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Theory and Application of Pseudo-Reservoir Hydraulic Stimulation for Coalbed Methane Indirect Extraction in Horizontal Well: Part 2—Application

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Abstract

This paper provides details of the application of pseudo-reservoir stimulation technique to a U-shaped coalbed methane (CBM) well (i.e., Well ZU-01) in Jiaozuo mining area. Multistage hydrojet fracturing and channel fracturing were adopted to promote fracture network forming and fracture vertical propagation in pseudo-reservoir. The results of the pseudo-reservoir stimulation indicate that influenced by the reservoir lithology and coal structure between the horizontal well and coal seam, the fractures at the first stimulation stage only propagated in the pseudo-reservoir. However, the stimulations at the second, third and fourth stages achieved integrated stimulation of pseudo-reservoir and coal seam. The gas production rate of Well ZU-01 was only 1000 m3/d in the stable production stage. However, through negative-pressure extraction in the mine roadway, the joint gas extraction rate from the underground roadway and Well ZU-01 reached 6000 m3/d. After 450 days of extraction, the cumulative gas production was 15.55 × 105 m3, and the CBM extraction rate reached approximately 50%, indicating that good pseudo-reservoir stimulation and gas pre-extraction effects were achieved. The results of the adsorption/desorption and wettability tests show that water blocking damage caused by the slickwater fracturing fluid severely hindered the gas desorption and production processes, which was the main reason for the low gas production of the well. However, the water blocking damage was mitigated through negative-pressure extraction, resulting in a significant increase in CBM production.

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Modified after Su et al. (2018a)

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Modified after Li et al. (2011).

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province (182300410004); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41872176); and the Science and Technology Major project of Shanxi Province (20191102001). The first author would like to acknowledge the China Scholarship Council for supporting his study at the University of Queensland. We thank Prof. Diane Donovan from the University of Queensland for checking and revising the English writing. We are also grateful for constructive comments by reviewers and editor on an earlier draft of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Energy Science and Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, 454000, Henan, China

    Qian Wang, Hongyu Guo & Jinxing Song

  2. School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Qian Wang

  3. Unconventional Gas Research Institute, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, 454000, Henan, China

    Xianbo Su

  4. Collaborative Innovation Center of Coalbed Methane and Shale Gas for Central Plains Economic Region, Jiaozuo, 454000, Henan, China

    Xianbo Su

  5. School of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia

    Linan Su

  6. Shanxi Resources and Environment Survey of Coal Geology, Taiyuan, 030031, Shanxi, China

    Zengliang Zhu

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Wang, Q., Su, X., Su, L. et al. Theory and Application of Pseudo-Reservoir Hydraulic Stimulation for Coalbed Methane Indirect Extraction in Horizontal Well: Part 2—Application. Nat Resour Res 29, 3895–3915 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-020-09681-9

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