GasGun™ Oil and Gas Well Stimulations in Kansas
The GasGun™ is a stimulation treatment for oil and gas wells that utilizes a low explosive to generate high-pressure gas and create fractures in reservoirs. Developed by J. Integral Engineering, Inc., of West Linn, Oregon, and Sandia National Laboratories, the process has had reasonable success in the Illinois Basin and recently over 30 applications have been conducted in Kansas.
The tool, which is normally run on wireline, contains a solid propellant, which rapidly generates high-pressure gas when it burns. Multiple fractures radiating 10 to 100 feet from the wellbore are created by the progressively burning propellants, which are much more effective at creating fractures than high explosives such as nitroglycerine.
The GasGun comes in a standard diameter of 3¼" and in lengths of 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 feet. The treatment can be performed in cased wells or open-hole completions.
The advantages of the GasGun over hydraulic fracturing are that there is minimal vertical growth of fractures, multiple fractures are created, the entire zone is stimulated, there is no need to inject fluids, less equipment is needed, and the cost is much lower. While not considered as a complete replacement for hydraulic fracturing or acidizing, it has applicability in many marginal wells which cannot justify the expense of a fracture treatment or as an initial treatment prior to acidizing or fracturing.
In Kansas, one operator has been successful in utilizing the GasGun to stimulate tight sections in the Arbuckle, allowing for low-pressure acid treatments. Six wells were shot with the GasGun, and only one was considered to be unsuccessful, as it broke into the water zone. Three of the treatments were obvious successes. Over a period of two months, the combined production of the three wells rose from 8.7 BOPD prior to treating to 30 BOPD. Due to the relatively inexpensive cost of the treatments, payout occurs in days or weeks. The operator is continuing to monitor the wells and will soon be performing similar treatments on additional wells.
The same operator utilized the process to complete a Simpson sandstone well which was tight in the producing zone and was underlain by an aquifer. After perforating and stimulating the well with the GasGun, the well was fractured at lower than normal pressure and no communication with the aquifer occurred.
A well in Russell County was stimulated with two 4' GasGuns
on top of a bridge plug at depth of 2385'. This Tarkio limestone
well went from 0 to 5 barrels of oil per day with a considerable
quantity of gas.
Other zones treated include the Mississippian, Pawnee, Fort Scott,
Altamont, Bartlesville, Burgess, and Cherokee.
Experiences in other states indicate the process has applicability in limestone, sandstone or shale, and possibly coal.
The GasGun is presently being fielded in Kansas by Log-Tech, Inc. of Hays. More information about the GasGun can be obtained from the web site, www.TheGasGun.com.