Methods For Establishing A Subsurface Fracture Network

A method of producing hydrocarbons from a subsurface formation, the formation having a permeability less than about 10 millidarcies, and the method comprising:

• providing a wellbore in the subsurface formation, the wellbore having been completed as a deviated wellbore, and the wellbore having been perforated within the subsurface formation along at least a first zone and a second zone;
• fracturing the subsurface formation along the first and second zones to form substantially vertical fractures extending from the wellbore;
• producing hydrocarbon fluids through the vertical fractures along the first and second zones;
• monitoring the wellbore to determine when a change in orientation of the maximum principal stress occurs within the subsurface formation along the first and second zones;
• injecting a fracturing fluid into the subsurface formation through perforations in the first and second zones, thereby creating a first new fractures within the subsurface formation that at least partially extends from the vertical fractures along a plane that is substantially transverse to the vertical fractures;
• and
• producing hydrocarbons through the first new fractures and through the vertical fractures along the first and second zones.

A method of producing hydrocarbons from a subsurface formation, the formation having a permeability less than about 10 millidarcies, and the method comprising:

• providing a wellbore in the subsurface formation, the wellbore having been completed as a deviated wellbore, and the wellbore having been perforated along at least a first zone and a second zone;
• fracturing the subsurface formation along the first and second zones to form substantially vertical fractures extending from the wellbore;
• producing hydrocarbon fluids through the vertical fractures along the first and second zones;
• injecting a fluid into the subsurface formation through perforations in the second zone, thereby raising reservoir pressure in the subsurface formation along the first zone and causing a change in the in situ stresses within the subsurface formation along the first zone;
• injecting a fluid into the subsurface formation through perforations in the first zone, thereby causing a propagation of fractures in the subsurface formation along the first zone at least partially towards the second zone;
• and
• producing hydrocarbons through the perforations along the first zone.

A method of creating a network of fractures in a reservoir, the reservoir having an in situ stress field, and the method comprising:

• monitoring the in situ stresses within the stress field;
• injecting a fracturing fluid under pressure through a first set of perforations into the reservoir in order to create an initial set of fractures;
• producing native fluids from the reservoir to change in situ stresses within the stress field;
• and
• injecting a fracturing fluid under pressure through a second set of perforations into the reservoir in order to expand upon the initial set of fractures and to create the network of fractures.