Method of controlling proppant flowback in a well
OwnerPhilip D. Nguyeninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of treating a subterranean hydrocarbon bearing formation penetrated by a perforated section of a cased wellbore. A treating mixture containing particulate material is pumped from the casing through the perforations and into the formation. After injection of the particulate through the perforations a screen is circumferentially expanded in the casing and hydrocarbons are flowed through the perforations and into the casing while the screen prevents particulate materials from flowing into the well.
Claims12
An improved method of treating a subterranean hydrocarbon bearing formation penetrated by a perforated section of a cased wellbore comprising the steps of:
- pumping through the cased wellbore and the perforations and into the formation a treating mixture at a pressure sufficient to create fractures in the formation, the treating mixture comprising a particulate material suspended in a fluid and depositing the mixture in the fractures in the formation;
- selecting a circumferentially expandable mesh screen of a size to pass through the casing when unexpanded and to engage the inside of the perforated casing section when expanded and with an expanded mesh size sufficient to block the flow of the particulate material there through;
- moving the screen through the casing and positioning the screen in the perforated section of the casing;
- circumferentially expanding the screen against the inside of the casing wall and across the perforations;
- and
- flowing hydrocarbons from the formation through the expanded screen while the screen prevents the particulate material from flowing into the well.
An improved method of removing and separating hydrocarbons from a subterranean hydrocarbon bearing formation penetrated by a perforated section of a cased wellbore where in the hydrocarbons are mixed with formation materials, comprising the steps of:
- pumping at a pressure sufficient to create fractures in the formation, through the cased wellbore, the perforations and into the formation a treating mixture comprising a particulate material suspended in a fluid and depositing the mixture in fractures in the formation;
- selecting a circumferentially expandable mesh screen of a size to pass through the casing when unexpanded and to engage the inside of the perforated casing section when expanded and with an expanded mesh size sufficient to prevent the flow of the particulate material there through;
- moving the screen through the casing and positioning the screen in the perforated section of the casing;
- circumferentially expanding the screen against the inside of the casing wall and across the perforations;
- flowing hydrocarbons from the formation into the casing through perforations and the expanded screen while the screen prevents the particulate material from flowing into the well;
- and
- removing the hydrocarbons from the well.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.