The distribution and characteristics of the fracturing
fluid in
shales play a crucial role in determining the shale gas production
system for the mining field. By use of low-field nuclear magnetic
resonance (NMR) technology and an online displacement system, the
distribution of the fracturing fluid in shale reservoirs during hydraulic
fracturing was investigated. An online monitoring method was established
to track the filtration loss, well soaking, and backflow 3 processes
of fracturing fluids in shale reservoirs. The full-scale pore-throat
size of the shale in the CN block predominantly distributes within
the range of 0.4–8.0 nm. Low-field NMR technology accurately
captured the variations in the water-phase sorption and flow in different
pores within the shale. During the filtration loss stage, the fracturing
fluid entered the core in a stepwise manner, indicating the development
of microfractures during fluid invasion. During the well soaking stage,
the fracturing fluid preferentially entered the small pores under
capillary forces with a stable sorption time of approximately 8 h
at the standard core scale. The peak value of the T2 spectrum
gradually decreased with increasing backflow time. Within 135 min,
the liquid in the large pores and microfractures in the shale was
predominantly expelled. After 135 min, the fracturing fluid in the
small pores became immobile and formed bound water. After 200 min,
the backflow of the fracturing fluid reached a stable state. During
the backflow stage, the fracturing fluid in the large pores was primarily
expelled, making the greatest contribution to the backflow volume.
Weighted analysis of 3 major production parameters showed that the
order of importance for influencing the backflow rate in shale was
backflow pressure difference > soaking time > outlet pressure.
To
fully flow back the fracturing fluid after fracturing, it is recommended
that the pressure difference be gradually increased, the soaking time
shortened, and the outlet pressure optimized.