Abstract
Recent advances in high power plasma torch technology provide an apparatus to replace the conventional perforation methods in oil and gas wells. High power plasma torches are capable of cutting and removing rocks textures efficiently and they might be considered as one of the appropriate substitutions for current shaped charge perforation methods. According to its advantages the conventional shaped charge methods that one the important one is increasing permeability considerably and no need to have costly re-perforation operations to decreasing new formation damage named by perforation skin. Plasma torch perforation is gone along with heat flux generation. As the temperature increases during plasma torch operation, thermal energy accumulates the matrix expansion. This expansion generate thermal stresses induce the rock texture. Furthermore, thermal stresses exceeds the rock strength, thermal fractures will form in texture that mainly depend on rock thermal properties, pore size distribution, applied thermal stresses and confining and pore pressures. In this paper, the results of experimental studies on implementation of high power plasma torch in perforation and fracture initiation in oil and gas wells is presented. Also, numerically analyzing of generating these thermal fractures during plasma torch perforation will facilitate hydraulic fracturing operation.
