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Water and Gas Injection Methods |
Shell Internationale Petroleum Maatschappij, PO Box 162, 2501 AN Den Haag, The Netherlands
The paper describes how some of the fundamental rock mechanical, heat and fluid flow aspects, of importance in the process of fracturing of water injection wells, have been used in Shell to build simulation and well testing tools. Examples of application indicate that thermal fractures in highly permeable formations are usually short with negligible influence on sweep efficiency. In tight, thick reservoirs the 3D aspect of fracture modelling becomes very important, particularly that of fracture containment. A field example of a thermal fracture in the North Sea is given, together with a brief account of results of a pilot test on injection under fracturing conditions in the Lekhwair field in Oman, using state-of-the-art fracture monitoring techniques.
