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REVIEW article

Front. Earth Sci.
Sec. Georeservoirs
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/feart.2024.1410524

Field experiments and main understanding of shale oil hydraulic fracturing

Provisionally accepted
  • State Key Laboratory of Shale Oil and Gas Enrichment Mechanism and Effective Development, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    To understand the key processes of hydraulic fracturing in shale oil reservoirs, such as artificial fracture initiation and extension, proppant transportation and settlement, and the influencing factors of postfracture production, many hydraulic fracturing field tests have been conducted in the United States. Examples include the ConocoPhillips tests and the National Hydraulic Fracturing Experiment. The results have promoted the innovation and development of fracturing technology. A good correlation exists between lithological changes and the roughness of artificial fractures. Although numerous artificial cracks are created, the number that can provide oil and gas seepage is relatively small, determined by the effectiveness of these cracks. The settlement of proppants in actual geological formations involves factors such as geology, lithology, fractures, and stress. The pressure data indicate that when the reservoir pressure drops below the bubble point pressure, the decline in production sharply increases. The key variables affecting shale oil well production include the horizontal well position, well spacing, horizontal section length, and sand addition intensity. These technologies are suitable for the adaptive process of China's terrestrial shale oil fracturing, promoting the development and rapid increase of shale oil production.

    Keywords: Shale oil, hydraulic fracturing, field test, Fracturing technology, Fracturing stimulation

    Received: 01 Apr 2024; Accepted: 30 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Mengyun Zhao, State Key Laboratory of Shale Oil and Gas Enrichment Mechanism and Effective Development, Beijing, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.