Fracturing fluid characterization: State-of-the-art facility and advanced technology
The petroleum industry has used hydraulic fracturing technique to stimulate low and high permeability oil and gas reservoirs to enhance their potential recoveries. Nevertheless, the design and implementation of a scientifically and economically sound fracturing job, due to the lack of knowledge of theological behavior of hydraulic fracturing fluids under field conditions, remains a challenge. Furthermore, as often the case, the current level of technical knowledge with research institutes, service companies, and operators does not translate to field applications. One of the principal reasons for this technology gap, is the lack of understanding of the theological behavior of hydraulic fracturing fluids under field conditions, which primarily relates to the limitations in scaling down the field conditions to the laboratory. The Fracturing Fluid Characterization Facility (FFCF) project was therefore, proposed with the intent of providing the industry with a better understanding of the behavior of these fracturing fluids and their proppant transport characteristics under downhole fracture condition. At the FFCF, a fully operational High Pressure Simulator (HPS), as seen in Figure 1, constitutes a vertical, variable width, parallel plate flow apparatus and is capable of operating at elevated temperatures (up to 2500F) and pressures (up to 1200 psi). The HPS simulates, to the maximum degree practical, all conditions experienced by a fracturing fluid from its formulation on the surface, its flow down the wellbore, through perforations, its injection into the fracture, and its leakage into the rock formation (Figure 1). Together with the onsite auxiliary equipment (Figure 2), such as Mixing and Pumping System, Pre-conditioning System, Data Acquisition System, and Rheology Measuring System (Figure 2), the HPS is the most advanced fracture simulator available to conduct research, mimicking field conditions, in the following areas: Rheology Characterization of Fracturing Fluids, Proppant Transport Simulations, Proppant Transport Measurements, Perforation Pressure Loss, Coiled Tubing Friction Loss, Dynamic Fluid Loss, and Heat Transfer Characterizations of Polymer Solutions.
- Research Organization:
- Oklahoma Univ., Norman, OK (United States). School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FC21-92MC29077
- OSTI ID:
- 568285
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/MC/29077-C0877; CONF-970367-; ON: DE97054229
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Natural gas conference, Houston, TX (United States), 24-27 Mar 1997; Other Information: PBD: [1997]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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