High Energy Gas Fracturing: A Technique of Hydraulic Prefracturing To Reduce the Pressure Losses by Friction in the Near Wellbore - A Colombian Field Application

摘要

One adequate management and optimization of mature fields requires the use of techniques, methodologies, technologies and analysis of the behavior of the wells to generate recommendations of production optimization with the highest probability of exit. One alternative that today has proven successful and is widely applied worldwide to maximize the profitability of the fields, consists in the implementation of hydraulic fracturing jobs, to improve the flow capacity of the wells, which is achieved to go through the formation damage, speeds up the reserves, etc. However, one of the main difficulties of hydraulic fracturing, are the high friction pressure losses in the near wellbore (NWBF), which require high pressures to break the formation and equipment of higher power in surface. This means work over more expensive and with a lower economic profitability. An evaluation of new technologies, allowed the identification of the alternative called High Energy Gas Fracturing (HEGF), as a pre-fracturing technique to reduce pressure losses by friction in the near wellbore (NWBF). HEGF is a perforating technique with propellants, which not detonate, but they blaze with high heat, but unexploded (deflagrate), releasing a high energy gas that reaches a sufficient pressure pulse (10,000 to 50,000 psi) and combustion time (5 - 30 milliseconds) that creates fractures in all radial directions at short distance. For different operational areas of the Colombian state owned oil company, Ecopetrol SA, was performed an evaluation of pressure loss by friction in the near wellbore (NWBF), during hydraulic fracturing operations that have been executed. This allowed to make recommendations to implement HEGF and thus optimize the hydraulic fracturing operations. This paper presents the results of the assessment in the fields Apiay, Austral, Gavan, Suria and Yarigui. Finally, the main findings, conclusions, recommendations and field results obtained in this study are shown.