Numerical Study on the Effects of Imbibition on Gas Production and Shut-In Time Optimization in Woodford Shale Formation

Zhou Zhou, Shiming Wei, Rong Lu and Xiaopeng Li
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Zhou Zhou: State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 1002249, China
Shiming Wei: State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 1002249, China
Rong Lu: Petroleum Engineering Department, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, USA
Xiaopeng Li: FracGeo LLC, Aurora, CO 80015, USA

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-18

Abstract: In shale gas formations, imbibition is significant since the tight pore structure causes a strong capillary suction pressure. After hydraulic fracturing, imbibition during the period of shut-in affects the water recovery of flowback. Although there have been many studies investigating imbibition in shale formations, few papers have studied the relationship between gas production and shut-in time under the influence of imbibition. This paper developed a numerical model to investigate the effect of imbibition on gas production to optimize the shut-in time after hydraulic fracturing. This numerical model is a 2-D two-phase (gas and water) imbibition model for simulating an imbibed fluid flow and its effect on permeability, flowback, and water recovery. The experimental and field data from the Woodford shale formation were matched by the model to properly configure and calibrate the model parameters. The experimental data consisted of the relationship between the imbibed fluid volume and permeability change, the relative permeability, and the capillary pressure for the Woodford shale samples. The Woodford field data included the gas production and flowback volume. The modeling results indicate that imbibition can be a beneficial factor for gas production, since it can increase rock permeability. However, the gas production would be reduced when excessive fluid is imbibed by the shale matrix. Therefore, the shut-in time after hydraulic fracturing, when the imbibition happens in shale, could be optimized to maximize the gas production.

Keywords: imbibition; gas production; hydraulic fracturing; shut-in time; shale gas formation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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