Inhibiting effects of sloughing in wellbores
AssigneeShell Oil Company
InventorsHarold J. Vinegar, Taixu Bai, Frederick Henry Kreisler Rambow, Dong Sub Kim
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Certain embodiments provide a method for treating a subsurface formation. The method includes providing one or more explosives into portions of one or more wellbores selected for the explosion in the formation. The wellbores are formed in one or more zones in the formation. The explosives are controllably exploded in one or more of the wellbores such that at least some of the formation surrounding the selected wellbores has an increased permeability. One or more heaters are provided in the one or more wellbores.
Claims24
A method for treating a subsurface formation, comprising:
- assessing a clay content of a part of the formation and selecting wellbores for explosion based on the assessed clay content;
- providing one or more explosives into portions of one or more wellbores selected for explosion in the formation, the wellbores formed in one or more zones in the formation;
- controllably exploding the explosives in one or more of the wellbores such that at least some of the formation surrounding the selected wellbores has an increased permeability;
- and
- providing one or more heaters in the one or more wellbores.
A method for treating a subsurface formation, comprising:
- providing one or more explosives into portions of one or more wellbores selected for explosion in the formation, the wellbores formed in one or more zones in the formation;
- controllably exploding the explosives in one or more of the wellbores such that at least some of the formation surrounding the selected wellbores has an increased permeability;
- providing one or more heaters in the one or more wellbores;
- and
- wherein at least one of the wellbores has a liner placed between the heater in the wellbore and the formation, and wherein the liner comprises openings that are sized such that fluids can pass through the liner but particles of a selected sized cannot pass through the liner.
A method for treating a subsurface formation, comprising:
- providing one or more explosives into portions of one or more wellbores selected for explosion in the formation, the wellbores formed in one or more zones in the formation;
- controllably exploding the explosives in one or more of the wellbores such that at least some of the formation surrounding the selected wellbores has an increased permeability;
- providing one or more heaters in the one or more wellbores;
- and
- providing heat from one or more heaters to at least a portion of the formation, wherein one or more of the heaters are in one or more of the wellbores sized, at least in part, such that a space between the wellbore and one of the heaters in the wellbore has a width that inhibits particles of a selected size from freely moving in the space.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.