An Enhanced Oil and Gas Recovery in Shale Formations: Enhanced recovery in shale formations

This research focuses on: (1) explaining the observed increase in well flow rate resulting from long shut-in periods in some production wells, and (2) investigating whether water-flooding can improve hydrocarbon recovery in the greater Bakken formations. Relevant is-sues include pore size and distribution, pore architecture, hydrocarbon composition, salinity, wettability, capillarity, osmotic pressure, and geomechanical alterations of pore connectivity because of waterflooding. Waterflooding may induce an increase in the shear stress followed by rock failure because of an increase in pore pressure and a decrease in temperature. Two numerical models were developed to: (1) investigate the effect of gravity, capillarity and osmoticity on phase re-distribution during well shut-in and (2) determine the effect of induced stress generated by waterflooding on creation of microfractures to stimulate reservoir performance.