Frac Pack Proppant Placement in High Permeability Formations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Frac packing techniques in offshore reservoirs and highly permeable formations face challenges such as incomplete packing, channel formation, and gel residue issues, which can lead to sand and fines migration into the wellbore, reducing hydrocarbon flow and production efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A method involving sequential injection of high efficiency fracturing fluids with high and low strength proppants, using low viscosity fluids to ensure complete packing and prevent voids, combined with a consolidating agent to stabilize the proppant pack, allowing for effective sand control and improved hydrocarbon flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If high viscosity fracturing fluid is used to place proppant, then proppant placement is improved, but voids form above settled sand and channels develop in the frac pack
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the viscosity parameter of the fracturing fluid from high to low. This parameter change prevents sand settlement and void formation while maintaining proppant placement capability through optimized injection pressure and fluid selection
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies a consolidating agent to the proppant before frac pack formation. This preliminary action stabilizes the proppant pack structure, preventing channel formation and ensuring complete annulus packing without requiring high viscosity fluids
2Quantity of substance
If crosslinked gels are used to increase fracturing fluid viscosity, then proppant suspension is improved, but problematic gel residue is left behind
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes crosslinked gels from the fracturing fluid system entirely. Instead, it uses low viscosity fluids with consolidating agents to achieve proppant suspension and pack stability, eliminating the harmful gel residue while maintaining proppant suspension capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces persistent crosslinked gels with biodegradable or easily removable alternatives. The low viscosity fluids and consolidating agents used provide temporary suspension during injection but do not leave problematic residue in the formation
3Speed
If high viscosity fluid is used for frac pack, then proppant transport is improved, but sand settles on low side of fracture creating voids
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the viscosity parameter from high to low and compensates by optimizing injection pressure parameters. This maintains proppant transport speed while preventing gravitational settling and void formation in the fracture
Solution Approach 2:
The consolidating agent is applied preliminarily to stabilize proppant placement, preventing sand settlement issues that would otherwise require high viscosity fluids to avoid
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method enhances hydrocarbon flow by maintaining fracture conductivity, reducing drag forces, and preventing sand and fines migration, thereby increasing production efficiency and maintaining wellbore integrity.
Implementation Method 1
combined with a consolidating agent to stabilize the proppant pack
Implementation Method 2
using low viscosity fluids to ensure complete packing and prevent voids
Implementation Method 3
pumping one or more fracturing fluids into the formation at a sufficient hydraulic pressure to create or enhance one or more fractures
Implementation Method 4
The proppant slurry deposits the proppant particulates in the fracture in order to prevent the fracture from fully closing
Implementation Method 5
The large propped surface area created by a frac pack allows production fluids to bypass any near wellbore damage and reduces fluid flow velocity in the near-wellbore area thereby reducing drag forces
Data Source
AI summary
A method of treating a highly permeable subterranean formation that is penetrated by a wellbore to form a frac pack in the formation adjacent to a desired wellbore interval is provided. The method comprises (a) injecting a first high efficiency fracturing fluid into the formation to form a fracture in the formation that propagates from a near-wellbore region of the formation into a far-field region of the formation. Thereafter, high strength proppant is placed in a portion of the fracture in the near-wellbore region of the formation, and low strength proppant is placed in a portion of the fracture near the far-field region of the formation using low viscosity fluids. Subsequently, a high strength proppant is squeezed into a portion of the fracture in the near-wellbore region of the formation to assure that the fracture is completely packed.