Sign in Subscribe
Technical institutes

Casing Deformation Restricts Shale Gas Development in Baima Block

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Research conducted by the Petroleum Engineering Technology Research Institute has shown that casing deformation is a significant restriction on the development and utilization of shale gas in the Baima block. The study, which used a combination of field investigation and numerical simulation, found that 83% of casing deformation occurs during the fracturing operation in the Baima block, and 44% of casing deformation points are located in the perforated section. Hydraulic fracturing leads to fault fracture activity, which in turn induces fault slip and causes casing deformation.

Key Takeaways:

  • Casing deformation is a major restriction on shale gas development in the Baima block, occurring in 83% of fracturing operations.
  • The majority of casing deformation (44%) occurs in the perforated section of the casing.
  • Hydraulic fracturing is the primary cause of casing deformation, leading to fault fracture activity and subsequent fault slip.
  • The stress variation law of perforated casing is similar to that of blank casing, with the casing stress increasing gradually as slippage increases.
  • The casing stress is significantly affected by perforation parameters, including perforation diameter and perforation density.
  • As the slippage and slip angle increase, fault slip becomes the main factor affecting casing stress.
  • The study results provide ideas and theoretical basis for optimizing casing perforation parameters under fault slip and investigating the deformation mechanism of shale gas casing.
  • Research was conducted using a combination of field investigation and numerical simulation, providing a comprehensive understanding of the issue.
  • Qin Wenbin, Petroleum Engineering Technology Research Institute, Sinopec Jianghan Oilfield Company, was involved in the research, along with additional authors Wang Li, Li Zhonghui, Liu Jian, Zhang Junlan, and Dong Jining.
  • The study results were published in the journal Shiyou jixie, 2025, 53 (9): 111-119, and are freely available at https://doi-org.sdpl.idm.oclc.org/10.12473/CPM.202408055.

Statistics:

  • 83% of casing deformation occurs during the fracturing operation in the Baima block.
  • 44% of casing deformation points are located in the perforated section.
  • The casing stress is the largest when the dip angle is 60°.
  • When considering perforation parameters, the greater the perforation diameter and perforation density, the greater the casing stress.
  • The mean stress of the perforated casing is 1.5 times that of the blank casing when the slippage is 1 mm.
  • Fault slip becomes the main factor affecting casing stress as the slippage and slip angle increase.

Sources:

  • Influence of Fault Slip on the Stress of Perforated Casing in Shale Gas Horizontal Wells of Baima Block. Shiyou jixie, 2025, 53 (9): 111-119.
  • Petroleum Engineering Technology Research Institute, 2025.
  • Qin Wenbin, et al. "Influence of Fault Slip on the Stress of Perforated Casing in Shale Gas Horizontal Wells of Baima Block." Shiyou jixie 53.9 (2025): 111-119.

Read more