Acid Design Fundamentals -

Fracturing

Section 9

Printed: 3/25/2006

EDC, Tomball, TX

Acid Design Fundamentals -

Fracturing
O General Fracture Theory
O Acid Fracturing
O Placement Techniques

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EDC, Tomball, TX

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 General Fracture Theory
O Define hydraulic fracturing
³ Hydraulic Fracturing is the application of
pressure (through a fluid column to a
formation face) which is greater than the least
principle stress acting upon the formation in
order to crack open (fracture) the formation
rock.
O Fracture orientation
O Fracture terms

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EDC, Tomball, TX

Fracture Orientation
Horizontal Fracture
O Possible
Horizontal
Frac where
Vertical
Stress is
Less Than
Lateral
Stress

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 Fracture Orientation
Vertical Fracture
O Vertical
Frac
Perpendicular
to Least
Stress

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EDC, Tomball, TX

Fracture Terms

O Fracture “wings”
O Fracture length
³ half length
O Fracture width
³ at well bore
³ average
O Dynamic vs static
³ while pumping
³ EOJ
³ at closure
³ EOR
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 Acid Fracturing
O Introduction
O Design Considerations
O Pumping Procedures

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EDC, Tomball, TX

Introduction
O Acid fracturing is injection of acid at a
pressure high enough to cause the
formation to fracture or to open existing
fractures.
O Differential etching will provide highly
conductive flow channels to provide
stimulation.

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 Introduction (cont.)
O Acid Penetration is based on:
³ Velocity of the acid
³ Reaction rate with the formation
³ Contact area between fractures and acid
³ Leakoff rate of the acid

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EDC, Tomball, TX

Introduction (cont.)
Created
Frac Length
Etched
Length

Spent Pre-
Acid Flush

Wellbore

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 Design Considerations
O Fracture geometry
³ Fracture half-length
Ë Injection rate
Ë Leak-off rate
Ë Fracture height and width
Ë Volume pumped ($)
³ Fracture width
Ë Formation hardness (Young's modulus)
Ë Fluid viscosity
³ Fracture azimuth
Ë Perpendicular to minimum compressive principal in-
situ stress

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EDC, Tomball, TX

Design Considerations (cont.)

O Reservoir Characteristics
³ Rock Solubility
Ë Greater than 70%
Ë Limestones, dolomites, chalks
Ë No insoluble reaction by-products
³ In-situ Stresses
³ Well Spacing - Acres
Ë absolute limit for length
³ Formation height)
³ Reservoir permeability
³ Damage radius
³ Adjacent water zones
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 Design Considerations (cont.)
O Economics
O Treatment Fluid Characteristics
³ Fluid Efficiency
Ë Minimizing Fluid Loss will increase the Fluid
Efficiency and hence the Fracture Volume
³ Viscosity
Ë Affects Friction Loss, Fracture Area and Fracture
Width
Ë Affects acid reaction rate
Ë Affects fines removal

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EDC, Tomball, TX

Design Considerations (cont.)

O Treatment parameters
³ Wellbore Design (particularly perforations)
³ Fracture fluid characteristics
³ Pump Rates
³ Fluid volumes
³ Fluid viscosity
These are factors we can control

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 Well Spacing

<==1320 feet==>
<==1320 feet==>
660
feet
40 ACRES

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EDC, Tomball, TX

Formation Permeability

McGuire & Sikora

type representation
of Permeability
Contrast vs
PI Contrast (J/JO)

Productivity Index
High Perm. Low Perm.
Increases in J/JO in
low perm reservoirs
from increasing
fracture length.

Increases in J/JO in
high perm reservoirs
from increasing
fracture width. Permeability Contrast (wkf/k)
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 Fracture Fluid Efficiency

O Fluid Efficiency
Efficiency = Volume pumped - leak off volume
Volume pumped
= Fracture volume
Volume pumped Invaded zone
(leak-off fluid)

Fracture
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EDC, Tomball, TX

Fracture Fluid Efficiency

(cont.)

O Fluid Efficiency
³ Low Fluid Loss (High efficiency)

³ High Fluid Loss (Low efficiency) Invaded zone

(leak-off fluid)

Same fracturing fluid Small fracture, possible sand

volume for both treatments bridge (screen-out) Slide 18

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 Desired Acid Fracture
Characteristics
O Maximum Permeability and Conductivity
O Maximum Fracture Penetration
O Optimum Etching Pattern

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EDC, Tomball, TX

Pumping Procedures
O Viscous fingering
³ Pad-Acid
O Viscous acid fracturing

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 Viscous Fingering
Stage Volume (gal/ft)
1. Acid 100 – 150
2. Gelled Water 100 – 300
3. Acid with ball sealers 100 – 500
4. Gelled Water 100 – 300
5. Repeat 3 & 4 as required
6. Acid 100 – 150
7. Overflush
8. Flush

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EDC, Tomball, TX

Viscous Acid Fracturing

O Preflush
O Viscous Acid Stage
O Overflush
O Flush

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 Placement Techniques
O Objectives:
³ To minimize losses of fluids to the producing
formation
³ To obtain even distribution of the fluid over
the entire interval to be treated

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EDC, Tomball, TX

Placement Techniques (cont.)

O Problems
³ Multiple permeabilities
Ë Fluids follow the path of least resistance
³ Low permeabilities
Ë Require higher injection pressures
³ Removal of diverting agents
Ë Clean up fluid is lost to higher permeability
³ Dissolution of fluid loss agents
Ë Fluid flow required
³ Damage to permeability
³ Temperature factor
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 Placement Techniques (cont.)
O Solutions
³ Diverting
Ë Create a barrier at the point of entry or within the
matrix
Ë Results in an artificial pressure barrier at the point
of fluid entry
³ Fluid loss agents
Ë Ensure solubility in produced fluids
Ë Careful selection of fluid loss agent

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EDC, Tomball, TX

Placement Techniques (cont.)

O Solids
³ Oil soluble resins (FLC-11)
³ Benzoic acid flakes (Divert III)
³ Precipitates
Ë Ammonium Benzoate (FLC-18)
Ë Resin (SAF-MK II)
³ Graded Salts
³ Graded Calcium Carbonate

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 Placement Techniques (cont.)
O Foam
³ Nitrogen
³ Carbon Dioxide
³ Binary (CO2/N2)

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EDC, Tomball, TX

Diversion Methods
O Mechanical O Pump Rate
³ Isolation ³ Limited Entry
O Solids O Viscosity
³ Bridging Agents ³ Polymers
³ Foam

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 Diverting Materials
O Ball Sealers O Polymer Pills
O Bio Ball Sealers O Wax Beads
O Rock Salt O Resin Beads
O Benzoic Acid O Foam Diversion
Flakes O Divert X
O Oil Soluble Resins (Gilsonite®)
O Napthalene Flakes

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EDC, Tomball, TX

Diverting Material Usage

Usage
Diverter Frac Solvent
Matrix
Perforations Open Hole
Water, Dilute
Rock Salt N/A ½ - 1½ ppp 3 – 5 ppsf
HCl
Toluene,
Benzoic Xylene,
N/A 1 ppp 3 – 5 ppsf Hydro-
Acid
carbons,
Water/Alcohol
Naphthalene N/A ¼ - ½ ppp 2.5 ppsf T, X, H

ppp = pounds per perforation, ppsf = pounds per square foot

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 Diverting Material Usage
(cont.)
Usage
Diverter Frac Solvent
Matrix
Perforations Open Hole
Oil Soluble
5 – 20 gpt 5 – 20 gpt1 5 – 20 gpt1 T, X, H
Resin
Wax Beads ¼ - ½ ppp2 ¼ - ½ ppp 1 – 2 ppsf T, X, H
Resin Beads N/A ¼ - ½ ppp 1 – 3 ppsf T, X, H
Polymer 10 – 50 ppt 10 – 50 ppt3 10 – 50 ppt3 15% HCl
ppp = pounds per perforation, ppsf = pounds per square foot
gpt = gallons per thousand gallons
1 For fluid loss control, will not divert in natural fractures

2 Cannot be carried by fluid at rates below 0.5 bpm, it will float

3 For fluid loss control, crosslinked polymer pills may be used to divert in fractures.

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Example Calculation
O 10 BPM pump rate
O Need to run 5 lbs/1000 gal, Divert X
O Need to run 20 “ball sealers” /1000 gal
O What is the lbs/min. for Divert X ?
O What is the balls/min. for your “ball gun” ?

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 Section Summary
O Acid Design Fundamentals - Fracturing
³ General Fracture Theory
³ Acid Fracturing
³ Placement Techniques

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EDC, Tomball, TX

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