Integrated hydraulic fracturing techniques to enhance oil recovery from tight rocks

• Published in: Petroleum exploration and development 2019-10, Vol.46 (5), p.1065-1072
• Main Authors: ZHOU, Fujian, SU, Hang, LIANG, Xingyuan, MENG, Leifeng, YUAN, Lishan, LI, Xiuhui, LIANG, Tianbo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: enhanced oil recovery; hydraulic fracturing; imbibition recovery; micro-sized proppant; nanofluid; surfactant; temporary plugging agent; tight oil
• ISSN: 1876-3804; 1876-3804
• DOI: 10.1016/S1876-3804(19)60263-6

Two main challenges exist in enhancing oil recovery rate from tight oil reservoirs, namely how to create an effective complicated fracture network and how to enhance the imbibition effect of fracturing fluid. In response to the challenges, through modeling experiment in laboratory and evaluation of field application results, a set of integrated efficient fracturing and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques suitable for tight oil development in China has been proposed. (1) Fracturing with temporary plugging agents to realize stimulation in multiple clusters, to form dense fracture network, and thus maximizing the drainage area; (2) Supporting induced fractures with micro-sized proppants during the prepad fluid fracture-making stage, to generate dense fracture network with high conductivity; (3) Using the liquid nanofluid as a fracturing fluid additive to increase oil-water displacement ratio and take advantage of the massive injected fracturing fluid and maximize the oil production after hydraulic fracturing.