Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Shale gas fracturing using foam-based fracturing fluid: a review

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

World energy resources are depleting at an alarming rate, and natural gas has been identified as an environmentally friendly energy resource, with shale gas being one option. However, the extremely low permeability of shale plays has caused them to fail to produce a commercially viable amount of gas. Therefore, appropriate production enhancement techniques, including hydro-fracturing, are required. This paper reviews the research on shale gas production enhancement using foam-based hydro-fracturing and focuses on research on shale deposit distribution around the world, the importance of shale gas recovery, major shale gas recovery enhancement techniques, the effectiveness of foam-based fracturing depending on the foam type used and the formation properties, advantages and limitations of foam-based fracturing compared to other fluids, and existing experimental and numerical studies and field studies. According to the available experimental and modelling studies on foam fracturing, N2-based foams are stronger than CO2-based foams. The effective viscosity that controls the foam rheology decreases with increasing temperature and decreasing pressure and foam quality, and fracture length reduces and fracture width increases with increasing foam quality. Although this technique has been tested in few shale plays worldwide, most studies have been performed in the USA and Canada. Therefore, the foam fracturing technique is still comparatively novel for other countries around the world.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Source: EIA report 2013—technically recoverable shale oil and shale gas resources: an assessment of 137 shale formations in 41 countries outside the USA

Fig. 2

Source: EIA report 2013—technically recoverable shale oil and shale gas resources: an assessment of 137 shale formations in 41 countries outside the USA

Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aarra MG, Skauge A, Solbakken J, Ormehaug PA (2014) Properties of N2- and CO2-foams as a function of pressure. J Petrol Sci Eng 116:72–80

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blauer RE, Durborow CJ (1976) U.S. Patent no. 3,937,283. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Washington, DC

  • Brannon H, Kendrick D, Luckey E, Stipetich A (2009) Multi-stage fracturing of horizontal wells using ninety-five quality foam provides improved shale gas production. Paper presented at the SPE Eastern regional meeting proceedings. Paper (vol 124767)

  • Bruner KR, Smosna R (2011) A comparative study of the Mississippian Barnett Shale, Fort Worth Basin, and Devonian Marcellus Shale. Appalachian Basin: technical report DOE/NETL-2011/1478, National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) for The United States Department of Energy

  • Burke LH, Nevison GW, Peters WE (2011) Improved unconventional gas recovery with energized fracturing fluids: montney example. In: SPE Eastern regional meeting. Society of petroleum engineers

  • Cawiezel KE, Niles TD (1987) Rheological properties of foam fracturing fluids under downhole conditions. Society of Petroleum Engineers

  • CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) (2014) Unconventional gas fast facts. CSIRO, Australia

    Google Scholar 

  • Curtis JB (2002) Fractured shale-gas systems. AAPG Bull 86(11):1921–1938

    Google Scholar 

  • Davletbaev AY, Kovaleva LA, Nasyrov NM, Babadagli T (2015) Multi-stage hydraulic fracturing and radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation for heavy-oil production. J Unconv Oil Gas Resour 12:15–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donaldson EC, Alam W, Begum N (2014) Hydraulic fracturing explained: evaluation, implementation, and challenges: Elsevier. Houston, Texas

    Google Scholar 

  • Edrisi AR, Kam SI (2012) A new foam rheology model for shale-gas foam fracturing applications. In: Paper presented at the SPE Canadian unconventional resources conference 2012, CURC 2012, October 30, 2012—November 1, 2012, Calgary, AB, Canada

  • EIA (2011) Review of emerging resources: US shale gas and shale oil plays. US Energy Information Administration, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • EIA (2013) Technically recoverable shale oil and shale gas resources: an assessment of 137 shale formations in 41 countries outside the United States. US Department of Energy/EIA, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) (2004a) Appendix A-Department of energy-hydraulic fracturing white paper. Evaluation of impacts to underground sources of drinking water by hydraulic fracturing of coalbed methane reservoirs study. Publication No. EPA 816-R-04-003

  • EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) (2004b) Hydraulic fracturing fluids, chap 4. Evaluation of impacts to underground sources of drinking water by hydraulic fracturing of coalbed methane reservoirs study. Publication No. EPA 816-R-04-003

  • Eren T (2004) Foam characterization: bubble size and texture effects. Middle East Technical University

  • Farajzadeh R, Andrianov A, Bruining H, Zitha PL (2009) Comparative study of CO2 and N2 foams in porous media at low and high pressure temperatures. Ind Eng Chem Res 48(9):4542–4552

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fink JK (2013) Chapter 12 - Foaming Agents. In: Fink JK (ed) Hydraulic fracturing chemicals and fluids technology. Gulf Professional Publishing, Houston, pp 147–150

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Fink JK (2015) Chapter III—fracturing fluids. In: Fink JK (ed) Water-based chemicals and technology for drilling, completion, and workover fluids. Gulf Professional Publishing, Boston, pp 115–178

    Google Scholar 

  • Frohne K (1976) Comparison of conventional hydraulic and water/nitrogen foam fracturing in two Ohio devonian shale gas wells. Energy Research and Development Administration, Morgantown, WV (USA). Morgantown Energy Research Center

  • Gajbhiye R, Kam S (2011) Characterization of foam flow in horizontal pipes by using two-flow-regime concept. Chem Eng Sci 66(8):1536–1549

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gajbhiye R, Kam S (2012) The effect of inclination angles on foam rheology in pipes. J Petrol Sci Eng 86:246–256

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gandossi L (2013) An overview of hydraulic fracturing and other formation stimulation technologies for shale gas production. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg

    Google Scholar 

  • Gu M, Mohanty K (2014) Effect of foam quality on effectiveness of hydraulic fracturing in shales. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 70:273–285

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta D (2003) Field application of unconventional foam technology: extension of liquid CO2 technology. In: Paper presented at the SPE annual technical conference and exhibition. SPE, Denver, Colorado

  • Gupta DS (2011) Unconventional fracturing fluids. In: Proceedings of the technical workshops for the hydraulic fracturing study: chemical & analytical methods, Arlington, Virginia. Publication no. EPA 600-R-11-066

  • Gupta DS, Pierce RG, Elsbernd CLS (2004) Foamed nitrogen in liquid CO2 for fracturing: Google Patents

  • Harris PC (1985) Dynamic fluid loss characteristics of foam fracturing fluids. J Petrol Technol 37(10):1–847

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hirata Y, Ryu M, Oda Y, Igarashi K, Nagatsuka A, Furuta T, Sugiura M (2009) Novel characteristics of sophorolipids, yeast glycolipid biosurfactants, as biodegradable low-foaming surfactants. J Biosci Bioeng 108(2):142–146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jha PK, Mahto V, Saxena V (2014) Emulsion based drilling fluids: an overview. Int J ChemTech Res 6(4):2306–2315

    Google Scholar 

  • Lal M (1999) Shale stability: drilling fluid interaction and shale strength. Soc Petrol Eng. doi:10.2118/54356-MS

    Google Scholar 

  • Laurain A (2014) Analysis of fracturing fluid system, effect of rock mechanical properties on fluid selection. AGH Drill Oil Gas 31(1):167–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li QH, Chen M, Jin Y, Wang MY, Jiang HL (2012) Application of new fracturing technologies in shale gas development. Tezhong Youqicang-Spec Oil Gas Reserv 19(6):1–7

    Google Scholar 

  • Li X, Feng Z, Han G, Elsworth D, Saffer CMD (2015) Hydraulic fracturing in shale with H2O, CO2 and N2. In: Presented at the 49th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium held in San Francisco, CA, USA, 28 June-1 July 2015

  • Liu D, Fan M, Yao L, Zhao X, Wang Y (2010) A new fracturing fluid with combination of single phase microemulsion and gelable polymer system. J Petrol Sci Eng 73(3):267–271

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu Y, Yang F, Ge Z, Wang S, Wang Q (2015) The influence of viscoelastic surfactant fracturing fluids on gas desorption in soft seams. J Nat Gas Sci Eng. doi:10.1016/j.jngse.2015.10.031

    Google Scholar 

  • Martins AL, Lourenco AMF, De Sa CHM (2000) Foam properties requirements for proper hole cleaning while drilling horizontal wells in underbalanced conditions. In: SPE Asia Pacific oil and gas conference and exhibition. Society of Petroleum Engineers

  • McAndrew J, Fan R, Barba R (2014) Energized and foam fracturing fluids for liquids-rich organic shale reservoirs. Search and discovery article #80388

  • Mitchell TM, Faulkner DR (2012) Towards quantifying the matrix permeability of fault damage zones in low porosity rocks. Earth Planet Sci Lett 339:24–31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohanty KK, Gaurav A, Gu M (2009) Improvement of fracturing for gas shales: department of petroleum & geosystems engineering. University of Texas at Austin

  • Montgomery CT (2013a) Fracturing fluid components. Effective and sustainable hydraulic fracturing. Jeffrey R (ed). ISBN: 978-953-51-1137-5. InTech

  • Montgomery CT (2013b) Fracturing fluids. Effective and sustainable hydraulic fracturing. Jeffrey R (ed). ISBN: 978-953-51-1137-5. InTech

  • Montgomery CT, Smith MB (2010) Hydraulic fracturing—history of an enduring technology special section—hydraulic fracturing: the past, present, since stanolind oil introduced hydraulic fracturing in 1949, close to 2.5 million fracture treatments have been performed worldwide. J Petrol Technol 62(12):26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mortezaei K, Vahedifard F (2014) Numerical simulation of induced seismicity due to hydraulic fracturing of shale gas reservoirs. In: Paper presented at the shale energy engineering 2014 at technical challenges, environmental issues, and public policy

  • Olsson O, Weichgrebe D, Rosenwinkel KH (2013) Hydraulic fracturing waste water in Germany: composition, treatment, concerns. Environ Earth Sci 70(8):3895–3906

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osborn SG, Vengosh A, Warner NR, Jackson RB (2011) Methane contamination of drinking water accompanying gas-well drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Proc Natl Acad Sci 108(20):8172–8176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oussoltsev D, Fomin I, Butula KK, Mullen K, Gaifullin A, Ivshin A, Senchenko D, Faizullin I (2008) Foam fracturing: new stimulation edge in Western Siberia (in Russian). In: SPE Russian oil and gas technical conference and exhibition. Society of Petroleum Engineers

  • Pacala S, Socolow R (2004) Stabilization wedges: solving the climate problem for the next 50 years with current technologies. Science 305(5686):968–972

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palisch TT, Vincent MC, Handren PJ (2008) Slickwater fracturing: food for thought: SPE annual technical conference and exhibition

  • Reidenbach V, Harris P, Lee Y, Lord D (1986) Rheological study of foam fracturing fluids using nitrogen and carbon dioxide. SPE Prod Eng 1(1):31–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saba T, Mohsen F, Murphy B, Garry M, Hilbert B (2012) White paper—methanol use in hydraulic fracturing fluids. Document no. 1103844.000 0101 0711 TS26. Exponent, Maynard, MA

  • Salager JL (2002) Surfactant’s types and uses. Fire p booket-E300-attaching aid in surfactant science and engineering, Merida, Venezuela

  • Saxena A, Pathak AK, Ojha K (2014) Synergistic effects of ionic characteristics of surfactants on aqueous foam stability, gel strength, and rheology in the presence of neutral polymer. Ind Eng Chem Res 53(49):19184–19191

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simjoo M, Rezaei T, Andrianov A, Zitha PLJ (2013) Foam stability in the presence of oil: effect of surfactant concentration and oil type. Colloids Surf A 438:148–158

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sliwinski J, Power M, Hughes P, Harrington J (2010) Integrated shale gas evaluation: a study of QEMSCAN, SEM and optical petrography, XRD and geochemistry of selected potential and producing North American Gas Shales

  • Smith M, Terracina J (2006) Forming a foamed fracturing fluid comprising: water; surfactant comprising a tertiary alkyl amine ethoxylate; gelling agent; gas; introducing the foamed fracturing fluid into a subterranean formation at a pressure sufficient to create a fracture in the subterranean formation; introducing acid: Google Patents

  • Stevens P (2012) The ‘shale gas revolution’: developments and changes. Chatham house briefing paper, 4. Accessed on 18 Nov 2014. http://kms2.isn.ethz.ch/serviceengine/Files/ESDP/152859/ipublicationdocument_singledocument/5a2f29de-7bb0-4dfe-bfd1-380c7e64a7de/en/bp0812_stevens.pdf

  • Sun X, Liang X, Wang S, Lu Y (2014a) Experimental study on the rheology of CO2 viscoelastic surfactant foam fracturing fluid. J Petrol Sci Eng 119:104–111

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun Y, Wu Q, Wei M, Bai B, Ma Y (2014b) Experimental study of friction reducer flows in microfracture. Fuel 131:28–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun Q, Li Z, Wang J, Li S, Li B, Jiang L, Wang H, Lu Q, Zhang C, Liu W (2015) Aqueous foam stabilized by partially hydrophobic nanoparticles in the presence of surfactant. Colloids Surf A 471:54–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang M, He S, Xiong J, Zheng F (2014) A research into recyclable foam fluid for petroleum exploration and development. J Nat Gas Sci Eng 21:241–247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tingxue J, Changgui J, Haitao W, Haicheng S (2011) Study on network fracturing design method in shale gas. Pet Drill Tech 39(3):36–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Vermylen JP (2011) Geomechanical studies of the Barnett shale. Stanford University, Texas

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang ZG, Wang SZ, Sun X (2012) The influence of surfactant concentration on rheology and proppant-carrying capacity of VES fluids. Adv Mater Res 361:574–578

    Google Scholar 

  • Wanniarachchi WAM, Ranjith PG, Perera MSA, Lashin A, Al Arifi N, Li JC (2015) Current opinions on foam-based hydro-fracturing in deep geological reservoirs. Geomech Geophys Geo Energy Geo Resour 1(3):121–134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waters GA, Dean BK, Downie RC, Kerrihard KJ, Austbo L, McPherson B (2009) Simultaneous hydraulic fracturing of adjacent horizontal wells in the Woodford Shale. In: SPE hydraulic fracturing technology conference. Society of Petroleum Engineers

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Deep Earth Energy Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Building 60, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia

    W. A. M. Wanniarachchi, P. G. Ranjith & M. S. A. Perera

  2. Department of Infrastructure Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Building 176, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia

    M. S. A. Perera

Authors
  1. W. A. M. Wanniarachchi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. P. G. Ranjith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. S. A. Perera
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. G. Ranjith.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wanniarachchi, W.A.M., Ranjith, P.G. & Perera, M.S.A. Shale gas fracturing using foam-based fracturing fluid: a review. Environ Earth Sci 76, 91 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-017-6399-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-017-6399-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation