Open Access

ARTICLE

Optimizing the Diameter of Plugging Balls in Deep Shale Gas Wells

by Yi Song¹, Zheyu Hu^2,*, Cheng Shen¹, Lan Ren², Xingwu Guo¹, Ran Lin², Kun Wang³, Zhiyong Zhao⁴

1 Shale Gas Research Institute, PetroChina Southwest Oil & Gasfield Company, Chengdu, 610056, China
2 State Key Laboratory of Oil & Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, 610500, China
3 National Pipe Network Group Sichuan East Natural Gas Transmission Pipeline Co., Ltd., Wuhan, 430205, China
4 Fracturing Acidizing Company, Downhole Operation Company of Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Co., Ltd., Chengdu, 610213, China

* Corresponding Author: Zheyu Hu. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Solid, Fluid, and Thermal Dynamics in the Development of Unconventional Resources )

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2024, 20(3), 609-624. https://doi.org/10.32604/fdmp.2023.030521

Received 11 April 2023; Accepted 08 June 2023; Issue published 12 January 2024

Abstract

Deep shale gas reserves that have been fractured typically have many relatively close perforation holes. Due to the proximity of each fracture during the formation of the fracture network, there is significant stress interference, which results in uneven fracture propagation. It is common practice to use “balls” to temporarily plug fracture openings in order to lessen liquid intake and achieve uniform propagation in each cluster. In this study, a diameter optimization model is introduced for these plugging balls based on a multi-cluster fracture propagation model and a perforation dynamic abrasion model. This approach relies on proper consideration of the multiphase nature of the considered problem and the interaction force between the involved fluid and solid phases. Accordingly, it can take into account the behavior of the gradually changing hole diameter due to proppant continuous perforation erosion. Moreover, it can provide useful information about the fluid-dynamic behavior of the considered system before and after plugging. It is shown that when the diameter of the temporary plugging ball is 1.2 times that of the perforation hole, the perforation holes of each cluster can be effectively blocked.

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Graphic Abstract

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