Hydraulic Fracturing (HF) is a well-established process to enhance the productivity of oil and gas wells. This stimulation process is conducted in reservoirs where the rock does not naturally flow the petroleum fluids. This is the case in many oil and gas reservoirs especially shales.
In the HF process, the reservoir stresses are overcome by use of fluids to initiate fractures. The initiation of the fracture is not enough to produce petroleum fluids. This is because natural stresses will force the fractures to partially or completely heal. Hence, there will be no open channels for the fluids flow. In order to create these channels after the fractures are created, materials such as sand (in sandstone reservoirs), are injected into the fracture to maintain a conductive path for the petroleum fluids to flow from the reservoir into the wellbore. In the case of carbonate reservoirs, acids are injected to dissolve the rock and hence, once the pressure is released, the dissolved (etched) faces of the fractures will provide the conduit for the fluids flow. This process involves key and critical changes in the physical and chemical properties of the fluids involved.
This lecture will shed light on these changes from material science point of view. Various existing technologies for HF fluids will be discussed. This should give a clear understanding of the current state of the art in this field. The talk will also shed light on the current challenges that the industry faces. This will help the attendees draw broad lines on the current research themes in this area.
