Hydraulic fracturing in kerogen-rich unconventional formations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11934757-B2
Application number	US-202017117343-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2020
Priority date	Jun 23, 2016
Publication date	Mar 19, 2024
Grant date	Mar 19, 2024

Abstract

The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method for treating a geologic formation that includes providing a hydraulic fracture model, providing a first value representative of a volume of kerogen breaker in a fracturing fluid, determining a discrete fracture network (DFN) based on the hydraulic fracture model and the first value, determining a geomechanical model based on the DFN and a reservoir model based on the DFN, determining a hydrocarbon production volume based on the geomechanical model and the reservoir model, adjusting the first value based on the hydrocarbon production volume, and adjusting a volume of kerogen breaker in the fracturing fluid to a hydrocarbon reservoir based on the adjusted first value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for treating a geologic formation, comprising:
receiving a hydraulic fracture model configured to simulate a main hydraulic fracturing stimulation;
receiving a first value representative of an amount of heat;
determining a discrete fracture network (DFN) comprising:
a description of a number of fractures, wherein each fracture is characterized by one or more of length, width, height, and orientation that are estimated based on the hydraulic fracture model; and
predicted effects of the amount of heat represented by the first value on initiation and propagation of the fractures and sustainability of the fractures during hydrocarbon extraction;
determining a first hydrocarbon production volume value based on a geomechanical model and the DFN;
determining a second hydrocarbon production volume value based on a reservoir model and the DFN;
determining a third estimated hydrocarbon production volume value based on the determined first hydrocarbon production volume value and the determined second hydrocarbon production volume value;
adjusting the first value based on the determined third estimated hydrocarbon production volume value;
adjusting the amount of heat based on the adjusted first value;
applying the adjusted amount of heat to a hydrocarbon reservoir in a subterranean zone;
modifying shale stiffness and strength properties in the hydrocarbon reservoir based on the adjusted amount of heat; and
extracting a volume of hydrocarbon from the hydrocarbon reservoir based on the modified shale stiffness and strength properties in the hydrocarbon reservoir, wherein the third estimated hydrocarbon production volume value is predictive of the extracted volume.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amount of heat has a heating cost, a volume of hydrocarbon represented by the third estimated hydrocarbon production volume has a market value, and adjusting the first value comprises determining a difference between the market value and the heating cost and adjusting the first value to increase the difference.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing a second value representative of an amount of kerogen breaker to apply to the hydrocarbon reservoir in the subterranean zone;
adjusting the second value based on the third estimated hydrocarbon production volume value; wherein,
determining the DFN is further based on the second value; and
adjusting the amount of kerogen breaker to provide to the hydrocarbon reservoir in the subterranean zone is further based on the second value.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising adjusting the second value based on the extracted volume, wherein the extracted volume is based on the amount of kerogen breaker applied to the hydrocarbon reservoir.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amount of heat has a heating cost, a volume of hydrocarbon represented by the estimated third hydrocarbon production volume has a market value, and adjusting the first value comprises determining a difference between the market value and the heating cost and adjusting the first value to increase the difference.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the DFN is descriptive of one or more of new fractures that are predicted to be created based on the hydraulic fracture model, modified shale properties predicted to be modified based on the hydraulic fracture model, and reactivated fractures that are predicted to be reactivated based on the hydraulic fracture model and the modified shale properties.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydraulic fracture model is configured to determine the DFN further based on one or more of in-situ stresses in the hydrocarbon reservoir, pore pressures in the hydrocarbon reservoir, injection plans of a fracturing job, heterogeneity in the hydrocarbon reservoir, elastic stiffness properties of reservoir rocks, plastic strength properties of reservoir rocks, and mechanical properties of heterogeneities, and the DFN comprises a number of fractures each characterized by one or more of fracture length, fracture width, fracture height, and fracture orientation.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the geomechanical model is configured to predict evolution of at least one of stress fields, deformation, and damage in the hydrocarbon reservoir based on one or more of in-situ stresses in the hydrocarbon reservoir, pore pressures in the hydrocarbon reservoir, rock masses of reservoir layers, the DFN, constitutive models of rock mass that describe stress-deformation-failure processes of reservoirs under loading modes, mechanical properties of rock masses, mechanical properties of fractures, fluid mechanical interaction parameters, and thermal mechanical coupling parameters.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reservoir model is configured to predict evolution of multiphase flow and pressure fields in the hydrocarbon reservoir based on one or more of reservoir pressure distribution parameters, reservoir temperature distribution parameters, multiphase flow models for fluid flow in rock, multiphase flow models for fluid flow in the DFN, thermal conduction models, thermal convection models, porosity parameters, permeability parameters, saturation parameters, thermal conduction property parameters, thermal convection property parameters, well location parameters, well drawdown plan parameters, and well temperature parameters.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting the first value based on the extracted volume, wherein the extracted volume is based on the amount of heat.

11. A system for hydraulic fracturing comprising:
a control system comprising one or more processors; and
a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by the one or more processors to implement an adjustment module and perform operations comprising:
receive a first value representative of an amount of heat;
determining a discrete fracture network (DFN) comprising a description of a number of fractures, wherein each fracture can be characterized by length, width, height, and orientation that are estimated based on a hydraulic fracture model and predicted effects of the amount of heat represented by the first value on initiation and propagation of the fractures and sustainability of the fractures during hydrocarbon extraction;
determining a first hydrocarbon production volume value, by a geomechanical model based on the DFN;
determining a second hydrocarbon production volume value, by a reservoir model based on the DFN;
determining an third estimated hydrocarbon production volume value based on the determined first hydrocarbon production volume value and the determined second hydrocarbon production volume value;
adjusting, by the adjustment module, the first value based on the determined third estimated hydrocarbon production volume value;
controlling, by the control system, the amount of heat based on the adjusted first value; and
applying, based on the controlling, the amount of heat to a hydrocarbon reservoir in a subterranean zone, wherein shale stiffness and strength properties in the hydrocarbon reservoir are modified based on the amount of heat such that the third estimated hydrocarbon production volume value is predictive of a volume of hydrocarbon extracted from the hydrocarbon reservoir based on the modified shale stiffness and strength properties in the hydrocarbon reservoir.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the amount of heat has a heating cost, a volume of hydrocarbon represented by the third estimated hydrocarbon production volume has a market value, and the adjustment module is further configured to adjust the first value based on determining a difference betwee

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Han Yanhui
• Li Leiming
• Muntasheri Ghaithan
• Abousleiman Younane N
• Hull Katherine Leigh
• Jacobi David

Classifications

• G06F30/28 Primary

  using fluid dynamics, e.g. using Navier-Stokes equations or computational fluid dynamics [CFD] · CPC title

• C09K8/62

  Compositions for forming crevices or fractures · CPC title

• E21B41/00

  Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00 · CPC title

• E21B43/24

  using heat, e.g. steam injection · CPC title

• E21B43/26

  by forming crevices or fractures · CPC title