USE OF DIRECTIONAL DRILLING COMBINED WITH HYDRAULIC FRACTURING IN THE EXPLOITATION OF EVAPORITE ROCK IN THE BRAZILIAN CONTINENTAL PLATFORM AND ADJACENT AREAS.

   

Photo by Zbynek Burival on Unsplash

     The present work seeks to make a literature review on the following topics: deposits of evaporite rocks located in the Brazilian continental shelf and adjacent areas, solution mining, directional drilling and fracking. Once this review is done, we will suggest the combined use of directional drilling, fracking and solution mine in the development of a new method for the exploitation of evaporite rocks. It is, therefore, a work whose primary objective is to provide a bibliographic review on the proposed topics and as a secondary objective to propose the combined use of these techniques in the elaboration of a new method for the exploitation of evaporite rocks. This work constitutes an source of consulting in Portuguese regarding the proposed topics, above all, directional drilling, given the almost complete scarcity on that topic in Portuguese. The study was structured in such a way as to discuss each of the proposed topics by making a bibliographical review on them, in order to provide us with the theoretical basis necessary to suggest the combined use of these techniques in the exploitation of evaporite deposits, also, we discuss geo-structural, geo-mechanical, political and market aspects of evaporite rocks located on the Brazilian continental shelf and adjacent areas, general principles and characteristics of the solution mine used in the exploitation of such deposits and finally we explain the technique of Directional drilling and fracking in the exploitation of unconventional (shale) hydrocarbon reserves. Once this review is carried out, we suggest a new method of exploitation of evaporite rocks that uses in combination the technology already existing in the oil and gas industry and the traditional mining method (solution mine) used in the exploitation of these reserves. Through this research, we conclude that from the theoretical point of view it is possible to implement this new method of exploitation of evaporite rocks, meanwhile, practical works must be carried out to support the viability of the same.

Key words: Directional drilling, Fracking, Solution mine, Evaporites, Underwater exploitation.

The complete work can be read by clicking here.

Regularização Mineral Consultoria