Wave stimulation
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsMOHAMMED BADRI, REZA TAHERIAN
Life of this patent
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Abstract
According to some embodiments, a borehole deployable apparatus is described that can be used to generate strong vibrations in a subterranean rock formation. In some embodiments, the apparatus accelerates a mass using mechanisms built into the tool and causes the mass to strike the borehole wall. The mechanisms can control the mass acceleration, and the frequency of strikes. In some embodiments, the apparatus is designed for use in the field of petroleum recovery where the vibrations are used to create or re-establish a flow rate for the fluids in the formation.
Claims34
A system for generating vibrations in a subterranean rock formation, the system comprising:
- a tool body adapted to be deployable in a wellbore;
- a translatable mass member mounted to the tool body such that the mass member is able to translate along a first direction towards an interior surface of the wellbore when the tool body is deployed in the wellbore;
- a contacting surface oriented to contact the interior surface of a wellbore;
- and
- an actuator subsystem mounted within the tool body and fixed to the mass member and configured to translationally accelerate in said first direction towards the interior surface of the wellbore such that the contacting surface imparts energy into the interior surface of the wellbore when the tool body is deployed in the wellbore thereby generating vibrations within a subterranean rock formation surrounding the wellbore so as to stimulate production from the formation.
A method for generating vibrations in a subterranean rock formation, the method comprising:
- deploying a tool body into a wellbore at a depth within the subterranean rock formation;
- and
- linearly accelerating a mass member from the tool body such that the mass member translates towards an interior surface of the wellbore so as to cause a contacting surface to impart energy into the interior surface of the wellbore, thereby generating vibrations within the subterranean rock formation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.