Massive hydraulic fracturing experiments of the Devonian shale in Lincoln County, West Virginia

Technical Report · Sat Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979

OSTI ID:5887825

Cremean, S P; Forrest, R M; McKetta, S F; Morse, W F; Owens, G L; Smith, E C

The following preliminary conclusions were reached: Shale Stimulation Treatments - Hydraulically fractured wells will produce considerably more gas than wells stimulated with 80% gelled nitroglycerine. From a cost standpoint, the results suggest a single limited entry treatment in selected intervals is the preferred stimulation approach. The lower black shales contain significant producible gas. Large treatment sizes don't necessarily increase production proportionately and may cause extensive clean-up problems. Massive hydraulic fracturing may create economic gas production from undepleted Devonian shale areas near the test area. Devonian Shale Characterization - Mobile gas is mostly in the black or dark brown organic rich zones high in kerogen and uranium. Gamma ray and density logs can adequately locate these zones. Drilling and fracturing fluids do not affect the organic rich black Devonian shale; however, they do affect some gray shales. Rock properties show that the black shales fracture more easily than gray shales. The amount of potentially recoverable Devonian shale gas estimated by various methods ranges from 200 to 900 Tcf. The bulk of the recoverable shale gas appears to be adsorbed on the kerogen within the shale matrix. Devonian Shale Well Testing - Cumulative production curves on a log-log plot seem to provide the most reliable index of a well's long-term potential in this area. Normal reservoir pressure tests provide little useful data on hydraulically fractured shale wells. Because of potential damage related to fluid-formation interaction, excessive shut-in times required for testing could be detrimental if production is from fractures in the gray shales.

• Research Organization: Columbia Gas System Service Corp., Columbus, OH (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5887825
• Report Number(s): METC/CR-79/17
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
030900* -- Natural Gas-- Artificial Stimulation
Plowshare-- (-1989)
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
BLACK SHALES
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CENTRAL REGION
CHATTANOOGA FORMATION
COMMINUTION
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FRACTURING
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
KEROGEN
NATURAL GAS
NATURAL GAS WELLS
NORTH AMERICA
OIL SHALES
PRODUCTION
USA
WELL STIMULATION
WELLS
WEST VIRGINIA