Hydraulic Fracturing of CBM

Definition
Fracture Pressure:
The fracture pressure for a coal is the pressure
required to create a fracture. It equals the fracture
gradient multiplied by the depth of the coal.
Fracture closure pressure is the pressure at which
the stresses in the coal cause the induced fracture
to close onto the proppant. The fracture closure
pressure is less than the fracture pressure.
A hydraulic fracture will propagate perpendicular to the
minimum principal stress. For a vertical fracture, the
minimum horizontal stress can be estimated with

where
σmin = the minimum horizontal stress,
ν = Poisson’s ratio,
σ1 = overburden stress,
α = Biot’s poroelastic constant,
pp = reservoir fluid pressure or pore pressure,
and
σext = tectonic stress.
Stress orientation and fracture
 Fracture Formation Pressure
Definition and Mechanism

Fracture pressure is the pressure in the wellbore at which a formation will crack

The stress within a rock can be resolved into three principal stresses. A formation will
fracture when the pressure in the borehole exceeds the least of the stresses within the
rock structure. Normally, these fractures will propagate in a direction perpendicular to
the least principal stress.
 Fracture Formation Pressure
Definition and Mechanism

At sufficient depths (usually below 1000 m or 3000 ft) the minimum principal stress is
horizontal; therefore, the fracture faces will be vertical. For shallow formations, where
the minimum principal stress is vertical, horizontal (pancake) fractures will be created.
 Low permeability of coal Why??

Although hydraulic fracturing had been highly developed for conventional gas
reservoirs of low permeability sands, adjustments to the process are necessary for
coal because of the following phenomena:
• Surface of the coal adsorb the chemicals of frac-fluid
• Coal has extensive natural network of primary, secondary and tertiary fractures that
open to accept fluid during fracturing but close upon the fluids afterwards,
introducing damage, fluid loss, fines and treating pressure higher than expected
• Frac fluid can leak into deep natural network without forming filter cake
• Multiple, complex frac developed during treatment
• High pressure often required to create fractures
• Young’s modulus for coal is much low than that of conventional rock
• Horizontal fracture occur in very shallow coals
• Fines and rubbles result from fracturing of brittle coal
• Coal seams to be fractured may be multiple and thin, perhaps only 1 to 2 ft
thick, requiring a strict economical approach to the operators
Fracture developed in coal
 Hydraulic fracturing

• Job stages:

– Pad fluid (viscous fluid to initiate fracture)

– Sand Slurry (viscous fluid with sand / Proppant to prop

the created fracture)

– Flush (to clear the tubing from sand slurry)

10
 Hydraulic fracturing process
• • Performing a Minifracture Test
• • Planning a Fracture Treatment Design
• • Preparing for a Fracture Treatment
• • Performing a Fracture Treatment
• • Evaluating a Fracture Treatment
 Pumps Blender Hydraulic
fracturing
Pad fluid • Creation of highly conductive path
in the reservoir
Sand slurry Well • Fracture connects far reservoir
with wellbore
Displacing fluid • Allows untapped hydrocarbon to
flow into the well
50-1000ft
Propped Frac
Shale
Reservoir
Shale

14
 Performing a Minifracture Test
The minifracture test can improve the design
and implementation of a hydraulic fracturing
treatment helps to:
• Estimate fracture gradient
• Estimate fluid leakoff
• Estimate fracture closure pressure
• Recognize high fracture pressures
 Fracture Formation Pressure
The Leak-off Test – Limit Test - Formation Breakdown Test

The procedure used to conduct these tests is basically the same in all cases. The test is
conducted immediately after a casing has been set and cemented. The only difference
between the tests is the point at which the test is stopped. The procedure is as follows:

1. Run and cement the casing string

2. Run in the drillstring and drillbit for the next hole section and drill out of the casing shoe

3. Drill 5 - 10 ft of new formation below the casing shoe

4. Pull the drillbit back into the casing shoe (to avoid the possibility of becoming stuck in
the openhole)
 Fracture Formation Pressure
The Leak-off Test – Limit Test - Formation Breakdown Test

5. Close the BOPs (generally the pipe ram) at surface

6. Apply pressure to the well by pumping a small amount of mud (generally 1/2 bbl) into
the well at surface. Stop pumping and record the pressure in the well. Pump a second,
equal amount of mud into the well and record the pressure at surface. Continue this
operation, stopping after each increment in volume and recording the corresponding
pressure at surface. Plot the volume of mud pumped and the corresponding pressure at
each increment in volume.
 Fracture Formation Pressure
The Leak-off Test – Limit Test - Formation Breakdown Test

7. When the test is complete, bleed off the pressure at surface, open the BOP rams and
drill ahead

It is assumed in these tests that the weakest part of the wellbore is the formations which
are exposed just below the casing shoe. It can be seen in the next slide that when these
tests are conducted, the pressure at surface, and throughout the wellbore, initially
increases linearly with respect to pressure. At some pressure the exposed formations start
to fracture and the pressure no longer increases linearly for each increment in the volume
of mud pumped into the well. If the test is conducted until the formations fracture
completely, the pressure at surface will often drop dramatically.
 Rock properties
• Mechanical properties- Young’s modulus Ex=(σx/Єx)
…..Ex- Young’s modulus, σx-stress in x-direction
• Elastic properties-which determines the effect of
imposed or in-situ stresses on existing natural fracture
• The width of the frac near the wellbore is
proportional to the fourth order of the elastic modulus
(E). Soft, elastic coal with low ‘E’ should create long
frac compared to that of a hard rock surrounding coal.
Determining fracture gradient
The fracture gradient of a coal seam or other
formation can be determined from
minifracturing test and Instantaneous shut in
pressure (ISIP) is determined.

Closure analysis
 Calculation of bottom hole treating pressure
After obtaining an ISIP, you can easily calculate the fracture gradient for the formation using the equation below:

Fracture Gradient = (ISIP + Ph)/Dc , psi/ft

where:
ISIP = Instantaneous shut in pressure, psi
Ph = Hydrostatic pressure of fracturing fluid in the wellbore, psi
Dc = Depth of the coal, ft

After you have determined the fracture gradient, you can estimate the bottomhole treating pressure and the surface treating
pressure using the equations below:

BHTP = FG x Dc, psi

SIP = BHTP - Ph +( Pp + Pt) , psi

where:
BHTP = Bottomhole treating pressure, psi
FG = Fracture gradient, psi/ft
Planning a Fracture Treatment Design
Dc = Depth of the coal, ft
SIP = Surface injection pressure, psi
Ph = Hydrostatic pressure of fracturing fluid in the tubing, psi
Pp = Pressure drop across the perforations
Pt = Pressure drop in the tubular, psi
Table shows three types of minifracture tests and the data you can
obtain from them.

Type of Minifracture Tests Data Obtained

Step Rate Test Fracture Pressure*

Pump-In/Flowback or Pump-In/Shut-In Test Fracture closer Pressure**

Minifrac pressure Decline Test Fluid Loss Efficiency

Pump-In/Shut-In Test Fluid Loss Coefficient,

(Longer Duration) (Longer Duration) Fracture Width,
Length, Closure Time
 PROPERTIES OF HF FLUIDS
compatible with the formation and formation fluids.
capable of suspending proppant and transporting them deep
into the fracture.
capable, through its inherent viscosity, to develop the
necessary fracture width to accept proppant.
an efficient fluid (i.e. have low fluid loss).
easy to remove from the formation i.e. clean
low friction pressure-easy to pump
Preparation of the fluid should be simple and easy to perform
in the field.
It should be stable so that it will retain its viscosity
throughout the treatment.
The fracturing fluid should be cost-effective.
WSEOR-Xian,China-Presented by Dr. K
26-04-2012 23
Ojha-ISM,Dhanbad,India
 Types of HF fluids

Water Based Gel: Linear Gel Fluid, Cross linked Gel Fluid


Foam Based or energized fluid: N2, CO2.


Oil Based Fluid: Gelled Oil, Cross Linked oil, Oil in Water
emulsion


Acid Based Gel: Gelled acid, Cross Linked Acid, Foamed
Acid

WSEOR-Xian,China-Presented by Dr. K
26-04-2012 24
Ojha-ISM,Dhanbad,India
 Why Unconventional Fluids

• Tight Gas Reservoir

• – Unconventional Wells
– Shales
– Coal Beds
• Reservoirs with Adverse Capillary Effects
• – Sub-irreducible Water Saturation
• – Sub-irreducible Hydrocarbon Saturation
• Sensitivity to water
WSEOR-Xian,China-Presented by Dr. K
26-04-2012 25
Ojha-ISM,Dhanbad,India
 Unconventional Frac-Fluids

Polymer Systems
Aqueous Methanol Based
Non-Aqueous Methanol Based

Non Polymer Systems

Surfactant Gels (VES)
VES Foams
N2 Foam
Hydrocarbon Based
Liquid CO2 Based
WSEOR-Xian,China-Presented by Dr. K
26-04-2012 26
Ojha-ISM,Dhanbad,India
 Advantages of foam fluid
• Cleans quickly from the induced fracture
• Leaves virtually no unbroken fluid
• Leaves a minimum residue to plug the reservoir
• Inflicts minimum damage to coal
• Enhances CH4 desorption by lowering methane
partial pressure
• Provides good proppant transport
• Reduces leakoff
Disadvantages:
More expensive
More difficult quality control
Difficult to characterize rheology
Graphical representation of CBM
fracturing
 Proppant consideration

• Embedment into matrix of the soft formation-depends on

hardness of coal

• Trapping of large volume of fines by proppant

• Leak-off the sand bearing fluid into secondary fissures and

cleats

• Transport of proppant through tortuous path

WSEOR-Xian,China-Presented by Dr. K
26-04-2012 29
Ojha-ISM,Dhanbad,India