Stimulation-fluid systems for naturally fractured tight gas sandstones: A general case study from multiwell experiment stimulations

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 UTC 1988

OSTI ID:5141870

Sattler, A R; Raible, C J; Gall, B L; Gill, P J

Extensive production testing and core analyses show that prestimulation production from the low-permeability sandstones in the Mesaverde formation at the Department of Energy's Multiwell Experiment (MWX) field laboratory is dominated by natural fractures. Experience gained during MWX stimulations in these tight Mesaverde reservoirs strongly suggests that damage to the narrow natural fractures is an important factor affecting poststimulation production. This paper summarizes the field data showing both evidence for production from natural fractures and evidence for interactions between natural fractures and stimulation fluids resulting in decreased gas production. The nature of these interactions is clarified through a description of laboratory studies dealing with the degradation of the stimulation fluids and with the permeability damage of artificially fractured core exposed to the stimulation fluids. Evidence is very strong that damage from stimulation fluids to the narrow natural fractures restricted the production of gas in early MWX stimulations, a hypothesis that is consistent with the partial reversibility of fluid damage in the natural fractures of one zone following a long-term shut-in. A controlled breaker system was designed for use with the relatively clean, temperature-stable biopolymer foam. Use of this fluid system in a later MWX stimulation substantially increased gas production and reduced evidence of damage. 48 refs., 11 figs., 8 tabs.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA); National Inst. for Petroleum and Energy Research, Bartlesville, OK (USA); Dowell Schlumberger (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 5141870
• Report Number(s): SAND-87-3056C; CONF-880624-2; ON: DE88009694
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
030900* -- Natural Gas-- Artificial Stimulation
Plowshare-- (-1989)
COLLOIDS
COMMINUTION
DAMAGE
DATA
DISPERSIONS
DRILL CORES
ELEMENTS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FLUID INJECTION
FOAMS
FRACTURED RESERVOIRS
FRACTURING
GAS INJECTION
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
INFORMATION
NATURAL GAS WELLS
NITROGEN
NONMETALS
NUMERICAL DATA
PERMEABILITY
PRODUCTION
ROCKS
SANDSTONES
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
STIMULATION
WELL STIMULATION
WELLS