Rock-Fluid Interaction Services

Optimized completions through system interaction understanding

Understanding the rock-fluid system (RFS) is critical for completion optimization. The RFS includes the rock, saturating fluids (both hydrocarbons and connate water), soluble minerals, and introduced completion fluids.

Fluid flow behavior and rock type are tightly coupled in unconventional reservoirs because of the high surface areas, very high capillary pressures, and complexity of both organic and mineral surfaces that exist in these complex pore structures.

Illustration of rock-fluid interaction services.

All tests can be integrated into comprehensive custom service packages to provide a more complete, detailed understanding of the rock-fluid system.

Schlumberger worker looking at three monitors while performing rock-fluid interaction services.

Packages

Surface area and pore characterization
Gas sorption, mercury-injection capillary pressure (MICP), and cation-exchange capacity (CEC) measurements are used to characterize the surface area and pore structures of the rock.

Native fluids extraction and characterization
Services are offered to extract and characterize the native hydro-carbons in unconventional rocks. Characterization of composition and phase behavior at reservoir temperatures and pressures can be done in conjunction with Schlumberger Reservoir Laboratories.

Connate water characterization scaling potential, salt migration, and mineral dissolution
Unconventional reservoirs often contain vast quantities of salt and readily soluble minerals that can dissolve and diffuse into the introduced fracturing fluids. Their variety of salts and minerals can be fully characterized, and full flowback fluid analysis is available.

Chemomechanical effects

Numerous chemomechanical tests are routinely performed to measure

loss of fracture conductivity due to proppant embedment
loss of unconfined compressive strength (UCS) due to fluids exposure sensitivity of swelling clays
rock failure and fines generation.

Flowback pressure management testing and modeling services are also provided.

Fluids retention and migration

The vast majority of the fluid pumped during fracturing treatments stays in the formation. Where does it go? What does it do? Services include

quantitative imbibition
quantitative fluid leakoff
advancing and receding contact angles used to predict fluid imbibition into the rock and the retention of fluid in the fracture.