Acidizing/stimulation

Experimental Investigation of Fracturing With Propellant in a Large Sandstone Block

This paper describes an experimental study with a new propellant and aims to understand the pattern of fracture creation with these propellants.

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Fig. 2—Lower section of the East half of the block under ambient light (left) and fluorescent light (right).

Propellants have been used in oil and gas wells to assist with perforating and creating near-wellbore stimulation. Propellants are electrically ignited at the perforated interval. Upon ignition, they rapidly create a large amount of gas, and the pressurization leads to breakdown of the formation. Hypotheses suggest that the pressurization leads to the creation of multiple fractures.

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