This study outlines a new method for disposing of hazardous (e.g., nuclear) waste. The technique is called Abyssal Sequestration, and it involves placing the waste at extreme depths in Earth’s crust where it could achieve the geologically long period of isolation. Abyssal Sequestration involves storing the waste in hydraulic fractures driven by gravity, a process we term as gravity fracturing. ...

Hydraulic fracturing is an important method of reservoir stimulation in the exploitation of geothermal resources, and conventional and unconventional oil and gas resources. In this article, hydraulic fracturing experiments with shale, sandstone cores (from southern Sichuan Basin), and granite cores (from Inner Mongolia) were conducted to investigate the different hydraulic fracture extension pa...

The selection of appropriate wells for hydraulic fracturing is one of the most important decisions faced by oilfield engineers. It has significant implications for the future development of an oilfield in terms of its productivity and economics. In this study, we developed a fuzzy model for well selection that combines the major objective criteria with the subjective judgments of decision maker...

Methods: A cohesive fracture model is adopted together with a discrete crack and without predetermined fracture path. The fracture is filled with interface elements which in the 2D case are quadrangular and triangular elements and in the 3D case are either tetrahedral or wedge elements. The Rankine criterion is used for fracture nucleation and advancement. In a 2D setting the fracture follows d...

Oilfield Review Autumn 2011: 23, no. 3. Copyright © 2011 Schlumberger. ClearFRAC and HiWAY are marks of Schlumberger. In 1947, Stanolind Oil & Gas performed the first experimental hydraulic fracturing treatment in the Hugoton field in southwestern Kansas, USA. Since then, E&P companies have employed this reservoir stimulation technique extensively to enhance or prolong well productivity. Indeed...

The development of most unconventional oil and gas resources relies upon subsurface injection of very large volumes of fluids, which can induce earthquakes by activating slip on a nearby fault. During the last 5 years, accelerated oilfield fluid injection has led to a sharp increase in the rate of earthquakes in some parts of North America. In the central United States, most induced seismicity ...

Advances in drilling technologies and production strategies such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have significantly improved the production of natural gas by stimulating fluid flow from wells. Since 2008, these technological developments have spurred exponential growth of gas well drilling across the U.S. While the new drilling for shale gas and hydraulic fracturing technologies...

In-situ remedial strategies that involve the injection of a remedial fluid offer much promise for cost-effectively treating groundwater contaminants such as chlorinated solvent compounds, nitrated explosives, and perchlorate. The successful implementation of many in-situ remediation projects is dependant on the ability to develop an efficient and effective system for the delivery of the necessa...

The ability to produce from low permeability, tight gas reservoirs is directly tied to the ability to repetitively perform successful hydraulic fracturing in a series of closely spaced wells. The key question is whether the induced fractures remain open and permeable, which is in part a function of the stress field and the emplacement of proppant. We study the ability to detect and characterize...