LPG Surfactant Well Treatment for Fracture Flowback Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hydraulically fractured wells experience declining production due to debris blockage, formation damage, partial fracture closures, and slow recharge rates, leading to reduced hydrocarbon recovery efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Pumping a treatment composition comprising LPG with dissolved surfactants, non-emulsifiers, and defoamers into the wellbore, allowing contact with formation water to enhance surfactant partitioning, and recovering residual hydrocarbons and fluids in a non-emulsified state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If hydraulic fracturing is performed to recover hydrocarbons from tight formations, then hydrocarbon production is increased, but production declines rapidly due to debris blockage, formation damage, and partial fracture closures
Solution Approach 1:
The treatment composition is injected into the formation before significant production decline occurs, performing preliminary cleaning and maintenance of the fracture system. This prevents debris accumulation and formation damage that would otherwise lead to rapid production decline, thereby maintaining both high productivity and stable production over time.
Solution Approach 2:
A treatment composition comprising surfactants and other chemicals is used as an intermediary substance to clean debris, remove formation damage, and prevent fracture closures. The composition mediates between the hydrocarbons and the formation/fracture system, facilitating continuous flow and preventing the harmful effects that cause production decline.
2Productivity
If treatment composition is pumped into the wellbore to clean debris and restore flow, then production is enhanced, but the process requires additional time and resources
Solution Approach 1:
The treatment composition is designed with specific chemical parameters (surfactant concentrations, viscosity modifiers, temperature stability) that enable it to effectively clean and restore flow under downhole conditions. By optimizing these parameters, the treatment achieves maximum productivity enhancement in a single injection cycle, minimizing the time and resources required while maintaining effective treatment.
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
Enhances hydrocarbon recovery by reducing viscosity and facilitating easier flowback of residual oil and water, thereby increasing production rates and overall well productivity.
Implementation Method 1
Enhances hydrocarbon recovery by reducing viscosity and facilitating easier flowback of residual oil and water
Implementation Method 2
allowing contact with formation water to enhance surfactant partitioning
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are methods for treating hydrocarbon-bearing formations, in which at least some of the methods include pumping into a wellbore a treatment composition comprising LPG combined with one or more surfactants each of which is fully or partially dissolved into the LPG, causing the treatment composition to make contact with water residing in the formation such that at least a portion of the one or more surfactants dissolves into the water, and recovering a composition that includes residual hydrocarbons and at least some of the LPG and water that resided in the formation and at least some of the one or more surfactants that were pumped into the wellbore.