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US 12,680,014 B2Granted
Electro-hydrofracturing using electrically conductive proppants and related methods
AssigneeEden GeoPower, Inc.
InventorsParis Smalls, Mehrdad Mehrvand, Ammar Alali, Marybeth Lundquist
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Abstract
The present disclosure describes electro-hydrofracturing (E-HF) using electrically conductive proppants and methods for hydraulic fracturing using electrically conductive proppants.
Claims27
A system comprising:
- two or more electrodes configured to apply an electrical potential between at least two well bores using electrohydraulic fracturing to heat at least a portion of a reservoir to a first temperature and to induce fracture propagation in a fracture network between the at least two well bores;
- and
- one or more pumps, wherein at least one of the one or more pumps being configured to inject a hydraulic fracturing composition comprising a transport fluid and a conductive proppant into the reservoir,
- wherein the two or more electrodes are configured to heat the hydraulic fracturing composition to a temperature between or equal to 500° C. and 1,000° C., wherein at least one of the one or more pumps is configured to inject a cooling fluid into the heated portion of the reservoir after the fracture propagation to thermally shock the reservoir to generate additional fracturing in the fracture network, wherein the cooling fluid is at a second temperature less than the first temperature when injected into the reservoir, wherein the reservoir is a geothermal reservoir, wherein the cooling fluid is heated following injection into the reservoir, and wherein at least one of the one or more pumps is configured to pump the heated cooling fluid from the geothermal reservoir after fracturing.
1 more element
A method for fracturing a reservoir, the method comprising:
- injecting a hydraulic fracturing composition comprising a transport fluid and a conductive proppant into the reservoir;
- applying an electrical potential between at least two well bores using electrohydraulic fracturing to heat the reservoir to a first temperature and induce fracture propagation in a fracture network between the at least two well bores, wherein applying the electrical potential heats the hydraulic fracturing composition to a temperature between or equal to 500° C. and 1,000° C.;
- injecting a cooling fluid into the reservoir after the fracture propagation to thermally shock the reservoir to generate additional fracturing in the fracture network, wherein the cooling fluid is at a second temperature less than the first temperature when injected into the reservoir, wherein the reservoir is a geothermal reservoir, and wherein the cooling fluid is heated following injection into the reservoir;
- and
- pumping the heated cooling fluid from the geothermal reservoir after fracturing.
2 more elements
A method for fracturing a reservoir, the method comprising:
- injecting a hydraulic fracturing composition comprising a transport fluid and a conductive proppant into the reservoir;
- applying an electrical potential between at least two well bores using electrohydraulic fracturing to heat the reservoir to a first temperature and induce fracture propagation in a fracture network between the at least two well bores, wherein applying the electrical potential heats the hydraulic fracturing composition to a temperature between or equal to 500° C. and 1,000° C.;
- injecting a cooling fluid into the reservoir after the fracture propagation to thermally shock the reservoir to generate additional fracturing in the fracture network, wherein the cooling fluid is at a second temperature less than the first temperature when injected into the reservoir, wherein the reservoir is a mineral mining reservoir, and wherein the cooling fluid is heated following injection into the reservoir;
- and
- pumping the heated cooling fluid from the mineral mining reservoir after fracturing.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.