Laboratory Evaluation of a Natural Gas–Based Foamed Fracturing Fluid

Beck, Griffin; Nolen, Craig; Hoopes, Kevin; Krouse, Charles; Poerner, Melissa; Phatak, Alhad; Verma, Sandeep

doi:10.2118/187199-ms

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Liquid nitrogen fracturing technology is a rapidly expanding field of study with enormous potential for improving the efficiency of unconventional oil and gas resources and for producing geothermal energy (JPT staff, 1998b; Beck et al, 2017;Alharith et al, 2020;Yang et al, 2021;Sun et al, 2023). Cryogenic fracturing fluids are liquids used in cryogenic liquid fracturing, an alternative to traditional hydraulic fracturing (Bai et al, 2019;Kalam et al, 2021;Alameedy et al, 2023a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Overview of How the Petrophysical Properties of Rock Influenced After Being Exposed to Cryogenic Fluid

Alameedy,

Al-Behadili

2023

jcoeng

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Exposure to cryogenic liquids can significantly impact the petrophysical properties of rock, affecting its density, porosity, permeability, and elastic properties. These effects can have important implications for various applications, including oil and gas production and carbon sequestration. Cryogenic liquid fracturing is a promising alternative to traditional hydraulic fracturing for exploiting unconventional oil and gas resources and geothermal energy. This technology offers several advantages over traditional hydraulic fracturing, including reduced water consumption, reduced formation damage, and a reduced risk of flow-back fluid contamination. In this study, an updated review of recent studies demonstrates how the thermal shock caused by the cryogenic liquid during the fracturing process substantially affects the rock's physical properties. Additionally, changes in permeability, porosity, and pore structure brought about by cryogenic treatments are highlighted. This work aims to draw attention to the studies that deal with the effect of thermal shock on rock petrophysical properties and establish the ideal conditions for employing cryogenic liquids in these contexts. Simulation studies, laboratory trials, and field application cases have been undertaken to assess the efficacy of cryogenic liquid fracturing technology. These investigations have provided important insights into the physical and mechanical impacts of thermal shock on rock and the performance of cryogenic liquid fracturing in real-world situations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Overview of How the Petrophysical Properties of Rock Influenced After Being Exposed to Cryogenic Fluid

Alameedy,

Al-Behadili

2023

jcoeng

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“…[6] measured foam leakoff coefficients and return permeability in a closed flow-loop connected to a dynamic filtration cell under simulated hydraulic fracturing conditions. [7,8] conducted laboratory-scale and field-scale experiments to measure NG foam fluid rheology. Table 1 list their published experimental data for 70% quality foam with different base fluids.…”

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confidence: 99%

Modeling Hydraulic Fracturing Using Natural Gas Foam as Fracturing Fluids

Zheng

Sharma

2021

Energies

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Stranded gas emission from the field production because of the limitations in the pipeline infrastructure has become one of the major contributors to the greenhouse effects. How to handle the stranded gas is a troublesome problem under the background of global “net-zero” emission efforts. On the other hand, the cost of water for hydraulic fracturing is high and water is not accessible in some areas. The idea of using stranded gas in replace of the water-based fracturing fluid can reduce the gas emission and the cost. This paper presents some novel numerical studies on the feasibility of using stranded natural gas as fracturing fluids. Differences in the fracture creating, proppant placement, and oil/gas/water flowback are compared between natural gas fracturing fluids and water-based fracturing fluids. A fully integrated equation of state compositional hydraulic fracturing and reservoir simulator is used in this paper. Public datasets for the Permian Basin rock and fluid properties and natural gas foam properties are collected to set up simulation cases. The reservoir hydrocarbon fluid and natural gas fracturing fluids phase behavior is modeled using the Peng-Robinson equation of state. The evolving of created fracture geometry, conductivity and flowback performance during the lifecycle of the well (injection, shut-in, and production) are analyzed for the gas and water fracturing fluids. Simulation results show that natural gas and foam fracturing fluids are better than water-based fracturing fluids in terms of lower breakdown pressure, lower water leakoff into the reservoir, and higher cluster efficiency. NG foams tend to create better propped fractures with shorter length and larger width, because of their high viscosity. NG foam is also found to create better stimulated rock volume (SRV) permeability, better fracturing fluid flowback with a large water usage reduction, and high natural gas consumption. The simulation results presented in this paper are helpful to the operators in reducing natural gas emission while reducing the cost of hydraulic fracturing operation.

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A Pilot-Scale Evaluation of Natural Gas-Based Foam at Elevated Pressure and Temperature Conditions

Beck

Bhagwat

Day

et al. 2020

SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition

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Nitrogen (N2) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) foams have been used as hydraulic fracturing fluids for several decades to reduce water usage and minimize damage in water-sensitive reservoirs. These foam treatments require gases to be liquefied and transported to site. An alternative approach would be to use natural gas (NG) that is readily available from nearby wells, pipelines, and processing facilities as the internal, gaseous phase to create a NG-based foam. Hydraulic fracturing with NG foam is a relatively inexpensive option, makes use of an abundant and often wasted resource, and may even provide production benefits in certain reservoirs. As part of an ongoing development project sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE), the surface process to create NG foam is being developed and the properties of NG foam are being explored. This paper presents recent results from a rigorous pilot-scale demonstration of NG foam over a range of operating scenarios relevant to surface and bottomhole conditions with a variety of base-fluid mixtures. The Pilot-scale Foam Test Facility (PFTF) used in these investigations is first described. The PFTF is capable of generating foamed fluids at pressures up to 7,500 psig and at temperatures in excess of 300°F. Then, results from several investigations aimed at proving NG foam at conditions relevant to the field are presented. NG foam was characterized using rheology measurements and flow visualization techniques. Experiments were performed to investigate the texture and stability of NG foam generated by two different mixing methods: one using a custom designed tee to match mixing velocities in the field where the gas phase is jetted into the aqueous stream, and another to ensure comprehensive mixing for laboratory analysis. Parametric studies were conducted to explore the effects of flow rate, foam quality, and temperature on the stability of NG foam. Moreover, different fluid preparations were used to investigate the effect of base fluid and additive concentrations on the stability of NG foams. Additional laboratory studies that investigated foam stability with produced water and multicomponent NG mixtures are also reported. The NG foams explored in these investigations exhibited typical, shear-thinning behavior observed in rheological studies of N2- and CO2-based foams. The measured viscosity and observed stability indicate that NG foams are well suited for fracturing applications. Like other foams, NG foam exhibits sensitivity to operating temperature characterized by a decrease in apparent viscosity as temperature increases. Rapid foam breakdown was observed at significantly elevated temperatures exceeding 290°F. In addition to fluid characterization, these investigations also yielded several key lessons that should be applied to future field demonstrations of NG foam.

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Laboratory Evaluation of a Natural Gas–Based Foamed Fracturing Fluid

Cited by 7 publications

References 31 publications

An Overview of How the Petrophysical Properties of Rock Influenced After Being Exposed to Cryogenic Fluid

An Overview of How the Petrophysical Properties of Rock Influenced After Being Exposed to Cryogenic Fluid

Modeling Hydraulic Fracturing Using Natural Gas Foam as Fracturing Fluids

A Pilot-Scale Evaluation of Natural Gas-Based Foam at Elevated Pressure and Temperature Conditions

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