Influencing factors and prevention measures of casing deformation in deep shale gas wells in Luzhou block, southern Sichuan Basin, SW China

Based on structural distribution and fault characteristics of the Luzhou block, southern Sichuan Basin, as well as microseismic, well logging and in-situ stress data, the casing deformation behaviors of deep shale gas wells are summarized, and the casing deformation mechanism and influencing factors are identified. Then, the risk assessment chart of casing deformation is plotted, and the measures for preventing and controlling casing deformation are proposed. Fracturing-activated fault slip is a main factor causing the casing deformation in deep shale gas wells in the Luzhou block. In the working area, the approximate fracture angle is primarily 10°–50°, accounting for 65.34%, and the critical pore pressure increment for fault-activation is 6.05–9.71 MPa. The casing deformation caused by geological factors can be prevented/controlled by avoiding the faults at risk and deploying wells in areas with low value of stress factor. The casing deformation caused by engineering factors can be prevented/controlled by: (1) keeping wells avoid faults with risks of activation and slippage, or deploying wells in areas far from the faulting center if such avoidance is impossible; (2) optimizing the wellbore parameters, for example, adjusting the wellbore orientation to reduce the shear force on casing to a certain extent and thus mitigate the casing deformation; (3) optimizing the casing program to ensure that the curvature radius of the curved section of horizontal well is greater than 200 m while the drilling rate of high-quality reservoirs is not impaired; (4) optimizing the fracturing parameters, for example, increasing the evasive distance, lowering the single-operation pressure, and increasing the stage length, which can help effectively reduce the risk of casing deformation.