Lubricating Frac Fluid Additive for Microfracture Misalignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The closure of microfractures in subterranean formations during oil and gas extraction negatively affects well productivity, as hydrocarbons cannot be extracted from closed microfractures.
Innovation Solution
Introducing a lubricating agent into microfractures, coating their surfaces, and allowing sufficient time for the microfractures to close, resulting in surface misalignment and the formation of openings that enhance hydrocarbon extraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If microfractures are allowed to close naturally during flow back and extraction operations, then fracture closure occurs, but hydrocarbon extraction capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The lubricating agent is introduced into the microfractures before closure occurs, coating the surfaces in advance. This preliminary coating action ensures that when the microfractures close and subsequently reopen, the surfaces are already prepared with low-friction lubrication, enabling immediate hydrocarbon flow without waiting for natural reopening conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The natural closure process, which normally harms productivity by sealing microfractures, is converted into a benefit. The closure allows the lubricating agent to be pressed into intimate contact with the fracture surfaces, and when the microfracture reopens, the lubricated surfaces create misalignment that generates conductive openings, transforming the harmful closure event into a productivity-enhancing mechanism
2Reliability
If proppants are introduced to keep fractures open, then fracture openness is maintained, but microfractures too small to accommodate proppants still close
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a uniform proppant size that can only accommodate larger fractures, the lubricating agent is applied locally to the surfaces of all microfractures regardless of size. This local quality approach allows even the smallest microfractures that cannot hold proppants to benefit from surface lubrication, creating a size-independent solution for maintaining conductivity
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical proppant system, which relies on physical blocking to keep fractures open, is replaced with a chemical/tribological system using lubricating agents. This substitution eliminates the size limitation inherent in proppant-based systems, as the lubricating agent can coat surfaces of microfractures of any size, including those too small to accommodate solid proppant particles
3Ease of operation
If lubricating agent is introduced to coat microfracture surfaces, then surface friction is reduced, but additional materials and processing steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The lubricating agent serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a flow carrier during injection, a surface coating agent for friction reduction, and a productivity enhancer for hydrocarbon extraction. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise be separate materials and processes into a single universal additive, reducing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The lubricating agent is introduced through the existing frac fluid injection system without requiring separate application equipment or additional injection wells. The frac fluid carries the lubricating agent into the microfractures during the normal fracturing operation, allowing the system to service itself and eliminating the need for dedicated lubrication application infrastructure
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 increases fracture conductivity and well productivity by allowing hydrocarbons to flow from previously closed microfractures, leading to higher residual fracture conductivity and improved oil and gas extraction.
Implementation Method 1
introducing a lubricating agent into a microfracture in a subterranean formation, coating at least a portion of a first surface and a second surface of the microfracture with the lubricating agent
Data Source
AI summary
A method for improving oil and gas well productivity includes introducing a lubricating agent into a microfracture in a subterranean formation, coating at least a portion of a first surface and a second surface of the microfracture with the lubricating agent to produce a coated microfracture; and, providing a sufficient time for the coated microfracture to close. The introducing, the coating and the providing cause the first surface and the second surface of the coated microfracture to misalign after the closure of the coated microfracture and an opening to form between the first surface and the second surface. An encapsulated lubricating agent includes 30 to 50 wt % of a lubricating agent, and 50 to 70 wt % of an encapsulant encapsulating at least a portion of the lubricating agent.