Method and apparatus for wellbore fluid treatment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10087734-B2
Application number	US-201615149971-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2016
Priority date	Nov 19, 2001
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

A method for fracturing a formation includes positioning a fluid treatment string in the formation. The fluid treatment string includes a port configured to pass fracturing fluid from within the string's inner bore to outside the string, and a sliding sleeve located inside string and configured to move by fluid pressure within the inner bore of the fluid treatment string between (i) a first position in which the sliding sleeve covers the port and (ii) a second position in which the sliding sleeve exposes the port to the inner bore. The method also includes applying a fluid pressure within the inner bore such that the sliding sleeve moves from the first position to the second position without the sliding sleeve engaging a sealing device, and pumping fracturing fluid through the inner bore and through the port to fracture a portion of the formation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for fracturing a formation, the method comprising:
positioning a fluid treatment string in the formation, the fluid treatment string comprising:
a port configured to pass fracturing fluid from within an inner bore of the fluid treatment string to outside the fluid treatment string, and
a sliding sleeve located inside the fluid treatment string and configured to move by fluid pressure within the inner bore of the fluid treatment string between (i) a first position in which the sliding sleeve covers the port and (ii) a second position in which the sliding sleeve exposes the port to the inner bore of the fluid treatment string;

applying a fluid pressure within the inner bore of the fluid treatment string such that the sliding sleeve moves from the first position to the second position without the sliding sleeve engaging a sealing device; and
pumping fracturing fluid through the inner bore of the fluid treatment string and through the port to fracture a portion of the formation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the formation comprises a hydrocarbon-containing formation.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing fluid comprises proppants.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the proppants comprise sand.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the proppants comprise bauxite.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the fluid treatment string comprises a casing string.

7. The method of claim 3 , wherein the fluid treatment string comprises a tubing string.

8. The method of claim 3 , wherein the port is the down-hole-most port of the tubing string through which fracturing fluid is pumped.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the port is adjacent a down hole end of the fluid treatment string.

10. The method of claim 3 , wherein the fluid treatment string further comprises a covering for the port.

11. The method of claim 3 , further comprising producing fluid from outside the fluid treatment string, through the port, and up hole through the inner bore of the fluid treatment string.

12. The method of claim 3 , wherein the sliding sleeve comprises a fluid actuated piston.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing fluid comprises a gel.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing fluid comprises an acid.

15. A fluid treatment string sub adapted to be connected to a tubing string for hydraulically fracturing a formation, the fluid treatment string sub comprising:
a port configured to pass fracturing fluid from an inner bore of the fluid treatment string sub to outside the fluid treatment string sub; and
a sliding sleeve located inside the fluid treatment string sub and configured to move by fluid pressure within the inner bore of the fluid treatment string, without requiring engagement with a sealing device, between
(i) a first position in which the sliding sleeve covers the port and
(ii) a second position in which the sliding sleeve exposes the port to the inner bore of the fluid treatment string sub,

wherein the fluid treatment string sub is adjacent a down hole end of the tubing string, and is the down-hole-most fluid treatment string sub of the tubing string that is configured to pass fracturing fluid, the fracturing fluid comprising proppants.

16. The fluid treatment string sub of claim 15 , wherein the formation comprises a hydrocarbon-containing formation.

17. The fluid treatment string sub of claim 15 , wherein the proppants comprise sand.

18. The fluid treatment string sub of claim 15 , wherein the proppants comprise bauxite.

19. The fluid treatment string sub of claim 15 , wherein the fluid treatment string sub is connected to a casing string.

20. The fluid treatment string sub of claim 15 , wherein the fluid treatment string sub further comprises a covering for the port.

21. The fluid treatment string sub of claim 15 , wherein the sliding sleeve comprises a fluid actuated piston.

22. The fluid treatment string sub of claim 15 , wherein the fracturing fluid comprises a gel.

23. The fluid treatment string sub of claim 15 , wherein the fracturing fluid comprises an acid.

24. A method for fracturing a formation, the method comprising:
positioning a fluid treatment string in the formation, the fluid treatment string comprising:
a port configured to pass fracturing fluid from within an inner bore of the fluid treatment string to outside the fluid treatment string, and a sliding sleeve located inside the fluid treatment string and configured to move by fluid pressure within the inner bore of the fluid treatment string between (i) a first position in which the sliding sleeve covers the port and (ii) a second position in which the sliding sleeve exposes the port to the inner bore of the fluid treatment string;

applying a fluid pressure within the inner bore of the fluid treatment string such that the sliding sleeve moves from the first position to the second position without the sliding sleeve engaging a sealing device;
and pumping a fracturing fluid comprising proppants through the inner bore of the fluid treatment string, through the port, and into the formation to fracture a portion of the formation.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the fluid treatment string comprises a tubing string.

26. The method of claim 24 , wherein the fluid treatment string comprises a casing string.

Assignees

• Packers Plus Energy Serv Inc

Inventors

• Fehr Jim
• Themig Daniel Jon

Classifications

• E21B43/00

  Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells (applicable only to water E03B) · CPC title

• E21B2200/06

  Sleeve valves · CPC title

• E21B43/14 Primary

  Obtaining from a multiple-zone well · CPC title

• E21B43/25

  Methods for stimulating production {(by vibrating earth formations E21B43/003)} · CPC title

• E21B33/124

  Units with longitudinally-spaced plugs for isolating the intermediate space · CPC title