Fractura Hidraúlica. Fracking. Video Informativo sobre la técnica del Shale.
Summary
TLDRThe script discusses unconventional geological formations like shale that hold abundant gas and oil reserves. It details the process of hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking', developed in the 1940s, used to enhance permeability in these formations. The process involves drilling, well casing with multiple barriers to protect freshwater aquifers, and high-pressure fluid injection to create micro-fissures for hydrocarbon extraction. It also covers the use of chemical additives in the fracturing fluid, the monitoring of fracture growth, and the treatment of flowback water. Finally, it mentions well decommissioning and site restoration.
Takeaways
- 🌋 Unconventional geological formations like tight sandstone and shale can contain abundant oil and gas resources.
- 🚧 The hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking' technique, developed in the 1940s in the USA, is widely used to enhance permeability in these formations.
- 🔩 The process starts with the assembly of the well location, ensuring environmental care and adherence to strict regulations.
- 💧 The fracking fluid, over 99% water and special sands, includes a small percentage of chemical additives, typically less than 1%.
- 🛠️ A drill bit is used to bore the well, starting with a 30 cm diameter and often reaching depths of around 3000 meters.
- 🔄 The well is cased and cemented in multiple layers to create a secure barrier, especially in the initial 300 meters to protect freshwater aquifers.
- 📊 Diagnostic methods are employed to ensure the well's integrity before proceeding with drilling to the target formation.
- 🌐 Horizontal drilling is sometimes required, extending over 2000 meters, to access hydrocarbons within the formation.
- 💥 High-pressure pumping of the fracking fluid creates micro-fissures in the rock, allowing oil and gas to flow towards the well.
- ♻️ After the fracturing process, the 'flowback' water, which is returned to the surface, contains high levels of salts and must be treated for reuse or reinjection.
- 🏁 Once the well's productive life ends, abandonment procedures are carried out, which include removing surface valves, filling the well with cement, and sealing the wellhead.
Q & A
What are unconventional geological formations known for?
-Unconventional geological formations are known for containing abundant resources of gas and oil, despite their low or null permeability.
How deep are the unconventional formations typically exploited?
-Unconventional formations are exploited at depths of thousands of meters underground.
What is an example of a location where unconventional hydrocarbons are extracted?
-An example is Vaca Muerta, where the hydrocarbons of interest are located on average at about 3000 meters below the surface.
What technique is used to extract hydrocarbons from low-permeability formations?
-The technique used is known as hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking', which involves creating micro-fissures in the rock to improve permeability.
When was the hydraulic fracturing technique developed?
-The hydraulic fracturing technique was developed in the United States in the late 1940s.
What does the fracking fluid consist of, and what is its primary purpose?
-The fracking fluid consists of over 99% water and special sands, with about a dozen chemical additives in very low concentrations. Its primary purpose is to create and maintain micro-fissures in the rock for hydrocarbon flow.
What percentage of the fracking fluid is made up of chemical additives?
-Chemical additives constitute less than 1% of the total fracking fluid.
What are the main components of the chemical additives in the fracking fluid?
-The main components include hydrochloric acid, a gelling agent (usually guar gum), surfactants, and other substances like bactericides and anti-corrosives.
How is the well protected from potential contamination during the fracking process?
-The well is protected by a triple barrier of steel and cement, which isolates it from geological formations and potential freshwater aquifers.
What is the purpose of the special inert sand used in the fracking process?
-The special inert sand, known as a proppant, is used to keep the created fissures open, allowing gas and oil to flow through.
How is the flowback water, which returns to the surface after fracking, managed?
-The flowback water, which contains high levels of salts and other minerals, must be treated and can be reused in new fracking operations or re-injected into deep underground formations, away from freshwater aquifers.
What happens to a well after its productive life is over?
-After a well has ended its productive life, it undergoes abandonment procedures where surface valves are removed, the well is filled with cement, and the wellhead is capped with special plugs.
Outlines
🚧 Hydraulic Fracturing Process
This paragraph describes the process of hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking', a technique used to extract unconventional hydrocarbons from formations with low permeability. The process begins with the drilling of wells to depths of several thousand meters, such as the Vaca Muerta formation. Once the wells are drilled, hydraulic fracturing is employed to create micro-fissures in the rock to enhance permeability, allowing gas and oil to flow towards the well. The operation starts with site preparation, ensuring environmental safety and compliance with regulations. The well is drilled using a trepan, and a casing is cemented to isolate it from water aquifers. Diagnostic methods are used to check the well's integrity. The well may be drilled horizontally to reach the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. After drilling, the well is perforated, and a fracturing fluid, primarily composed of water and special sands with a small percentage of chemical additives, is injected at high pressure to create fractures. These fractures are kept open with special inert sands to facilitate the flow of hydrocarbons. The operation is monitored from the surface to control the growth and direction of the fractures.
🔄 Post-Fracturing Operations
Following the initial fracturing process, the paragraph details the subsequent steps in hydrocarbon extraction. A plug is placed to isolate the fractured zone, and the fracturing procedure is repeated multiple times depending on the well design. After fracturing, a portion of the injected fluid returns to the surface as 'flowback' water, which contains high levels of salts and must be treated for reuse or reinjection into deep formations, away from freshwater aquifers. As the flowback water decreases, hydrocarbons begin to flow. All drilling and fracturing equipment is then removed, leaving only the wellhead visible. The well's production can last for decades after the few days required for drilling and completion. At the end of its productive life, the well is decommissioned by removing surface valves, filling the well with cement, and sealing it with special plugs, preparing the site for future productive activities or ecological restoration.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Geological formations
💡Unconventional resources
💡Hydraulic fracturing (fracking)
💡Permeability
💡Well completion
💡Horizontal drilling
💡Fracturing fluid
💡Proppants
💡Flowback
💡Well abandonment
Highlights
Unconventional geological formations like tight sandstone and shale can contain abundant gas and oil resources.
These formations are exploited at depths of thousands of meters using techniques like hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking'.
Hydraulic fracturing was developed in the USA in the late 1940s and has been used in Argentina since 1959.
The process involves creating micro-fissures in the rock to improve permeability and allow hydrocarbons to flow towards the well.
Environmental regulations require that all operations be conducted in dry locations with strict containment measures.
Drilling begins with a drill bit that grinds the rock and bores the well, starting with a 30 cm diameter.
A safety zone with double or triple casing is established in the first 300 meters to protect freshwater aquifers.
Diagnostic methods are used to ensure the well's integrity before proceeding with drilling.
Horizontal drilling may be required, sometimes exceeding 2,000 meters in length.
The well is completed by perforating and segmenting it to connect with hydrocarbon-bearing formations.
A fracturing fluid, over 99% water and special sands, is injected at high pressure to create fractures.
Chemical additives make up less than 1% of the fracturing fluid and are not in contact with the environment.
The fracturing process is monitored from the surface to control the growth and direction of the fractures.
The process is repeated 5 to 30 times depending on the well design.
About 20% of the injected fluid returns to the surface as flowback water, which must be treated for reuse.
Hydrocarbons begin to flow once the flowback water is reduced, and all drilling and fracturing equipment is removed.
Wells are decommissioned at the end of their productive life, with valves removed, cement filling, and sealed with special plugs.
Transcripts
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las formaciones geológicas conocidas
como rocas generadoras o yale así como
las denominadas skype pueden contener
abundantes recursos de gas y petróleo
estas formaciones no convencionales
llamadas así por su baja o nula
permeabilidad se explotan a miles de
metros de profundidad es por ejemplo el
caso de vaca muerta cuyas horas de
interés se ubican en promedio a unos
3000 metros bajo la superficie para
extraer hidrocarburos no convencionales
alojados en formaciones child y time es
necesario una vez perforados los pozos
utilizar una técnica conocida como
estimulación hidráulica fractura
hidráulica o fracking esta técnica que
fue desarrollada en eeuu hacia fines de
los años 40 y se utiliza en nuestro país
en la mayoría de los pozos
convencionales desde 1959 busca mejorar
la permeabilidad de las formaciones que
contienen hidrocarburos mediante micro
fisuras en la roca de varios metros de
longitud y apenas unos milímetros de
espesor
una vez creadas el gas y el petróleo
pueden fluir hacia el pozo a través de
esas micro fisuras para ser recuperados
en la superficie la operación comienza
con el armado de la locación el cuidado
del medio ambiente y las estrictas
regulaciones obligan a que las
locaciones sean secas esto quiere decir
que todos los fluidos deben manejarse en
compartimentos perfectamente estancos y
sellados al igual que cualquier aditivo
químico sólido una vez completada la
locación comienza a trabajar el trepan o
herramienta que al girar tritura la roca
y perfora el pozo
en la boca que es su parte más ancha el
pozo mide unos 30 centímetros de
diámetro durante los primeros 300 metros
de la perforación pueden encontrarse
acuíferos de agua dulce a diferencia de
los más profundos que -salvo
excepciones- contienen agua salada
por eso a lo largo de esos primeros
metros se constituye una zona de
seguridad en la que se practica un doble
o triple encamisado este encamisado
consiste en entubar el pozo con cañerías
especiales y cementarlo a presión desde
el interior hacia afuera así en los
primeros metros el pozo queda
perfectamente aislado de las formaciones
geológicas y los eventuales acuíferos de
agua dulce por una triple barrera de
acero y cemento
la etapa siguiente implica utilizar
métodos de diagnóstico para asegurar que
la integridad del pozo sea perfecta
la perforación continúa hasta la
formación objetivo en donde se
encuentran los hidrocarburos en
ocasiones el diseño del pozo puede
requerir ingresar en la formación
horizontalmente a veces superando los
2.000 metros de extensión
el pozo está terminado cuando queda
entubado y segmentado a lo largo de toda
su extensión
para conectar el interior del pozo con
las formaciones en las que se encuentran
los hidrocarburos es necesario pulsarlo
esto se logra con herramientas
especiales que generan orificios de
menos de 1 centímetros de diámetro a
través de el acero y del cemento
practicados estos orificios comienzan la
inyección del fluido de fractura este
fluido consta en más del 99% de agua y
arenas especiales con la adición
alrededor de una docena de aditivos
químicos en muy bajas concentraciones
estos aditivos constituyen menos del 1
por ciento del fluido total y en ningún
momento entran en contacto con el medio
ambiente la mitad del volumen de
aditivos químicos aproximadamente
corresponde al ácido clorhídrico el 25
por ciento del volumen de aditivos
químicos es un gelificante en general
goma guar y el 25% restante está
compuesto por surfactantes rectores de
gel bactericidas y anticorrosivos entre
otros
la composición del fluido de fractura es
declarada ante la autoridad de
aplicación antes y después de practicada
la operación el fluido es bombeado desde
la superficie a gran presión una vez
alcanzada la presión adecuada comienzan
a abrirse las fisuras en la roca estas
fisuras tienden a crecer más en forma
horizontal que en forma vertical unos
250 metros hacia él
y entre 40 y 80 metros hacia arriba y
hacia abajo toda la operación ocurre a
miles de metros de la superficie y de
los eventuales acuíferos de agua dulce
para evitar que las fisuras vuelvan a
cerrarse se utiliza un agente de sostén
en este caso arenas especiales inertes
que mantienen abiertas las fisuras
permitiendo el paso de gas y del
petróleo toda la operación se controla
desde la superficie para conocer
exactamente y en tiempo real el
crecimiento de las fisuras y así darles
la dirección y la longitud deseadas
terminada la primera etapa de fractura
se pasa a la siguiente para eso se
coloca un tapón que aísla la zona del
pozo ya fracturada y se repite el
procedimiento entre 5 y 30 veces
dependiendo del diseño del pozo
llega el momento entonces de remover los
tapones
al principio cerca del 20% del fluido
inyectado regresa a la superficie esta
agua de retorno o flow pack contiene
altos niveles de sales cloruros y
carbonatos y debe ser tratada
obligatoriamente para ser reutilizada en
nuevas operaciones de estimulación
hidráulica lo cual reduce el
requerimiento de agua fresca
también puede ser re inyectada en
formaciones profundas a miles de metros
de la superficie y de eventuales
acuíferos de agua dulce en pozos
autorizados por la autoridad de
aplicación
a medida que se reduce la cantidad de
agua de retorno comienzan a fluir los
hidrocarburos en este momento todos los
equipos de perforación y fractura se han
retirado quedando solo a la vista y el
cabezal del pozo
los trabajos de perforación y
terminación de un pozo demandan unos
pocos días frente a las décadas durante
las cuales el pozo podría producir
hidrocarburos cuando el pozo finaliza su
vida útil se practican los trabajos de
abandono se retiran las válvulas
superficiales y se rellena el pozo con
cemento antes de asegurar su boca con
tapones especiales la locación queda
lista para nuevas actividades
productivas o para ser re poblada por
las especies locales
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