Search

The technique of refracturing is an effective method to solve the rapid decline in oil well production caused by factors such as severe reservoir energy loss and fracture failure after the initial hydraulic fracturing of low-permeability reservoirs. The key to designing refracturing lies in establishing a model for evaluating the potential fracturing layers. Based on the geological characteristics of the low-permeability conglomerate reservoir in the Lower Wuerhe area of the Eig District of the Xinjiang Oilfield, this paper studies the influence of different development approaches on the distribution pattern of remaining oil in the reservoir. A coupled model of remaining oil distribution and the in situ stress field is established and discusses the characteristics of the four-dimensional in situ stress field under different development modes. This paper analyzes the influence of geological factors and well network factors on the distribution of residual oil, and analyzes the influence of various factors, such as reservoir properties and injection and extraction parameters, on ground stress. Based on the residual oil distribution and ground stress changes, an evaluation method for screening potential fractured layers in reservoirs with different development modes (water injection development and depletion development) is developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional stress sensitivity experiments are typically conducted under dry conditions, without considering the reservoir's water content. In reality, the presence of water within pores significantly influences the extent of stress sensitivity damage in tight sandstone oil formations, subsequently affecting the determination of stress sensitivity coefficients during experimentation. By investigating sandstone samples from wells in the Mahu Block of China's Xinjiang province, we observed that increasing water saturation reduces the stress sensitivity of tight sandstone. By conducting stress sensitivity experiments under varying water content conditions, we found that the stress sensitivity coefficient is not a constant value but decreases as water saturation increases. Based on experimental comparisons, an optimized power-law model for stress-sensitive damage assessment was refined. By conducting stress-sensitive damage assessment experiments under different water content conditions and integrating the concept of comprehensive compression coefficient, an improved stress-sensitive power-law model was established allowing for the influence of water content. The accuracy of this improved model was increased by 46.98% compared to the original power-law model through experimental validation. The research outcomes can enhance the accuracy of permeability and productivity evaluation, providing valuable guidance for unconventional oil and gas development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multistage fracturing in horizontal well has become one of the important techniques for the efficient development of low-permeability sandstone reservoirs. In multistage hydraulic fractured horizontal wells (MHFHWs), the depth of fracturing fluid invasion into the formation is a key parameter evaluating the imbibition enhancement after fracturing. However, few studies have been conducted on the invasion depth of fracturing fluids combining experiments and mathematical models under high-pressure differences in MHFHWs. Therefore, in this work, a mathematical model with experimental validation is proposed for evaluating the fracturing fluids invasion under high pressure. We first conducted a series of displacement experiments under different pressure differences to obtain the breakthrough time and invasion velocity. All core samples are taken from the block X of Xinjiang oilfield. A mathematical model of fracturing fluid injection was then established, considering the two-dimensional filtration of fracturing fluid. Then, the calculated invasion velocity was validated against the experimental data. Afterward, the invasion depth and invasion volume were determined for this typical horizontal well. Results show that at the end of 72 min, the invasion depth reaches 1.516 m when measured by core experiments and 1.434 m when calculated by the proposed model. The total invasion volume of all fracturing stages is estimated as 21,560.05 m3 and the actual total fluid volume injected is 24,019.6 m3. The paper formed a scientific and reasonable evaluation method of fracturing fluid invasion depth during the fracturing of horizontal wells, which provides solid theoretical support for the effective evaluation of fracturing to improve oil recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are large, heavy oil reserves in Block X of the Xinjiang oilfields, China. Due to its large burial depth (1300 m) and low permeability (26.0 mD), the traditional steam-injection technology cannot be used to obtain effective development benefits. This paper conducts experimental and simulation research on the feasibility and mechanism of CO 2 -energized fracturing of horizontal wells and N 2 foam huff-n-puff in deep heavy oil reservoirs with low permeability in order to further explore the appropriate production technology. The foaming volume of the foaming agent at different concentrations and the oil displacement effect of N 2 foam at different gas/liquid ratios were compared by the experiments. The results show that a high concentration of foaming agent mixed with crude oil is more conducive to increasing the foaming volume and extending the half-life, and the best foaming agent concentration is 3.0∼4.0%. The 2D micro-scale visualization experiment results show that N 2 foam has a good selective blocking effect, which increases the sweep area. The number of bubbles per unit area increases as the gas/liquid ratio increases, with 3.0∼5.0 being the optimal gas/liquid ratio. Numerical simulation results show that, when CO 2 -energized fracturing technology takes into account the advantages of fracturing and crude oil viscosity reduction by CO 2 dissolution, the phased oil recovery factor in the primary production period can reach approximately 13.7%. A solvent pre-slug with N 2 foam huff-n-puff technology is applied to improve oil recovery factor following primary production for 5∼6 years, and the final oil recovery factor can reach approximately 35.0%. The methodology formulated in this study is particularly significant for the effective development of this oil reservoir with deeply buried depth and low permeability, and would also guide the recovery of similar oil deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of waterflooding development of heavy oil, W/O emulsion has a strong ability to improve the mobility ratio and block the high-permeability layer, which can effectively improve the sweep coefficient and enhance oil recovery. In this paper, the stability and droplet size distribution of emulsions under different conditions were studied by taking heavy oil and formation water from Jimusar Oilfield in Xinjiang as samples. On this basis, double-pipe core flooding experiments were carried out to study the shut-off ability and oil displacement efficiency of W/O emulsion, and then a numerical simulation was carried out. The results show that oil and water can be completely emulsified when the stirring speed is higher than 4000 r/min. A stable emulsion can be formed when the experimental temperature is lower than 60 °C. A lower water cut results in a more stable emulsion. The emulsion is difficult to stabilize after the salinity exceeds 10,000 mg/L. When the pH value is about 7, the stability of the emulsion is the worst. With the increase in stirring speed, the increase in temperature, and the decrease in water content and salinity, the emulsion droplet size range is relatively concentrated, and the average particle size is smaller. In heterogeneous reservoirs, the permeability of different percolation channels is quite different, such that the displacement fluid only percolates along the high-permeability channel and cannot drive oil effectively. The results of displacement experiments show that the emulsion with a water cut of 60% has high viscosity and obvious sweep ability, but its stability is very poor; the effect is opposite when the water cut is less than 40%. The shut-off ability of W/O emulsion disappears gradually when the permeability contrast is more than 5.92. The research results are of great significance for improving oil recovery in heterogeneous heavy oil reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fracture-driven interactions (FDIs) in unconventional reservoirs significantly affect well production and have thus garnered extensive attention from the scientific community. Furthermore, since the industry transitioned to using large completion designs with closer well spacing and infill drilling, FDIs have occurred more frequently and featured more prominently, which has primarily led to destructive interference. When infill wells (i.e., "child" wells) are fractured, older, adjacent producing wells (i.e., "parent" wells) are put directly at risk of premature changes in production behavior. Some wells may never fully recover following exposure to severe FDIs and, in the worst case scenario, will permanently stop producing. To date, previous investigations into FDIs have focused mainly on diagnosis and detection. As such, their formation mechanism is not well understood. To address this deficiency, a three-dimensional, multi-fracture propagation simulator was constructed based on the unconventional fracture model (UFM) and applied to a system that included both an older, adjacent passive well ("parent" well) and an active well ("child" well). Herein, the theoretical framework for overall complex fracture modeling is described. Furthermore, numerical simulation results are presented, demonstrating the critical roles of in-situ stress distribution and pre-existing natural fractures and aiding in the development of appropriate strategies for managing FDIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]