Chevron U.s.a. Inc.

Robert Neil Trotter

Toni Zhang Miao

Caleb Kimbrell Carroll

Amos Sunghyun Kim

John Bryan Trenery, Jr

Deyuan Kong

Harold Gordon Riordan

Roopa Kamath

Cory James McDaniel

Matthew David Sonnier

John Thomas Lattal

Jonathon Donald Fisher

Harry Martin Fernau

The present disclosure provides methods and systems for hydrofracturing processes utilizing native drilling cuttings to enhance wellbore permeability. The native drilling cuttings are obtained during drilling operations and may be used in hydrofracturing applications without further grinding or processing. The native drilling cuttings can be combined into a slurry and injected into a well for the hydrofracturing application. In some cases, the native drilling cuttings are dried before combining them with the slurry.

Hydrofracturing applications utilizing drilling cuttings for enhancement of wellbore permeability

Hydrocarbons concentrations are determined in drilling cuttings samples by generating a model for predicting hydrocarbons concentrations. Methods include dividing multiple samples removed from drilling fluid into two one set analyzed using a retort, and another set analyzed using a handheld NIR spectrometer to obtain NIR diffuse reflectance data. PLS analysis is used to correlate the retort data with the diffuse reflectance data to generate a calibration model. The model is validated with samples having unknown hydrocarbons concentration. The model is used to predict the hydrocarbons concentration for samples removed from drilling fluid taken from the rig site using the spectrometer to obtain diffuse reflectance data. During measurements, each sample contains 0.1 to 10 wt % moisture and each sample is in a clear container pressed against the spectrometer window such that the IR source from the handheld device can pass to the drilled solids sample within the clear container without opening the clear container.

Method for determining hydrocarbon concentration in drilled solids using near infrared spectroscopy

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Conroe, TX, United States of America

Robert Neil Trotter