Low permeability gas reservoir production using large hydraulic fractures. [Underground nuclear explosions]

Conference · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1970 · Soc. Pet. Eng. AIME, Pap.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5182288

Holditch, S A; Morse, R A

There has been relatively little work published on recovering hydrocarbon gas from low permeability reservoirs. Recently, several nuclear projects have explored the feasibility of creating a cavity and a fractured zone in such a formation to stimulate production. One such test, Gasbuggy, was begun Dec. 10, 1967, with the detonation of a 26-kt nuclear device in the Pictured Cliffs Formation, Rio Arriba County, N. Mex. A study of stimulating low permeability reservoirs by the creation of long hydraulic fractures is presented. A 2-dimensional 2-phase numerical model was used. The reservoir properties of the model approximated those published for the Pictured Cliffs Formation. The situations simulated were both vertical and horizontal fractures extending up to 3,000 ft from the producing well. Also, a model simulating a nuclear cavity was designed. This model simulated a well containing an 80-ft radius cavity with a fractured zone of 100 times the reservoir permeability, extending 200 ft past the cavity. The situation simulated was for production with a constant well-bore pressure. Production rate and cumulative gas produced were monitored as functions of time. (16 refs.)

• Research Organization: Texas A and M Univ
• OSTI ID: 5182288
• Report Number(s): CONF-701012-
• Journal Information: Soc. Pet. Eng. AIME, Pap.; (United States), Vol. SPE-3010; Conference: 45. annual meeting of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Houston, TX, USA, 4 Oct 1970
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
03 NATURAL GAS
NATURAL GAS
PRODUCTION
NATURAL GAS WELLS
EXPLOSIVE STIMULATION
RESERVOIR ROCK
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATHEMATICS
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
PERMEABILITY
SIMULATION
TIME DEPENDENCE
UNDERGROUND EXPLOSIONS
WELL COMPLETION
WELL PRESSURE
WELL STIMULATION
COMMINUTION
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPLOSIONS
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FRACTURING
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
RESERVOIR PRESSURE
STIMULATION
WELLS
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