FURUI, Kenji

写真a

Affiliation

Faculty of Science and Engineering, School of Creative Science and Engineering

Job title

Professor
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Concurrent Post 【 display / non-display 】

  • Faculty of Science and Engineering   Graduate School of Creative Science and Engineering

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Research Institute 【 display / non-display 】

  • 2020
    -
    2022

    理工学術院総合研究所   兼任研究員

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Education 【 display / non-display 】

  • 2001.08
    -
    2004.05

    The University of Texas at Austin   Petroleum Engineering  

  • 2000.08
    -
    2001.08

    The University of Texas at Austin   Others   Petroleum Engineering  

  • 1995.04
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    1999.03

    Waseda University   Faculty of Engineering  

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Degree 【 display / non-display 】

  • Waseda University   B.S.

  • University of Texas at Austin   M.S.

  • University of Texas at Austin   Doctor of Philosophy

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Research Experience 【 display / non-display 】

  • 2015.03
    -
    　

    Waseda University   Department of Resources and Environmental Engineering   Associate Professor

  • 2014.08
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    2015.03

    ConocoPhillips   Global Completion Engineering   Staff Completion Engineer

  • 2012.08
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    2014.08

    ConocoPhillips Norway   Well Operation   Completion Geomechanics Engineer

  • 2006.08
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    2012.08

    ConocoPhillips   Global Completion Engineering   Staff Completion Engineer

  • 2004.08
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    2006.08

    Baker Oil Tools   Cased Hole Completion System   Applications Engineer

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Professional Memberships 【 display / non-display 】

  • 2021.10
    -
    Now

    International Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering

  • 2021.10
    -
    Now

    American Rock Mechanics Association

  • 2021.01
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    Now

    European Geosciences Union

  • 2021.01
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    Now

    American Geophysical Union

  • 2017
    -
    Now

    The Japan Petroleum Institute

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Research Areas 【 display / non-display 】

  • Earth resource engineering, Energy sciences

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Research Interests 【 display / non-display 】

  • Numerical simulation

  • Well performance analysis

  • Hydraulic fracturing

  • Well Stimulation

  • Well completions

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Papers 【 display / non-display 】

  • Development of new degradable and swelling diverting agent for use in low temperature hydraulic fracturing treatments

    Ken Sato, Kenji Shinohara, Kenji Furui, Shusaku Mandai, Chizuko Ishihara, Yasuhiro Hirano, Ryosuke Taniguchi

    Society of Petroleum Engineers - SPE Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition 2020, APOG 2020    2020

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    Copyright 2020, Society of Petroleum Engineers. It has been reported that hydraulic fracturing treatments with smaller cluster spacing and larger fracturing fluids volumes yield better production performance in Permian Basin, Bakken, and Eagle Ford. Degradable diverting agents can play an important role as temporary plugging materials for multiple, tightly-spaced fracturing operations. However, applications of degradable diverting agents are often limited to moderate to high reservoir temperatures. In this study, a new degradable diverting agent is developed for use in low temperature reservoir applications. Butane-diol vinyl alcohol co-polymer (BVOH) which has controllable water solubility is evaluated as diverting agents for hydraulic fracturing treatments. Using a high pressure-high temperature filtration apparatus, filtration properties of BVOH diverting agents are measured for various powder-to-pellet ratios under a range of temperature conditions. Filter media with 1 to 3 mm width slots, that simulate fracture openings, are used for the filtration test. The filtrate properties are evaluated based on spurt losses and filtration coefficients for quantitative evaluation. An analytical diverting agent model that considers swelling of the polymer in water is also developed for evaluating the filtration process of multimodal particles. The experimental results presented in this work indicate that the degradable BVOH materials can be used as effective plugging agents for fracture-like narrow slits. Based on spurt losses and leakoff coefficients obtained under different powder-to-pellet ratios and temperature conditions, the performance of the diverting agents is quantitatively evaluated. The optimum powder-to-pellet ratio for BVOH materials are determined to be 80 to 20. The experimental results also reveal that the degree of BVOH crystallinity provides a dominant effect on the solubility of BVOH powder. The test results also indicate that the diverting agent plug properties started degrading under the temperature greater than 140°F as designed. The BVOH diverting agent developed in this work provides effective diversion effects under low to moderate temperature conditions (e.g., 80 to 100°F). The analytical plugging and bridging model developed in this work, which takes into account swelling properties of the polymer, show very good matches to the experimental results. The degradable diverting agent developed for low temperature applications improve operational efficiency and economics of multistage hydraulic fracturing treatments in shallow reservoirs and operations where immediate fracturing fluid flowback is required. The plugging and bridging model with bimodal particle system developed in this study helps stimulation engineers select and optimize diverting agent material types, particle size distribution, and diverting agent concentration for various well, stimulation, and reservoir conditions.

  • Review and analysis of zonal-isolation effectiveness in carbonate reservoirs using multistage stimulation systems

    M. Nozaki, R. C. Burton, N. R. Zwarich, K. Furui

    SPE Drilling and Completion   34 ( 4 ) 397 - 413  2019

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    Copyright © 2019 Society of Petroleum Engineers. It is common practice to complete long carbonate intervals with multistage stimulation treatments, especially in horizontal wells. Each zone is, typically, mechanically isolated using cement or openhole packers and then acid stimulated. It is important to pump the planned acid volume to the target zone without any significant loss into adjacent zones. Zonal-isolation effectiveness is rarely evaluated because of a lack of zone-specific pressure and/or temperature data. Instead, it is judged on the basis of job pressure response or post-job production logging. In this study, zone-specific pressure and temperature gauges allowed for a more effective review of zonal isolation during stimulation treatments. In this paper, we review zonal-isolation results from a series of high-rate acid jobs conducted in wells equipped with zone-specific pressure and temperature gauges. Twenty-one acid-stimulation jobs from thirteen different wells were reviewed to investigate the effectiveness of zonal isolation during and after treatment. The examples presented in this paper cover several different completion types: cemented and uncemented, intelligent well systems (IWSs), plug-and-perforate completions, and ball-activated sliding-sleeve completions. The analysis revealed several different pressures and/or flow communication patterns. Field examples and analysis results presented in this work will help engineers design and optimize the zonal-isolation distance in cemented and uncemented wells requiring multistage stimulation in carbonate fields without losing a significant pay length.

    DOI

  • Numerical study of injection-induced seismicity using a FEM-BEM coupling approach

    Masato Aoki, Kentaro Kimura, Yoichiro Iijima, Kenji Furui

    Proceedings - SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition   2019-September  2019

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    © 2019, Society of Petroleum Engineers Induced seismicity caused by underground fluid injection occurs because of pore pressure changes that lead to stress changes in the reservoir and the surrounding formations. Despite that noticeable seismic events from fluid injection is very rare, proper assessment of possible seismic events is important. The objective of this study is to develop numerical models that simulate stress changes, fault slips, and ground floor movements induced by underground fluids injection. The numerical analysis process presented in this work consists of three steps. First, stress changes around the reservoir due to fluid injection are analyzed using a FEM-BEM (Finite Element Method - Boundary Element Method) coupled model. Secondly, the stability of faults located near the reservoir is evaluated using the displacement discontinuity method. Thirdly, elastic waves caused by the fault slip is simulated using a FEM model where seismic response on the surface are calculated. A field case study is also presented to demonstrate the applicability of the numerical model developed in this work. The numerical analysis results indicate that stress concentration occurs around a boundary between the basement and sandstone beneath the reservoir. This affects the stability of existing faults in this region. As a result, when the fault is slipped, seismicity may be triggered. It is assumed that the slip is caused by stress changes in the faulted region as well as a pore pressure change in the fault, which is caused by volumetric strain changes of the fluid in the fault. A field case study based on wastewater injection in the Southwestern region of the United States where injection induced seismicity events have been recently reported, is also performed in this work. In this case study, the variation of rock strength is considered one of important factors in induced seismicity events. The novelty of our model is the ability to quantitatively assess the risk of induced seismicity due to wastewater injection, which can be also applied to other applications such as CCS and underground gas storages. Moreover, conducting risk assessment by these numerical models can improve safety of underground fluid injection operations.

    DOI

  • Analytical models for sand onset under field conditions

    E. Papamichos, K. Furui

    Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering   172   171 - 189  2019.01

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    © 2018 Elsevier B.V. Analytical sand onset models consider the tangential stress at the hole (wellbore or perforation) to compare with the strength of the formation. This simplified criterion does not consider the effect of axial and shear stress at the hole which in experiments have been shown to play a role. This paper presents the formulation of three analytical failure criteria for wellbore or perforation failure and sand onset under field conditions. The resulting analytical expressions are suitable for implementation in programs for sand onset and sand mass analyses. Expressions for critical formation strength, critical drawdown or critical depletion for sand onset are derived. The models can be calibrated on hollow cylinder hole failure strength data or eventually on the uniaxial compressive strength. The analytical model results are compared and validated on numerical simulations using a finite element program developed for sand production studies. The comparisons show that analytical models can reproduce satisfactory sand failure diagrams under various stress anisotropy and production conditions in the field. Finally, the effect of the wellbore on the perforation stresses is analyzed by comparing finite element and analytical results.

    DOI

  • Comprehensive analysis of caprock failure and associated steam release events during SAGD operations

    Shiho Matsuno, Kenji Furui

    International Petroleum Technology Conference 2019, IPTC 2019    2019

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    © 2019, International Petroleum Technology Conference Massive steam injection during SAGD operation may result in significant changes in pore pressure, temperature, stress and strain in the overlying caprock as well as the injected formations. These changes lead to containment breach of the caprock as reported in the steam release incident at the Joslyn Creek field in 2006. To avoid such a catastrophic event, the integrity of the caprock and risks of steam release must be properly evaluated during planning and operating SAGD wells. In this study, a thermo-poro-mechanical model is developed to evaluate the integrity of the caprock due to temperature and pressure changes observed during SAGD operations. A commercial reservoir simulator is used to calculate changes of pore pressure and temperature during steam injection. These results are used as a part of input data for the geomechanical model that considers poro-elasto-plastic stress-strain relations of the formations. The shear failure of the rocks is determined by the Drucker-Prager criterion while the tensile failure is judged by the tensile strength of the rocks, which are used to assess the integrity of the caprock. Our simulation results indicate that the temperature change can be extended deep into the overlying formations while the steam chamber is developed in the reservoir interval. Because the caprock is expected to have low permeability, these temperature changes lead to notable pore pressure changes in the caprock interval, which plays an important role in the stability of the caprock in the geomechancial analysis. The simulation results also suggest the importance of considering free surface, underburden, and sideburdens as well as assigning appropriate boundary conditions in the model. Using the model developed in this work, the Joslyn field case is investigated showing the existence of failure region in the caprock layer during the steam circulation phase. These findings may explain the mechanism of the caprock failure and the resultant steam release at the surface experienced in the field. It should be noted that the analysis results indicate, not only possible shear failure events but also a possibility of tensile failure developed in the caprock interval above the steam chamber. It is also found that the geological complexity including the existence of a mudstone layer between the reservoir and the caprock affects the likelihood of the steam release event. The caprock integrity analysis method presented in this work can help engineers evaluate risks of the containment breach during a planning phase of SAGD project. Also, using the simulation model developed in this work as a forward model, the integrity of the caprock and the development of steam chamber during SAGD operation can be monitored by surface displacement measurements by In-SAR or tiltmeters. These study results can enable effective and safe operation for future SAGD production.

    DOI

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Books and Other Publications 【 display / non-display 】

  • Modern Completion Technology for Oil and Gas Wells

    Ding Zhu, Kenji Furui( Part： Joint author)

    McGraw-Hill Education  2018.06

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Awards 【 display / non-display 】

  • Cedric K. Ferguson Medal

    2013.10   Society of Petroleum Engineers  

  • SPE Young Engineer of the Year Award

    2012.10   Society of Petroleum Engineers - Gulf Coast Section  

  • Technology Achievement Award

    2011.09   ConocoPhillips  

  • SPE Young Professional Paper Certificate Recipient, SPE ATCE, 2nd Annual YP Paper Contest, best paper written primarily by a YP in the Well Completions category

    2009.09   Society of Petroleum Engineers  

  • Outstanding Young Scientist Award

    2009.09   ConocoPhillips  

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Presentations 【 display / non-display 】

  • Geomechanics Analysis for Well Construction and Completion Design Options

    Kenji Furui  [Invited]

    The 21st Formation Evaluation Symposium of Japan  Japan Formation Evaluation Society – A Chapter of SPWLA

    Presentation date： 2015.10

  • Water Injection Performance in Shallow, Viscous Oil, Waterflood: Alaskan North Slope

    Kenji Furui  [Invited]

    SPE ATW Performance and Design of Seawater Injectors Requiring Sand Control  (Austin)  SPE

    Presentation date： 2011

  • Matrix Acid Stimulation of ConocoPhillips’ Chalk Reservoirs in Norway

    Kenji Furui  [Invited]

    SPE ATW North Sea and European Area Stimulation  (Berlin)  SPE

    Presentation date： 2011

  • Finite Element Simulation of Flow to Perforated Horizontal Wellbores

    Kenji Furui  [Invited]

    Seventh SIAM Conference on Mathematical and Computational Issues in the Geosciences  (Austin)  SIAM

    Presentation date： 2003

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Syllabus 【 display / non-display 】

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Committee Memberships 【 display / non-display 】

  • 2020.04
    -
    Now

    独立行政法人石油天然ガス・金属鉱物資源機構  MH-21S 研究開発コンソーシアムアドバイザリー委員会委員

  • 2019.04
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    Now

    新潟県新発田市  旧新潟製油新発田鉱山R8号井封鎖検討委員会

  • 2019.04
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    Now

    秋田県にかほ市  にかほ市廃止坑井封鎖検討委員会委員

  • 2017.04
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    Now

    日本財団  日本スコットランド合同第3者委員会委員

  • 2016.04
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    2021.03

    環境省  環境配慮型CCS実証事業貯留検討に関するヒアリング有識者委員

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