TY - JOUR
T1 - Evaluation of EOR potential of energized fluid fracturing – From an energy perspective
AU - Sheng, James J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2022/1/1
Y1 - 2022/1/1
N2 - Energized fluid fracturing utilizes the high compressibility of fluids and their compatibility with the formation. After the fracturing, the energy stored in these fluids helps to facilitate flow back and to drive oil and gas out. Some papers and patents propose the ideas but with few field tests. Some papers predict the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) potential assuming a fracture network is enhanced from CO2 fracturing. No quantitative analysis has been performed to analyze the EOR potential from an energy perspective in the literature. In this paper, a field test of CO2 fracturing was analyzed to discuss the EOR potential. The test data are used to calibrate a simulation model to quantitatively analyze the potential to improve or enhance oil recovery. The EOR potential of energized fracturing fluids is discussed. It is observed that the volume from the CO2 injection for fracturing is very limited so that the potential to enhance oil recovery is not significant. Such CO2 fracturing process is analog to one cycle of huff-n-puff CO2 injection for the EOR purpose after fracturing. If the injection time or injection volume during one cycle of huff-n-puff injection is like that for a typical fracturing process, the EOR potential from such one cycle huff-n-puff injection is very limited. Therefore, it can be derived that the EOR potential from energized fracturing fluids is limited.
AB - Energized fluid fracturing utilizes the high compressibility of fluids and their compatibility with the formation. After the fracturing, the energy stored in these fluids helps to facilitate flow back and to drive oil and gas out. Some papers and patents propose the ideas but with few field tests. Some papers predict the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) potential assuming a fracture network is enhanced from CO2 fracturing. No quantitative analysis has been performed to analyze the EOR potential from an energy perspective in the literature. In this paper, a field test of CO2 fracturing was analyzed to discuss the EOR potential. The test data are used to calibrate a simulation model to quantitatively analyze the potential to improve or enhance oil recovery. The EOR potential of energized fracturing fluids is discussed. It is observed that the volume from the CO2 injection for fracturing is very limited so that the potential to enhance oil recovery is not significant. Such CO2 fracturing process is analog to one cycle of huff-n-puff CO2 injection for the EOR purpose after fracturing. If the injection time or injection volume during one cycle of huff-n-puff injection is like that for a typical fracturing process, the EOR potential from such one cycle huff-n-puff injection is very limited. Therefore, it can be derived that the EOR potential from energized fracturing fluids is limited.
KW - Energized fracturing fluids
KW - Enhanced oil recovery
KW - Huff-n-puff
KW - Non-aqueous fracturing
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85114136001&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.fuel.2021.121856
DO - 10.1016/j.fuel.2021.121856
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85114136001
SN - 0016-2361
VL - 307
JO - Fuel
JF - Fuel
M1 - 121856
ER -