Gas diverter for well and reservoir stimulation
AssigneesHighlands Natural Resources, PLC, Diversion Technologies, LLC
InventorsPaul E. Mendell, Stephen Miller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The fracturing methods described in the present disclosure provide advantage over the current fracturing methods. The disclosed fracturing methods can change the fracture gradient of the downhole subterranean formation. For example, one or more of the fracture gradients of the low and high stress zones of the downhole subterranean formation can be changed. Furthermore, the methods of present disclosure, in relation to current practices, can decrease the extent and/or degree of fracturing within low stress downhole formations and increase the degree of fracturing within high stress formations.
Claims10
A method, comprising:
- injecting a gas into a wellbore comprising a tubing string having inner and outer tubing sting walls, a well casing having inner and outer well casing walls, and an annular space defined by the inner well casing wall and the outer tubing string wall, wherein the wellbore is at least partly contained within a subterranean formation, wherein the gas is injected into the annular space of the wellbore is at a rate from about 1 to about 500,000 scf/min and occupies one or more portions of the subterranean formation surrounding the wellbore at an injected pressure;
- maintaining the gas at the injected pressure;
- and
- injecting a fracturing liquid into a tubing space defined by the inner tubing string wall at a sufficient pressure to fracture a target portion of the subterranean formation surrounding the wellbore, wherein the one or more portions of the subterranean formation and the target portion of the subterranean formation differ.
A method, comprising:
- injecting a gas into a wellbore partly contained within a subterranean formation, wherein the gas is injected into the wellbore comprises one of:
- (i) at a rate from about 1 to about 500,000 scf/min, wherein the injected gas occupies a portion of the subterranean formation about the wellbore at an injected pressure;
- (ii) from about 1,000 scf to about 1,000,000,000 scf of the gas is injected into the wellbore;
- (iii) at least about 1 scf/lfcA over a lfcA from about 1 foot to about 15 miles of the wellbore;
- and
- (iv) no more than about 5 scf/lfcA over a lfcA from about 1 foot to about 15 miles of the wellbore, and
- maintaining, over a selected time interval, the gas at the injected pressure;
- and
- injecting a fracturing liquid into a target wellbore other than the wellbore at a sufficient pressure to fracture a target portion of the subterranean formation about the target wellbore.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.