Applicability Assessment of Viscoelastic Surfactants and Synthetic Polymers as a Base of Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids

Abstract

Hydraulic fracturing (HF) is currently the most widespread and effective method of oil production stimulation. The most commonly used fracturing fluid is crosslinked guar gels. However, when using these systems, problems such as clogging of the pore space, cracking, and proppant packing with the remains of the undestroyed polymer arise. Therefore, the efficiency of the hydraulic fracturing process decreases. In this work, compositions based on viscoelastic surfactants (VES) and synthetic polymers (SP) were considered as alternatives capable of minimizing these disadvantages. Most often, the possibility of using a composition as a fracturing fluid is evaluated using rotational viscometry. However, rotational viscometry is not capable of fully assessing the structural and mechanical properties of fracturing fluid. This leads to a reduced spread of systems based on VES and SP. This paper proposes an integrated approach to assessing the effectiveness of a water-based fracturing fluid. The proposed comprehensive approach includes an assessment of the main characteristics of water-based fracturing fluids, including an analysis of their structural and mechanical properties, which is based on a combination of rotational and oscillatory rheology and a comparative analysis of methods for studying the influence of fluids on the reservoir rock. The use of the developed approach to assess the technological properties of fracturing fluids makes it possible to demonstrate the potential applicability of new, unconventional fracturing fluids such as systems based on VES and SP.