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Processes
Special Issues
Numerical Simulations of Fracturing in Petroleum Engineering
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Numerical Simulations of Fracturing in Petroleum Engineering

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 July 2024) | Viewed by 3782

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hamid Rahnema

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Department, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM, 87801, USA
Interests: reservoir characterization; reservoir simulation
Dr. Seyyed Mobeen Fatemi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Transport in Porous Media (TiPM) Research Group, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran P.O. Box 11365-8639, Iran
Interests: conformance control; preformed particle gels; formation damage; microfluidics; interfacial phenomena; multiphase flow in porous media; transport in porous media; enhanced oil recovery
Dr. Sajjad Esmaeilpour

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Department, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM, 87801, USA
Interests: formation evaluation and petrophysics; reservoir geomechanics; petroleum geology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid development of unconventional resources and energies has led to the use of hydraulic fracturing technology in petroleum engineering. Hydraulic fracturing stimulates a natural gas, oil, or geothermal well to maximize extraction.

It is one of the key methods of extracting unconventional oil and unconventional gas resources. In recent years, many researchers and scientists have made great achievements in this field. However, some urgent problems, such as geomechanical and huge environmental problems, still need to be solved. Therefore, it is necessary for us to find a suitable and innovative way to develop this technology. Numerical analysis and modeling of hydraulic fracturing is helpful in identifying tight oil/gas formations and providing accurate solutions for optimizing well spacing for the design of zipper-frac wells.

This Special Issue covers a comprehensive array of manuscripts and research papers that explore various aspects of hydraulic fracturing, including early design, modeling, field practices, and characterization.

Dr. Hamid Rahnema
Dr. Seyyed Mobeen Fatemi
Guest Editors

Dr. Sajjad Esmaeilpour
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • reservoir geomechanics
  • fracture modeling
  • hydraulic fracturing design
  • flowback
  • fracture interference
  • fracturing fluid
  • fracture optimization
  • SRV
  • cluster spacing

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2767 KiB  
Article
Optimization of Fine-Fracture Distribution Patterns for Multi-Stage and Multi-Cluster Fractured Horizontal Wells in Tight Gas Reservoirs
by Long Ren, Junzhang Wang, Cong Zhao, Cheng Jing, Jian Sun, Desheng Zhou, Fuguo Xiang, Diguang Gong and Haiyan Li
Processes 2024, 12(7), 1392; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12071392 - 4 Jul 2024
Viewed by 810
Abstract
The efficient development of tight gas reservoirs is significantly enhanced by multi-stage and multi-cluster fracturing techniques in conjunction with horizontal well technology, leading to substantial increases in reservoir drainage volume and individual well productivity. This study presents a tailored fine-fracturing approach for horizontal [...] Read more.
The efficient development of tight gas reservoirs is significantly enhanced by multi-stage and multi-cluster fracturing techniques in conjunction with horizontal well technology, leading to substantial increases in reservoir drainage volume and individual well productivity. This study presents a tailored fine-fracturing approach for horizontal wells in tight gas reservoirs, supported by a gas–water two-phase numerical simulation model. Utilizing the orthogonal experimental design method, we simulated and optimized various fracture distribution schemes to refine fracturing parameters for maximum efficiency. The optimization was further validated through a comparison with actual well completion and development dynamics. The quantitative results highlight the optimal fracture distribution for horizontal wells, with a horizontal section length of 1400 to 1600 m and 14 to 16 fracturing stages. The pattern features a “dense at both ends and sparse in the middle” strategy, with stage spacing of 80 to 110 m, and a “longer in the middle and shorter at both ends” fracture half-length of 100 to 140 m, achieving a fracture conductivity of 30 μm2·cm. To ensure the economic feasibility of the proposed fracturing strategy, we conducted an economic evaluation using the net present value (NPV) method, which confirmed the robustness of the optimization outcomes in terms of both technical performance and economic viability. The reliability of these optimization outcomes has been confirmed through practical application in the development of horizontal wells in the study area. This research approach and methodology can provide theoretical guidance for the design of hydraulic fracturing operations and the integration of geological and engineering practices in similar unconventional oil and gas reservoirs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical Simulations of Fracturing in Petroleum Engineering)
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17 pages, 5750 KiB  
Article
Research on the Interaction Mechanism of Multi-Fracture Propagation in Hydraulic Fracturing
by Lin-Peng Zhang, Tuan Gu, Bin Li and Peng Zheng
Processes 2024, 12(5), 1040; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12051040 - 20 May 2024
Viewed by 1196
Abstract
During the hydraulic-fracturing process, stress interference occurs among multiple wells and fractures, potentially affecting the trajectory of hydraulic fracture propagation. Previous studies have largely overlooked the influence of proppant support stresses on the trajectories of fracture propagation. This paper establishes a mathematical model, [...] Read more.
During the hydraulic-fracturing process, stress interference occurs among multiple wells and fractures, potentially affecting the trajectory of hydraulic fracture propagation. Previous studies have largely overlooked the influence of proppant support stresses on the trajectories of fracture propagation. This paper establishes a mathematical model, grounded in the boundary element method, designed to compute the propagation of multiple fractures, considering both proppant support on the fracture surface and dynamic perturbations within the local stress field. The findings of this research reveal that the stress field induced by hydraulic fracturing exhibits dynamic evolution characteristics, necessitating a comprehensive study of the fracture initiation and extension across the entire fracturing time domain. The effect of the residual fracture width under proppant action on the in situ stress field cannot be ignored. During simultaneous fracturing, hydraulic fractures are inclined to propagate in the direction of the maximum horizontal principal stress, particularly as the in situ differential stress escalates. Staggered fracturing between wells has been proven to be more effective than head-to-head fracturing. Simply increasing the well spacing cannot solve the problem of inter-well fracture interference. In zipper fracturing, adjusting the fracturing sequence can inhibit the fracture intersections between wells, thereby controlling the trajectory of fracture propagation. The aforementioned research has considerable significance in guiding the control of fracture morphology during hydraulic-fracturing processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical Simulations of Fracturing in Petroleum Engineering)
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14 pages, 4794 KiB  
Article
Dependency of Pressure Expression towards Formation Pressures during Drilling Operations in Hydrocarbon Wells and Suitable Choice of Pressure Control Method
by Gabriel Wittenberger, Tomas Huszar, Erika Skvarekova, Jozef Cambal and Michaela Bugnova
Processes 2023, 11(11), 3054; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11113054 - 24 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1214
Abstract
High pressures during drilling with the aim to obtain hydrocarbon formations (oil and natural gas) can cause an uncontrolled eruption. Therefore, it is necessary to look for warning signs of kicks and control the formation strength. The aim of this article is to [...] Read more.
High pressures during drilling with the aim to obtain hydrocarbon formations (oil and natural gas) can cause an uncontrolled eruption. Therefore, it is necessary to look for warning signs of kicks and control the formation strength. The aim of this article is to show a real process of fracture pressures during a gas kick and their possible solutions. The evaluation of the lithological structure of formations and the correct evaluation of seismic measurements are closely related to the issue of fracture pressures. The contribution also includes software data for detailed analysis and calculations of formations pressures. We point out the incorrect calculation of the geological lithology and employ a casing shoe; it is a risky decision to use a formation integrity test as opposed to a leak of the test. Based on theoretical knowledge, we compared and verified the recalculation of pressure coefficients during the gas kick. In our case, we propose possible solutions for cracking a casing shoe. We point out the importance of correct calculations for a safe and economical purpose. In this post, a theoretical example was shown where the system of casings was correctly designed, and based on this, we obtained ideal values of the fracture pressures. In the end, we proposed an algorithm to simplify work procedures during well control to minimize formation pressures against the deposit and casing shoe. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical Simulations of Fracturing in Petroleum Engineering)
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