Nanosilica Fracturing Fluid Additive for Faster Reservoir Flowback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fracturing fluids cause significant adsorption retention and water-blocking damage to reservoirs, leading to low flow back efficiency and unsatisfactory gas production in tight sandstone reservoirs, despite the use of cleanup additives and water-blocking-resistant agents.
Innovation Solution
A composition containing a nanomaterial with controlled molecular aggregate hydrodynamic particle sizes (D10 < 30µm, D50 = 50-150µm, D90 = 150-300µm) is used in a fracturing fluid, prepared by hydroxylating gas phase nanosilica with a monomer and fluorocarbon surfactant, reducing adsorption force and surface tension to enhance fluid flow and flow back.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If polymer viscosity-enhanced fracturing fluids are used, then fracturing operation can be performed, but adsorption retention and water-blocking damage to reservoirs occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cleanup additive as an intermediary substance that mediates between the fracturing fluid and reservoir substrate. This additive forms a protective layer on the substrate, preventing direct contact and harmful interactions between the polymer fracturing fluid and the reservoir, thereby reducing adsorption retention and water-blocking damage while maintaining fracturing operation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful adsorption and water-blocking effects into beneficial controlled deposition. By using the cleanup additive, the fracturing fluid's tendency to adsorb and block is transformed into a controlled formation of a protective barrier layer on the substrate, which prevents further harmful interactions while allowing desired fracturing operations
2Object-affected harmful factors
If cleanup additive and water-blocking-resistant agent are added to fracturing fluid, then damage to reservoirs is reduced, but flow back efficiency remains low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the fracturing fluid system by introducing a surfactant that modifies surface tension and interfacial properties. This parameter change enables the fluid to maintain lower viscosity and better flow characteristics during the flow back process, thereby improving flow back efficiency while preserving the damage-reduction benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic control of fluid properties through the surfactant addition, which allows the fracturing fluid to adapt its rheological characteristics during different stages of the process. The fluid can maintain high viscosity during fracturing operations and transition to lower viscosity during flow back, enabling dynamic optimization of both damage prevention and flow back efficiency
3Strength
If thickener forms in porous rock media, then fracturing fluid viscosity is enhanced, but adsorption retention damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleanup additive serves as an intermediary that prevents direct adsorption of the thickener onto the porous rock media. By forming a protective barrier layer, it allows the thickener to maintain its viscosity-enhancing function while preventing harmful adsorption retention damage to the reservoir substrate
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the harmful adsorption function from the thickener by introducing the cleanup additive that separates the viscosity-enhancing function from the substrate interaction. The thickener retains its bulk viscosity function while the cleanup additive handles the substrate interaction, preventing harmful adsorption retention
4Productivity
If fracturing fluid invades reservoirs, then fracturing operation is achieved, but water-blocking damage occurs and flow back is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The cleanup additive acts as an intermediary that facilitates controlled fluid invasion while preventing uncontrolled water-blocking. It forms a temporary barrier that allows the fracturing fluid to invade and create fractures during the operation, then enables controlled flow back by preventing complete saturation and blocking of the reservoir pores
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic control of fluid invasion through the surfactant and cleanup additive combination. The system can dynamically adjust wetting properties and interfacial tension to enable controlled invasion during fracturing operations and facilitate flow back during the reverse process, preventing permanent water-blocking damage
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 composition significantly reduces adsorption retention and water-blocking damage, promoting rapid fluid flow and flow back, decreasing rock core damage to less than 15% and improving flow back rate.
Implementation Method 1
the composition significantly reduces adsorption force of the fracturing fluid system and decreases the adsorption retention and water-blocking damage of the fluid to the reservoirs
Implementation Method 2
the composition provided by the present disclosure has a surface tension no exceeding 25mN/m, and it can effectively promote rapid flow of the fracturing fluid and flow back out of the reservoirs
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to the fracturing technology, and in particular to a nano-material-containing composition and a preparation method therefor and a use thereof, and a fracturing fluid. The composition comprises a nano material and a solvent. The hydrodynamic particle size of molecular aggregate of the composition satisfies: D10<30 µm, D50 = 50-150 µm, and D90 = 150-300 µm. The preparation method for the composition comprises: after hydroxylation of gas-phase nanosilicon dioxide in a solvent, making gas-phase nanosilicon dioxide come into contact with a monomer represented by formula (II) in the presence of an initiator, and activating the resulting product and then mixing same with a fluorocarbon surfactant. Also provide are a use of the composition in a fracturing fluid and a fracturing fluid containing the composition. The composition can facilitate rapid flowback of a fracturing fluid from a reservoir, thereby reducing the damage to the reservoirs.