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Acidfracturing

Designinganacidfracturingtreatmentissimilartodesigningafracturingtreatmentwithaproppingagent(/Propping_agents_and_fracture_conductivity).Williams,etal.[1]presents
athoroughexplanationofthefundamentalsconcerningacidfracturing.

Contents
1Overview
2Acidfracturingcandidateselection
3Acidfluidsusedinfracturing
4Acidfracturedesignconsiderations
5References
6NoteworthypapersinOnePetro
7Externallinks
8Seealso

Overview
Themaindifferencebetweenacidfracturingandproppantfracturingisthewayfractureconductivity
(/Propping_agents_and_fracture_conductivity#Factors_affecting_fracture_conductivity)iscreated.Inproppantfracturing,aproppingagentisusedtopropopenthefractureafterthe
treatmentiscompleted.Inacidfracturing,acidisusedtoetchchannelsintherockthatcomprisethewallsofthefracture.Thus,therockhastobepartiallysolubleinacidsothat
channelscanbeetchedinthefracturewalls.Assuch,theapplicationofacidfracturingisconfinedtocarbonatereservoirsandshouldneverbeusedtostimulatesandstone,shale,or
coalseamreservoirs.Longetchedfracturesaredifficulttoobtain,becauseofhighleakoffandrapidacidreactionwiththeformation.

Acidfracturingcandidateselection
Ingeneral,acidfracturingisbestappliedinshallow,lowtemperaturecarbonatereservoirs.Thebestcandidatesareshallow,inwhichthereservoirtemperatureislessthan200Fand
themaximumeffectivestressonthefracturewillbelessthan5,000psi.Lowtemperaturereducesthereactionratebetweentheacidandtheformation,whichallowstheacidto
penetratedeeperintothefracturebeforebecomingspent.Becauselimestonereservoirsareductile,aloweffectivestressonthefractureisrequiredtomaintainadequatefracture
conductivityoverthelifeofthewell.Indeeplimestonereservoirs,inwhichproblemsexistwithhighbottomholetemperatureandhigheffectivestressonthefracture,waterbased
fluidswithproppingagentscanbeusedsuccessfullytostimulatetheformation.[2]Indeepdolomitereservoirsthatarelessductilethanlimestones,acidfracturingmaywork
satisfactorilyhowever,proppantfracturingwithwaterbasedfluidsmayworkalso.
Acidfracturefluidswithproppingagentsarenotrecommended.Whentheacidreactswiththecarbonateformation,finesarealwaysreleased.Ifaproppingagentisusedwithacid,
thefinespluguptheproppingagent,resultinginverylowfractureconductivity.Whendecidingtostimulatemanycarbonatereservoirs,thecostsandbenefitsofanacidfracture
treatmentshouldbecomparedwithatreatmentthatuseswaterbasedfluidscarryingaproppingagent.Itshouldnotbeassumedthatacidfracturingworksbest,becausetheformation
isacarbonate.
Therecouldbeafewapplicationsinwhichacidfracturingcouldbethepreferredtreatmentinadeep,hightemperaturecarbonatereservoir.Forexample,ifahighpermeability
carbonatereservoirisdamagedasaresultofdrillingoperationsornonDarcyfloweffects,thenastimulationtreatmentcanbeappliedtoimprovetheproductivityindex.Insuch
cases,injectingacidatfracturingratescanimprovethepermeabilitynearthewellbore,whichwillreducethepressuredropcausedbyskinand/ornonDarcyflow.[3]
Inothercases,especiallyindeepdolomitesthatcontainanabundanceofnaturalfractures,acidfracturingmayworkbetterthanproppantfracturing.Insuchreservoirs,itiscommon
thatmultiplefracturesareopenedwhenpumpingbegins.Withmultiplefractures,nosinglefractureevergainsenoughwidthtoacceptlargeconcentrationsofproppingagent.Near
wellborescreenoutsoftenoccurastheproppantconcentrationisincreasedtomorethan2to3ppg.Insuchcases,acidfracturingmayworkbetterthanproppantfracturing.
Otherconsiderationswhenselectingacidfracturingcandidatesarecostandsafety.Indeep,hotreservoirs,thecostofanacidfracturingtreatmentcanexceedthecostsofaproppant
fracturetreatment.Inhotreservoirs,expensivechemicalsarerequiredtoinhibittheacidreactionratewiththesteeltubulargoodsandtoretardthereactionratewiththeformation.
Acidmustbehandledwithextremecareinthefield.Whenpumpinglargevolumesofhighstrengthacidathighinjectionratesandathighpressures,safetyshouldbethetopconcern
ofeveryoneinthefield.

Acidfluidsusedinfracturing
Themostcommonlyusedfluidinacidfracturingis15%hydrochloricacid(HCl).Toobtainmoreacidpenetrationandmoreetching,28%HClissometimesusedastheprimaryacid
fluid.Onoccasion,formicacid(HCOOH)oraceticacid(CH3COOH)isusedbecausetheseacidsareeasiertoinhibitunderhightemperatureconditions.However,aceticandformic
acidcostmorethanHCl.Hydrofluoricacid(HF)shouldneverbeusedduringanacidfracturingtreatmentinacarbonatereservoir.
Typically,agelledwaterorcrosslinkedgelfluidisusedasthepadfluidtofillthewellboreandbreakdowntheformation.Thewaterbasedpadisthenpumpedtocreatethedesired
fractureheight,width,andlengthforthehydraulicfracture.Oncethedesiredvaluesofcreatedfracturedimensionsareachieved,theacidispumpedandfingersdownthefractureto
etchthewallsofthefracturetocreatefractureconductivity.Theacidisnormallygelled,crosslinked,oremulsifiedtomaintainfracturewidthandminimizefluidleakoff.Becausethe
acidisreactivewiththeformation,fluidlossisaprimaryconsiderationinthefluiddesign.Largeamountsoffluidlossadditivesaregenerallyaddedtotheacidfluidtominimize
fluidleakoff.Fluidlosscontrolismostimportantinhighpermeabilityand/ornaturallyfracturedcarbonateformationsthus,longetchedfracturesaredifficulttoobtain.

Acidfracturedesignconsiderations
InadditiontoRef.1,twopapers[4][5]providethetechnologycommonlyusedtodaytodesignacidfracturetreatments.Thereareseveraluniqueconsiderationstobeunderstoodwhen
designingacidfracturetreatments.Ofprimaryconcernisacidpenetrationdistancedownthefracture.Thepadfluidisusedtocreatethedesiredfracturedimensions.Thentheacidis
pumpeddownthefracturetoetchthefracturewalls,whichcreatesfractureconductivity.Whentheacidcontactsthewallsofthefracture,thereactionbetweentheacidandthe
carbonateisalmostinstantaneous,especiallyifthetemperatureoftheacidis200Forgreater.Assuch,thetreatmentmustbedesignedtocreateawidefracture,withminimal
leakoff,withviscousfluids.Fig.1[1]illustrateswhythedesignengineershouldbestrivingtocreateawidefracture.Ifawidefractureiscreatedwithaviscousacidandminimalfluid
loss,thenaboundarylayerofspentacidproductswillreducetherateatwhichtheliveacidcontactstheformationatthewallsofthefracture.However,astheflowinthefracture
becomesmoreturbulentandlesslaminar,theliveacidwillcontactthewallsofthefracturemoreeasily,andtheacidwillnotpenetrateveryfarintothefracturebeforebecoming
spent.

(/File%3AVol4prt_Page_350_Image_0001.png)
Fig.1Acidflowbehaviorinthefracture.[1]

Factorssuchasfracturewidth,injectionrate,acidviscosity,andreservoirtemperatureallaffectacidpenetration.Figs.2and3[1]illustratehowfracturewidthandformation
temperatureaffectacidpenetrationinthefracture,respectively.InFig.2,asthefracturewidthincreases,thedistancethatunspentacidwillreachinthefracturealsoincreases.The
distanceincreasesbecause,inawidefracture,thereislessturbulence.Thisresultsinlessmixingastheliveacidmovesdownthefracturetherefore,theviscousandleakoff
propertiesofthefracturefluid(/Fracturing_fluids_and_additives)shouldbecontrolledtomaximizefracturewidth.Fig3containsinformationconcerningtheeffectsof:
Reservoirtemperature
Acidstrength
Formationlithology
Itisclearthattheuseofhigherstrengthacidincreasesthepenetrationdistanceinthefracturebeforetheacidspending.Also,astemperatureincreases,theacidpenetrationdistance
decreases.Asthetemperatureincreases,thereactionratesbetweentheacidandtheformationincreasesubstantially.Infact,thereactionratedoubleseverytimethetemperature
increases18F.[1]Fig.3alsoshowsthatdolomiteislessreactivewithHClthanlimestonetherefore,acidfracturingmayworkslightlybetterinreservoirsthataremorehighly
dolomitized.

(/File%3AVol4prt_Page_351_Image_0001.png)

(/File%3AVol4prt_Page_352_Image_0001.png)

Fig.2Effectoffracturewidthonacid

Fig.3Effectoftemperature,lithology,andacid

penetrationdistance.[1]

concentrationonacidpenetrationdistance.[1]

Theproblemwithacidfracturingthatpreventsitssuccessfulapplicationinmanyreservoirsinvolvessustainingfractureconductivityovertime.Whentheacidetchesthefracture
walls,theresultingfractureconductivitycanbeseveralordersofmagnitudemoreconductivethansimilartreatmentsthatusewaterbasedfluidsandproppingagents.Fig.4presents
dataconcerningfractureconductivityasafunctionofeffectivestressonthefractureandrockembedmentstrength.[1]Theembedmentstrengthiseasilymeasuredandcanbe
correlatedwiththecompressivestrengthoftherock.Asthecompressivestrengthincreases,therockembedmentstrengthincreases.ThedatainFig.4showthat,whenthe
embedmentstrengthislessthan100,000psi,largefractureconductivities,ontheorderof10to50,000mdft,canbecreatedduringanacidfracturetreatment,aslongastheeffective
stressonthefractureis1,000psiorless.However,oncetheeffectivestressonthefractureexceeds5,000psi,thefractureconductivitydecreasessubstantially.Assuch,indeep
limestonereservoirsinwhichthemaximumeffectivestressonthefractureismuchgreaterthan5,000psi,anacidfracturewillnotstayopenasthewellisproduced.Insuchcases,
waterbasedfluidscarryingproppingagentsshouldbeconsideredasanalternativetoacidfracturing.

(/File%3AVol4prt_Page_353_Image_0001.png)
Fig.4Fractureconductivityinacarbonate
reservoirasafunctionofeffectivestressonthe
fractureandembedmentstrength.[1]

References

1. 1.01.11.21.31.41.51.61.71.8Williams,B.B.,Gidley,J.L.,andSchechter,R.S.1979.AcidizingFundamentals,55.NewYork:SPE/AIME.
2. Kozik,H.G.andHolditch,S.A.1981.ACaseHistoryforMassiveHydraulicFracturingtheCottonValleyLimeMatrix,FallonandPersonvilleFields.SPEJournalof
PetroleumTechnology33(2):229244.00007911.http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/7911PA(http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/7911PA).
3. Pathak,P.,Fidra,Y.,Avida,H.etal.2004.TheArunGasFieldinIndonesia:ResourceManagementofaMatureField.PresentedattheSPEAsiaPacificConferenceon
IntegratedModellingforAssetManagement,KualaLumpur,Malaysia,2930March.SPE87042MS.http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/87042MS(http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/87042
MS).
4. Roodhart,L.P.,Kamphuis,H.,andDavies,D.R.1993.ImprovedAcidFracturingTreatmentDesignsBasedonInSituTemperatureCalculations.PresentedattheSPEGas
TechnologySymposium,Calgary,Alberta,Canada,2830June.SPE26185MS.http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/26185MS(http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/26185MS).
5. Settari,A.1993.ModelingofAcidFracturingTreatments.SPEProd&Fac8(1):3038.SPE21870PA.http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/21870PA
(http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/21870PA).

NoteworthypapersinOnePetro
Externallinks
RecentAdvancesInHydraulicFracturing(http://store.spe.org/RecentAdvancesInHydraulicFracturingP66.aspx)

Seealso
Fracturetreatmentdesign(/Fracture_treatment_design)
Fracturemechanics(/Fracture_mechanics)
Hydraulicfracturing(/Hydraulic_fracturing)
Matrixacidizing(/Matrix_acidizing)
PEH:HydraulicFracturing(/PEH%3AHydraulic_Fracturing)
Category(/Special%3ACategories): 3.2.4Acidizing(/Category%3A3.2.4_Acidizing)

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