gas reservoirs in western Sichuan Basin: asymmetrical 3D fracturing design (A3DF for the middle-shallow Upper Jurassic Penglaizhen Fm stacked reservoirs in which the hydraulic fractures can well match the sand spatial distribution and seepage capability of the reservoirs; SRV fracturing design which can increase fracture randomness in the sandstone and shale laminated reservoirs for the 5th Member of middle-deep Upper Triassic Xujiahe Fm. Compared with that by conventional fracturing, the average production of horizontal wells fractured by A3DF increased by 41%, indicating that A3DF is appropriate for gas reservoir development in the Penglaizhen Fm; meanwhile, the average production per well of the 5th Member of the Xujiahe Fm was 2.25 × 104 m3/d after SRV fracturing, showing that the SRV fracturing is a robust technical means for the development of this reservoir.

Assessment of the Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing at Bakken on Regional Water Resources

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Z.; Lin, T.; Lim, S.; Borders, M.

2015-12-01

Unconventional oil production at the Bakken Shale of western North Dakota increased more than ten-fold from 2008 to 2014. Although unconventional oil production uses less water than conventional oil production per unit of energy, the cumulative water needs for unconventional oil production due to multiple drilling and fracturing operations may be locally or temporally significant. We collected and analyzed the data for a total of 8453 horizontal wells developed at Bakken in western North Dakota during 2007-2014. The hydraulic fracturing activities mainly occurred in a core area of four counties, including Dunn, McKenzie, Mountrail, and Williams. The annual total water used for hydraulic fracking in western North Dakota increased from 302 ac-ft in 2007 to 21,605 ac-ft in 2014, by more than 70 times in 8 years. The four-county core area accounted for about 90% of total hydraulic fracturing water use in western North Dakota. Compared to the total water uses of all types, hydraulic fracturing water use in the four-county core area accounted for 0.7% in 2007 and 43.1% in 2014. Statewide, this percentage increased from 0.1% to 6.1% in the same time period. As horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies matured for unconventional oil development at Bakken, the total depth and the total length of laterals per well seemed to reach an optimal value in the last four years (2011-2014). However, the number of fracturing stages and the volume of fracking water used per completion are still on the rise. The average water use per well increased from about 1.7 ac-ft in 2007 to 11.4 ac-ft in 2014. Correspondingly, the water intensity (volume of fracking water used per foot of laterals) increased from 67 gallon/ft in 2007 to about 372 gallon/ft 2014. The results helped us better understand the environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing at Bakken and better manage the water resources in the region.

A Laboratory Study of the Effects of Interbeds on Hydraulic Fracture Propagation in Shale Formation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhiheng Zhao

2016-07-01

Full Text Available To investigate how the characteristics of interbeds affect hydraulic fracture propagation in the continental shale formation, a series of 300 mm × 300 mm × 300 mm concrete blocks with varying interbeds, based on outcrop observation and core measurement of Chang 7-2 shale formation, were prepared to conduct the hydraulic fracturing experiments. The results reveal that the breakdown pressure increases with the rise of thickness and strength of interbeds under the same in-situ field stress and injection rate. In addition, for the model blocks with thick and high strength interbeds, the hydraulic fracture has difficulty crossing the interbeds and is prone to divert along the bedding faces, and the fracturing effectiveness is not good. However, for the model blocks with thin and low strength interbeds, more long branches are generated along the main fracture, which is beneficial to the formation of the fracture network. What is more, combining the macroscopic descriptions with microscopic observations, the blocks with thinner and lower strength interbeds tend to generate more micro-fractures, and the width of the fractures is relatively larger on the main fracture planes. Based on the experiments, it is indicated that the propagation of hydraulic fractures is strongly influenced by the characteristics of interbeds, and the results are instructive to the understanding and evaluation of the fracability in the continental shale formation.

Numerical Modeling of Methane Leakage from a Faulty Natural Gas Well into Fractured Tight Formations.

Science.gov (United States)

Moortgat, Joachim; Schwartz, Franklin W; Darrah, Thomas H

2018-03-01

Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have enabled hydrocarbon recovery from unconventional reservoirs, but led to natural gas contamination of shallow groundwaters. We describe and apply numerical models of gas-phase migration associated with leaking natural gas wells. Three leakage scenarios are simulated: (1) high-pressure natural gas pulse released into a fractured aquifer; (2) continuous slow leakage into a tilted fractured formation; and (3) continuous slow leakage into an unfractured aquifer with fluvial channels, to facilitate a generalized evaluation of natural gas transport from faulty natural gas wells. High-pressure pulses of gas leakage into sparsely fractured media are needed to produce the extensive and rapid lateral spreading of free gas previously observed in field studies. Transport in fractures explains how methane can travel vastly different distances and directions laterally away from a leaking well, which leads to variable levels of methane contamination in nearby groundwater wells. Lower rates of methane leakage (≤1 Mcf/day) produce shorter length scales of gas transport than determined by the high-pressure scenario or field studies, unless aquifers have low vertical permeabilities (≤1 millidarcy) and fractures and bedding planes have sufficient tilt (∼10°) to allow a lateral buoyancy component. Similarly, in fractured rock aquifers or where permeability is controlled by channelized fluvial deposits, lateral flow is not sufficiently developed to explain fast-developing gas contamination (0-3 months) or large length scales (∼1 km) documented in field studies. Thus, current efforts to evaluate the frequency, mechanism, and impacts of natural gas leakage from faulty natural gas wells likely underestimate contributions from small-volume, low-pressure leakage events. © 2018, National Ground Water Association.

Shale Gas Technology. White Paper

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-09-15

Shale gas is extracted using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking'. None of which are particularly new technologies or shale gas specific. In this white paper attention is paid to Horizontal drilling; Hydraulic fracturing or 'frackin'; Other 'unconventionals'; and Costs.

An Efficient Two-Scale Hybrid Embedded Fracture Model for Shale Gas Simulation

KAUST Repository

Amir, Sahar Z.

2016-12-27

Natural and hydraulic fractures existence and state differs on a reservoir-by-reservoir or even on a well-by-well basis leading to the necessity of exploring the flow regimes variations with respect to the diverse fracture-network shapes forged. Conventional Dual-Porosity Dual-Permeability (DPDP) schemes are not adequate to model such complex fracture-network systems. To overcome this difficulty, in this paper, an iterative Hybrid Embedded multiscale (two-scale) Fracture model (HEF) is applied on a derived fit-for-purpose shale gas model. The HEF model involves splitting the fracture computations into two scales: 1) fine-scale solves for the flux exchange parameter within each grid cell; 2) coarse-scale solves for the pressure applied to the domain grid cells using the flux exchange parameter computed at each grid cell from the fine-scale. After that, the D dimensions matrix pressure and the (D-1) lower dimensional fracture pressure are solved as a system to apply the matrix-fracture coupling. HEF model combines the DPDP overlapping continua concept, the DFN lower dimensional fractures concept, the HFN hierarchical fracture concept, and the CCFD model simplicity. As for the fit-for-purpose shale gas model, various fit-for-purpose shale gas models can be derived using any set of selected properties plugged in one of the most popularly used proposed literature models as shown in the appendix. Also, this paper shows that shale extreme low permeability cause flow behavior to be dominated by the structure and magnitude of high permeability fractures.

An Efficient Two-Scale Hybrid Embedded Fracture Model for Shale Gas Simulation

KAUST Repository

Amir, Sahar Z.; Sun, Shuyu

2016-01-01

Natural and hydraulic fractures existence and state differs on a reservoir-by-reservoir or even on a well-by-well basis leading to the necessity of exploring the flow regimes variations with respect to the diverse fracture-network shapes forged. Conventional Dual-Porosity Dual-Permeability (DPDP) schemes are not adequate to model such complex fracture-network systems. To overcome this difficulty, in this paper, an iterative Hybrid Embedded multiscale (two-scale) Fracture model (HEF) is applied on a derived fit-for-purpose shale gas model. The HEF model involves splitting the fracture computations into two scales: 1) fine-scale solves for the flux exchange parameter within each grid cell; 2) coarse-scale solves for the pressure applied to the domain grid cells using the flux exchange parameter computed at each grid cell from the fine-scale. After that, the D dimensions matrix pressure and the (D-1) lower dimensional fracture pressure are solved as a system to apply the matrix-fracture coupling. HEF model combines the DPDP overlapping continua concept, the DFN lower dimensional fractures concept, the HFN hierarchical fracture concept, and the CCFD model simplicity. As for the fit-for-purpose shale gas model, various fit-for-purpose shale gas models can be derived using any set of selected properties plugged in one of the most popularly used proposed literature models as shown in the appendix. Also, this paper shows that shale extreme low permeability cause flow behavior to be dominated by the structure and magnitude of high permeability fractures.

Ground source energy in crystalline bedrock - increased energy extraction by using hydraulic fracturing in boreholes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramstad, Randi Kalstad

2004-11-01

The use of improved equipment and methodology can result in considerable reductions in the drilling costs for medium- to large sized ground source heat pump system in crystalline bedrock. The main point has been to use special techniques within hydraulic fracturing to create a larger heat exchange area in the bedrock, and thus a greater energy extraction per borehole. The energy extraction is based on circulating groundwater. Stimulation with hydraulic fracturing is a well known technique in order to improve borehole yields for drinking water-, oil-, and geothermal purposes. A procedure for injection of propping agents in selected borehole sections, and custom-made equipment for hydraulic fracturing in crystalline bedrock, a double packer, have been developed in this study. The propping agents are likely to ensure a permanent improvement of the hydraulic conductivity in a long-run perspective. In addition to a pre-test, a comprehensive test programme has been performed at each of the two pilot plants at Bryn and at the former property of Energiselskapet Asker og Baerum (EAB) in Baerum municipality outside Oslo, Norway. A total of 125 stimulations with hydraulic fracturing using water-only and hydraulic fracturing with injection of sand have been performed in 9 boreholes. Test pumping and geophysical logging (temperature, electrical conductivity, gamma radiation, optical televiewer and flow measurements) have been carried out in order to document the effect of the hydraulic fracturing. The pilot plants at Bryn and EAB, where the ground source heat pump systems are based on circulating groundwater, have demonstrated the short-period energy extraction, limitations and opportunities of the concept for hydraulic fracturing and increased energy extraction in different geological and hydrogeological areas. The bedrock at Bryn and EAB is characterized as a low-metamorphic sandstone and a nodular limestone, respectively. At Bryn, the five boreholes were organised with a

Chemical Interactions of Hydraulic Fracturing Biocides with Natural Pyrite

Science.gov (United States)

Consolazio, Nizette A.

In conjunction with horizontal drilling, hydraulic fracturing or fracking has enabled the recovery of natural gas from low permeable shale formations. In addition to water, these fracking fluids employ proppants and up to 38 different chemical additives to improve the efficiency of the process. One important class of additives used in hydraulic fracturing is biocides. When applied appropriately, they limit the growth of harmful microorganisms within the well, saving energy producers 4.5 billion dollars each year. However, biocides or their harmful daughter products may return to the surface in produced water, which must then be appropriately stored, treated and disposed of. Little is known about the effect of mineral-fluid interactions on the fate of the biocides employed in hydraulic fracturing. In this study, we employed laboratory experiments to determine changes in the persistence and products of these biocides under controlled environments. While many minerals are present in shale formations, pyrite, FeS2(s) is particularly interesting because of its prevalence and reactivity. The FeII groups on the face of pyrite may be oxidized to form FeIII phases. Both of these surfaces have been shown to be reactive with organic compounds. Chlorinated compounds undergo redox reactions at the pyrite-fluid interface, and sulfur-containing compounds undergo exceptionally strong sorption to both pristine and oxidized pyrite. This mineral may significantly influence the degradation of biocides in the Marcellus Shale. Thus, the overall goal of this study was to understand the effect of pyrite on biocide reactivity in hydraulic fracturing, focusing on the influence of pyrite on specific functional groups. The first specific objective was to demonstrate the effect of pyrite and pyrite reaction products on the degradation of the bromine-containing biocide, DBNPA. On the addition of pyrite to DBNPA, degradation rates of the doubly brominated compound were found to increase

Fully Coupled Geomechanics and Discrete Flow Network Modeling of Hydraulic Fracturing for Geothermal Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fu, P; Johnson, S M; Hao, Y; Carrigan, C R

2011-01-18

The primary objective of our current research is to develop a computational test bed for evaluating borehole techniques to enhance fluid flow and heat transfer in enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). Simulating processes resulting in hydraulic fracturing and/or the remobilization of existing fractures, especially the interaction between propagating fractures and existing fractures, represents a critical goal of our project. To this end, we are continuing to develop a hydraulic fracturing simulation capability within the Livermore Distinct Element Code (LDEC), a combined FEM/DEM analysis code with explicit solid-fluid mechanics coupling. LDEC simulations start from an initial fracture distribution which can be stochastically generated or upscaled from the statistics of an actual fracture distribution. During the hydraulic stimulation process, LDEC tracks the propagation of fractures and other modifications to the fracture system. The output is transferred to the Non-isothermal Unsaturated Flow and Transport (NUFT) code to capture heat transfer and flow at the reservoir scale. This approach is intended to offer flexibility in the types of analyses we can perform, including evaluating the effects of different system heterogeneities on the heat extraction rate as well as seismicity associated with geothermal operations. This paper details the basic methodology of our approach. Two numerical examples showing the capability and effectiveness of our simulator are also presented.

Rock Springs Site 12 hydraulic/explosive true in situ oil shale fracturing experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Parrish, R.L.; Boade, R.R.; Stevens, A.L.; Long, A. Jr.; Turner, T.F.

1980-06-01

The experiment plan involved the creation and characterization of three horizontal hydraulic fractures, followed by the insertion and simultaneous detonation of slurry explosive in the two lower fractures. Core analyses, wellbore logging, and airflow and /sup 85/Kr tracer tests were used for site characterization and assessment of the hydraulic and explosive fracturing. Tiltmeters, wellhead pressure and flow gages, and in-formation pressure, flow and crack-opening sensors were used to monitor hydrofracture creation and explosive insertion. Explosive detonation diagnostic data were taken with stress and time-of-arrival gages and surface and in-formation accelerometers. The post-fracturing assessments indicated that: (1) hydrofracture creation and explosive insertion and detonation were accomplished essentially as planned; (2) induced fractures were randomly distributed through the shale with no extensively fractured regions or dislocation of shale; and (3) enhancement of permeability was limited to enlargement of the explosive-filled fractures.

Reactivity of Dazomet, a Hydraulic Fracturing Additive: Hydrolysis and Interaction with Pyrite

Science.gov (United States)

Consolazio, N.; Lowry, G. V.; Karamalidis, A.; Hakala, A.

2015-12-01

The Marcellus Shale is currently the largest shale gas formation in play across the world. The low-permeability formation requires hydraulic fracturing to be produced. In this process, millions of gallons of water are blended with chemical additives and pumped into each well to fracture the reservoir rock. Although additives account for less than 2% of the fracking fluid mixture, they amount to hundreds of tons per frack job. The environmental properties of some of these additives have been studied, but their behavior under downhole conditions is not widely reported in the peer-reviewed literature. These compounds and their reaction products may return to the surface as produced or waste water. In the event of a spill or release, this water has the potential to contaminate surface soil and water. Of these additives, biocides may present a formidable challenge to water quality. Biocides are toxic compounds (by design), typically added to the Marcellus Shale to control bacteria in the well. An assessment of the most frequently used biocides indicated a need to study the chemical dazomet under reservoir conditions. The Marcellus Shale contains significant deposits of pyrite. This is a ubiquitous mineral within black shales that is known to react with organic compounds in both oxic and anoxic settings. Thus, the objective of our study was to determine the effect of pyrite on the hydrolysis of dazomet. Liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-QQQ) was used to calculate the loss rate of aqueous dazomet. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to identify the reaction products. Our experiments show that in water, dazomet rapidly hydrolyses in water to form organic and inorganic transformation products. This reaction rate was unaffected when performed under anoxic conditions. However, with pyrite we found an appreciable increase in the removal rate of dazomet. This was accompanied by a corresponding change in the distribution of observed

The three-zone composite productivity model for a multi-fractured horizontal shale gas well

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Qian; Zhu, Weiyao

2018-02-01

Due to the nano-micro pore structures and the massive multi-stage multi-cluster hydraulic fracturing in shale gas reservoirs, the multi-scale seepage flows are much more complicated than in most other conventional reservoirs, and are crucial for the economic development of shale gas. In this study, a new multi-scale non-linear flow model was established and simplified, based on different diffusion and slip correction coefficients. Due to the fact that different flow laws existed between the fracture network and matrix zone, a three-zone composite model was proposed. Then, according to the conformal transformation combined with the law of equivalent percolation resistance, the productivity equation of a horizontal fractured well, with consideration given to diffusion, slip, desorption, and absorption, was built. Also, an analytic solution was derived, and the interference of the multi-cluster fractures was analyzed. The results indicated that the diffusion of the shale gas was mainly in the transition and Fick diffusion regions. The matrix permeability was found to be influenced by slippage and diffusion, which was determined by the pore pressure and diameter according to the Knudsen number. It was determined that, with the increased half-lengths of the fracture clusters, flow conductivity of the fractures, and permeability of the fracture network, the productivity of the fractured well also increased. Meanwhile, with the increased number of fractures, the distance between the fractures decreased, and the productivity slowly increased due to the mutual interfere of the fractures.

Can introduction of hydraulic fracturing fluids induce biogenic methanogenesis in the shale reservoirs?

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, S.; Wilson, T.; Wrighton, K. C.; Borton, M.; O'Banion, B.

2017-12-01

The hydraulic fracturing fluids (HFF) injected into the shale formation are composed primarily of water, proppant and some chemical additives ( 0.5- 2% by volume). The additives contain a lot of organic and inorganic compounds like ammonium sulfate, guar gum, boric acid, hydrochloric acid, citric acid, potassium carbonate, glutaraldehyde, ethylene glycols which serve as friction reducers, gelling agents, crosslinkers, biocides, corrosion/scale inhibitors, etc. The water and additives introduced into the formation ensue a variety of microbiogechmical reactions in the reservoir. For this study produced, water and gas samples were collected from several old and new Marcellus wells in SE Pennsylvania and NE West Virginia to better understand these microbe-water-rock interactions. The carbon isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon (δ13CDIC) in the produced fluids and CO2 in produced gas (δ13CCO2) are highly enriched with values > +10‰ and +14 ‰ V-PDB respectively. The injected hydraulic fracturing fluid had low δ13CDIC values of detectable carbon in them. The drilling mud and carbonate veins had δ13C values of -1.8 and < 2.0 ‰ V-PDB respectively. Therefore, the high δ13CDIC signatures in produced water are possibly due to the microbial utilization of lighter carbon (12C) by microbes or methanogenic bacteria in the reservoir. It is possible that introduction of C containing nutrients like guar, methanol, methylamines, etc. stimulates certain methanogen species in the reservoir to produce biogenic methane. Genomic analysis reveals that methanogen species like Methanohalophilus or Methanolobus could be the possible sources of biogenic methane in these shale reservoirs. The evidence of microbial methanogenesis raises the possibility of enhanced gas recovery from these shales using biological amendments.

Experimental Analysis of Hydraulic Fracture Growth and Acoustic Emission Response in a Layered Formation

Science.gov (United States)

Ning, Li; Shicheng, Zhang; Yushi, Zou; Xinfang, Ma; Shan, Wu; Yinuo, Zhang

2018-04-01

Microseismic/acoustic emission (AE) monitoring is an essential technology for understanding hydraulic fracture (HF) geometry and stimulated reservoir volume (SRV) during hydraulic fracturing in unconventional reservoirs. To investigate HF growth mechanisms and features of induced microseismic/AE events in a layered formation, laboratory fracturing experiments were performed on shale specimens (30 cm × 30 cm × 30 cm) with multiple bedding planes (BPs) under triaxial stresses. AE monitoring was used to reveal the spatial distribution and hypocenter mechanisms of AE events induced by rock failure. Computerized tomography scanning was used to observe the internal fracture geometry. Experimental results showed that the various HF geometries could be obviously distinguished based on injection pressure curves and AE responses. Fracture complexity was notably increased when vertically growing HFs connected with and opened more BPs. The formation of a complex fracture network was generally indicated by frequent fluctuations in injection pressure curves, intense AE activity, and three-dimensionally distributed AE events. Investigations of the hypocenter mechanisms revealed that shear failure/event dominated in shale specimens. Shear and tensile events were induced in hydraulically connected regions, and shear events also occurred around BPs that were not hydraulically connected. This led to an overestimation of HF height and SRV in layered formations based on the AE location results. The results also showed that variable injection rate and using plugging agent were conducive in promoting HF to penetrate through the weak and high-permeability BPs, thereby increasing the fracture height.

The hydraulic properties of fracture zones and tracer tests with non-reactive elements in Studsvik

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klockars, C.-E.; Persson, O.; Landstroem, O.

1982-04-01

Tracer technique was applied in a rock formation within the Studsvik Energiteknik area in order to study hydrodynamic properties of discrete fracture zones between boreholes. The two hole method was applied in these studies; a nonreactive tracer is injected in one hole into a fracture zone which is in hydraulic contact with a central pump hole (observation hole). Hydraulic tests and TV inspection were carried out in the fracture zones. Chemical composition of the groundwater was determined. In summary, the following hydraulic properties were found for the fracture zones between the boreholes B1N-B6N and B5N-B6N respectively, under the prevailing conditions: 1) The fracture zones studied consists of a number of transport pathways with different mean transit times, varying from 100 to 1200 hours. 2) The fracture zone between boreholes B1N and B6N has a mean hydraulic conductivity of 6-7 x 10 -5 m/s and the fracture zone between boreholes B5N and B6N, 2 x 10 -4 m/s. 3) The kinematic porosity of the fracture zones studied, calculated as the ratio between the hydraulic conductivity of the rock mass and that of the fracture zone, is 2 x 10 -3 and 5 x 10 -3 , respectively. 4) The roughness factor β, which expresses the ratio between measured and theoretically calculated (plane-parallel) fracture conductivity for the fracture zones studied, is approximately 0.04 and 0.06, respectively. 5) Dispersivity for the flow channels within the fracture zones is of the order of 0.3-0.8 m. 6) The groundwater encountered is a nearly neutral, probably reducing, Na-Ca-HCO 3 water. The results of the tracer tests reveal the following: I-131 is a suitable nonreactive tracer for the test area. A test with simultaneous injection of I-131 and T (tritium) gave comparable breakthrough curves. (Author)

Radium and barium removal through blending hydraulic fracturing fluids with acid mine drainage.

Science.gov (United States)

Kondash, Andrew J; Warner, Nathaniel R; Lahav, Ori; Vengosh, Avner

2014-01-21

Wastewaters generated during hydraulic fracturing of the Marcellus Shale typically contain high concentrations of salts, naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM), and metals, such as barium, that pose environmental and public health risks upon inadequate treatment and disposal. In addition, fresh water scarcity in dry regions or during periods of drought could limit shale gas development. This paper explores the possibility of using alternative water sources and their impact on NORM levels through blending acid mine drainage (AMD) effluent with recycled hydraulic fracturing flowback fluids (HFFFs). We conducted a series of laboratory experiments in which the chemistry and NORM of different mix proportions of AMD and HFFF were examined after reacting for 48 h. The experimental data combined with geochemical modeling and X-ray diffraction analysis suggest that several ions, including sulfate, iron, barium, strontium, and a large portion of radium (60-100%), precipitated into newly formed solids composed mainly of Sr barite within the first ∼ 10 h of mixing. The results imply that blending AMD and HFFF could be an effective management practice for both remediation of the high NORM in the Marcellus HFFF wastewater and beneficial utilization of AMD that is currently contaminating waterways in northeastern U.S.A.

Near Wellbore Hydraulic Fracture Propagation from Perforations in Tight Rocks: The Roles of Fracturing Fluid Viscosity and Injection Rate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seyed Hassan Fallahzadeh

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Hydraulic fracture initiation and near wellbore propagation is governed by complex failure mechanisms, especially in cased perforated wellbores. Various parameters affect such mechanisms, including fracturing fluid viscosity and injection rate. In this study, three different fracturing fluids with viscosities ranging from 20 to 600 Pa.s were used to investigate the effects of varying fracturing fluid viscosities and fluid injection rates on the fracturing mechanisms. Hydraulic fracturing tests were conducted in cased perforated boreholes made in tight 150 mm synthetic cubic samples. A true tri-axial stress cell was used to simulate real far field stress conditions. In addition, dimensional analyses were performed to correspond the results of lab experiments to field-scale operations. The results indicated that by increasing the fracturing fluid viscosity and injection rate, the fracturing energy increased, and consequently, higher fracturing pressures were observed. However, when the fracturing energy was transferred to a borehole at a faster rate, the fracture initiation angle also increased. This resulted in more curved fracture planes. Accordingly, a new parameter, called fracturing power, was introduced to relate fracture geometry to fluid viscosity and injection rate. Furthermore, it was observed that the presence of casing in the wellbore impacted the stress distribution around the casing in such a way that the fracture propagation deviated from the wellbore vicinity.

EPA Published Research Related to the Hydraulic Fracturing Study

Science.gov (United States)

A list of publications that will support the draft assessment report on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. These publications have undergone peer review through the journal where the paper has been published.

Elastic Rock Heterogeneity Controls Brittle Rock Failure during Hydraulic Fracturing

Science.gov (United States)

Langenbruch, C.; Shapiro, S. A.

2014-12-01

For interpretation and inversion of microseismic data it is important to understand, which properties of the reservoir rock control the occurrence probability of brittle rock failure and associated seismicity during hydraulic stimulation. This is especially important, when inverting for key properties like permeability and fracture conductivity. Although it became accepted that seismic events are triggered by fluid flow and the resulting perturbation of the stress field in the reservoir rock, the magnitude of stress perturbations, capable of triggering failure in rocks, can be highly variable. The controlling physical mechanism of this variability is still under discussion. We compare the occurrence of microseismic events at the Cotton Valley gas field to elastic rock heterogeneity, obtained from measurements along the treatment wells. The heterogeneity is characterized by scale invariant fluctuations of elastic properties. We observe that the elastic heterogeneity of the rock formation controls the occurrence of brittle failure. In particular, we find that the density of events is increasing with the Brittleness Index (BI) of the rock, which is defined as a combination of Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio. We evaluate the physical meaning of the BI. By applying geomechanical investigations we characterize the influence of fluctuating elastic properties in rocks on the probability of brittle rock failure. Our analysis is based on the computation of stress fluctuations caused by elastic heterogeneity of rocks. We find that elastic rock heterogeneity causes stress fluctuations of significant magnitude. Moreover, the stress changes necessary to open and reactivate fractures in rocks are strongly related to fluctuations of elastic moduli. Our analysis gives a physical explanation to the observed relation between elastic heterogeneity of the rock formation and the occurrence of brittle failure during hydraulic reservoir stimulations. A crucial factor for understanding

IMPACT OF HYDRAULIC FRACTURING ON THE QUALITY OF NATURAL WATERS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wojciech Cel

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Poland, due to the estimated shale gas deposits amounting to 346-768 billion m3 has become one of the most attractive regions for shale gas exploration in Europe. Throughout the period 2010-2015, 72 exploratory drillings have been made (as of 4.01.2016 while hydraulic fracturing was carried out 25 times. Employing new drilling and shale gas prospecting technologies raises a question pertaining to their impact on the environment. The number of chemical compounds used (approximately 2000 for the production of new technological fluids may potentially pollute the environment. The fact that the composition of these fluids remains undisclosed hinders the assessment of their impact on the environment and devising optimal methods for managing this type of waste. The presented work indicates the chemical compounds which may infiltrate to groundwater, identified on the basis of technological fluids characteristics, as well as the review of studies pertaining to their impact on potable water carried out in the United States. The study focused on marking heavy metals, calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, chlorides and sulphates in the surface waters collected in proximity of Lewino well.

An Energy Bridge Too Far? Unconventional Natural Gas Innovations and Eurasia’s Energy Bridge

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-01

known as hydraulic fracturing or “ fracking ” and poses possible environmental risks, including poisoning groundwater and increased greenhouse gas...these fissures open while the wellbore delves into the shale rock to extract the gas. This extraction method, known as hydraulic fracturing or “ fracking ...global gas reserves were estimated to last only seventy more years, but recent advances in hydraulic fracturing, enabling natural gas to be

Intermediate-Scale Hydraulic Fracturing in a Deep Mine - kISMET Project Summary 2016

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oldenburg, C. M. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Dobson, P. F. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Wu, Y. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Cook, P. J. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Kneafsey, T. J. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Nakagawa, S. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Ulrich, C. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Siler, D. L. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Guglielmi, Y. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Ajo-Franklin, J. B. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Rutqvist, J. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Daley, T. M. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Birkholzer, J. T. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Wang, H. F. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Lord, N. E. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Haimson, B. C. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Sone, H. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Vigilante, P. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Roggenthen, W. M. [South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD (United States); Doe, T. W. [Golder Associates Inc., Toronto, ON (Canada); Lee, M. Y. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Ingraham, M. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Huang, H. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Mattson, E. D. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Zhou, J. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Johnson, T. J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Morris, J. P. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); White, J. A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Johnson, P. A. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Coblentz, D. D. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Heise, J. [Stanford Underground Research Facility, Lead, SD (United States); Zoback, M. D. [Stanford Univ., CA (United States)

2016-11-04

In support of the U.S. DOE SubTER Crosscut initiative, we established a field test facility in a deep mine and designed and carried out in situ hydraulic fracturing experiments in the crystalline rock at the site to characterize the stress field, understand the effects of rock fabric on fracturing, and gain experience in monitoring using geophysical methods. The project also included pre- and post-fracturing simulation and analysis, laboratory measurements and experiments, and we conducted an extended analysis of the local stress state using previously collected data. Some of these activities are still ongoing. The kISMET (permeability (k) and Induced Seismicity Management for Energy Technologies) experiments meet objectives in SubTER’s “stress” pillar and the “new subsurface signals” pillar. The kISMET site was established in the West Access Drift of SURF 4850 ft (1478 m) below ground (on the 4850L) in phyllite of the Precambrian Poorman Formation. We drilled and cored five near-vertical boreholes in a line on 3 m spacing, deviating the two outermost boreholes slightly to create a five-spot pattern around the test borehole centered in the test volume at ~1528 m (5013 ft). Laboratory measurements of core from the center test borehole showed P-wave velocity heterogeneity along each core indicating strong, fine-scale (~1 cm or smaller) changes in the mechanical properties of the rock. The load-displacement record on the core suggests that the elastic stiffness is anisotropic. Tensile strength ranges between 3-7.5 MPa and 5-12 MPa. Permeability measurements are planned, as are two types of laboratory miniature hydraulic fracturing experiments to investigate the importance of rock fabric (anisotropy and heterogeneity) on near-borehole hydraulic fracture generation. Pre-fracturing numerical simulations with INL’s FALCON discrete element code predicted a fracture radius of 1.2 m for a corresponding injection volume of 1.2 L for the planned fractures, and

First successful multistage hydraulic fracture monitoring for a horizontal well in Mexico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gutierrez, Guillermo; Rios, Austreberto; Riano, Juan M. [PEMEX, Mexico, DF (Mexico); Sanchez, Adrian; Bustos, Tomas [Schlumberger, Mexico DF (Mexico)

2008-07-01

In their constant effort to increase the production from Chicontepec, PEMEX drilled a multilateral well with three horizontal lateral sections; the intention was to increase the production in comparison with vertical wells. In the second arm of this well four intervals were identified to be fractured, this was a new approach since it was the first occasion that multiple fractures were planned in a horizontal well. An important part of the project was the evaluation of the effectiveness of the hydraulic fracturing. This evaluation was performed by micro seismic monitoring during the treatment. This technology allows the detection of events generated during the fluid injection in the reservoir, with receivers located in a nearby monitoring well. The interpretation of this data allows the identification in 3 D space of the fracture locations. This information is valuable for optimization of subsequent treatments and for planning the field development. The data is recorded in real time and can be used to make decisions during the fracturing operation. In this paper we describe the results of the hydraulic fracturing monitoring performed in four intervals in a horizontal well showing the geometry and direction of each one of the fractures. (author)

QAPP for Hydraulic Fracturing (HF) Surface Spills Data Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

This QAPP provides information concerning the analysis of spills associated with hydraulic fracturing. This project is relevant to both the chemical mixing and flowback and produced water stages of the HF water cycle as found in the HF Study Plan.

Building Pipelines for Information: Developing Partnerships Between Scientists, Educators, and Community Groups to Learn More About Hydraulic Fracturing in Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Hafich, K. A.; Hannigan, M.; Martens, W.; McDonald, J. E.; Knight, D.; Gardiner, L. S.; Collier, A. M.; Fletcher, H.; Polmear, M.

2015-12-01

Hydraulic fracturing is a highly contentious issue, and trusted sources of information about the impacts and benefits are difficult to find. Scientific research is making strides to catch up with rapidly expanding unconventional oil and gas development, in part, to meet the need for information for policy, regulation, and public interest. A leader in hydraulic fracturing research, the AirWaterGas Sustainability Research Network is a multi-institution, multi-disciplinary team of researchers working to understand the environmental, economic, and social tradeoffs of oil and gas development. AirWaterGas recently restructured and implemented our education and outreach program around a partnership with the CU-Boulder Office for Outreach and Engagement that leverages existing campus infrastructure, networks, and expertise to disseminate research results and engage the public. The education and outreach team is working with formal and informal K-12 educators through several programs: a yearlong teacher professional development program, a rural classroom air quality monitoring program, and a community partnership grant program. Each program brings together scientists and educators in different environments such as the classroom, online learning, in-person workshops, and community lectures. We will present best practices for developing and implementing a viable outreach and education program through building and fostering mutually beneficial partnerships that bridge the gap between scientists and the public.

Capacity expansion analysis of UGSs rebuilt from low-permeability fractured gas reservoirs with CO2 as cushion gas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yufei Tan

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The techniques of pressurized mining and hydraulic fracturing are often used to improve gas well productivity at the later development stage of low-permeability carbonate gas reservoirs, but reservoirs are watered out and a great number of micro fractures are produced. Therefore, one of the key factors for underground gas storages (UGS rebuilt from low-permeability fractured gas reservoirs with CO2 as the cushion gas is how to expand storage capacity effectively by injecting CO2 to displace water and to develop control strategies for the stable migration of gas–water interface. In this paper, a mathematical model was established to simulate the gas–water flow when CO2 was injected into dual porosity reservoirs to displace water. Then, the gas–water interface migration rules while CO2 was injected in the peripheral gas wells for water displacement were analyzed with one domestic UGS rebuilt from fractured gas reservoirs as the research object. And finally, discussion was made on how CO2 dissolution, bottom hole flowing pressure (BHFP, CO2 injection rate and micro fracture parameters affect the stability of gas–water interface in the process of storage capacity expansion. It is shown that the speed of capacity expansion reaches the maximum value at the fifth cycle and then decreases gradually when UGS capacity is expanded in the pattern of more injection and less withdrawal. Gas–water interface during UGS capacity expansion is made stable due to that the solubility of CO2 in water varies with the reservoir pressure. When the UGS capacity is expanded at constant BHFP and the flow rate, the expansion speed can be increased effectively by increasing the BHFP and the injection flow rate of gas wells in the central areas appropriately. In the reservoir areas with high permeability and fracture-matrix permeability ratio, the injection flow rate should be reduced properly to prevent gas–water interface fingering caused by a high-speed flow

Estimation of the hydraulic conductivity of a two-dimensional fracture network using effective medium theory and power-law averaging

Science.gov (United States)

Zimmerman, R. W.; Leung, C. T.

2009-12-01

Most oil and gas reservoirs, as well as most potential sites for nuclear waste disposal, are naturally fractured. In these sites, the network of fractures will provide the main path for fluid to flow through the rock mass. In many cases, the fracture density is so high as to make it impractical to model it with a discrete fracture network (DFN) approach. For such rock masses, it would be useful to have recourse to analytical, or semi-analytical, methods to estimate the macroscopic hydraulic conductivity of the fracture network. We have investigated single-phase fluid flow through generated stochastically two-dimensional fracture networks. The centers and orientations of the fractures are uniformly distributed, whereas their lengths follow a lognormal distribution. The aperture of each fracture is correlated with its length, either through direct proportionality, or through a nonlinear relationship. The discrete fracture network flow and transport simulator NAPSAC, developed by Serco (Didcot, UK), is used to establish the “true” macroscopic hydraulic conductivity of the network. We then attempt to match this value by starting with the individual fracture conductances, and using various upscaling methods. Kirkpatrick’s effective medium approximation, which works well for pore networks on a core scale, generally underestimates the conductivity of the fracture networks. We attribute this to the fact that the conductances of individual fracture segments (between adjacent intersections with other fractures) are correlated with each other, whereas Kirkpatrick’s approximation assumes no correlation. The power-law averaging approach proposed by Desbarats for porous media is able to match the numerical value, using power-law exponents that generally lie between 0 (geometric mean) and 1 (harmonic mean). The appropriate exponent can be correlated with statistical parameters that characterize the fracture density.

Simulation of complex fracture networks influenced by natural fractures in shale gas reservoir

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhao Jinzhou

2014-10-01

Full Text Available When hydraulic fractures intersect with natural fractures, the geometry and complexity of a fracture network are determined by the initiation and propagation pattern which is affected by a number of factors. Based on the fracture mechanics, the criterion for initiation and propagation of a fracture was introduced to analyze the tendency of a propagating angle and factors affecting propagating pressure. On this basis, a mathematic model with a complex fracture network was established to investigate how the fracture network form changes with different parameters, including rock mechanics, in-situ stress distribution, fracture properties, and frac treatment parameters. The solving process of this model was accelerated by classifying the calculation nodes on the extending direction of the fracture by equal pressure gradients, and solving the geometrical parameters prior to the iteration fitting flow distribution. With the initiation and propagation criterion as the bases for the propagation of branch fractures, this method decreased the iteration times through eliminating the fitting of the fracture length in conventional 3D fracture simulation. The simulation results indicated that the formation with abundant natural fractures and smaller in-situ stress difference is sufficient conditions for fracture network development. If the pressure in the hydraulic fractures can be kept at a high level by temporary sealing or diversion, the branch fractures will propagate further with minor curvature radius, thus enlarging the reservoir stimulation area. The simulated shape of fracture network can be well matched with the field microseismic mapping in data point range and distribution density, validating the accuracy of this model.

Prospect of shale gas recovery enhancement by oxidation-induced rock burst

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lijun You

2017-11-01

Full Text Available By horizontal well multi-staged fracturing technology, shale rocks can be broken to form fracture networks via hydraulic force and increase the production rate of shale gas wells. Nonetheless, the fracturing stimulation effect may be offset by the water phase trapping damage caused by water retention. In this paper, a technique in transferring the negative factor of fracturing fluid retention into a positive factor of changing the gas existence state and facilitating shale cracking was discussed using the easy oxidation characteristics of organic matter, pyrite and other minerals in shale rocks. Furthermore, the prospect of this technique in tackling the challenges of large retention volume of hydraulic fracturing fluid in shale gas reservoirs, high reservoir damage risks, sharp production decline rate of gas wells and low gas recovery, was analyzed. The organic matter and pyrite in shale rocks can produce a large number of dissolved pores and seams to improve the gas deliverability of the matrix pore throats to the fracture systems. Meanwhile, in the oxidation process, released heat and increased pore pressure will make shale rock burst, inducing expansion and extension of shale micro-fractures, increasing the drainage area and shortening the gas flowing path in matrix, and ultimately, removing reservoir damage and improving gas recovery. To sum up, the technique discussed in the paper can be used to “break” shale rocks via hydraulic force and to “burst” shale rocks via chemical oxidation by adding oxidizing fluid to the hydraulic fracturing fluid. It can thus be concluded that this method can be a favorable supplementation for the conventional hydraulic fracturing of shale gas reservoirs. It has a broad application future in terms of reducing costs and increasing profits, maintaining plateau shale gas production and improving shale gas recovery.

A Numerical Study of Factors Affecting Fracture-Fluid Cleanup and Produced Gas/Water in Marcellus Shale: Part II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seales, Maxian B.; Dilmore, Robert; Ertekin, Turgay; Wang, John Yilin

2017-04-01

Horizontal wells combined with successful multi-stage hydraulic fracture treatments are currently the most established method for effectively stimulating and enabling economic development of gas bearing organic-rich shale formations. Fracture cleanup in the Stimulated Reservoir Volume (SRV) is critical to stimulation effectiveness and long-term well performance. However, fluid cleanup is often hampered by formation damage, and post-fracture well performance frequently falls below expectations. A systematic study of the factors that hinder fracture fluid cleanup in shale formations can help optimize fracture treatments and better quantify long term volumes of produced water and gas. Fracture fluid cleanup is a complex process influenced by multi-phase flow through porous media (relative permeability hysteresis, capillary pressure etc.), reservoir rock and fluid properties, fracture fluid properties, proppant placement, fracture treatment parameters, and subsequent flowback and field operations. Changing SRV and fracture conductivity as production progresses further adds to the complexity of this problem. Numerical simulation is the best, and most practical approach to investigate such a complicated blend of mechanisms, parameters, their interactions, and subsequent impact on fracture fluid cleanup and well deliverability. In this paper, a 3-dimensional, 2-phase, dual-porosity model was used to investigate the impact of multiphase flow, proppant crushing, proppant diagenesis, shut-in time, reservoir rock compaction, gas slippage, and gas desorption on fracture fluid cleanup, and well performance in Marcellus shale. The research findings have shed light on the factors that substantially constrains efficient fracture fluid cleanup in gas shales, and provided guidelines for improved fracture treatment designs and water management.

Hydraulic-fracture growth in dipping anisotropic strata as viewed through the surface deformation field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holzhausen, G.R.; Haase, C.S.; Stow, S.H.; Gazonas, G.

1985-01-01

In 1983 and 1984 Oak Rdige National Laboratory conducted a series of precision ground deformation measurements before, during, and after the generation of several large hydraulic fractures in a dipping member of the Cambrian Conasauga Shale. Each fracture was produced by the injection of approximately 500,000 L of slurry on a single day. Injection depth was 300 m. Leveling surveys were run several days before and several days after the injections. An array of eight high-precision borehole tiltmeters monitored ground deformations continuously for a period of several weeks. Analysis of the leveling and the tilt measurements revealed surface uplifts as great as 25 mm and tilts of tens of microradians during each injection. Furthermore, partial recovery (subsidence) of the ground took place during the days following an injection, accompanied by shifts in the position of maximum resultant uplift. Interpretation of the tilt measurements is consistent with stable widening and extension of hydraulic fractures with subhorizontal orientations. Comparison of the measured tilt patterns with fracture orientations established from logging of observation wells suggests that shearing parallel to the fracture planes accompanied fracture dilation. This interpretation is supported by measured tilts and ground uplifts that were as much as 100 percent greater than those expected from fracture dilation alone. Models of elastically anisotropic overburden rock do not explain the measured tilt patterns in the absence of shear stresses in the fracture planes. This work represents the first large-scale hydraulic-fracturing experiment in which the possible effects of material anisotropy and fracture-parallel shears have been measured and interpreted

Hydraulic-fracture growth in dipping anisotropic strata as viewed through the surface deformation field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holzhausen, G.R.; Haase, C.S.; Stow, S.H.; Gazonas, G.

1985-01-01

In 1983 and 1984 Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted a series of precision ground deformation measurements before, during, and after the generation of several large hydraulic fractures in a dipping member of the Cambrian Conassauga Shale. Each fracture was produced by the injection of approximately 500,000 liters of slurry on a single day. Injection depth was 300 m. Leveling surveys were run several days before and several days after the injections. An array of eight high-precision borehole tiltmeters monitored ground deformations continuously for a period of several weeks. Analysis of the leveling and the tilt measurements revealed surface uplifts as great as 25 mm and tilts of tens of microradians during each injection. Furthermore, partial recovery (subsidence) of the ground took place during the days following an injection, accompanied by shifts in the position of maximum resultant uplift. Interpretation of the tilt measurements is consistent with stable widening and extension of hydraulic fractures with subhorizontal orientations. Comparison of the measured tilt patterns with fracture orientations established from logging of observation wells suggests that shearing parallel to the fracture planes accompanied fracture dilation. This interpretation is supported by measured tilts and ground uplifts that were as much as 100 percent greater than those expected from fracture dilation alone. Models of elastically anisotropic overburden rock do not explain the measured tilt patterns in the absence of shear stresses in the fracture planes. This work represents the first large-scale hydraulic-fracturing experiment in which the possible effects of material anisotropy and fracture-parallel shears have been measured and interpreted

Discourse over a contested technology on Twitter: A case study of hydraulic fracturing.

Science.gov (United States)

Hopke, Jill E; Simis, Molly

2015-10-04

High-volume hydraulic fracturing, a drilling simulation technique commonly referred to as "fracking," is a contested technology. In this article, we explore discourse over hydraulic fracturing and the shale industry on the social media platform Twitter during a period of heightened public contention regarding the application of the technology. We study the relative prominence of negative messaging about shale development in relation to pro-shale messaging on Twitter across five hashtags (#fracking, #globalfrackdown, #natgas, #shale, and #shalegas). We analyze the top actors tweeting using the #fracking hashtag and receiving @mentions with the hashtag. Results show statistically significant differences in the sentiment about hydraulic fracturing and shale development across the five hashtags. In addition, results show that the discourse on the main contested hashtag #fracking is dominated by activists, both individual activists and organizations. The highest proportion of tweeters, those posting messages using the hashtag #fracking, were individual activists, while the highest proportion of @mention references went to activist organizations. © The Author(s) 2015.

INVESTIGATION OF EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS DURING CO2 INJECTION IN HYDRAULICALLY AND NATURALLY FRACTURED RESERVOIRS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

David S. Schechter

2005-04-27

This report describes the work performed during the fourth year of the project, ''Investigating of Efficiency Improvements during CO{sub 2} Injection in Hydraulically and Naturally Fractured Reservoirs.'' The objective of this project is to perform unique laboratory experiments with artificially fractured cores (AFCs) and X-ray CT scanner to examine the physical mechanisms of bypassing in hydraulically fractured reservoirs (HFR) and naturally fractured reservoirs (NFR) that eventually result in more efficient CO{sub 2} flooding in heterogeneous or fracture-dominated reservoirs. In Chapter 1, we worked with DOE-RMOTC to investigate fracture properties in the Tensleep Formation at Teapot Dome Naval Reserve as part of their CO{sub 2} sequestration project. In Chapter 2, we continue our investigation to determine the primary oil recovery mechanism in a short vertically fractured core. Finally in Chapter 3, we report our numerical modeling efforts to develop compositional simulator with irregular grid blocks.

Reducing the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing through design optimisation of positive displacement pumps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Josifovic, Aleksandar; Roberts, Jennifer J.; Corney, Jonathan; Davies, Bruce; Shipton, Zoe K.

2016-01-01

The current approach to hydraulic fracturing requires large amounts of industrial hardware to be transported, installed and operated in temporary locations. A significant proportion of this equipment is comprised of the fleet of pumps required to provide the high pressures and flows necessary for well stimulation. Studies have shown that over 90% of the emissions of CO_2 and other pollutants that occur during a hydraulic fracturing operation are associated with these pumps. Pollution and transport concerns are of paramount importance for the emerging hydraulic fracturing industry in Europe, and so it is timely to consider these factors when assessing the design of high pressure pumps for the European resources. This paper gives an overview of the industrial plant required to carry out a hydraulic fracturing operation. This is followed by an analysis of the pump's design space that could result in improved pump efficiency. We find that reducing the plunger diameter and running the pump at higher speeds can increase the overall pump efficiency by up to 4.6%. Such changes to the pump's parameters would results in several environmental benefits beyond the obvious economic gains of lower fuel consumption. The paper concludes with a case study that quantifies these benefits. - Highlights: • We develop a parameterized model of hydraulic fracturing pumps. • We explore performance variation to optimise pump efficiency and performance. • New design could increase pump energy efficiency up to 4.6% and improve reliability. • The new design could also reduce environmental and social impacts of pumping. • This illustrates how optimised mechanical design can lower impacts and cost.

Measuring the initial earth pressure of granite using hydraulic fracturing test; Goseong and Yuseong areas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Byoung Yoon; Bae, Dae Seok; Kim, Chun Soo; Kim, Kyung Su; Koh, Young Kwon; Won, Kyung Sik [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejeon (Korea)

2002-02-01

This report provides the initial earth pressure of granitic rocks obtained from Deep Core Drilling Program which is carried out as part of the assessment of deep geological environmental condition. These data are obtained by hydraulic fracturing test in three boreholes drilled up to 350{approx}500 m depth at the Yuseong and Goseong sites. These sites were selected based on the result of preliminary site evaluation study. The boreholes are NX-size (76 mm) and vertical. The procedure of hydraulic fracturing test is as follows: - Selecting the testing positions by preliminary investigation using BHTV logging. - Performing the hydraulic fracturing test at each selected position with depth.- Estimating the shut-in pressure by the bilinear pressure-decay-rate method. - Estimating the fracture reopening pressure from the pressure-time curves.- Estimating the horizontal principal stresses and the direction of principal stresses. 65 refs., 39 figs., 12 tabs. (Author)

Hydraulic Parameter Generation Technique Using a Discrete Fracture Network with Bedrock Heterogeneity in Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jae-Yeol Cheong

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In instances of damage to engineered barriers containing nuclear waste material, surrounding bedrock is a natural barrier that retards radionuclide movement by way of adsorption and delay due to groundwater flow through highly tortuous fractured rock pathways. At the Gyeongju nuclear waste disposal site, groundwater mainly flows through granitic and sedimentary rock fractures. Therefore, to understand the nuclide migration path, it is necessary to understand discrete fracture networks based on heterogeneous fracture orientations, densities, and size characteristics. In this study, detailed heterogeneous fracture distribution, including the density and orientation of the fractures, was considered for a region that has undergone long periods of change from various geological activities at and around the Gyeongju site. A site-scale discrete fracture network (DFN model was constructed taking into account: (i regional fracture heterogeneity constrained by a multiple linear regression analysis of fracture intensity on faults and electrical resistivity; and (ii the connectivity of conductive fractures having fracture hydraulic parameters, using transient flow simulation. Geometric and hydraulic heterogeneity of the DFN was upscaled into equivalent porous media for flow and transport simulation for a large-scale model.

Regulatory and Non-regulatory Responses to Hydraulic Fracturing in Local Communities

Science.gov (United States)

Phartiyal, P.

2015-12-01

The practice of extracting oil and gas from tight rock formations using advances in technology, such as hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling, has expanded exponentially in states and localities across the country. As the scientific data collection and analysis catches up on the many potential impacts of this unconventional oil and gas development, communities are turning to their local officials to make decisions on whether and how fracking should proceed. While most regulatory authority on the issue rests with the state agencies, local officials have experimented with a wide range of regulatory, non-regulatory, and fiscal tools to manage the impacts of fracking. These impacts can occur on the local air, water, seismicity, soil, roads, schools, and affect residents, on-site workers, emergency and social services. Local officials' approaches are often influenced by their prior experience with minerals extraction in their localities. The speaker will present examples of the kinds of information sources, tools and approaches communities across the country are using, from noise barriers to setback requirements to information sharing in order to be able to balance the promise and perils of oil and gas development in their jurisdictions.

Comparative Analysis of Hydraulic Fracturing Wastewater Practices in Unconventional Shale Development: Newspaper Coverage of Stakeholder Concerns and Social License to Operate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joel Gehman

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In this article we review prior literature regarding the concept of social license to operate, and related concepts, including corporate social responsibility, sustainable development, stakeholder management and cumulative effects. Informed by these concepts, we search for newspaper articles published in North American provinces and states where the Barnett, Duvernay, Marcellus and Montney shale plays are located. Using these data, we tabulate coverage of stakeholder concerns related to hydraulic fracturing and wastewater practices, and compare the extent to which these concerns vary over place and time. Our vocabulary analyses identify differences in the types and quantities of newspaper coverage devoted to concerns regarding hydraulic fracturing activities in general and wastewater practices in particular. We interpret these differences as suggesting that obtaining a social license to operate is likely not a one size fits all proposition. By understanding which stakeholder concerns are most salient in particular places and times, oil and gas operators and regulators can better tailor their strategies and policies to address local concerns. In other words, the findings from this study indicate that conventional understandings of risk as a technical or economic problem may not be adequate for dealing with unconventional resource challenges such as hydraulic fracturing. Operators and regulators may also need to manage social and cultural risks.

Interwell tracer analyses of a hydraulically fractured granitic geothermal reservoir

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tester, J.W.; Potter, R.M.; Bivins, R.L.

1979-01-01

Field experiments using fluorescent dye and radioactive tracers (Br 82 and I 131 ) have been employed to characterize a hot, low-matrix permeability, hydraulically-fractured granitic reservoir at depths of 2440 to 2960 m (8000 to 9700 ft). Tracer profiles and residence time distributions have been used to delineate changes in the fracture system, particularly in diagnosing pathological flow patterns and in identifying new injection and production zones. The effectiveness of one- and two-dimensional theoretical dispersion models utilizing single and multiple porous, fractured zones with velocity and formation dependent effects are discussed with respect to actual field data

Observation of ground deformation associated with hydraulic fracturing and seismicity in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Kubanek, J.; Liu, Y.; Harrington, R. M.; Samsonov, S.

2017-12-01

In North America, the number of induced earthquakes related to fluid injection due to the unconventional recovery of oil and gas resources has increased significantly within the last five years. Recent studies demonstrate that InSAR is an effective tool to study surface deformation due to large-scale wastewater injection, and highlight the value of surface deformation monitoring with respect to understanding evolution of pore pressure and stress at depth - vital parameters to forecast fault reactivation, and thus, induced earthquakes. In contrast to earthquakes related to the injection of large amounts of wastewater, seismic activity related to the hydraulic fracturing procedure itself was, until recently, considered to play a minor role without significant hazard. In the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB), however, Mw>4 earthquakes have recently led to temporary shutdown of industrial injection activity, causing multi-million dollar losses to operators and raising safety concerns with the local population. Recent studies successfully utilize seismic data and modeling to link seismic activity with hydraulic fracturing in the WCSB. Although the study of surface deformation is likely the most promising tool for monitoring integrity of a well and to derive potential signatures prior to moderate or large induced events, InSAR has, to date, not been utilized to detect surface deformation related to hydraulic fracturing and seismicity. We therefore plan to analyze time-series of SAR data acquired between 1991 to present over two target sites in the WCSB that will enable the study of long- and short-term deformation. Since the conditions for InSAR are expected to be challenging due to spatial and temporal decorrelation, we have designed corner reflectors that will be installed at one target site to improve interferometric performance. The corner reflectors will be collocated with broadband seismometers and Trimble SeismoGeodetic Systems that simultaneously measure

Coupled hydro-thermo-mechanical modeling of hydraulic fracturing in quasi-brittle rocks using BPM-DEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ingrid Tomac

2017-02-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an improved understanding of coupled hydro-thermo-mechanical (HTM hydraulic fracturing of quasi-brittle rock using the bonded particle model (BPM within the discrete element method (DEM. BPM has been recently extended by the authors to account for coupled convective–conductive heat flow and transport, and to enable full hydro-thermal fluid–solid coupled modeling. The application of the work is on enhanced geothermal systems (EGSs, and hydraulic fracturing of hot dry rock (HDR is studied in terms of the impact of temperature difference between rock and a flowing fracturing fluid. Micro-mechanical investigation of temperature and fracturing fluid effects on hydraulic fracturing damage in rocks is presented. It was found that fracture is shorter with pronounced secondary microcracking along the main fracture for the case when the convective–conductive thermal heat exchange is considered. First, the convection heat exchange during low-viscosity fluid infiltration in permeable rock around the wellbore causes significant rock cooling, where a finger-like fluid infiltration was observed. Second, fluid infiltration inhibits pressure rise during pumping and delays fracture initiation and propagation. Additionally, thermal damage occurs in the whole area around the wellbore due to rock cooling and cold fluid infiltration. The size of a damaged area around the wellbore increases with decreasing fluid dynamic viscosity. Fluid and rock compressibility ratio was found to have significant effect on the fracture propagation velocity.

Ambient Seismic Imaging of Hydraulically Active Fractures at km Depths

Science.gov (United States)

Malin, P. E.; Sicking, C.

2017-12-01

Streaming Depth Images of ambient seismic signals using numerous, densely-distributed, receivers have revealed their connection to hydraulically active fractures at 0.5 to 5 km depths. Key for this type of imaging is very high-fold stacking over both multiple receives and periods of a few hours. Also important is suppression of waveforms from fixed, repeating sources such as pumps, generators, and traffic. A typical surface-based ambient SDI survey would use a 3D seismic receiver grid. It would have 1,000 to 4,000 uniformly distributed receivers at a density of 50/km2over the target. If acquired by borehole receivers buried 100 m deep, the density can be dropped by an order of magnitude. We show examples of the acquisition and signal processing scenarios used to produce the ambient images. (Sicking et al., SEG Interpretation, Nov 2017.) While the fracture-fluid source connection of SDI has been verified by drilling and various types of hydraulic tests, the precise nature of the signal's origin is not clear. At the current level of observation, the signals do not have identifiable phases, but can be focused using P wave velocities. Suggested sources are resonances of pressures fluctuations in the fractures, or small, continuous, slips on fractures surfaces. In either case, it appears that the driving mechanism is tectonic strain in an inherently unstable crust. Solid earth tides may enhance these strains. We illustrate the value of the ambient SDI method in its industrial application by showing case histories from energy industry and carbon-capture-sequestration projects. These include ambient images taken before, during, and after hydraulic treatments in un-conventional reservoirs. The results show not only locations of active fractures, but also their time responses to stimulation and production. Time-lapse ambient imaging can forecast and track events such as well interferences and production changes that can result from nearby treatments.

Simulations of hydraulic fracturing and leakage in sedimentary basins

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lothe, Ane Elisabeth

2004-01-01

Hydraulic fracturing and leakage of water through the caprock is described from sedimentary basin over geological time scale. Abnormal pressure accumulations reduce the effective stresses in the underground and trigger the initiation of hydraulic fractures. The major faults in the basin define these pressure compartments. In this Thesis, basin simulations of hydraulic fracturing and leakage have been carried out. A simulator (Pressim) is used to calculate pressure generation and dissipitation between the compartments. The flux between the compartments and not the flow within the compartments is modelled. The Griffith-Coulomb failure criterion determines initial failure at the top structures of overpressured compartments, whereas the frictional sliding criterion is used for reactivation along the same fractures. The minimum horizontal stress is determined from different formulas, and an empirical one seems to give good results compared to measured pressures and minimum horizontal stresses. Simulations have been carried out on two datasets; one covering the Halten Terrace area and one the Tune Field area in the northern North Sea. The timing of hydraulic fracturing and amount of leakage has been quantified in the studies from the Halten Terrace area. This is mainly controlled by the lateral fluid flow and the permeability of the major faults in the basin. Low fault permeability gives early failure, while high fault permeabilities results in no or late hydraulic fracturing and leakage from overpressured parts of the basin. In addition to varying the transmissibility of all faults in a basin, the transmissibility across individual faults can be varied. Increasing the transmissibility across faults is of major importance in overpressured to intermediately pressured areas. However, to obtain change in the flow, a certain pressure difference has to be the situation between the different compartments. The coefficient of internal friction and the coefficient of frictional

FEASIBILITY OF HYDRAULIC FRACTURING OF SOILS TO IMPROVE REMEDIAL ACTIONS

Science.gov (United States)

Hydraulic fracturing, a method of increasing fluid flow within the subsurface, should improve the effectiveness of several remedial techniques, including pump and treat, vapor extraction, bio-remediation, and soil-flushing. he technique is widely used to increase the yields of oi...

a Fractal Network Model for Fractured Porous Media

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Peng; Li, Cuihong; Qiu, Shuxia; Sasmito, Agus Pulung

2016-04-01

The transport properties and mechanisms of fractured porous media are very important for oil and gas reservoir engineering, hydraulics, environmental science, chemical engineering, etc. In this paper, a fractal dual-porosity model is developed to estimate the equivalent hydraulic properties of fractured porous media, where a fractal tree-like network model is used to characterize the fracture system according to its fractal scaling laws and topological structures. The analytical expressions for the effective permeability of fracture system and fractured porous media, tortuosity, fracture density and fraction are derived. The proposed fractal model has been validated by comparisons with available experimental data and numerical simulation. It has been shown that fractal dimensions for fracture length and aperture have significant effect on the equivalent hydraulic properties of fractured porous media. The effective permeability of fracture system can be increased with the increase of fractal dimensions for fracture length and aperture, while it can be remarkably lowered by introducing tortuosity at large branching angle. Also, a scaling law between the fracture density and fractal dimension for fracture length has been found, where the scaling exponent depends on the fracture number. The present fractal dual-porosity model may shed light on the transport physics of fractured porous media and provide theoretical basis for oil and gas exploitation, underground water, nuclear waste disposal and geothermal energy extraction as well as chemical engineering, etc.

An analysis of chemicals and other constituents found in produced water from hydraulically fractured wells in California and the challenges for wastewater management.

Science.gov (United States)

Chittick, Emily A; Srebotnjak, Tanja

2017-12-15

As high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HF) has grown substantially in the United States over the past decade, so has the volume of produced water (PW), i.e., briny water brought to the surface as a byproduct of oil and gas production. According to a recent study (Groundwater Protection Council, 2015), more than 21 billion barrels of PW were generated in 2012. In addition to being high in TDS, PW may contain hydrocarbons, PAH, alkylphenols, naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM), metals, and other organic and inorganic substances. PW from hydraulically fractured wells includes flowback water, i.e., injection fluids containing chemicals and additives used in the fracturing process such as friction reducers, scale inhibitors, and biocides - many of which are known to cause serious health effects. It is hence important to gain a better understanding of the chemical composition of PW and how it is managed. This case study of PW from hydraulically fractured wells in California provides a first aggregate chemical analysis since data collection began in accordance with California's 2013 oil and gas well stimulation law (SB4, Pavley). The results of analyzing one-time wastewater analyses of 630 wells hydraulically stimulated between April 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015 show that 95% of wells contained measurable and in some cases elevated concentrations of BTEX and PAH compounds. PW from nearly 500 wells contained lead, uranium, and/or other metals. The majority of hazardous chemicals known to be used in HF operations, including formaldehyde and acetone, are not reported in the published reports. The prevalent methods for dealing with PW in California - underground injection and open evaporation ponds - are inadequate for this waste stream due to risks from induced seismicity, well integrity failure, well upsets, accidents and spills. Beneficial reuse of PW, such as for crop irrigation, is as of yet insufficiently safety tested for consumers and agricultural workers as

Simulation of non-isothermal gas-water processes in complex fracture-matrix systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jakobs, H.

2004-01-01

Degassing effects may occur in fractures in the vicinity of deep radioactive-waste-disposal sites as a result of a pressure drop. These effects play an important role in the investigation of the hydraulic conditions in the near field of the disposal sites. The assumption of single-phase conditions may lead to the misinterpretation of experimental data as degassing leads to two-phase conditions and to a reduction of the effective permeability. The aim of this work is to contribute to the simulation of non-isothermal behaviour of water-gas systems in the near field of atomic waste disposal sites in fractured porous media. We distinguish between sub-REV effects within single fractures and effects due to super-REV heterogeneities which result from the fracture matrix system. We assume to have undisturbed physical conditions as report from the AespoeHard Rock Laboratory in Sweden, i.e.: - a fully water saturated system - a hydrostatic pressure of 5 million Pa. For the simulation on the laboratory scale we use a percolation model. To transfer the information from the laboratory scale to the field scale we use a renormalisation scheme. On the field scale we use a numerical simulator which solves the multiphase flow equations based on the extended form of Darcy's law. In order to investigate the limits of our models we analyse the importance of the forces taken into account, i.e., capillary forces, gravity forces, and viscous forces. This method allows us to quantify the constraints of our models. Furthermore, we investigate the influence of strong parameter heterogeneities caused by the fracture-matrix system on the flow behaviour of gas and water. We consider in particular the influence of the large difference between the entry pressures of matrix and fracture on the migration of the gas phase from the fracture system into the matrix system. (orig.)

Study of pore pressure reaction on hydraulic fracturing

Science.gov (United States)

Trimonova, Mariia; Baryshnikov, Nikolay; Turuntaev, Sergey; Zenchenko, Evgeniy; Zenchenko, Petr

2017-04-01

We represent the results of the experimental study of the hydraulic fracture propagation influence on the fluid pore pressure. Initial pore pressure was induced by injection and production wells. The experiments were carried out according to scaling analysis based on the radial model of the fracture. All required geomechanical and hydrodynamical properties of a sample were derived from the scaling laws. So, gypsum was chosen as a sample material and vacuum oil as a fracturing fluid. The laboratory setup allows us to investigate the samples of cylindrical shape. It can be considered as an advantage in comparison with standard cubic samples, because we shouldn't consider the stress field inhomogeneity induced by the corners. Moreover, we can set 3D-loading by this setting. Also the sample diameter is big enough (43cm) for placing several wells: the fracturing well in the center and injection and production wells on two opposite sides of the central well. The experiment consisted of several stages: a) applying the horizontal pressure; b) applying the vertical pressure; c) water solution injection in the injection well with a constant pressure; d) the steady state obtaining; e) the oil injection in the central well with a constant rate. The pore pressure was recorded in the 15 points along bottom side of the sample during the whole experiment. We observe the pore pressure change during all the time of the experiment. First, the pore pressure changed due to water injection. Then we began to inject oil in the central well. We compared the obtained experimental data on the pore pressure changes with the solution of the 2D single-phase equation of pore-elasticity, and we found significant difference. The variation of the equation parameters couldn't help to resolve the discrepancy. After the experiment, we found that oil penetrated into the sample before and after the fracture initiation. This fact encouraged us to consider another physical process - the oil

Influence of Concentration and Salinity on the Biodegradability of Organic Additives in Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid

Science.gov (United States)

Mouser, P. J.; Kekacs, D.

2014-12-01

One of the risks associated with the use of hydraulic fracturing technologies for energy development is the potential release of hydraulic fracturing-related fluids into surface waters or shallow aquifers. Many of the organic additives used in hydraulic fracturing fluids are individually biodegradable, but little is know on how they will attenuate within a complex organic fluid in the natural environment. We developed a synthetic hydraulic fracturing fluid based on disclosed recipes used by Marcellus shale operators to evaluate the biodegradation potential of organic additives across a concentration (25 to 200 mg/L DOC) and salinity gradient (0 to 60 g/L) similar to Marcellus shale injected fluids. In aerobic aqueous solutions, microorganisms removed 91% of bulk DOC from low SFF solutions and 57% DOC in solutions having field-used SFF concentrations within 7 days. Under high SFF concentrations, salinity in excess of 20 g/L inhibited organic compound biodegradation for several weeks, after which time the majority (57% to 75%) of DOC remained in solution. After SFF amendment, the initially biodiverse lake or sludge microbial communities were quickly dominated (>79%) by Pseudomonas spp. Approximately 20% of added carbon was converted to biomass while the remainder was respired to CO2 or other metabolites. Two alcohols, isopropanol and octanol, together accounted for 2-4% of the initial DOC, with both compounds decreasing to below detection limits within 7 days. Alcohol degradation was associated with an increase in acetone at mg/L concentrations. These data help to constrain the biodegradation potential of organic additives in hydraulic fracturing fluids and guide our understanding of the microbial communities that may contribute to attenuation in surface waters.

Groundwater degassing in fractured rock: Modelling and data comparison

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jarsjoe, J.; Destouni, G. [Royal Inst. of Tech., Stockholm (Sweden). Water Resources Engineering

1998-11-01

Dissolved gas may be released from deep groundwater in the vicinity of open boreholes and drifts, where the water pressures are relatively low. Degassing of groundwater may influence observations of hydraulic conditions made in drifts, interpretation of experiments performed close to drifts, and buffer mass and backfill performance, particularly during emplacement and repository closure. Under certain conditions, considerable fracture inflow and transmissivity reductions have been observed during degassing experiments in the field and in the laboratory; such reductions affect the outcome and interpretation of both hydraulic and tracer tests. We develop models for the estimation of the resulting degree of fracture gas saturation and the associated transmissivity reduction due to groundwater degassing in fractured rock. Derived expressions for bubble trapping probability show that fracture aperture variability and correlation length influence the conditions for capillary bubble trapping and gas accumulation. The laboratory observations of bubble trapping in an Aespoe fracture replica are consistent with the prediction of a relatively high probability of bubble trapping in this fracture. The prediction was based on the measured aperture distribution of the Aespoe fracture and the applied hydraulic gradient. Results also show that the conceptualisation of gas and water occupancy in a fracture greatly influences model predictions of gas saturation and relative transmissivity. Images from laboratory degassing experiments indicate that tight apertures are completely filled with water, whereas both gas and water exist in wider apertures under degassing conditions; implementation of this relation in our model resulted in the best agreement between predictions and laboratory observations. Model predictions for conditions similar to those prevailing in field for single fractures at great depths indicate that degassing effects in boreholes should generally be small, unless the

Development of Chelating Agent-Based Polymeric Gel System for Hydraulic Fracturing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Shahzad Kamal

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Hydraulic Fracturing is considered to be one of the most important stimulation methods. Hydraulic Fracturing is carried out by inducing fractures in the formation to create conductive pathways for the flow of hydrocarbon. The pathways are kept open either by using proppant or by etching the fracture surface using acids. A typical fracturing fluid usually consists of a gelling agent (polymers, cross-linkers, buffers, clay stabilizers, gel stabilizers, biocide, surfactants, and breakers mixed with fresh water. The numerous additives are used to prevent damage resulting from such operations, or better yet, enhancing it beyond just the aim of a fracturing operation. This study introduces a new smart fracturing fluid system that can be either used for proppant fracturing (high pH or acid fracturing (low pH operations in sandstone formations. The fluid system consists of glutamic acid diacetic acid (GLDA that can replace several additives, such as cross-linker, breaker, biocide, and clay stabilizer. GLDA is also a surface-active fluid that will reduce the interfacial tension eliminating the water-blockage effect. GLDA is compatible and stable with sea water, which is advantageous over the typical fracturing fluid. It is also stable in high temperature reservoirs (up to 300 °F and it is also environmentally friendly and readily biodegradable. The new fracturing fluid formulation can withstand up to 300 °F of formation temperature and is stable for about 6 h under high shearing rates (511 s−1. The new fracturing fluid formulation breaks on its own and the delay time or the breaking time can be controlled with the concentrations of the constituents of the fluid (GLDA or polymer. Coreflooding experiments were conducted using Scioto and Berea sandstone cores to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed fluid. The flooding experiments were in reasonable conformance with the rheological properties of the developed fluid regarding the thickening and

SIMULATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF THE HYDRAULIC FRACTURING OPERATION IN A HEAVY OIL RESERVOIR IN SOUTHERN IRAN

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REZA MASOOMI

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Extraction of oil from some Iranian reservoirs due to high viscosity of their oil or reducing the formation permeability due to asphaltene precipitation or other problems is not satisfactory. Hydraulic fracturing method increases production in the viscous oil reservoirs that the production rate is low. So this is very important for some Iranian reservoirs that contain these characteristics. In this study, hydraulic fracturing method has been compositionally simulated in a heavy oil reservoir in southern Iran. In this study, the parameters of the fracture half length, the propagation direction of the cracks and the depth of fracturing have been considered in this oil reservoir. The aim of this study is to find the best scenario which has the highest recovery factor in this oil reservoir. For this purpose the parameters of the length, propagation direction and depth of fracturing have been optimized in this reservoir. Through this study the cumulative oil production has been evaluated with the compositional simulation for the next 10 years in this reservoir. Also at the end of this paper, increasing the final production of this oil reservoir caused by optimized hydraulic fracturing has been evaluated.

Characterization of Gas Transport Properties of Fractured Rocks By Borehole and Chamber Tests.

Science.gov (United States)

Shimo, M.; Shimaya, S.; Maejima, T.

2014-12-01

Gas transport characteristics of fractured rocks is a great concern to variety of engineering applications such as underground storage of LPG, nuclear waste disposal, CCS and gas flooding in the oil field. Besides absolute permeability, relative permeability and capillary pressure as a function of water saturation have direct influences to the results of two phase flow simulation. However, number of the reported gas flow tests for fractured rocks are limited, therefore, the applicability of the conventional two-phase flow functions used for porous media, such as Mualem-van Genuchten model, to prediction of the gas transport in the fractured rock mass are not well understood. The authors conducted the two types of in-situ tests, with different scales, a borehole gas-injection test and a chamber gas-injection test in fractured granitic rock. These tests were conducted in the Cretaceous granitic rocks at the Namikata underground LPG storage cavern construction site in Ehime Prefecture in Japan, preceding to the cavern scale gas-tightness test. A borehole injection test was conducted using vertical and sub-vertical boreholes drilled from the water injection tunnel nearly at the depth of the top of the cavern, EL-150m. A new type downhole gas injection equipment that is capable to create a small 'cavern' within a borehole was developed. After performing a series of preliminary tests to investigate the hydraulic conductivity and gas-tightness, i.e. threshold pressure, gas injection tests were conducted under different gas pressure. Fig.1 shows an example of the test results From a chamber test using a air pressurizing chamber with volume of approximately166m3, the gas-tightness was confirmed within the uncertainty of 22Pa under the storage pressure of 0.7MPa, however, significant air leakage occurred possibly through an open fracture intersecting the chamber just after cavern pressure exceeds the initial hydrostatic pressure at the ceiling level of the chamber. Anomalies

HRL Aespoe - two-phase flow experiment - gas and water flow in fractured crystalline rock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kull, H.; Liedtke, L.

1998-01-01

(The full text of the contribution follows:) Gas generated from radioactive waste may influence the hydraulic and mechanical properties of the man-made barriers and the immediate surroundings of the repository. Prediction of alteration in fractured crystalline rock is difficult. There is a lack of experimental data, and calibrated models are not yet available. Because of the general importance of this matter the German Federal Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Technology decided to conduct a two-phase flow study at HRL Aespoe within the scope of the co-operation agreement with SKB. Within the presentation an overview of field experiments and modelling studies scheduled until end of '99 are given. Conceptual models for one- and two-phase flow, methodologies and with respect to numerical calculations necessary parameter set-ups are discussed. Common objective of in-situ experiments is to calibrate flow models to improve the reliability of predictions for gas migration through fractured rock mass. Hence, in a defined dipole flow field in niche 2/715 at HRL Aespoe effective hydraulic parameters are evaluated. Numerical modelling of non-isothermal, two-phase, two-component processes is feasible only for two-dimensional representation of a porous medium. To overcome this restriction a computer program will be developed to model three-dimensional, fractured, porous media. Rational aspects of two-phase flow studies are for the designing of geotechnical barriers and for the long-term safety analysis of potential radionuclide transport in a future repository required for the licensing process

Thermo-hydro-mechanical simulation of a 3D fractured porous rock: preliminary study of coupled matrix-fracture hydraulics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canamon, I.; Javier Elorza, F.; Ababou, R.

2007-01-01

We present a problem involving the modeling of coupled flow and elastic strain in a 3D fractured porous rock, which requires prior homogenization (up-scaling) of the fractured medium into an equivalent Darcian anisotropic continuum. The governing equations form a system of PDE's (Partial Differential Equations) and, depending on the case being considered, this system may involve two different types of 'couplings' (in a real system, both couplings (1) and (2) generally take place): 1) Hydraulic coupling in a single (no exchange) or in a dual matrix-fracture continuum (exchange); 2) Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical interactions between fluid flow, pressure, elastic stress, strain, and temperature. We present here a preliminary model and simulation results with FEMLAB R , for the hydraulic problem with anisotropic heterogeneous coefficients. The model is based on data collected at an instrumented granitic site (FEBEX project) for studying a hypothetical nuclear waste repository at the Grimsel Test Site in the Swiss Alps. (authors)

Thermo-hydro-mechanical simulation of a 3D fractured porous rock: preliminary study of coupled matrix-fracture hydraulics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Canamon, I.; Javier Elorza, F. [Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Dept. de Matematica Aplicada y Metodos Informaticas, ETSI Minas (UPM) (Spain); Ababou, R. [Institut de Mecanique des Fluides de Toulouse (IMFT), 31 (France)

2007-07-01

We present a problem involving the modeling of coupled flow and elastic strain in a 3D fractured porous rock, which requires prior homogenization (up-scaling) of the fractured medium into an equivalent Darcian anisotropic continuum. The governing equations form a system of PDE's (Partial Differential Equations) and, depending on the case being considered, this system may involve two different types of 'couplings' (in a real system, both couplings (1) and (2) generally take place): 1) Hydraulic coupling in a single (no exchange) or in a dual matrix-fracture continuum (exchange); 2) Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical interactions between fluid flow, pressure, elastic stress, strain, and temperature. We present here a preliminary model and simulation results with FEMLAB{sup R}, for the hydraulic problem with anisotropic heterogeneous coefficients. The model is based on data collected at an instrumented granitic site (FEBEX project) for studying a hypothetical nuclear waste repository at the Grimsel Test Site in the Swiss Alps. (authors)

Three-Dimensional poroelastic effects during hydraulic fracturing in permeable rocks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Salimzadeh, Saeed; Paluszny, Adriana; Zimmerman, Robert W.

2017-01-01

A fully coupled three-dimensional finite-element model for hydraulic fractures in permeable rocks is presented, and used to investigate the ranges of applicability of the classical analytical solutions that are known to be valid in limiting cases. This model simultaneously accounts for fluid flow...

Hydraulic fracturing, energy transition and political engagement in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rasch, Elisabet Dueholm; Köhne, Michiel

2016-01-01

This paper analyses how citizens (re)define their relation to the state in the contestation of hydraulic fracturing in the Noordoostpolder (the Netherlands) in the context of energy transition. It approaches citizenship as the negotiations between governments and citizens about in-and exclusion

Hydrodynamic analysis of clastic injection and hydraulic fracturing structures in the Jinding Zn-Pb deposit, Yunnan, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guoxiang Chi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The Jinding Zn-Pb deposit has been generally considered to have formed from circulating basinal fluids in a relatively passive way, with fluid flow being controlled by structures and sedimentary facies, similar to many other sediments-hosted base metal deposits. However, several recent studies have revealed the presence of sand injection structures, intrusive breccias, and hydraulic fractures in the open pit of the Jinding deposit and suggested that the deposit was formed from explosive release of overpressured fluids. This study reports new observations of fluid overpressure-related structures from underground workings (Paomaping and Fengzishan, which show clearer crosscutting relationships than in the open pit. The observed structures include: 1 sand (±rock fragment dikes injecting into fractures in solidified rocks; 2 sand (±rock fragment bodies intruding into unconsolidated or semi-consolidated sediments; 3 disintegrated semi-consolidated sand bodies; and 4 veins and breccias formed from hydraulic fracturing of solidified rocks followed by cementation of hydrothermal minerals. The development of ore minerals (sphalerite in the cement of the various clastic injection and hydraulic fractures indicate that these structures were formed at the same time as mineralization. The development of hydraulic fractures and breccias with random orientation indicates small differential stress during mineralization, which is different from the stress field with strong horizontal shortening prior to mineralization. Fluid flow velocity may have been up to more than 11 m/s based on calculations from the size of the fragments in the clastic dikes. The clastic injection and hydraulic fracturing structures are interpreted to have formed from explosive release of overpressured fluids, which may have been related to either magmatic intrusions at depth or seismic activities that episodically tapped an overpressured fluid reservoir. Because the clastic injection

Hydrogeological study of single water conducting fracture using a crosshole hydraulic test apparatus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, Hajime; Shimo, Michito; Yamamoto, Takuya

1998-03-01

The Crosshole Injection Test Apparatus has been constructed to evaluate the hydraulic properties and conditions, such as hydraulic conductivity and its anisotropy, storage coefficient, pore pressure etc. within a rock near a drift. The construction started in FY93 and completed on August FY96 as a set of equipments for the use of crosshole hydraulic test, which is composed of one injection borehole instrument, one observation borehole instrument and a set of on-ground instrument. In FY96, in-situ feasibility test was conducted at a 550 m level drift in Kamaishi In Situ Test Site which has been operated by PNC, and the performance of the equipment and its applicability to various types of injection method were confirmed. In this year, a hydrogeological investigation on the single water conducting fracture was conducted at a 250 m level drift in Kamaishi In Situ Test Site, using two boreholes, KCH-3 and KCH-4, both of which are 30 m depth and inclined by 45 degrees from the surface. Pressure responses at the KCH-3 borehole during the drilling of KCH-4 borehole, the results of Borehole TV logging and core observation indicated that a major conductive single-fracture was successfully isolated by the packers. As a result of a series of the single-hole and the crosshole tests (sinusoidal and constant flowrate test), the hydraulic parameters of the single-fracture (such as hydraulic conductivity and storage coefficient) were determined. This report shows all the test result, analysed data, and also describes the hydro-geological structure near the drift. (author)

Microbial metabolisms in a 2.5-km-deep ecosystem created by hydraulic fracturing in shales

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daly, Rebecca A.; Borton, Mikayla A.; Wilkins, Michael J.; Hoyt, David W.; Kountz, Duncan J.; Wolfe, Richard A.; Welch, Susan A.; Marcus, Daniel N.; Trexler, Ryan V.; MacRae, Jean D.; Krzycki, Joseph A.; Cole, David R.; Mouser, Paula J.; Wrighton, Kelly C.

2016-09-05

Hydraulic fracturing is the industry standard for extracting hydrocarbons from shale formations. Attention has been paid to the economic benefits and environmental impacts of this process, yet the biogeochemical changes induced in the deep subsurface are poorly understood. Recent single-gene investigations revealed that halotolerant microbial communities were enriched after hydraulic fracturing. Here the reconstruction of 31 unique genomes coupled to metabolite data from the Marcellus and Utica shales revealed that methylamine cycling supports methanogenesis in the deep biosphere. Fermentation of injected chemical additives also sustains long-term microbial persistence, while sulfide generation from thiosulfate represents a poorly recognized corrosion mechanism in shales. Extensive links between viruses and microbial hosts demonstrate active viral predation, which may contribute to the release of labile cellular constituents into the extracellular environment. Our analyses show that hydraulic fracturing provides the organismal and chemical inputs for colonization and persistence in the deep terrestrial subsurface.

Streaming Potential Modeling to Understand the Identification of Hydraulically Active Fractures and Fracture-Matrix Fluid Interactions Using the Self-Potential Method

Science.gov (United States)

Jougnot, D.; Roubinet, D.; Linde, N.; Irving, J.

2016-12-01

Quantifying fluid flow in fractured media is a critical challenge in a wide variety of research fields and applications. To this end, geophysics offers a variety of tools that can provide important information on subsurface physical properties in a noninvasive manner. Most geophysical techniques infer fluid flow by data or model differencing in time or space (i.e., they are not directly sensitive to flow occurring at the time of the measurements). An exception is the self-potential (SP) method. When water flows in the subsurface, an excess of charge in the pore water that counterbalances electric charges at the mineral-pore water interface gives rise to a streaming current and an associated streaming potential. The latter can be measured with the SP technique, meaning that the method is directly sensitive to fluid flow. Whereas numerous field experiments suggest that the SP method may allow for the detection of hydraulically active fractures, suitable tools for numerically modeling streaming potentials in fractured media do not exist. Here, we present a highly efficient two-dimensional discrete-dual-porosity approach for solving the fluid-flow and associated self-potential problems in fractured domains. Our approach is specifically designed for complex fracture networks that cannot be investigated using standard numerical methods due to computational limitations. We then simulate SP signals associated with pumping conditions for a number of examples to show that (i) accounting for matrix fluid flow is essential for accurate SP modeling and (ii) the sensitivity of SP to hydraulically active fractures is intimately linked with fracture-matrix fluid interactions. This implies that fractures associated with strong SP amplitudes are likely to be hydraulically conductive, attracting fluid flow from the surrounding matrix.

Fluid driven fracture mechanics in highly anisotropic shale: a laboratory study with application to hydraulic fracturing

Science.gov (United States)

Gehne, Stephan; Benson, Philip; Koor, Nick; Enfield, Mark

2017-04-01

The finding of considerable volumes of hydrocarbon resources within tight sedimentary rock formations in the UK led to focused attention on the fundamental fracture properties of low permeability rock types and hydraulic fracturing. Despite much research in these fields, there remains a scarcity of available experimental data concerning the fracture mechanics of fluid driven fracturing and the fracture properties of anisotropic, low permeability rock types. In this study, hydraulic fracturing is simulated in a controlled laboratory environment to track fracture nucleation (location) and propagation (velocity) in space and time and assess how environmental factors and rock properties influence the fracture process and the developing fracture network. Here we report data on employing fluid overpressure to generate a permeable network of micro tensile fractures in a highly anisotropic shale ( 50% P-wave velocity anisotropy). Experiments are carried out in a triaxial deformation apparatus using cylindrical samples. The bedding planes are orientated either parallel or normal to the major principal stress direction (σ1). A newly developed technique, using a steel guide arrangement to direct pressurised fluid into a sealed section of an axially drilled conduit, allows the pore fluid to contact the rock directly and to initiate tensile fractures from the pre-defined zone inside the sample. Acoustic Emission location is used to record and map the nucleation and development of the micro-fracture network. Indirect tensile strength measurements at atmospheric pressure show a high tensile strength anisotropy ( 60%) of the shale. Depending on the relative bedding orientation within the stress field, we find that fluid induced fractures in the sample propagate in two of the three principal fracture orientations: Divider and Short-Transverse. The fracture progresses parallel to the bedding plane (Short-Transverse orientation) if the bedding plane is aligned (parallel) with the

Comprehensive Assessment of New Proppants for Hydraulic Fracturing Utilization under the Consideration of Cost, Environmental & Health Impacts

Science.gov (United States)

Adebakin, Mariam Abiodun

The advancement and increased practice of hydraulic fracturing, a process which involves the drilling of a well and the injection of fracture fluid (water, proppant and various chemicals) under high pressure to stimulate the production of oil and gas, has gradually gained public attention over the past years. This is because of its effectiveness in booming the nation's economy as well as the adverse effects in terms of risks this process poses to all forms of life. Several speculations have been raised about the choice of proppant used as a contributory factor to the risks hydraulic fracturing poses. Frac sand is the most widely used proppant in several wells in the United States but several health and environmental concerns has been raised on its short and long term use. It is therefore imperative to examine the impacts (health and environmental) as well as cost implication, if any, in selecting the most appropriate proppant in other to reduce and or completely eliminate its effect on humans and other forms of life. This study aims to compare other proppants (resin-coated sand and ceramic) with frac sand, focusing on cost, environmental and health implications when used. This study found that sand is the cheapest and most available proppant in terms of production cost compared to resin coated sand and ceramic proppant. However, sand cannot be used in deep wells as it is subjected to more stress leading to its disintegration and crushing in the well which eventually blocks the fissures created and the subsequent flow of oil and gas. In terms of health and environmental impacts, sand should be discouraged as it generates crystalline silica dust known to be injurious if inhaled.

Experimental validation of microseismic emissions from a controlled hydraulic fracture in a synthetic layered medium

Science.gov (United States)

Roundtree, Russell

A controlled hydraulic fracture experiment was performed on two medium sized (11" x 11" x 15") synthetic layered blocks of low permeability, low porosity Lyons sandstone sandwiched between cement. The purpose of the research was to better understand and characterize the fracture evolution as the fracture tip impinged upon the layer boundaries between the well bonded layers. It is also one of the first documented uses of passive microseismic used in a laboratory environment to characterize hydraulic fracturing. A relatively low viscosity fluid of 1000 centipoise, compared to properly scaled previous work (Casas 2005, and Athavale 2007), was pumped at a constant rate of 10 mL/minute through a steel cased hole landed and isolated in the sandstone layer. Efforts were made to contain the hydraulic fracture within the confines of the rock specimen to retain the created hydraulic fracture geometry. Two identical samples and treatment schedules were created and differed only in the monitoring system used to characterize the microseismic activity during the fracture treatment. The first block had eight embedded P-wave transducers placed in the sandstone layer to record the passive microseismic emissions and localize the location and time of the acoustic event. The second block had six compressional wave transducers and twelve shear wave transducers embedded in the sandstone layer of the block. The intention was to record and process the seismic data using conventional P-wave to S-wave difference timing techniques well known in industry. While this goal ultimately not possible due to the geometry of the receiver placements and the limitations of the Vallene acquisition processing software, the data received and the events localized from the 18 transducer test were of much higher numbers and quality than on the eight transducer test. This experiment proved conclusively that passive seismic emission recording can yield positive results in the laboratory. Just as in the field

Under the Yoke: Europe’s Natural Gas Dependency on Russia

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-01

extraction technique known as hydraulic fracturing or " fracking ". North America’s use of this technique is already increasing availability and... fracking go beyond poisoned water supplies and earthquakes," Earth Times, March 22, 2011, http://www.earthtimes.org/energy/dangers- hydraulic ...nuclear power, the EU’s need for gas is increasing while its limited organic gas sources, such as the North Sea, are depleting. Hydraulic fracturing is

Hydraulic fracture monitoring in hard rock at 410 m depth with an advanced fluid-injection protocol and extensive sensor array

Science.gov (United States)

Zang, Arno; Stephansson, Ove; Stenberg, Leif; Plenkers, Katrin; Specht, Sebastian; Milkereit, Claus; Schill, Eva; Kwiatek, Grzegorz; Dresen, Georg; Zimmermann, Günter; Dahm, Torsten; Weber, Michael

2017-02-01

In this paper, an underground experiment at the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL) is described. Main goal is optimizing geothermal heat exchange in crystalline rock mass at depth by multistage hydraulic fracturing with minimal impact on the environment, that is, seismic events. For this, three arrays with acoustic emission, microseismicity and electromagnetic sensors are installed mapping hydraulic fracture initiation and growth. Fractures are driven by three different water injection schemes (continuous, progressive and pulse pressurization). After a brief review of hydraulic fracture operations in crystalline rock mass at mine scale, the site geology and the stress conditions at Äspö HRL are described. Then, the continuous, single-flow rate and alternative, multiple-flow rate fracture breakdown tests in a horizontal borehole at depth level 410 m are described together with the monitoring networks and sensitivity. Monitoring results include the primary catalogue of acoustic emission hypocentres obtained from four hydraulic fractures with the in situ trigger and localizing network. The continuous versus alternative water injection schemes are discussed in terms of the fracture breakdown pressure, the fracture pattern from impression packer result and the monitoring at the arrays. An example of multistage hydraulic fracturing with several phases of opening and closing of fracture walls is evaluated using data from acoustic emissions, seismic broad-band recordings and electromagnetic signal response. Based on our limited amount of in situ tests (six) and evaluation of three tests in Ävrö granodiorite, in the multiple-flow rate test with progressively increasing target pressure, the acoustic emission activity starts at a later stage in the fracturing process compared to the conventional fracturing case with continuous water injection. In tendency, also the total number and magnitude of acoustic events are found to be smaller in the progressive treatment with

On the development and benchmarking of an approach to model gas transport in fractured media with immobile water storage

Science.gov (United States)

Harp, D. R.; Ortiz, J. P.; Pandey, S.; Karra, S.; Viswanathan, H. S.; Stauffer, P. H.; Anderson, D. N.; Bradley, C. R.

2017-12-01

In unsaturated fractured media, the rate of gas transport is much greater than liquid transport in many applications (e.g., soil vapor extraction operations, methane leaks from hydraulic fracking, shallow CO2 transport from geologic sequestration operations, and later-time radionuclide gas transport from underground nuclear explosions). However, the relatively immobile pore water can inhibit or promote gas transport for soluble constituents by providing storage. In scenarios with constant pressure gradients, the gas transport will be retarded. In scenarios with reversing pressure gradients (i.e. barometric pressure variations) pore water storage can enhance gas transport by providing a ratcheting mechanism. Recognizing the computational efficiency that can be gained using a single-phase model and the necessity of considering pore water storage, we develop a Richard's solution approach that includes kinetic dissolution/volatilization of constituents. Henry's Law governs the equilibrium gaseous/aqueous phase partitioning in the approach. The approach is implemented in a development branch of the PFLOTRAN simulator. We verify the approach with analytical solutions of: (1) 1D gas diffusion, (2) 1D gas advection, (3) sinusoidal barometric pumping of a fracture, and (4) gas transport along a fracture with uniform flow and diffusive walls. We demonstrate the retardation of gas transport in cases with constant pressure gradients and the enhancement of gas transport with reversing pressure gradients. The figure presents the verification of our approach to the analytical solution of barometric pumping of a fracture from Nilson et al (1991) where the x-axis "Horizontal axis" is the distance into the matrix block from the fracture.

Improving estimates of subsurface gas transport in unsaturated fractured media using experimental Xe diffusion data and numerical methods

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, J. P.; Ortega, A. D.; Harp, D. R.; Boukhalfa, H.; Stauffer, P. H.

2017-12-01

Gas transport in unsaturated fractured media plays an important role in a variety of applications, including detection of underground nuclear explosions, transport from volatile contaminant plumes, shallow CO2 leakage from carbon sequestration sites, and methane leaks from hydraulic fracturing operations. Gas breakthrough times are highly sensitive to uncertainties associated with a variety of hydrogeologic parameters, including: rock type, fracture aperture, matrix permeability, porosity, and saturation. Furthermore, a couple simplifying assumptions are typically employed when representing fracture flow and transport. Aqueous phase transport is typically considered insignificant compared to gas phase transport in unsaturated fracture flow regimes, and an assumption of instantaneous dissolution/volatilization of radionuclide gas is commonly used to reduce computational expense. We conduct this research using a twofold approach that combines laboratory gas experimentation and numerical modeling to verify and refine these simplifying assumptions in our current models of gas transport. Using a gas diffusion cell, we are able to measure air pressure transmission through fractured tuff core samples while also measuring Xe gas breakthrough measured using a mass spectrometer. We can thus create synthetic barometric fluctuations akin to those observed in field tests and measure the associated gas flow through the fracture and matrix pore space for varying degrees of fluid saturation. We then attempt to reproduce the experimental results using numerical models in PLFOTRAN and FEHM codes to better understand the importance of different parameters and assumptions on gas transport. Our numerical approaches represent both single-phase gas flow with immobile water, as well as full multi-phase transport in order to test the validity of assuming immobile pore water. Our approaches also include the ability to simulate the reaction equilibrium kinetics of dissolution

Response to 'Word choice as political speech': Hydraulic fracturing is a partisan issue.

Science.gov (United States)

Hopke, Jill E; Simis, Molly

2016-04-28

In 2015, Hopke & Simis published an analysis of social media discourse around hydraulic fracturing. Grubert (2016) offered a commentary on the research, highlighting the politicization of terminology used in the discourse on this topic. The present article is a response to Grubert (2016)'s commentary, in which we elaborate on the distinctions between terminology used in social media discourse around hydraulic fracturing (namely, 'frack,' 'fracking,' 'frac,' and 'fracing'). Additionally preliminary analysis supports the claim that industry-preferred terminology is severely limited in its reach. When industry actors opt-out of the discourse, the conversation followed by the majority of lay audiences is dominated by activists. exacerbating the political schism on the issue. © The Author(s) 2016.

Experimental and Model Studies on Loading Path-Dependent and Nonlinear Gas Flow Behavior in Shale Fractures

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Honglian; Lu, Yiyu; Zhou, Lei; Tang, Jiren; Han, Shuaibin; Ao, Xiang

2018-01-01

Interest in shale gas as an energy source is growing worldwide. Because the rock's natural fracture system can contribute to gas production, it is important to understand the flow behavior of natural fractures in shale. Previous studies on the flow characteristics in shale fractures were limited and did not consider the effect of nonlinearity. To understand the basic mechanics of the gas flow behavior in shale fractures, laboratory investigations with consideration of the fluid pressure gradient, the confining stress, the loading history and the fracture geometry were conducted in this paper. Izbash's equation was used to analyze the nonlinearity of the flow. The results show that the behavior of the friction factors is similar to that shown in flow tests in smooth and rough pipes. The increase of the confining stress and the irreversible damage to the shale decreased the hydraulic aperture and increased the relative roughness. Thus, turbulent flow could appear at a low Reynolds number, resulting in a significant pressure loss. The limits of the cubic law and the existing correction factor for transmissivity are discussed. It is found that the previous friction models overestimate the friction factor in the laminar regime and underestimate the friction factor in the turbulent regime. For this reason, a new friction model based on a linear combination of the Reynolds number and the relative roughness was developed.

2016-2017 Update of Hydraulic Fracturing Induced Earthquakes near Fox Creek, Alberta

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, R.; Gu, Y. J.; Zhang, M.

2017-12-01

With a reported Richter magnitude (ML) of 4.8, the January 12, 2016 earthquake near Fox Creek is the largest event in Alberta during the past decade. This event led to the suspension of a nearby hydraulic fracturing well, in compliance with the provincial "traffic-light" protocol. In previous study, we examine the hypocenter location and focal mechanism of this earthquake, and the results support an anthropogenic origin. Since then (until August 2017), no event reached ML=4, while several ML>3 events occurred in the Fox Creek area. Their focal mechanisms are consistent with the ones from previous events that were induced by hydraulic fracturing, suggesting a strike-slip mechanism with either N-S or E-W trending fault. In 2017, the near-source station (distance Fox Creek region.

A New Method for Fracturing Wells Reservoir Evaluation in Fractured Gas Reservoir

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianchun Guo

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Natural fracture is a geological phenomenon widely distributed in tight formation, and fractured gas reservoir stimulation effect mainly depends on the communication of natural fractures. Therefore it is necessary to carry out the evaluation of this reservoir and to find out the optimal natural fractures development wells. By analyzing the interactions and nonlinear relationships of the parameters, it establishes three-level index system of reservoir evaluation and proposes a new method for gas well reservoir evaluation model in fractured gas reservoir on the basis of fuzzy logic theory and multilevel gray correlation. For this method, the Gaussian membership functions to quantify the degree of every factor in the decision-making system and the multilevel gray relation to determine the weight of each parameter on stimulation effect. Finally through fuzzy arithmetic operator between multilevel weights and fuzzy evaluation matrix, score, rank, the reservoir quality, and predicted production will be gotten. Result of this new method shows that the evaluation of the production coincidence rate reaches 80%, which provides a new way for fractured gas reservoir evaluation.

Hydraulic fracturing and the Crooked Lake Sequences: Insights gleaned from regional seismic networks

Science.gov (United States)

Schultz, Ryan; Stern, Virginia; Novakovic, Mark; Atkinson, Gail; Gu, Yu Jeffrey

2015-04-01

Within central Alberta, Canada, a new sequence of earthquakes has been recognized as of 1 December 2013 in a region of previous seismic quiescence near Crooked Lake, ~30 km west of the town of Fox Creek. We utilize a cross-correlation detection algorithm to detect more than 160 events to the end of 2014, which is temporally distinguished into five subsequences. This observation is corroborated by the uniqueness of waveforms clustered by subsequence. The Crooked Lake Sequences have come under scrutiny due to its strong temporal correlation (>99.99%) to the timing of hydraulic fracturing operations in the Duvernay Formation. We assert that individual subsequences are related to fracturing stimulation and, despite adverse initial station geometry, double-difference techniques allow us to spatially relate each cluster back to a unique horizontal well. Overall, we find that seismicity in the Crooked Lake Sequences is consistent with first-order observations of hydraulic fracturing induced seismicity.

78 FR 17835 - Approval and Promulgation of Federal Implementation Plan for Oil and Natural Gas Well Production...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-22

...: One commenter stated that the EPA needs to control air quality because hydraulic fracturing (``fracking'') is under-regulated. Response: The majority of oil and natural gas wells drilled today are hydraulically fractured. Hydraulic fracturing occurs when wells are being completed and recompleted. NSPS OOOO...

Simulating Hydraulic Fracturing: Failure in soft versus hard rocks

Science.gov (United States)

Aleksans, J.; Koehn, D.; Toussaint, R.

2017-12-01

In this contribution we discuss the dynamic development of hydraulic fractures, their evolution and the resulting seismicity during fluid injection in a coupled numerical model. The model describes coupling between a solid that can fracture dynamically and a compressible fluid that can push back at the rock and open fractures. With a series of numerical simulations we show how the fracture pattern and seismicity change depending on changes in depth, injection rate, Young's Modulus and breaking strength. Our simulations indicate that the Young's Modulus has the largest influence on the fracture dynamics and also the related seismicity. Simulations of rocks with a Young's modulus smaller than 10 GPa show dominant mode I failure and a growth of fracture aperture with a decrease in Young's modulus. Simulations of rocks with a higher Young's modulus than 10 GPa show fractures with a constant aperture and fracture growth that is mainly governed by a growth in crack length and an increasing amount of mode II failure. We propose that two distinct failure regimes are observed in the simulations, above 10 GPa rocks break with a constant critical stress intensity factor whereas below 10 GPa they break reaching a critical cohesion, i.e. a critical tensile strength. These results are very important for the prediction of fracture dynamics and seismicity during fluid injection, especially since we see a transition from one failure regime to another at around 10 GPa, a Young's modulus that lies in the middle of possible values for natural shale rocks.

Malignant human cell transformation of Marcellus shale gas drilling flow back water

OpenAIRE

Yao, Yixin; Chen, Tingting; Shen, Steven S.; Niu, Yingmei; DesMarais, Thomas L; Linn, Reka; Saunders, Eric; Fan, Zhihua; Lioy, Paul; Kluz, Thomas; Chen, Lung-Chi; Wu, Zhuangchun; Costa, Max

2015-01-01

The rapid development of high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing for mining natural gas from shale has posed potential impacts on human health and biodiversity. The produced flow back waters after hydraulic stimulation is known to carry high levels of saline and total dissolved solids. To understand the toxicity and potential carcinogenic effects of these waste waters, flow back water from five Marcellus hydraulic fracturing oil and gas wells were analyzed. The physicochemical nature of t...

Characterization of hydraulic fracturing flowback water in Colorado: implications for water treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Lester, Yaal; Ferrer, Imma; Thurman, E Michael; Sitterley, Kurban A; Korak, Julie A; Aiken, George; Linden, Karl G

2015-04-15

A suite of analytical tools was applied to thoroughly analyze the chemical composition of an oil/gas well flowback water from the Denver-Julesburg (DJ) basin in Colorado, and the water quality data was translated to propose effective treatment solutions tailored to specific reuse goals. Analysis included bulk quality parameters, trace organic and inorganic constituents, and organic matter characterization. The flowback sample contained salts (TDS=22,500 mg/L), metals (e.g., iron at 81.4 mg/L) and high concentration of dissolved organic matter (DOC=590 mgC/L). The organic matter comprised fracturing fluid additives such as surfactants (e.g., linear alkyl ethoxylates) and high levels of acetic acid (an additives' degradation product), indicating the anthropogenic impact on this wastewater. Based on the water quality results and preliminary treatability tests, the removal of suspended solids and iron by aeration/precipitation (and/or filtration) followed by disinfection was identified as appropriate for flowback recycling in future fracturing operations. In addition to these treatments, a biological treatment (to remove dissolved organic matter) followed by reverse osmosis desalination was determined to be necessary to attain water quality standards appropriate for other water reuse options (e.g., crop irrigation). The study provides a framework for evaluating site-specific hydraulic fracturing wastewaters, proposing a suite of analytical methods for characterization, and a process for guiding the choice of a tailored treatment approach. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Economic Recovery of Oil Trapped at Fan Margins Using High Angle Wells and Multiple Hydraulic Fractures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mike L. Laue

1997-05-30

The distal fan margin in the northeast portion of the Yowlumne field contains significant reserves but is not economical to develop using vertical wells. Numerous interbedded shales and deteriorating rock properties limit producibility. In addition, extreme depths (13,000 ft) present a challenging environment for hydraulic fracturing and artificial lift. Lastly, a mature waterflood increases risk because of the uncertainty with size and location of flood fronts. This project attempts to demonstrate the effectiveness of exploiting the distal fan margin of this slope-basin clastic reservoir through the use of a high-angle well completed with multiple hydraulic-fracture treatments. The combination of a high-angle (or horizontal) well and hydraulic fracturing will allow greater pay exposure than can be achieved with conventional vertical wells while maintaining vertical communication between thin interbedded layers and the wellbore. The equivalent production rate and reserves of three vertical wells are anticipated at one-half to two-thirds the cost.

Western Gas Sands Project. Status report, 1 August-31 August, 1979

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1979-01-01

This status report summarizes progress of government-sponsored projects directed toward increasing gas production from the low-permeability gas sands of the western United States. Work on fracture conductivity, rock-fluid interaction, and log evaluation and interpretation techniques continued at Bartlesville. Work commenced on completing, testing and possible hydraulic fracturing of the Rio Blanco Natural Gas Company well No. 397-19-1 and on the evaluation of seismic data for stratigraphic studies of lenticular sands. LLL continued experimental and theoretical work on hydraulic fracturing mechanics and analysis of well test data. LASL worked on developing NMR methods to define fluid saturation, porosity, and permeability of western gas sands at in situ conditions. M.D. Wood, Inc. was involved in design and site preparation for two hydraulic fracture mapping jobs in the Cotton Valley Trend in Texas. Testing and analyses of the borehole seismic system and borehole hydrophone system continued at Sandia. Field tests and related activities for the WGSP progressed as scheduled in August. Cyclic injection of dehydrated natural gas and production in Colorado Interstate Gas Company's Miller No. 1 and Sprague No. 1 wells continued. The Gas Producing Enterprises, Inc. wells, Natural Buttes Units 9, 14, 18 and 20 flowed to sales. The Mitchell Energy Corporation Muse-Duke No. 1 was shut-in for a 15-day pressure buildup test. Hydraulic fracture containment experiments and activities in the multi-frac test series continued at the Nevada Test Site for Sandia Laboratories' mineback program.

Boundary element simulation of petroleum reservoirs with hydraulically fractured wells

Science.gov (United States)

Pecher, Radek

The boundary element method is applied to solve the linear pressure-diffusion equation of fluid-flow in porous media. The governing parabolic partial differential equation is transformed into the Laplace space to obtain the elliptic modified-Helmholtz equation including the homogeneous initial condition. The free- space Green's functions, satisfying this equation for anisotropic media in two and three dimensions, are combined with the generalized form of the Green's second identity. The resulting boundary integral equation is solved by following the collocation technique and applying the given time-dependent boundary conditions of the Dirichlet or Neumann type. The boundary integrals are approximated by the Gaussian quadrature along each element of the discretized domain boundary. Heterogeneous regions are represented by the sectionally-homogeneous zones of different rock and fluid properties. The final values of the interior pressure and velocity fields and of their time-derivatives are found by numerically inverting the solutions from the Laplace space by using the Stehfest's algorithm. The main extension of the mostly standard BEM-procedure is achieved in the modelling of the production and injection wells represented by internal sources and sinks. They are treated as part of the boundary by means of special single-node and both-sided elements, corresponding to the line and plane sources respectively. The wellbore skin and storage effects are considered for the line and cylindrical sources. Hydraulically fractured wells of infinite conductivity are handled directly according to the specified constraint type, out of the four alternatives. Fractures of finite conductivity are simulated by coupling the finite element model of their 1D-interior with the boundary element model of their 2D- exterior. Variable fracture width, fractures crossing zone boundaries, ``networking'' of fractures, fracture-tip singularity handling, or the 3D-description are additional advanced

Gas-driven fracture propagation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nilson, R.H.

1981-10-01

A one-dimensional gas-flow drives a wedge-shaped fracture into a linearly elastic, impermeable half-space which is in uniform compression, sigma/sub infinity/, at infinity. Under a constant driving pressure, p 0 , the fracture/flow system accelerates through a sequence of three self-similar asymptotic regimes (laminar, turbulent, inviscid) in which the fracture grows like an elementary function of time (exponential, near-unity power, and linear; respectively). In each regime, the transport equations are reducible under a separation-of-variables transformation. The integro-differential equations which describe the viscous flows are solved by iterative shooting-methods using expansion techniques to accommodate a zero-pressure singularity at the leading edge of the flow. These numerical results are complemented by an asymptotic analysis for large pressure ratio (N = p 0 /sigma/sub infinity/ → infinity) which exploits the disparity between the fracture-length and penetration-length of the flow. The considered prototypic problem has geologic applications: containment evaluation of underground nuclear tests, explosive stimulation of oil and gas wells, and explosive permeability-enhancement prior to in-situ combustion of coal or oil-shale

kISMET: Stress analysis and intermediate-scale hydraulic fracturing at the Sanford Underground Research Facility

Science.gov (United States)

Dobson, P. F.; Oldenburg, C. M.; Wu, Y.; Cook, P. J.; Kneafsey, T. J.; Nakagawa, S.; Ulrich, C.; Siler, D. L.; Guglielmi, Y.; Ajo Franklin, J. B.; Rutqvist, J.; Daley, T. M.; Birkholzer, J. T.; Wang, H. F.; Lord, N.; Haimson, B. C.; Sone, H.; Vigilante, P.; Roggenthen, W.; Doe, T.; Lee, M.; Ingraham, M. D.; Huang, H.; Mattson, E.; Johnson, T. C.; Zhou, J.; Zoback, M. D.; Morris, J.; White, J. A.; Johnson, P. A.; Coblentz, D. D.; Heise, J.

2017-12-01

In 2015, we established a field test facility at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), and in 2016 we carried out in situ hydraulic fracturing experiments to characterize the stress field, understand the effects of crystalline rock fabric on fracturing, and gain experience in monitoring using geophysical methods. The kISMET (permeability (k) and Induced Seismicity Management for Energy Technologies) project test site was established in the West Access Drift at the 4850 ft level, 1478 m below ground in phyllite of the Precambrian Poorman Formation. The kISMET team drilled and cored five near-vertical boreholes in a line on 3 m spacing, deviating the two outermost boreholes slightly to create a five-spot pattern around the test borehole centered in the test volume 40 m below the drift invert (floor) at a total depth of 1518 m. Laboratory measurements of core from the center test borehole showed P-wave velocity heterogeneity along each core indicating strong, fine-scale ( 1 cm or smaller) changes in the mechanical properties of the rock. Tensile strength ranges between 3‒7.5 MPa and 5‒12 MPa. Pre-fracturing numerical simulations with a discrete element code were carried out to predict fracture size and magnitude of microseismicity. Field measurements of the stress field were made using hydraulic fracturing, which produced remarkably uniformly oriented fractures suggesting rock fabric did not play a significant role in controlling fracture orientation. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and continuous active seismic source monitoring (CASSM) were deployed in the four monitoring boreholes, and passive seismic accelerometer-based measurements in the West Access Drift were carried out during the generation of a larger fracture (so-called stimulation test). ERT was not able to detect the fracture created, nor did the accelerometers in the drift, but microseismicity was detected for the first (deepest) hydraulic-fracturing stress measurement. Analytical

Influences of Hydraulic Fracturing on Fluid Flow and Mineralization at the Vein-Type Tungsten Deposits in Southern China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiangchong Liu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Wolframite is the main ore mineral at the vein-type tungsten deposits in the Nanling Range, which is a world-class tungsten province. It is disputed how wolframite is precipitated at these deposits and no one has yet studied the links of the mechanical processes to fluid flow and mineralization. Finite element-based numerical experiments are used to investigate the influences of a hydraulic fracturing process on fluid flow and solubility of CO2 and quartz. The fluids are aqueous NaCl solutions and fluid pressure is the only variable controlling solubility of CO2 and quartz in the numerical experiments. Significant fluctuations of fluid pressure and high-velocity hydrothermal pulse are found once rock is fractured by high-pressure fluids. The fluid pressure drop induced by hydraulic fracturing could cause a 9% decrease of quartz solubility. This amount of quartz deposition may not cause a significant decrease in rock permeability. The fluid pressure decrease after hydraulic fracturing also reduces solubility of CO2 by 36% and increases pH. Because an increase in pH would cause a major decrease in solubility of tungsten, the fluid pressure drop accompanying a hydraulic fracturing process facilitates wolframite precipitation. Our numerical experiments provide insight into the mechanisms precipitating wolframite at the tungsten deposits in the Nanling Range as well as other metals whose solubility is strongly dependent on pH.

Low polymer hydraulic fracturing applications in Reconcavo basin wells can reduce cost and improve conductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzart, Joao Walter Pereira; Araujo, Paulo Fernando de

2000-01-01

Gels used for hydraulic-fracturing treatments generally contain high concentrations of polymer. The polymer helps the fracturing fluid achieve the level of viscosity necessary for transporting proppant through the rock matrix. However, high-polymer gels leave greater amounts of residue in the formation and can therefore cause formation damage. This paper describes how low polymer (L P) gels can be used for hydraulic-fracturing operations to reduce job costs and increase conductivity by reducing formation damage while maintaining the characteristics of a high-polymer gel. The L P fluid system has a low p H and contains an appropriate breaker concentration. Operators have achieved positive results with this system, which allows them to measure robust gel breaks and reduces the necessity for well cleaning. Consequently, formation damage can be significantly reduced. (author)

Insight into subdecimeter fracturing processes during hydraulic fracture experiment in Äspö hard rock laboratory, Sweden

Science.gov (United States)

Kwiatek, Grzegorz; Martínez-Garzón, Patricia; Plenkers, Katrin; Leonhardt, Maria; Zang, Arno; Dresen, Georg; Bohnhoff, Marco

2017-04-01

We analyze the nano- and picoseismicity recorded during a hydraulic fracturing in-situ experiment performed in Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory, Sweden. The fracturing experiment included six fracture stages driven by three different water injection schemes (continuous, progressive and pulse pressurization) and was performed inside a 28 m long, horizontal borehole located at 410 m depth. The fracturing process was monitored with two different seismic networks covering a wide frequency band between 0.01 Hz and 100000 Hz and included broadband seismometers, geophones, high-frequency accelerometers and acoustic emission sensors. The combined seismic network allowed for detection and detailed analysis of seismicity with moment magnitudes MW<-4 (source sizes approx. on cm scale) that occurred solely during the hydraulic fracturing and refracturing stages. We relocated the seismicity catalog using the double-difference technique and calculated the source parameters (seismic moment, source size, stress drop, focal mechanism and seismic moment tensors). The physical characteristics of induced seismicity are compared to the stimulation parameters and to the formation parameters of the site. The seismic activity varies significantly depending on stimulation strategy with conventional, continuous stimulation being the most seismogenic. We find a systematic spatio-temporal migration of microseismic events (propagation away and towards wellbore injection interval) and temporal transitions in source mechanisms (opening - shearing - collapse) both being controlled by changes in fluid injection pressure. The derived focal mechanism parameters are in accordance with the local stress field orientation, and signify the reactivation of pre-existing rock flaws. The seismicity follows statistical and source scaling relations observed at different scales elsewhere, however, at an extremely low level of seismic efficiency.

Observations of a potential size-effect in experimental determination of the hydraulic properties of fractures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Witherspoon, P.A.; Amick, C.H.; Gale, J.E.; Iwai, K.

1979-05-01

In several recent investigations, experimental studies on the effect of normal stress on the hydraulic conductivity of a single fracture were made on three rock specimens ranging in cross-sectional area from 0.02 m 2 to over 1.0 m 2 . At the maximum stress levels that could be attained (10 to 20 MPa), minimum values of the fracture hydraulic conductivity were not the same for each rock specimen. These minimum values increased with specimen size, indicating that the determination of fracture conductivity may be significantly influenced by a size effect. The implications of these results are important. Cores collected in the field are normally not larger than 0.15 m in diameter. However, the results of this work suggest that when this size core is used for laboratory investigations, the results may be nonconservative in that fracture permeabilities will be significantly lower than will be found in the field. 6 figures

A Novel CO2-Responsive Viscoelastic Amphiphilic Surfactant Fluid for Fracking in Enhanced Oil/Gas Recovery

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, L.; Wu, X.; Dai, C.

2017-12-01

Over the past decade, the rapid rise of unconventional shale gas and tight sandstone oil development through horizontal drilling and high volume hydraulic fracturing has expanded the extraction of hydrocarbon resources. Hydraulic fracturing fluids play very important roles in enhanced oil/gas recovery. However, damage to the reservoir rock and environmental contamination caused by hydraulic fracturing flowback fluids has raised serious concerns. The development of reservoir rock friendly and environmental benign fracturing fluids is in immediate demand. Studies to improve properties of hydraulic fracturing fluids have found that viscoelastic surfactant (VES) fracturing fluid can increase the productivity of gas/oil and be efficiently extracted after fracturing. Compared to conventional polymer fracturing fluid, VES fracturing fluid has many advantages, such as few components, easy preparation, good proppant transport capacity, low damage to cracks and formations, and environment friendly. In this work, we are developing a novel CO2-responsive VES fracking fluid that can readily be reused. This fluid has a gelling-breaking process that can be easily controlled by the presence of CO2 and its pressure. We synthesized erucamidopropyl dimethylamine (EA) as a thickening agent for hydraulic fracturing fluid. The influence of temperature, presence of CO2 and pressure on the viscoelastic behavior of this fluid was then investigated through rheological measurements. The fracturing fluid performance and recycle property were lastly studied using core flooding tests. We expect this fluid finds applications not only in enhanced oil/gas recovery, but also in areas such as controlling groundwater pollution and microfluidics.

Numerical Simulation of Hydraulic Fracturing in Low-/High-Permeability, Quasi-Brittle and Heterogeneous Rocks

Science.gov (United States)

Pakzad, R.; Wang, S. Y.; Sloan, S. W.

2018-04-01

In this study, an elastic-brittle-damage constitutive model was incorporated into the coupled fluid/solid analysis of ABAQUS to iteratively calculate the equilibrium effective stress of Biot's theory of consolidation. The Young's modulus, strength and permeability parameter of the material were randomly assigned to the representative volume elements of finite element models following the Weibull distribution function. The hydraulic conductivity of elements was associated with their hydrostatic effective stress and damage level. The steady-state permeability test results for sandstone specimens under different triaxial loading conditions were reproduced by employing the same set of material parameters in coupled transient flow/stress analyses of plane-strain models, thereby indicating the reliability of the numerical model. The influence of heterogeneity on the failure response and the absolute permeability was investigated, and the post-peak permeability was found to decrease with the heterogeneity level in the coupled analysis with transient flow. The proposed model was applied to the plane-strain simulation of the fluid pressurization of a cavity within a large-scale block under different conditions. Regardless of the heterogeneity level, the hydraulically driven fractures propagated perpendicular to the minimum principal far-field stress direction for high-permeability models under anisotropic far-field stress conditions. Scattered damage elements appeared in the models with higher degrees of heterogeneity. The partially saturated areas around propagating fractures were simulated by relating the saturation degree to the negative pore pressure in low-permeability blocks under high pressure. By replicating previously reported trends in the fracture initiation and breakdown pressure for different pressurization rates and hydraulic conductivities, the results showed that the proposed model for hydraulic fracture problems is reliable for a wide range of

Method for stress determination in N, E, and T tunnels, Nevada Test Site, by hydraulic fracturing, with a comparison of overcoring methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, C.H.

1976-01-01

Twenty-nine intervals in 10 core holes were hydraulically fractured in N, E, and T tunnels, Nevada Test Site, during 1974. Certain pressures were determined and related to the ambient stress field, but the orientation of the hydraulic fractures was not measured. These data and data from previous investigations in G tunnel indicated that both the magnitude of the hydraulic pressures and the direction of fracturing are independent of the orientation of the core holes. The maximum and minimum principal compressive stresses determined by the hydraulic fracturing methods are good approximations of those determined by nearby overcore methods. The data show that a good approximation of the magnitudes of the maximum and minimum principal stress axes can be obtained from several hydrofractured intervals in one core hole. Furthermore, if fracture orientation can be measured, then the direction of minimum principal compressive stress can be determined and the orientation of the plane of the maximum and intermediate principal compressive stresses can also be determined

Hydraulic fracturing in cells and tissues: fracking meets cell biology.

Science.gov (United States)

Arroyo, Marino; Trepat, Xavier

2017-02-01

The animal body is largely made of water. A small fraction of body water is freely flowing in blood and lymph, but most of it is trapped in hydrogels such as the extracellular matrix (ECM), the cytoskeleton, and chromatin. Besides providing a medium for biological molecules to diffuse, water trapped in hydrogels plays a fundamental mechanical role. This role is well captured by the theory of poroelasticity, which explains how any deformation applied to a hydrogel causes pressure gradients and water flows, much like compressing a sponge squeezes water out of it. Here we review recent evidence that poroelastic pressures and flows can fracture essential biological barriers such as the nuclear envelope, the cellular cortex, and epithelial layers. This type of fracture is known in engineering literature as hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking'. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Regulation of hydraulic fracturing in South Africa: a project life-cycle ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This note deals with the 2015 regulations pertaining to hydraulic fracturing in South Africa from a project life-cycle approach. A brief history of the fragmentation of the regulation of environmental and mining related matters is provided, followed by a discussion of the application of the 2015 regulations during the project life ...

Oil shale in situ research and development. Final report, August 1, 1977--December 22, 1978. [Hydraulic fractures; explosive rubblization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jensen, H.B.

1978-01-01

The selected Site Section 17 was prepared for hydraulic fracturing and explosive rubblization, and these operations accomplished. This report presents the field and laboratory preparations for the fracturing, rubblization, and evaluation operations. A series of four, parallel, hydraulically induced fractures was created during the first year. The evaluation tests showed the following about the four hydraulic fractures: (1) They were horizontal and narrow, that is, as large as 0.05 inches thick within a 50-foot radius and as small as 0.0011 inches thick for the average of all four fractures over the entire radius. (2) They extended at least 113 feet to the outer ring of production wells in a southeasterly direction. (3) They extended out beyond the outer ring of production wells in a northwesterly direction. (4) They had some degree of communication with the naturally fractured aquifer lying about them. And, (5), they had no significant communication with naturally fractured aquifer lying below them. The rubblization event took place on 21 August 1978, early in the second year of the contract. An evaluation of the areal extent, thickness, porosity, interconnectivity, and the influence of the explosion upon the adjacent aquifers was determined. The dynamic tests showed that the explosive slurry was loaded into the four hydraulic features and that detonation occurred simultaneously. The postrubblization evaluation demonstrated that: (1) There were four layers of damage of less than two-feet thick each, (2) massive permeability was apparent from all production wells, and (3) the permeability is in the form of block, open cracks rather than porous medium.

Adverse reproductive and developmental health outcomes following prenatal exposure to a 2 hydraulic fracturing chemical mixture in female C57Bl/6 mice

Science.gov (United States)

Kassotis, Christopher D.; Bromfield, John J.; Klemp, Kara C.; Meng, Chun-Xia; Wolfe, Andrew R.; Zoeller, Thomas; Balise, Victoria D.; Isiguzo, Chiamaka J.; Tillitt, Donald E.; Nagel, Susan C.

2016-01-01

Unconventional oil and gas operations using hydraulic fracturing can contaminate surface and groundwater with endocrine-disrupting chemicals. We have previously shown that 23 of 24 commonly used hydraulic fracturing chemicals can activate or inhibit the estrogen, androgen, glucocorticoid, progesterone, and/or thyroid receptors in a human endometrial cancer cell reporter gene assay and that mixtures can behave synergistically, additively, or antagonistically on these receptors. In the current study, pregnant female C57Bl/6 dams were exposed to a mixture of 23 commonly used unconventional oil and gas chemicals at approximately 3, 30, 300, and 3000 μg/kg·d, flutamide at 50 mg/kg·d, or a 0.2% ethanol control vehicle via their drinking water from gestational day 11 through birth. This prenatal exposure to oil and gas operation chemicals suppressed pituitary hormone concentrations across experimental groups (prolactin, LH, FSH, and others), increased body weights, altered uterine and ovary weights, increased heart weights and collagen deposition, disrupted folliculogenesis, and other adverse health effects. This work suggests potential adverse developmental and reproductive health outcomes in humans and animals exposed to these oil and gas operation chemicals, with adverse outcomes observed even in the lowest dose group tested, equivalent to concentrations reported in drinking water sources. These endpoints suggest potential impacts on fertility, as previously observed in the male siblings, which require careful assessment in future studies. - See more at: http://press.endocrine.org/doi/10.1210/en.2016-1242#sthash.9kqfLvXg.dpuf

Seismicity Induced by Hydraulic Fracturing in Shales: A Bedding Plane Slip Model

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Staněk, František; Eisner, Leo

2017-01-01

Roč. 122, č. 10 (2017), s. 7912-7926 ISSN 2169-9313 Institutional support: RVO:67985891 Keywords : microseismic * seismicity * hydraulic fracturing * bedding plane slip Subject RIV: DC - Siesmology, Volcanology, Earth Structure OBOR OECD: 1.7 Other natural sciences Impact factor: 3.350, year: 2016

Non–double-couple mechanisms of microearthquakes induced by hydraulic fracturing

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Šílený, Jan; Hill, D. P.; Eisner, L.; Cornet, F. H.

2009-01-01

Roč. 114, B8 (2009), B08307/1-B08307/15 ISSN 0148-0227 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA300120502; GA ČR GA205/09/0724 Grant - others:EC(XE) MTKI-CT-2004-517242 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30120515 Keywords : microearthquakes * source mechanisms * hydraulic fracturing Subject RIV: DC - Siesmology, Volcanology, Earth Structure Impact factor: 3.082, year: 2009

Identification of MHF (massive hydraulic fracturing) fracture planes and flow paths: A correlation of well log data with patterns in locations of induced seismicity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dreesen, D.; Malzahn, M.; Fehler, M.; Dash, Z.

1987-01-01

One of the critical steps in developing a hot dry rock geothermal system is the creation of flow paths through the rock between two wellbores. To date, circulation systems have only been created by drilling one wellbore, hydraulically fracturing the well (which induces microearthquakes), locating the microearthquakes and then drilling a second wellbore through the zone of seismicity. A technique for analyzing the pattern of seismicity to determine where fracture planes are located in the seismically active region has recently been developed. This allows us to distinguish portions of the seismically active volume which are most likely to contain significant flow paths. We applied this technique to seismic data collected during a massive hydraulic fracturing (MHF) treatment and found that the fracture planes determined by the seismic method are confirmed by borehole temperature and caliper logs which indicate where permeable fractures and/or zones of weakness intersect the wellbores. A geometric model based on these planes and well log data has enhanced our understanding of the reservoir flow paths created by fracturing and is consistent with results obtained during production testing of the reservoir.

Lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of coal, conventional and unconventional natural gas for electricity generation

Science.gov (United States)

An analysis of the lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with natural gas use recently published by Howarth et al. (2011) stated that use of natural gas produced from shale formations via hydraulic fracturing would generate greater lifecycle GHG emissions than petro...

Sweet spots for hydraulic fracturing oil or gas production in underexplored shales using key performance indicators: Example of the Posidonia Shale formation in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heege, J.H. ter; Zijp, M.H.A.A.; Nelkamp, S.

2015-01-01

While extensive data and experiences are available for hydraulic fracturing and hydrocarbon production from shales in the U.S.A., such a record is lacking in many underexplored shale basins worldwide. As limited data is usually available in these basins, analysis of shale prospectivity and

Study on interaction between induced and natural fractures by extended finite element method

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, DanDan; Liu, ZhanLi; Zhuang, Zhuo; Zeng, QingLei; Wang, Tao

2017-02-01

Fracking is one of the kernel technologies in the remarkable shale gas revolution. The extended finite element method is used in this paper to numerically investigate the interaction between hydraulic and natural fractures, which is an important issue of the enigmatic fracture network formation in fracking. The criteria which control the opening of natural fracture and crossing of hydraulic fracture are tentatively presented. Influence factors on the interaction process are systematically analyzed, which include the approach angle, anisotropy of in-situ stress and fluid pressure profile.

高压水力压裂和二氧化碳相变致裂联合增透技术%Combined permeability improved technology with high pressure hydraulic fracturing and carbon dioxide phase change cracking

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

秦江涛; 陈玉涛; 黄文祥

2017-01-01

针对白皎煤矿地质构造复杂、构造应力大、煤层透气性差、抽采瓦斯效果差的问题,提出了高压水力压裂和二氧化碳相变致裂联合增透技术,分析了水力压裂和二氧化碳相变致裂联合增透技术的原理;并在238底板巷对B4煤层进行了联合增透对比试验研究.试验结果表明:试验区域煤层透气性显著提高,单孔初抽瓦斯体积分数分别是高压水力压裂试验区域和普通抽采试验区域平均瓦斯体积分数的1.70、3.48倍;瓦斯抽采纯量较水力压裂区域和普通抽采区域分别提高了1.49、3.04倍;抽采65 d以后,高压水力压裂和二氧化碳相变致裂联合增透区域汇总瓦斯体积分数仍保持在40％以上,抽采效果良好,该技术可供类似矿井借鉴.%According to the problems of complicated geological tectonics,high tectonic stress,poor seam permeability and poor gas drainage effect in Baijiao Mine,a permeability improved technology combined with a high pressure hydraulic fracturing and carbon dioxide phase change cracking was provided and the principle of the hydraulic fracturing and carbon dioxide combined permeability improved technology was analyzed.A comparison experiment study was conducted on the combined permeability improvement of No.B4 Seam in No.238 floor gateway.The experiment results showed that the permeability of the seam in the technical experiment area was remarkably improved and the initial drained gas volume fraction of a single borehole was 1.70 times and 3.48 times higher than the average volume fractions of the high pressure hydraulic fracturing area and the conventional gas drainage trial area individually.The gas drainage pure volume was improved by 1.49 and 3.04 times higher than the hydraulic fracturing area and the conventional gas drainage area individually.After 65 days of the gas drainage operation,the total gas volume fraction of the high pressure hydraulic fracturing and carbon dioxide phase change

Rock mechanics in the disposal of radioactive wastes by hydraulic fracturing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McClain, W C

1968-01-01

The ultimate capacity of a hydraulic-fracturing waste disposal facility is governed primarily by the integrity of the rocks overlying the injected wastes. The objective of this study is to analyze theoretically the stresses and strains generated by the injected wastes in an effort to understand the behavior of the system sufficiently well that the failure mechanism can be predicted and the capacity of the injection well estimated. The surface uplifts at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's fracturing site were compared with theoretical curves obtained by assuming the uplifts to be inversely analogous to the subsidence which occurs over mining excavations. This analysis, based on assumptions of homogeneity, isotropy, and linear elasticity, provided considerable insight into the mechanics of the process. The most probable mechanism of failure of the rock appears to be by the formation of a vertical instead of a horizontal fracture. Fracture orientation is controlled primarily by the orientation of the principal stress field in the rock. Each successive waste injection slightly modifies this stress field toward a condition more favorable to the formation of a vertical fracture. (16 refs.)

Probabilistic Risk Assessment of Hydraulic Fracturing in Unconventional Reservoirs by Means of Fault Tree Analysis: An Initial Discussion

Science.gov (United States)

Rodak, C. M.; McHugh, R.; Wei, X.

2016-12-01

The development and combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has unlocked unconventional hydrocarbon reserves around the globe. These advances have triggered a number of concerns regarding aquifer contamination and over-exploitation, leading to scientific studies investigating potential risks posed by directional hydraulic fracturing activities. These studies, balanced with potential economic benefits of energy production, are a crucial source of information for communities considering the development of unconventional reservoirs. However, probabilistic quantification of the overall risk posed by hydraulic fracturing at the system level are rare. Here we present the concept of fault tree analysis to determine the overall probability of groundwater contamination or over-exploitation, broadly referred to as the probability of failure. The potential utility of fault tree analysis for the quantification and communication of risks is approached with a general application. However, the fault tree design is robust and can handle various combinations of regional-specific data pertaining to relevant spatial scales, geological conditions, and industry practices where available. All available data are grouped into quantity and quality-based impacts and sub-divided based on the stage of the hydraulic fracturing process in which the data is relevant as described by the USEPA. Each stage is broken down into the unique basic events required for failure; for example, to quantify the risk of an on-site spill we must consider the likelihood, magnitude, composition, and subsurface transport of the spill. The structure of the fault tree described above can be used to render a highly complex system of variables into a straightforward equation for risk calculation based on Boolean logic. This project shows the utility of fault tree analysis for the visual communication of the potential risks of hydraulic fracturing activities on groundwater resources.

Injection of radioactive waste by hydraulic fracturing at West Valley, New York. Volume 3. Appendices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-05-01

Ten appendices are included: log data, elastic constants for transversely isotropic elastic media by ultrasonic velocity measurement, fracture toughness anisotropy of West Valley shale, in-situ stress measurement techniques, stress measurement data, hydraulic fracturing measurements, enhancement of horizontal crack initiation by jetting, finite element programs for analysis of crack propagation and for groundwater flow analysis, and well data