Coalbed Methane Enhancement in Low-Permeability Reservoirs by Hydraulic Fracturing with Coated Ceramsite
Fei Guo, Runsheng Lv, Dangyu Song, Yunbo Li, Zhen Zhang, Xianglong Wang, Gaofeng Liu
Abstract
The overall fracturing stimulation effect using quartz sand as a proppant is poor, resulting in no breakthrough in the production of coalbed methane (CBM) wells in the low permeability coal reservoir of Lu’an Mining Area. In this study, the mixed coated ceramsite of three particle sizes (40–60, 16–40, and 12–20 mesh) was selected as a proppant to conduct a hydraulic fracturing field experiment on CBM wells, located near the three wells fractured with quartz sand in the study area. The drainage and production effects of mixed particle size-coated ceramsite and quartz sand fractured wells in the area were compared. The results show that the cumulative gas production from the coated ceramsite fractured CBM well was approximately 93,004 m 3 in 238 days of gas production, with a maximum daily gas production of 825 m 3 /d, approximately 3.3 times that of the quartz sand fractured wells. After 400 days of gas production, the two types of proppant-fractured CBM wells differed notably, the daily gas production of the coated ceramsite-fractured well being 450–825 m 3 /d and that of the quartz sand-fractured wells being only 150–250 m 3 /d. In the stable production stage, the coated ceramsite-fractured well displayed a better gas production potential. Therefore, in view of the low permeability of the coal reservoir, the use of coated ceramsite to fracture CBM wells can achieve a more satisfactory production enhancement effect. The research findings can provide a reference for fracturing-induced production enhancement of low-permeability reservoirs.