Hydraulic Fracturing Using Water Based Fluid In A Water Sensitive Formation In Rimau Block, First Trial Case Study
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Unlocking Depleted and Low-Modulus Telisa Sandstone Reservoir with Pillar Fracturing Technique: Well Performance Improvement Comparison with Conventional Fracturing
Kaji Semoga is an oil field located in Rimau block, South Sumatra, and currently being operated by Medco E&P Indonesia (MEPI). This field consists of three main reservoirs, namely Telisa sandstone (TLS), Baturaja limestone (BRF), and Talangakar sandstone Formation (TAF). The production from this field is mainly from BRF, which is a carbonate formation. In 1998, MEPI started to develop TLS, which is a laminated sandstone and shale reservoir at a depth of approximately 2000 to 3000 ft TVD. It has approximately 10 to 20% porosity with ranging permeability of 5 to 50 md. Telisa sandstone cannot be produced commercially without stimulation. Hydraulic fracturing is applied to increase productivity from this reservoir. Since 2002, almost 100 TLS wells have been fractured in stimulation campaign, with continuous improvement in technology and cost efficiency. The successful development of TLS with hydraulic fracturing led to further milestones to maximize oil recovery to deal with current oil price downturn. After a study with suitable samples and cases, the pillar fracturing technique was considered as a solution to increase the success ratio of hydraulic fracturing and increase the production through construction of infinite fracture conductivity. This method is similar to conventional proppant fracturing techniques where fluid and proppant are used to create conductive paths in the formation layer. However, pillar fracturing relies on open-flow channels. The proppant pillars that support the open-flow channels are created by pulsed delivery, engineered design, and innovative use of degradable fibers. With channels inside the fracture, fluid and polymer residue flow back faster than on conventional proppant fracturing, thus improving cleanup and increasing effective fracture half-length. In addition, pillar fracturing reduces the risk of screenout with the use of fibers that make fluid become more stable, while the presence of clean pulses around proppant structures promotes bridging-free flow. This paper provides a journey of the first two applications of the pillar fracturing technique in TLS, starting from candidate selection and continuing through pillar fracturing assessment and design, execution, and post-job evaluation. The technique is then compared to conventional hydraulic fracturing by reviewing initial production results from surrounding wells. Furthermore, this paper will cover how pillar fracturing could overcome conventional fracturing challenges such as early screenout, breaking to water zone, rapid production decline, and uneconomic production rate after fracturing. Two pilot wells have been safely executed with the pillar fracturing technique and the post-fracturing transient oil productivity index was superior, higher than nearby conventional fracturing wells. Another good result includes a significantly lower initial water cut in two pilot wells compared with water cut from adjacent wells. These outstanding results open the possibility for further application of the pillar fracturing technique to existing offset wells and for future production enhancement strategy.
Unlocking Depleted and Low-Modulus Telisa Sandstone Reservoir with Pillar Fracturing Technique: Well Performance Improvement Comparison with Conventional Fracturing
Kaji Semoga is an oil field located in Rimau block, South Sumatra, and currently being operated by Medco E&P Indonesia (MEPI). This field consists of three main reservoirs, namely Telisa sandstone (TLS), Baturaja limestone (BRF), and Talangakar sandstone Formation (TAF). The production from this field is mainly from BRF, which is a carbonate formation. In 1998, MEPI started to develop TLS, which is a laminated sandstone and shale reservoir at a depth of approximately 2000 to 3000 ft TVD. It has approximately 10 to 20% porosity with ranging permeability of 5 to 50 md. Telisa sandstone cannot be produced commercially without stimulation. Hydraulic fracturing is applied to increase productivity from this reservoir. Since 2002, almost 100 TLS wells have been fractured in stimulation campaign, with continuous improvement in technology and cost efficiency. The successful development of TLS with hydraulic fracturing led to further milestones to maximize oil recovery to deal with current oil price downturn. After a study with suitable samples and cases, the pillar fracturing technique was considered as a solution to increase the success ratio of hydraulic fracturing and increase the production through construction of infinite fracture conductivity. This method is similar to conventional proppant fracturing techniques where fluid and proppant are used to create conductive paths in the formation layer. However, pillar fracturing relies on open-flow channels. The proppant pillars that support the open-flow channels are created by pulsed delivery, engineered design, and innovative use of degradable fibers. With channels inside the fracture, fluid and polymer residue flow back faster than on conventional proppant fracturing, thus improving cleanup and increasing effective fracture half-length. In addition, pillar fracturing reduces the risk of screenout with the use of fibers that make fluid become more stable, while the presence of clean pulses around proppant structures promotes bridging-free flow. This paper provides a journey of the first two applications of the pillar fracturing technique in TLS, starting from candidate selection and continuing through pillar fracturing assessment and design, execution, and post-job evaluation. The technique is then compared to conventional hydraulic fracturing by reviewing initial production results from surrounding wells. Furthermore, this paper will cover how pillar fracturing could overcome conventional fracturing challenges such as early screenout, breaking to water zone, rapid production decline, and uneconomic production rate after fracturing. Two pilot wells have been safely executed with the pillar fracturing technique and the post-fracturing transient oil productivity index was superior, higher than nearby conventional fracturing wells. Another good result includes a significantly lower initial water cut in two pilot wells compared with water cut from adjacent wells. These outstanding results open the possibility for further application of the pillar fracturing technique to existing offset wells and for future production enhancement strategy.
Performance Evaluation of Seawater-Based Fracturing Fluid with High-Viscosity Friction Reducer and Different Polymers
Hydraulic fracturing, especially when employing water-based fluids, demands a substantial amount of water resources. Given the scarcity of freshwater sources in Saudi Arabia, the utilization and transportation of freshwater for hydraulic fracturing operations have become excessively expensive. Since 2012, efforts have been underway to explore the feasibility of utilizing seawater (SW) as the main component for fracturing fluid in Saudi Arabia. The paper aims to utilize seawater to replace freshwater as the base fluid in slickwater. The study conducted a total of 22 experiments comparing DI water-based slickwater and seawater-based slickwater in different High Viscous Friction Reducer (HVFR) concentrations. After selecting the HVFR concentration with the best rheological performance in seawater, two polymers which are HPG and CMHPG were tested before the addition of Zr-Crosslinker using Anton Paar-MCR 702e high-pressure, high-temperature (HTHP) Rheometer under a consistent pressure of 500 psi, a shear rate of 100 1/s, and varying temperature conditions (70°C and 120°C). In the first part of the study, different concentrations of HVFR were tested in both DI water and seawater (SW) at 70°C and 120°C. In SW, at 70°C, two of the concentrations showed promising results, while at 120°C, neither concentration maintained reliable viscosity. Conversely, all concentrations performed well in DI water. After adding the two polymers, HPG showed decreasing stability at higher temperatures in DI water. In contrast, at elevated temperatures, CMHPG exhibited greater stability compared to HPG and generally demonstrated higher viscosity. It was observed that in DI water, HPG is always the dominant polymer. On the other hand, in SW, at lower temperatures, HPG outperforms CMHPG in terms of viscosity and stability. However, at higher temperatures, CMHPG is the better polymer. Additionally, after adding the Zr crosslinker, viscosity and stability were improved for both polymers. This paper presents novel insights into the utilization of seawater as a base fluid in slickwater hydraulic fracturing operations in Saudi Arabia. By comparing the rheological performance of seawater-based slickwater with freshwater-based slickwater, and exploring the effectiveness of different polymers and crosslinkers in seawater environments, this innovative strategy offers significant potential for economic savings while promoting sustainable water management practices in the petroleum industry.
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