Hydraulic Fracturing The Process

A low-molecular-weight condensation product of hydroxyacetic acid with itself or compounds containing other hydroxy acid, carboxylic acid, or hydroxy-carboxylic acid moieties has been suggested as a fluid loss additive [164]. Production methods of the polymer have been described. The reaction products are ground to 0.1 to 1500 p particle size. The condensation product can be used as a fluid loss material in a hydraulic fracturing process in which the fracturing fluid comprises a hydrolyzable, aqueous gel. The hydroxyacetic acid condensation product hydrolyzes at formation conditions to provide hydroxyacetic acid, which breaks the aqueous gel autocatalytically and eventually provides the restored formation permeability without the need for the separate addition of a gel breaker [315-317,329]. 

Hydraulic fracturing is a technique to stimulate the productivity of a well. A hydraulic fracture is a superimposed structure that remains undisturbed outside the fracture. Thus the effective permeability of a reservoir remains unchanged by this process. The increased productivity results from increased wellbore radius, because in the course of hydraulic fracturing, a large contact surface between the well and the reservoir is created. 

In situ soil remediation with physical methods includes the in situ heating (in situ thermal treatment), ground-freezing, hydraulic fracturing, immobilization/stabilization, flushing, chemical detoxification, vapor extraction, steam extraction, biodegradation/bioremediation, electroosmosis/ electrokinetic processes, etc. 

Oil-field chemistry has undergone major changes since the publication of earlier books on this subject Enhanced oil recovery research has shifted from processes in which surfactants and polymers are the primary promoters of increased oil production to processes in which surfactants are additives to improve the incremental oil recovery provided by steam and miscible gas injection fluids. Improved and more cost-effective cross-linked polymer systems have resulted from a better understanding of chemical cross-links in polysaccharides and of the rheological behavior of cross-linked fluids. The thrust of completion and hydraulic fracturing chemical research has shifted somewhat from systems designed for ever deeper, hotter formations to chemicals, particularly polymers, that exhibit improved cost effectiveness at more moderate reservoir conditions. 

The fluids which are used in the hydraulic fracturing process can be quite complex. Laboratory research and development on these fluids require many hours of rheology testing to discover suitable compositions and systems. To speed this process, an automated stimulation fluid rheology laboratory was constructed. In this paper, we describe the types of instruments which are used in this laboratory, the computer system, and how t.vr cal experiments are set up, run, and results stored and analyzed. In the accompanying paper (Part II), the focus is on the automation of one of the more complex Instruments in this laboratory. 

To optimize processes that are based upon the interaction between microstructure and flow (for example, proppant placement in hydraulic fracture of geologic formations [oil recovery], separations processes for biological materials, mixing and dispersion of additives in blenders, crystal growth and solidification processes). 

We discuss the suspensions used in well stimulation and hydraulic fracturing processes. The following sections pertain to various types of suspensions used in well stimulation and fracturing processes, their rheological characterization and hydraulic properties, behavior of suspensions in horizontal wells, a state-of-the-art review of proppant settling velocity and proppant transport in the fracture, presently available measurement techniques for suspensions and their merits, and, finally, a summary and conclusions on the use of suspensions in well stimulation. Future industry needs for better understanding of the complex behavior of suspensions are also mentioned in this section. 

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