Induced Fractures and Production Behavior by Fracturing-Flooding in Tight Oil Formations

Jinshan Xu, Yonggang Yi, Xiang Dai, Xudong Luo and Tao Wan ()
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Jinshan Xu: Oil Production Technology Research Institute, PetroChina Xinjiang Oilfield Company, Karamay 834000, China
Yonggang Yi: Oil Production Technology Research Institute, PetroChina Xinjiang Oilfield Company, Karamay 834000, China
Xiang Dai: Development Division, Xinjiang Oilfield Company, Karamay 834000, China
Xudong Luo: No. 2 Production Plant, Xinjiang Oilfield Company, Karamay 834000, China
Tao Wan: Faculty of Petroleum, China University of Petroleum (Beijing) at Karamay, Karamay 834000, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-16

Abstract: Conventional hydraulic fracturing aims to minimize the loss of fracturing fluid, with the fluid serving solely to generate fractures, whereas the fracturing-flooding process involves the injection of an agent that facilitates fracture generation without flowing back. This injection agent not only acts as a fracturing treatment but also engages in a displacement process. Currently, there exists a notable gap in systematic research concerning the mechanisms of production enhancement via fracturing-flooding. The characterization of the flow pattern and production behavior associated with fracturing-flooding remains unclear. By integrating physical laboratory experiments with numerical simulations, this study finds that an increase of the displacement pressure gradient can increase the matrix permeability by 10–20%. The residual oil distribution also transfers from a contiguous state to an oil film. It results in a smaller pore–throat size, so oil can be mobilized. Stepwise reduced rate injection leverages the advantages of short-wide fractures while enhancing lateral fracture complexity and oil production rates. Furthermore, we aim to quantitatively characterize the fractures resulting from fracturing-flooding at the microscale and to establish a physical simulation methodology for low-permeability sandstone.

Keywords: fracturing flooding; energy enhancement; recovery improvement (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: 2025
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