New Generation Fracturing Fluid with Superior Proppant Transport and Oil Displacement Functionalities

Multifunctional fracturing fluid is desirable in the oil and gas industry as it can simplify hydraulic fracturing operations and reduce environmental impact. Traditional high-viscosity fluids, like borate crosslinked fluid, can effectively transport proppant to keep fractures open but can constrain fracture length and damage the proppant pack. Conversely, low-viscosity options like linear gels, can extend fracture length and facilitate secondary fractures, but have limited proppant carrying capabilities. Recent efforts have attempted to combine fracturing fluid with surfactants to achieve both hydraulic fracturing and improved oil recovery. However, these efforts require multiple additives and still lack sufficient proppant transportation. This study introduces a new generation fracturing fluid combining superior proppant transport and oil displacement functionalities, formulated with a unique polymer containing chemically bonded oil displacement surfactant. The new fracturing fluid was evaluated using a range of tests, including static proppant suspension test, rheology test, coreflood, regained conductivity and oil displacement tests. The static proppant suspension test compared the new fracturing fluid with a linear gel. The fluid's rheological properties were measured using an advanced rheometer. The spontaneous imbibition Amott test was conducted to appraise the fluid's oil displacement properties. The coreflood and regained conductivity studies were conducted at 160°F to evaluate the fluid's formation and proppant pack damage. The new generation fracturing fluid excelled in all tests studied. In the static proppant suspension test, it suspended the 20-40 mesh ceramic proppant much longer than the traditional guar-based fluid. The rheology test revealed that the 0.3wt% fluid's storage modulus G’ is higher than the loss modulus G" across the whole spectrum of frequency tested, signifying high elasticity of the fluid. The spontaneous imbibition test demonstrated the new fluid increased the relative oil recovery rate by 12.1% compared to the control polymer. The coreflood results showed an 85.7% regained permeability for the 0.4wt% new fluid. The conductivity study showed a 94.7% regained conductivity. These results demonstrate that the next generation fracturing fluid can not only offer superior proppant transport capability but also it can be easily broken down by traditional breaker and then release the oil displacement surfactant to achieve oil displacement functionality. These features make the new fracturing fluid an excellent choice for hydraulic fracturing applications with less freshwater usage and reduced environmental impact.