Supercritical CO 2 Injection-Induced Fracturing in Longmaxi Shales: A Laboratory Study

Xiufeng Zhang, Xuehang Song (), Xingyu Li, Shuyuan Liu, Jiangmei Wang, Junjie Wei and Min Zhang
Additional contact information
Xiufeng Zhang: Department of Geotechnical Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Xuehang Song: CAS Key Laboratory of Low-Carbon Conversion Science and Engineering, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201210, China
Xingyu Li: School of Resource and Civil Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
Shuyuan Liu: School of Resource and Civil Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
Jiangmei Wang: School of Resource and Civil Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
Junjie Wei: Department of Geotechnical Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Min Zhang: Geotechnical Institute, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, 09599 Freiberg, Germany

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: Although supercritical CO 2 (SC-CO 2 ) fracturing has shown promise in oil and gas development with demonstrated potential, its application in shale gas extraction remains in its infancy globally. In this study, fracturing experiments were conducted with water, liquid CO 2 (L-CO 2 ), and SC-CO 2 , as well as SC-CO 2 at varying pump rates. The results reveal that SC-CO 2 fracturing produces a highly complex fracture network characterized by fractures of varying numbers, deflection angles, and tortuosity. Analysis of CO 2 temperature and pressure data showed a sharp drop in injection pressure and temperature at breakdown, followed by fluctuations until injection stopped. Acoustic emission (AE) monitoring demonstrated that energy released during main fracture initiation significantly exceeded that from CO 2 phase transition-driven fracture extension, underscoring the dominant role of main fractures in energy dissipation. Compared to hydraulic fracturing, SC-CO 2 fracturing created a seepage area 2.2 times larger while reducing the breakdown pressure by 37.2%, indicating superior stimulation performance. These findings emphasize the potential of SC-CO 2 to form intricate fracture networks, offering a promising approach for efficient shale gas extraction.

Keywords: supercritical CO 2; shale; hydraulic fracturing; reservoir stimulation; phase transition (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
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/4/855/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/4/855/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:4:p:855-:d:1589098

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().