Work

Investigation into the Quantitative Assessment of Reserve Mobilization in Horizontal Well Groups Within the Southern Sichuan Shale Gas Reservoir

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The deep shale gas reservoirs of the southern Sichuan Basin exhibit high temperatures, high pressure, large stress differentials, and complex natural fracture systems. Since 2019, hydraulic fracturing technology in this region has evolved through four stages: exploratory fracturing, intensive limited-volume fracturing, tight spacing with controlled fluid and proppants, and balanced fracturing that combines long-section temporary plugging with short-section intensive cutting. Despite these advances, production remains suboptimal due to inefficient reserve utilization, a lack of quantitative methods for residual gas evaluation, and unclear identification of the remaining reserves. To address these challenges, we developed an integrated workflow combining dynamic production analysis, geomechanical modeling, and numerical simulation to evaluate representative fracturing techniques. Fracture propagation in the well group was modeled in the in-house hydraulic fracture simulator, ZFRAC, to assess fracture geometry, while production history and geological data were used to build calibrated reservoir simulation models. This enabled quantitative assessment of effective fracture parameters, reserve utilization, and residual gas distribution. The results show significant intra-stage heterogeneity driven by stress interference, effective fracture half-lengths of 60–105 m, and a cut-off ratio (proportion of effective fracture half-length to wetted fracture half-length) of 60–93%. Reserve utilization peaked at 60% for intensive limited-volume fracturing, while the efficacy of long-section temporary plugging was limited. These findings offer critical insights for optimizing infill strategies and enhancing sustainable shale gas development in southern Sichuan.

Source: Energies

DOI: 10.3390/en18184910

Authors: Mingyi Gao, Hua Liu, Yanyan Wang, Xiaohu Hu, Chuxi Liu, Wei Yu

Institutions: Sinopec (China), Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, The University of Texas at Austin

Language: English

Topic: Hydraulic Fracturing and Reservoir Analysis

Subfield: Mechanical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137