Rock matrix and fracture analysis of flow in western tight gas sands: Annual report, Phase 3

Technical Report · Tue Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5200416· OSTI ID:5200416

Dandge, V.; Graham, M.; Gonzales, B.; Coker, D.

Tight gas sands are a vast future source of natural gas. These sands are characterized as having very low porosity and permeability. The main resource development problem is efficiently extracting the gas from the reservoir. Future production depends on a combination of gas price and technological advances. Gas production can be enhanced by fracturing. Studies have shown that many aspects of fracture design and gas production are influenced by properties of the rock matrix. Computer models for stimulation procedures require accurate knowledge of flow properties of both the rock matrix and the fractured regions. In the proposed work, these properties will be measured along with advanced core analysis procedure aimed at understanding the relationship between pore structure and properties. The objective of this project is to develop reliable core analysis techniques for measuring the petrophysical properties of tight gas sands. Recent research has indicated that the flow conditions in the reservoir can be greatly enhanced by the presence of natural fractures, which serve as a transport path for gas from the less permeable matrix. The study is mainly concerned with the dependence of flow in tight gas matrix and healed tectonic fractures on water saturation and confining pressure. This dependency is to be related to the detailed pore structure of tight sands as typified by cores recovered in the Multi-Well experiment. 22 refs., 34 figs., 9 tabs.

• Research Organization: New Mexico Inst. of Mining and Technology, Socorro (USA). New Mexico Petroleum Recovery Research Center
• DOE Contract Number: AC21-84MC21179
• OSTI ID: 5200416
• Report Number(s): DOE/MC/21179-2564; ON: DE88001063
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
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Plowshare-- (-1989)
ACIDIZATION
ADSORPTION
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATES
CHALCOGENIDES
CLAYS
COMMINUTION
DATA
DESORPTION
DIAGENESIS
DRILL CORES
DRYING
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FLOW RATE
FRACTURING
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
INFORMATION
MICROSCOPY
MINERAL RESOURCES
MINERALOGY
MINERALS
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDE MINERALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERMEABILITY
PETROGRAPHY
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PORE PRESSURE
POROSITY
PRESSURE EFFECTS
PRODUCTION
QUARTZ
RECOVERY
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SANDSTONES
SATURATION
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILICON OXIDES
SORPTION
WATER SATURATION