On Hydraulic Fracturing of Tight Gas Reservoir Rock

Date
2016
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Abstract
Production of shale and tight gas resources is increasing which is helping to counterbalance the conventional gas resource production decline. In 2014, shale and tight gas were 4% and 47% of total Canadian natural gas production, respectively. By 2035, the National Energy Board forecasts shale and tight gas production together will represent 90% of Canada’s natural gas productions. In Canada, shale and tight gas production activities are located mainly in Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB). The tight gas Glauconitic Formation in the Hoadley Field in Alberta, Canada requires hydraulic fracturing of horizontal well completions because of its low permeability of 0.07 mD. Fracture network drainage volume and enhanced permeability created by the hydraulic fracture and the natural fracture interaction are the major enabler of commercial production. The research documented in this thesis investigates the characteristics of the fracture network or stimulated rock volume (SRV) caused by hydraulic fracturing. Specifically, the dimensions of SRV, permeability, pore pressure, and in-situ stresses are examined during hydraulic fracturing and production. Even though this topic has been examined since the early 2000s, the results provide new techniques to determine SRV properties. Three different approaches were investigated. The first handles the impact of SRV dimensions and Young’s modulus on the SRV effective permeability during hydraulic fracturing by using three-dimensional finite element analysis including an investigation of fracture aperture and spacing within the SRV using a new semi-analytical approach. The second investigates the impact of rock mechanical properties and injected volume during hydraulic fracturing on SRV dimensions using a new analytical model. The third explores a new nonlinear partial differential equation together with rate transient analysis to evaluate how the SRV evolves versus distance and time with a history match of the gas flow rate profile. The results demonstrate that the dimensions and characteristics of the hydraulic fracture network can be estimated for the Hoadley Field.
Description
Keywords
Engineering--Petroleum
Citation
Maulianda, B. (2016). On Hydraulic Fracturing of Tight Gas Reservoir Rock (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27177