Control of particulate flowback in subterranean wells
AssigneeDowell, a division of Schlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsRoger J. Card, Jean-Pierre Feraud, Paul R. Howard
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The addition of fibrous materials in intimate mixture with particulates for fracturing and gravel packing decreases or eliminates the flowback of proppant and/or formation fines while stabilizing the sand pack and lowering the demand for high polymer loadings in the placement fluids. Preferred fibers include glass, aramide, nylon and other natural and synthetic organic and inorganic fibers and metal filaments.
Claims36
A method of treating a subterranean formation penetrated by a wellbore comprising the steps of:
- providing a fluid suspension including a mixture of a sand and a fibrous material, wherein the fibrous material is selected from a group consisting of natural organic fibers, synthetic organic fibers, glass fibers, carbon fibers, ceramic fibers, inorganic fibers, metal filaments and mixtures thereof;
- pumping the fluid suspension including a mixture of the particulate material and the fibrous material through the wellbore;
- and
- depositing the mixture of particulate material and fibrous material in the subterranean formation.
In a subterranean formation penetrated by a wellbore, a porous pack comprising a particulate material having a size in the range of 10 to 100 U.S. mesh in intimate mixture with a fibrous material, wherein the particulate material is a fracture proppant selected from a group consisting of sand, resin-coated sand, ceramic beads, glass microspheres, synthetic organic beads and sintered minerals.
A method of treating a subterranean formation penetrated by a wellbore comprising the steps of providing fluid suspension including a mixture of a particulate material and an alkaline resistant fibrous glass material;
- pumping the fluid suspension including a mixture of the particulate material and the fibrous material through the wellbore and depositing the mixture of particulate material and fibrous material in the subterranean formation.
A method of inhibiting flowback of particulate material from a subterranean formation into a wellbore penetrating said formation comprising the steps of providing fluid suspension including a mixture of a particulate material and a fibrous material;
- pumping the fluid suspension including a mixture of the particulate material and the fibrous material through the wellbore and depositing the mixture of particulate material and fibrous material in the subterranean formation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.