The fracture gradient is a critical parameter for drilling mud weight design in the energy industry. A new method in fracture gradient prediction is proposed based on analyzing worldwide leak-off test(LOT) data in off...The fracture gradient is a critical parameter for drilling mud weight design in the energy industry. A new method in fracture gradient prediction is proposed based on analyzing worldwide leak-off test(LOT) data in offshore drilling. Current fracture gradient prediction methods are also reviewed and compared to the proposed method. We analyze more than 200 LOT data in several offshore petroleum basins and find that the fracture gradient depends not only on the overburden stress and pore pressure, but also on the depth. The data indicate that the effective stress coefficient is higher at a shallower depth than that at a deeper depth in the shale formations. Based on this finding,a depth-dependent effective stress coefficient is proposed and applied for fracture gradient prediction. In some petroleum basins, many wells need to be drilled through long sections of salt formations to reach hydrocarbon reservoirs.The fracture gradient in salt formations is very different from that in other sedimentary rocks. Leak-off test data in the salt formations are investigated, and a fracture gradient prediction method is proposed. Case applications are examined to compare different fracture gradient methods and validate the proposed methods. The reasons why the LOT value is higher than its overburden gradient are also explained.展开更多
We developed an inversion technique to determine in situ stresses for elliptical boreholes of arbitrary trajectory. In this approach, borehole geometry, drilling-induced fracture information, and other available leak-...We developed an inversion technique to determine in situ stresses for elliptical boreholes of arbitrary trajectory. In this approach, borehole geometry, drilling-induced fracture information, and other available leak-off test data were used to construct a mathematical model, which was in turn applied to finding the inverse of an overdetermined system of equations.The method has been demonstrated by a case study in the Appalachian Basin, USA. The calculated horizontal stresses are in reasonable agreement with the reported regional stress study of the area, although there are no field measurement data of the studied well for direct calibration. The results also indicate that 2% of axis difference in the elliptical borehole geometry can cause a 5% difference in minimum horizontal stress calculation and a 10% difference in maximum horizontal stress calculation.展开更多
基金partially supported by the Program for Innovative Research Team in the University sponsored by Ministry of Education of China(IRT-17R37)National Key R&D Project(2017YFC0804108)of China during the 13th Five-Year Plan PeriodNatural Science Foundation of Hebei Province of China(D2017508099)
文摘The fracture gradient is a critical parameter for drilling mud weight design in the energy industry. A new method in fracture gradient prediction is proposed based on analyzing worldwide leak-off test(LOT) data in offshore drilling. Current fracture gradient prediction methods are also reviewed and compared to the proposed method. We analyze more than 200 LOT data in several offshore petroleum basins and find that the fracture gradient depends not only on the overburden stress and pore pressure, but also on the depth. The data indicate that the effective stress coefficient is higher at a shallower depth than that at a deeper depth in the shale formations. Based on this finding,a depth-dependent effective stress coefficient is proposed and applied for fracture gradient prediction. In some petroleum basins, many wells need to be drilled through long sections of salt formations to reach hydrocarbon reservoirs.The fracture gradient in salt formations is very different from that in other sedimentary rocks. Leak-off test data in the salt formations are investigated, and a fracture gradient prediction method is proposed. Case applications are examined to compare different fracture gradient methods and validate the proposed methods. The reasons why the LOT value is higher than its overburden gradient are also explained.
基金support of the United States Department of Energy (DE-FE0026825, UCFER-University Coalition for Fossil Energy Research)
文摘We developed an inversion technique to determine in situ stresses for elliptical boreholes of arbitrary trajectory. In this approach, borehole geometry, drilling-induced fracture information, and other available leak-off test data were used to construct a mathematical model, which was in turn applied to finding the inverse of an overdetermined system of equations.The method has been demonstrated by a case study in the Appalachian Basin, USA. The calculated horizontal stresses are in reasonable agreement with the reported regional stress study of the area, although there are no field measurement data of the studied well for direct calibration. The results also indicate that 2% of axis difference in the elliptical borehole geometry can cause a 5% difference in minimum horizontal stress calculation and a 10% difference in maximum horizontal stress calculation.
