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Australian Energy Producers Journal Australian Energy Producers Journal Society
Journal of Australian Energy Producers
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Influence of elastoplastic embedment on CSG production enhancement using graded particle injection

Zhenjiang You A , Duo Wang B , Christopher Leonardi B D , Raymond Johnson Jr A and Pavel Bedrikovetsky C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia.

B School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia.

C Australian School of Petroleum, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.

D Corresponding author. Email: c.leonardi@uq.edu.au

The APPEA Journal 59(1) 310-318 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ18086
Submitted: 7 December 2018  Accepted: 24 January 2019   Published: 17 June 2019

Abstract

A large percentage of coal seam gas (CSG) reservoirs exhibit low permeability and require stimulation to achieve economic production rates. Graded particle injection (GPI) into the natural fracture and cleat system around hydraulically-induced fractures has been proposed and demonstrated by prior laboratory studies as an effective method of enhancing CSG production. However, pore pressure and fracture width decrease with the distance from the wellbore and hydraulic fractures. Previous modelling determined that staging the injected particles with increasing size may sequentially fill the propped cleats and keep them open during production. GPI results in an increase in permeability above the initial value, expands the stimulated zone, and consequently, increases the productivity index.

The present work aims to improve our understanding of the GPI process for production enhancement by developing a generalised modelling methodology for GPI into the fracture network. The new model accounts for elastoplastic deformation of fracture surface during particle embedment. This is based on elastoplastic finite element modelling of fracture deformation and flow modelling by the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). Effects of packing densities, effective stress and material properties are incorporated in the modelling. Results of fracture permeability reduction factor due to particle embedment are then applied to the mathematical model for well productivity prediction. Modelling results indicate that elastoplastic fracture deformation leads to lower permeability and production enhancement using GPI, as compared with linear elastic deformation applied in traditional models.

The developed model is applicable to the assessment of potential stimulation outcomes for a range of uncertain reservoir parameters. Better understanding and implementation of GPI schemes can potentially improve post-fracturing results in low-permeability coal intervals substantially.

Keywords: coal seam gas, elastoplastic deformation, finite element method, graded particle injection, lattice Boltzmann method, particle embedment, production enhancement.

Zhenjiang You is a research fellow in the School of Chemical Engineering at The University of Queensland. His research interests include suspension/colloid/nanoparticle transport in porous media, fines migration induced formation damage in oil/gas/geothermal reservoirs, unconventional resources and recovery, and enhanced oil recovery from low-salinity waterflooding. Dr You received his BEng degree in engineering mechanics and PhD degree in fluid mechanics, both from Zhejiang University. He is the author of three book chapters and over 100 papers in international journals and conferences.

Mr. Duo Wang is presently a PhD candidate at The University of Queensland, School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering. He holds a BEng in Civil Engineering from University of Science and Technology, Beijing (USTB), and an MSc in Civil Engineering from Swansea University, UK. His general research interests focus on multi-phase flows, computational modelling of fluid-structure interaction (i.e. particle suspensions) during the hydraulic fracturing process. Particular fields of expertise include the coupling of the LBM and the DEM for fluid-solid systems. He has given several presentations on international conferences and co-authored many publications in both methodology and application areas during his candidature.

Dr Christopher Leonardi is a faculty member in the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering at the University of Queensland. He holds a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering with Class I Honours from James Cook University, a PhD in Civil and Computational Engineering from Swansea University (UK), and a Research Affiliate appointment in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA). Dr Leonardi's research is currently targeted at the development of large-scale numerical models, which can be used to provide insight into the complex characteristics of fluid -solid interaction in oil and gas reservoirs. Much of this work is undertaken in close collaboration with industry via the University of Queensland Centre for Coal Seam Gas. In addition to his academic pursuits, Christopher has over five years of consulting experience, applying both computational and analytical techniques to solve problems in the mining and mechanical engineering disciplines.

Raymond (Ray) L. Johnson, Jr. is presently a Professor of Well Engineering and Production Technology at The University of Queensland, School of Chemical Engineering, and serves as Adjunct Associate Professor at The University of Adelaide. He has a PhD in mining engineering, a MSc in petroleum engineering, a Graduate Diploma in Information Technology, and a BA in Chemistry. Ray has been active in the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), past chair of the SPE Queensland Section, 2013 and 2015 co-Chair of the SPE Unconventional Reservoir Conference and Exhibition Asia Pacific and Technical Award Recipient of SPE Regional Awards in 2011 and 2017. He has been actively involved as an author and researcher in the areas of reservoir geomechanics, hydraulic fracture design execution and evaluation and unconventional resource development.

Pavel Bedrikovetsky is a Professor and Chair in Petroleum Engineering at the Australian School of Petroleum in the University of Adelaide. He is also a Senior Staff Consultant to Petrobras in the areas of formation damage, waterflooding and improved oil recovery. Bedrikovetsky is the author of two books on reservoir engineering and 150 technical papers published in international journals and SPE. His main research interests include formation damage, enhanced oil and gas recovery, suspension/colloid transport in porous media, mathematical modelling of well stimulation and exploitation of unconventional energy resources. He holds BEng and MSc degrees in applied mathematics, a PhD degree in fluid mechanics and a DSc degree in reservoir engineering, all from Moscow Gubkin Petroleum University. During 1991–1994, Bedrikovetsky was a Visiting Professor at Delft University of Technology and at Imperial College of Science and Technology. Bedrikovetsky served as Section Chairperson, Short-course Instructor, Key Speaker, and Steering Committee Member at several SPE conferences. Bedrikovetsky was a 2008–2009 SPE Distinguished Lecturer.


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