Schlumberger Technology Corporation

Oleg Olegovich Medvedev

Anatoly Vladimirovich Medvedev

J Ernest Brown

Ivan Vitalievich Kosarev

Dean Michael Willberg

Timothy M Lesko

Alejandro Pena

Konstantin Mikhailovich Lyapunov

Alexander Vuacheslavovich Mikhaylov

John Lassek

Alexander Alexandrovich Burukhin

Fedor Nikolaevich Litvinets

Jonathan Abbott

Andrey Vladimirovich Bogdan

Christopher N Fredd

Sergey Makarychev-Mikhailov

Bruno Lecerf

Ian C Walton

Olga Petrovna Alekseenko

Elena Nikolaevna Tarasova

Dmitry Ivanovich Potapenko

Kreso Kurt Butula

Matthew Robert Gillard

Sergey Mikhailovich Makarychev-Mikhaliov

Ian Walton

A method of heterogeneous proppant placement in a subterranean fracture is disclosed. The method comprises injecting well treatment fluid including proppant () and proppant-spacing filler material () through a wellbore () into the fracture (), heterogeneously placing the proppant in the fracture in a plurality of proppant clusters or islands () spaced apart by the material (), and removing the filler material () to form open channels () around the pillars (). The filler material can be dissolvable particles, initially acting as a consolidator during placement of the proppant in the fracture, and later dissolving to leave flow channels between the proppant pillars. The well treatment fluid can include extrametrical materials to provide reinforcement and consolidation of the proppant and, additionally or alternatively, to inhibit settling of the proppant in the treatment fluid.

Heterogeneous proppant placement in a fracture with removable extrametrical material fill

A method of injecting well treatment fluid including proppant and proppant-spacing filler material through a wellbore into the fracture, heterogeneously placing the proppant in the fracture in a plurality of proppant clusters or islands spaced apart by the material, and removing the filler material to form open channels around the pillars for fluid flow from the formation through the fracture toward the wellbore. The proppant and channelant can be segregated within the well treatment fluid, or segregated during placement in the fracture. The filler material can be dissolvable particles, initially acting as a filler material during placement of the proppant in the fracture, and later dissolving to leave the flow channels between the proppant pillars. The well treatment fluid can include extrametrical materials to provide reinforcement and consolidation of the proppant and/or to inhibit settling of the proppant.

A method for producing minerals and, more specifically, for producing hydrocarbons, by hydraulic fracturing of the rock, can be used for the optimization of formation fracturing crack processing conditions. The method includes splitting a main stream of a propping agent suspension in a fluid at a mixer output into at least two flows having different volume delivery rates, and comingling the at least two flows before delivering to the hydraulic fracturing zone.

Method of propping agent delivery to the well

A proppant pack may be formed in a fracture that extends from a wellbore formed in a subterranean formation and is accomplished through different methods. The methods involve providing multiple spaced apart proppant slugs within a hydraulic fracturing fluid that is introduced into the wellbore at a pressure above the fracturing pressure of the formation.

Methods for providing proppant slugs in fracturing treatments

A method of fracturing multiple zones within a wellbore formed in a subterranean formation is carried out by forming flow-through passages in two or more zones within the wellbore that are spaced apart from each other along the length of a portion of the wellbore. The flow-through passages within each zone have different characteristics provided by orienting the flow-through passages in directions in each of the two or more zones relative to a selected direction to provide differences in fracture initiation pressures within each of the two or more zones. A fracturing fluid is introduced into the wellbore in a fracturing treatment. The fracturing fluid in the fracturing treatment is provided at a pressure that is above the fracture initiation pressure of one of the two or more zones to facilitate fracturing of said one of two or more zones while remaining below the fracture initiation pressure of any other non-fractured zones of the two or more zones. The process is repeated for at least one or more non-fractured zones of the two or more zones.

Method of fracturing multiple zones within a well

A method of heterogeneous proppant placement in a subterranean fracture is disclosed. The method comprises injecting a first treatment fluid comprising a gas and substantially free of macroscopic particles through a wellbore to initiate a fracture in a subterranean formation; injecting a second treatment fluid comprising proppant and channelant through the wellbore into the fracture; placing the proppant in the fracture in a plurality of proppant clusters forming pillars spaced apart by the channelant; and removing the channelant to form open channels around the pillars for fluid flow from the subterranean formation through the fracture toward the wellbore.

Heterogeneous proppant placement in a fracture with removable channelant fill

Hydraulic fracturing an individual reservoir fracturing layer of a subterranean formation to produce heterogeneous proppant placement is given in which pillars of proppant are placed such that the pillars do not extend the entire height of the fracture (for a vertical fracture) but are themselves interrupted by channels so that the channels between the pillars form pathways that lead to the wellbore. The method combines methods of introducing slugs of proppant-carrying and proppant-free fluids through multiple clusters of perforations within a single fracturing layer of rock, with methods of ensuring that the slugs exiting the individual clusters do not merge.

Perforation strategy for heterogeneous proppant placement in hydraulic fracturing

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Odesa, Ukraine

Oleg Olegovich Medvedev