In this article we consider information on the use of a new hydraulic fracturing fluid based on a polysaccharide that is not related to traditionally used guar. Guar-based polymers have reliably recommended themselves as the basis of fluids for hydraulic fracturing, showing their best sand-carrying capacities in a wide range of gel former concentrations, that allow to pump large volumes of high concentration proppant. However, it is often necessary to conduct hydraulic fracturing in complex geological conditions caused by weak interlayer barrier separating the oil-saturated formation from the water-saturated one, and breakthrough of that barrier increases the risk of well stream watering.
To reduce these risks, various methods are used such as reducing the viscosity of hydraulic fracturing fluid, volume of fluid and flow rate. A decrease in the viscosity of traditional guar-based fluids (up to the viscosity of a linear gel) is inevitably accompanied significant sedimentation of proppant and leads to its uneven distribution in the fracture height, that means the potential reduction in fracture conductivity and also significantly increases the risk of premature stopping of the hydraulic fracturing.
Innovative fracturing fluid SI Bioxan has the properties to keep the proppant in suspension at low viscosity (viscosity can be only a few tens of centipoise) and, thus, solve the problem of hydraulic fracturing on such complicated objects: evenly distribute the proppant vertically in the fracture, conduct hydraulic fracturing with minimal risks for a breakthrough in water-saturated reservoirs, reducing potential threats of premature stopping of hydraulic fracturing.
This technology was tested on the fields of the republics of Udmurtia and Tatarstan and showed high efficiency, creating reasonable prerequisites for use in other fields of the Russian Federation with similar complicated geological conditions.
References
1. Gavura V.E., Geologiya i razrabotka neftyanykh i gazoneftyanykh mestorozhdeniy (Geology and development of oil and oil-and-gas fields), Moscow: Publ. of VNIIOENG, 1995, 496 p.
2. Salimov V.G., Ibragimov N.G., Nasybullin A.V., Salimov O.G., Gidravlicheskiy razryv karbonatnykh kollektorov (Hydraulic fracturing of carbonate reservoirs), Moscow: Neftyanoe khozyaystvo Publ., 2013, 472 p.
