Method for fracture stimulating well bores
AssigneeBJ Services Company
InventorsBlair Albers, Bradley A. Rieb, Tim Leshchyshyn, James D. Thomson, Victor E. Fordyce
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Abstract
Disclosed is a method for fracture stimulating well bores using gaseous nitrogen and/or liquid carbon dioxide combined with a partially dehydrated proppant. The method includes mixing proppant with a fracturing fluid to create a proppant-laden slurry, removing the majority of the fluid from the proppant using centrifugal forces, blending the proppant with gaseous nitrogen and/or liquid carbon dioxide, and thereafter utilizing that combination to fracture-stimulate well bores. The method also includes the use of monitoring and flow control equipment to regulate and/or automate the method.
Claims59
A method of fracture stimulating a formation in a subterranean well bore, the method comprising:
- mixing proppant with a fluid to form a slurry;
- removing at least a portion of the fluid from the slurry using centrifugal forces and gravity to thereby create a partially dehydrated slurry;
- combining the partially dehydrated slurry with gaseous nitrogen;
- pumping the partially dehydrated slurry and gaseous nitrogen into the well bore at a pump rate and pressure sufficient to fracture stimulate the coal bed methane formation and;
- separately pumping proppant-free gaseous nitrogen into the well bore.
A method of fracture stimulating a formation in a subterranean well bore, the method comprising:
- mixing proppant with a fluid to form a slurry;
- removing at least a portion of the fluid from the slurry using centrifugal forces and gravity to thereby create a partially dehydrated slurry;
- combining the partially dehydrated slurry with gaseous nitrogen;
- pumping the partially dehydrated slurry and gaseous nitrogen into the well bore at a pump rate and pressure sufficient to fracture stimulate the formation;
- and
- separately pumping proppant-free liquid carbon dioxide into the well bore.
A method of fracture stimulating a formation in a subterranean well bore, the method comprising:
- mixing proppant with a fluid to form a slurry;
- removing at least a portion of the fluid from the slurry using centrifugal forces and gravity to thereby create a partially dehydrated slurry;
- combining the partially dehydrated slurry with liquid carbon dioxide;
- and
- pumping the partially dehydrated slurry and liquid carbon dioxide into the well bore at a pump rate and pressure sufficient to fracture stimulate the formation.
A method of fracture stimulating a formation in a subterranean well bore, the method comprising:
- mixing proppant with a fluid to form a slurry;
- removing at least a portion of the fluid from the slurry using centrifugal forces and gravity to thereby create a partially dehydrated slurry;
- combining the partially dehydrated slurry with a mixture of liquid carbon dioxide and gaseous nitrogen;
- and
- pumping the partially dehydrated slurry and liquid carbon dioxide and gaseous nitrogen mixture into the well bore at a pump rate and pressure sufficient to fracture stimulate the formation.
A method of fracture stimulating a formation in a subterranean well bore, the method comprising:
- mixing proppant with a fluid to form a slurry;
- removing at least a portion of the fluid from the slurry using centrifugal forces and gravity to thereby create a partially dehydrated slurry;
- combining the partially dehydrated slurry with gaseous nitrogen;
- pumping the partially dehydrated slurry and gaseous nitrogen into the well bore at a pump rate and pressure sufficient to fracture stimulate the coal bed methane formation;
- and separately pumping a mixture of proppant-free liquid carbon dioxide and gaseous nitrogen into the well bore.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.