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US 11,028,680 B2Granted
Forming mineral in fractures in a geological formation
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorsDesmond Schipper, Katherine Leigh Hull, Mohammad Hamidul Haque
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for hydraulically fracturing a geological formation with fracturing fluid to generate fractures in the geological formation and forming proppant in situ in the fractures by synthesizing mineral from ions in the fracturing fluid.
Claims37
A method of forming proppant in situ in fractures in a geological formation, comprising:
- providing a frac fluid through a wellbore into the geological formation;
- hydraulically fracturing the geological formation with the frac fluid to generate the fractures in the geological formation;
- and
- forming the proppant in situ in the fractures by forming mineral in the fractures via hydrothermal synthesis of the mineral from ions in the frac fluid, wherein the proppant is the mineral.
1 more element
A method of forming proppant in situ in a geological formation, comprising:
- pumping a fracturing fluid through a wellbore into the geological formation;
- hydraulically fracturing the geological formation with the fracturing fluid to generate fractures in the geological formation;
- and
- forming the proppant in situ in the fractures by forming mineral in the fractures via hydrothermal synthesis of the mineral from ions in the fracturing fluid and precipitating the mineral from the fracturing fluid onto rock in the fractures, wherein the proppant is the mineral.
1 more element
A method of forming proppant in situ in fractures in a geological formation, comprising:
- injecting a fracturing fluid through a wellbore into the geological formation;
- hydraulically fracturing the geological formation with the fracturing fluid to generate the fractures in the geological formation;
- synthesizing mineral from ions in the fracturing fluid via temperature of the geological formation;
- and
- precipitating the mineral to deposit the mineral as a crystallite on faces of the fractures, wherein the proppant comprises the mineral.
2 more elements
A hydraulic fracturing system comprising:
- a vessel holding a fracturing fluid;
- a control component to modulate an addition rate of an additive to the fracturing fluid;
- a pump to provide the fracturing fluid from the vessel through a wellbore into a geological formation to hydraulically fracture the geological formation to generate fractures in the geological formation;
- and
- a control system to adjust a set point of the control component to change a concentration of the additive in the fracturing fluid to alter a property of a mineral formed in the fractures via the fracturing fluid.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.