Novel triangle method for evaluation of fracability in transitional shale: Case study from well ZXY-1 in the southern North China Basin

Abstract

Fracability is a property widely used to evaluate whether reservoirs can effectively fracture to increase production capacity. The brittleness index, which is used to evaluate reservoir fracability, is calculated via various methods, and the evaluation process of the brittleness index is complicated and not sufficiently intuitive. Thus, we used triangle method to evaluate reservoir fracability. The shale composition is classified into strong (quartz + pyrite), moderate (carbonate + plagioclase + siderite), and poor (clay + TOC + porosity) fracability based on the mechanical parameters of each shale component, which were integrated as the endpoints of the triangle method. Meanwhile, the triangle method is divided into four fracability evaluation grades: strong (I), moderate (II), weak (III) and poor (IV) fracability; each major evaluation grade has four sub-categories: best for fracturing (1), better for fracturing (2), poor for fracturing (3) and worst for fracturing (4). The triangle method is simpler and more convenient than the conventional method, dividing the fracability evaluation grades more specifically. The difference in fracability between samples can be shown intuitively, which enhances the accuracy and reliability of the evaluation of transitional shales and provides theoretical support for reservoir reconstruction.