What is oilfield fracturing?

Oilfield fracturing is a method of forming fractures in oil layers through hydraulic action, also known as reservoir hydraulic fracturing. The process of reservoir fracturing is to squeeze a liquid with high pressure, large displacement and high viscosity into the reservoir with a fracturing truck. When oil enters many fractures in layers, proppants (such as quartz sand) are added to fill the fractures, so as to improve the permeability of the reservoir and increase the water injection (water injection wells) or oil production (oil wells). Commonly used fracturing fluids include five basic types: water-based fracturing fluid, oil-based fracturing fluid, emulsified fracturing fluid, foam fracturing fluid and acid-based fracturing fluid.

Fracturing is an important link in the exploration and development engineering sequence of medium and low permeability oil fields. Due to the limitation of reservoir physical properties and the pollution of drilling fluid in the process of drilling, the natural productivity of oil wells after perforation is low and the production efficiency is poor, so they can only be put into normal production after fracturing. Fracturing reconstruction is an important means for scientific development of medium and low permeability oil and gas fields.

According to the reservoir characteristics and the needs of oilfield development, fracturing technology has been continuously innovated, and fracturing technologies such as layered fracturing, multi-fracture fracturing, selective fracturing, balanced fracturing, long rubber tube thick oil reservoir fracturing, current limiting fracturing, end desanding fracturing, horizontal well fracturing, casing damage well fracturing and slim hole fracturing have been developed. Single well fracturing stimulation has developed into block fracturing stimulation and water injection stimulation in the whole oilfield. At present, we are continuing to study new technologies and broaden new fields.