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US 12,692,771 B2Granted
Method and system to create a tortuous flow path
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorDean Michael Willberg
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for creating a tortuous flow path is disclosed. The system includes a production zone, and a man-made impermeable barrier disposed along a fluid flow path to the production zone to create tortuous flow path for a fluid flowing between the injection zone and the production zone.
Claims18
A system for creating a tortuous flow path, the system comprising:
- a production zone including a production well;
- an injection zone including an injection well, the injection zone remotely spaced from the production zone;
- at least one intermediate wellbore positioned outside of the production zone and the injection zone, the intermediate wellbore being initially open to permit injection of barrier material, the intermediate wellbore being subsequently blocked to prevent flow of production fluid through the intermediate wellbore;
- and
- a plurality of man-made impermeable barriers disposed between the injection zone and the production zone, the plurality of man-made impermeable barriers positioned in a high porosity region and a low porosity region and configured to divert fluid away from the high porosity region and through the low porosity region, thereby causing fluid to divert from a previously existing flow path and to flow along a tortuous flow path between the injection zone and the production zone, the plurality of man-made impermeable barriers comprising a first man-made impermeable barrier positioned adjacent a first well bore and a second man-made impermeable barrier positioned adjacent a second well bore, the second man-made impermeable barrier positioned downstream from the first man-made impermeable barrier relative to the tortuous flow path, the second man-made impermeable barrier being spaced apart from the first man-made impermeable barrier relative to an axis line extending from the injection well to the production well, the second man-made impermeable barrier offset from the first man-made impermeable barrier in a transverse direction such that the second man-made impermeable barrier is misaligned with and partially overlapping the first man-made impermeable barrier as viewed along the axis line.
2 more elements
A method of creating a tortuous flow path from an injection zone to a production zone, the method comprising:
- installing a first open intermediate wellbore positioned outside of the production zone and the injection zone;
- hydraulicly fracturing a formation along a previously existing fluid flow path, thereby creating a first fracture;
- injecting barrier material into the first fracture to form a first man-made impermeable barrier adjacent a first well bore, the first man-made impermeable barrier positioned in a high porosity region and a low porosity region and configured to divert fluid away from the high porosity region and through the low porosity region;
- filling the first intermediate wellbore with barrier material to prevent the flow of production fluid through the first intermediate wellbore during production;
- installing a second intermediate wellbore positioned outside of the production zone and the injection zone;
- hydraulicly fracturing the formation to create a second fracture;
- injecting barrier material into the second fracture to form a second man-made impermeable barrier positioned adjacent a second well bore and downstream from the first man-made impermeable barrier, the first man-made impermeable barrier and the second man-made impermeable barrier forming a plurality of man-made impermeable barriers, the second man-made impermeable barrier configured to divert fluid away from a high porosity region and through a low porosity region, wherein the second man-made impermeable barrier being spaced apart from the first man-made impermeable barrier relative to an axis line extending from the injection well to the production well, the second man-made impermeable barrier offset from the first man-made impermeable barrier in a transverse direction such that the second man-made impermeable barrier is misaligned with and partially overlapping the first man-made impermeable barrier as viewed along the axis line;
- filling the second intermediate wellbore with barrier material to prevent the flow of production fluid through the second intermediate wellbore during production;
- and
- changing the previously existing fluid flow path to the production zone with the first man-made impermeable barrier to create the tortuous flow path.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.