FLUIDS AND PROPPANTS

SELECTION
QA&QC IN HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
ALBERTO MENDOZA ROJAS
ECOPETROL S.A.-ICP

ATW ON HYDRAULIC FRACTURING IN THE AMERICAS

Cartagena, August 11-13 /2008

CONTENT
FLUIDS
AND
SELECTION

PROPPANTS

QA&QC IN FIELD
PROBLEMS FOUNDS IN FIELD

FLUIDS AND PROPPANTS

SELECTION

FLUIDS AND PROPPANTS SELECTION

TESTS FOR FLUIDS SELECTION
9 Fluids Compatibility
9 Visual Wetabbility
9 Gel Stability and break
9 Rheology
9 Interfacial Tension
9 Static fluid leak-off test.
9 Regain Permeability

Water base fluid composition

Bactericide
Clays Stabilizer
Gelifying product
Buffers
Surfactants
Cross-Linkers
Breakers:

Enzimes / Oxidizing agents

Flitrate controller

Fluid - Fluid Compatibility

GEL STABILITY

Fresh Gel

Gel + Pp E Stability, at = 24 hs.

GEL BREAKING

INTERFACIAL TENSION

SISTEMA
Brine A-Crude oil
Brine B-Crude oil
FF A-Crude oil
FF B- Crude oil
Organic Treatment A-FW
Organic Treatment B-FW

Espacio para reproducir el ttulo de la presentacin que va en la portada

IT (Dinas/cm)
32.8
0.71
4.76
1.12
32.17
0.95

10

Gel stability/BREAKING

Gel stability/BREAKING

Regain Permeability
Prepare and Restore plugs
Prepare fluids and fracturing fluid
Set P & T
Measure brine Ke
Measure oil Ke
Measure brine Ke
Inject organic treatment
Inject Fracturing fluid (eventually static leak-off test)
Shut in for x hs.
Measure brine Ke
Measure oil Ke

Regain Permeability
FF-1
FF-2
FF-1

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14

PROPPANTS
Hexion: Ceramax I, E, SB Excel.
Carboceramics: CarboLite, Carboprop, Econoprop,
Hydroprop.
Santrol: Resin Coated sands:
9 Curables and Tempered
9 Sand: Jordan & Ottawa types.
Saint Gobain: Bauxitas:
9 Versaprop, Econoprop, Valuprop, Interprop.
National sands

BH Closure Pressures in colombia

fields
Field

BHCP(psi)

H (ft)

Yarigui
Cantagallo
Llanito
Cardales
Piedemonte
Acae
Loro
Casabe
Sardinata
Bonanza
Lisama
Orito
Gala
Santa Clara
PG

4060-6654
2980
4800-8500
5600-7237
6760-9750 / 10650-13392
7400
5800
2200-2500
8500
1450-2045
4593
6500
7300-7880
1800
4050-5050

5500
5770
6900-7800
8070-8132
13700-17200
10500
10500
3500
5352
2400-2600
4200
5050-7600
7300-7800
2500-2670
6000-6500

Proppant Tests

FLUIDS AND PROPPANTS

SELECTION
Lab Proppant Tests
Sieve Analysis: Proppant size
Roundness and Sphericity
Crushing resistance: Stress effect
Proppant Flowback: Consolidation
pH effect on stability.

Sieve test
Mnimum 90% of tested sample: Between
designed sieves sizes.
Not over 0.1 % total sample larger than the first
sieve.
Not over 1% smaller than the last sieve.
20/40: 16, 20, 30, 35, 40, 50.

Roundness & Sphericity

GOOD
BAD

Crushing Test
Sieve test
Crushing:
Stress: 7500-10000-12500-15000 psi
Sieve test
Sieve
16/20
20/40

API PRACTICE API RP 56 y API RP 60

Fines Max.
(Wt %)
25
10

Proppant Flowback
Prepare Fluid and mix with proppant
Break the fluid
Drain excess of fluid.
Pack rubber slevee and install endcaps.
Confine the system
Displace fluids at increasing flow rates
Measure proppant recovered

Proppant Flowback Test

Fracturing
Fluid

PC

Oven
Proppant core

Confining P

Pump

CONSOLIDATION : at 5 Days
4500 psi - 120 oC

CONDITIONS

Gel + Crude oil + Proppant

Proppant CONSOLIDATION
Fluid
Propant: 6 ppg
Resin: 3 y 6 gpt
Confine at P & T
T: 6 & 12 h

Resin
Concentratin

Cure time
(hrs)

Overburden
(kN)

Stress resistance
(psi)

3 gpt

0.50

13.8

3 gpt

12

0.37

10.1

5 gpt

0.36

9.94

5 gpt

12

0.37

10.1

pH Effect

QA&QC In Field

QA&QC in Field
Equipments
Cleanness
Materials
Inventory
Storage
Additive Quality control
Proppant size

QA&QC In Field
Fluids
> Water:
Suspended slids, bacterias
Turbidity, Fe++, pH, Conductivity
> Gel
Disolucition
Viscosity (Fann 35A)
Breaking
Compatibility
Wetabbility: Formation sand.

QA&QC in Field
During Pumping
Fluid Formation
Fluid Density (In lab)
Eyefishes Presence.

SOME PROBLEMS

PROBLEMS

Tanks in bad conditions (rusted, oil contaminated)

to store well control brines.

PROBLEMS

Equipments in bad conditions (rusted, dirty).

PROBLEMS
Brines with high
suspend solids,
iron and crude
oil content.

PROBLEMS

Filtration

PROBLEMS
Wrong Additives dosification
Wrong materials storage

PROBLEMS
Poor polymer hydration: Fisheyes

PROBLEMS

BACTERIAS

Anaerobios totales
Biota total aerobia
Microorganismos Gram (-)

MUESTRA

8139-1
8139-2

Pseudomonas

Recuento de
Recuento de
Recuento de
Aislamiento de
microorganismos microorganismos microorganismos
Hongos
Bacterias/mL
Bacterias/mL
Bacterias/mL
Bacterias
BSR
Agar Malta
Productoras de Caldo Tioglicolato
cido
1
108
107
Negativo
10 (parcial)
6
9
9
10
10
Negativo
10 (parcial)

BSR 104 bact/mL are responsible of active microbiologic corrosion processeses.

PROBLEMS

Bacterias in KCl Brines

PROBLEMS
CRUSHING

PROBLEMS

Dirty pipes