Methods of stimulating a hydrocarbon well

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11512572-B2
Application number	US-202117227696-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2021
Priority date	May 28, 2020
Publication date	Nov 29, 2022
Grant date	Nov 29, 2022

Abstract

Methods of stimulating a hydrocarbon well are disclosed herein. The hydrocarbon well includes a wellbore that extends within a subterranean formation and a tubular that extends within the wellbore and defines a tubular conduit. The methods include retaining a sealing structure within the tubular conduit and, during the retaining, stimulating a zone of the subterranean formation. Subsequent to the stimulating, the methods include fluidly isolating the zone of the subterranean formation from the uphole region by at least partially sealing the plurality of perforations. Subsequent to the fluidly isolating, the methods include moving the sealing structure in a downhole direction within the tubular conduit. The methods also include repeating the retaining, the stimulating, the fluidly isolating, and the moving a plurality of times to stimulate a plurality of corresponding zones of the subterranean formation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of stimulating a hydrocarbon well, wherein the hydrocarbon well includes a wellbore that extends within a subterranean formation and a tubular that extends within the wellbore and defines a tubular conduit, the method comprising:
retaining a sealing structure within the tubular conduit to at least partially fluidly isolate an uphole region of the tubular conduit, which is uphole from the sealing structure, from a downhole region of the tubular conduit, which is downhole from the sealing structure;
during the retaining, stimulating a zone of the subterranean formation by providing a stimulant fluid stream to the uphole region and flowing the stimulant fluid stream into the zone of the subterranean formation via a plurality of perforations defined within a portion of the tubular that defines the uphole region, wherein the stimulating includes providing the stimulant fluid stream at a stimulant stream pressure of 8 Megapascals to 20 Megapascals;
subsequent to the stimulating, fluidly isolating the zone of the subterranean formation from the uphole region by at least partially sealing the plurality of perforations;
subsequent to the fluidly isolating, moving the sealing structure in a downhole direction within the tubular conduit at least partially in response to a threshold move initiation pressure, the threshold move initiation pressure being greater than a stimulant stream pressure of the stimulant fluid stream or less than a stall pressure of a pump; and
repeating the retaining, the stimulating, the fluidly isolating, and the moving a plurality of times to stimulate a plurality of corresponding zones of the subterranean formation which have previously been stimulated.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the retaining includes establishing an at least partial fluid seal between the sealing structure and the tubular.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least partial fluid seal is sufficient to direct at least 80% of the stimulant fluid stream through the plurality of perforations during the stimulating.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the retaining includes at least substantially completely blocking flow of the stimulant fluid stream from the uphole region to the downhole region via the tubular conduit.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the retaining includes operatively engaging the tubular with the sealing structure.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the retaining includes utilizing a tether, which extends from a surface region to the sealing structure, to retain the sealing structure within the tubular conduit.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stimulating includes creating at least one fracture within the zone of the subterranean formation.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the method further includes propping the at least one fracture.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stimulant fluid stream includes a liquid.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the stimulant fluid stream includes a proppant.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stimulating includes providing the stimulant fluid stream at a stimulant stream flow rate of at least 0.1 cubic meters per minute.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stimulating includes pumping the stimulant fluid stream into the uphole region utilizing the pump.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluidly isolating includes at least partially sealing the plurality of perforations with a plurality of diversion structures.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of diversion structures includes at least one of:
(i) a mechanical diversion structure;
(ii) a fibrous diversion structure;
(iii) a ball sealer;
(iv) a solid-particle diverting agent;
(v) a resilient diversion structure;
(vi) a flexible diversion structure; and
(vii) a plurality of knotted ropes, optionally wherein the plurality of knotted ropes includes frayed ends.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least partially sealing includes operatively engaging the tubular with the plurality of diversion structures such that a corresponding diversion structure of the plurality of diversion structures is positioned within each perforation of the plurality of perforations during the repeating.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method includes maintaining the at least partially sealing during the repeating.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the repeating includes sequentially performing the retaining, the stimulating, the fluidly isolating, and the moving the plurality of times.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the repeating includes sequentially repeating the retaining, the stimulating, the fluidly isolating, and the moving at least 2 times.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the repeating includes repeating the retaining, the stimulating, the fluidly isolating, and the moving to sequentially stimulate at least 20 corresponding zones of the subterranean formation.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the repeating includes sequentially moving the sealing structure in a downhole direction within the tubular conduit such that each of the plurality of corresponding zones is downhole from previously stimulated zones of the plurality of corresponding zones.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein the moving the sealing structure in the downhole direction includes moving the sealing structure in the downhole direction subsequent to each instance of the fluidly isolating.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein the moving the sealing structure includes moving utilizing at least one of:
(i) the tether that extends between the sealing structure and the surface region; and
(ii) a tractor that is operatively attached to the sealing structure.

23. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further includes applying a motive force to the sealing structure to facilitate the moving.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the method further includes generating the motive force at least one of:
(i) electrically;
(ii) hydraulically;
(iii) pneumatically; and
(iv) hydrostatically.

Assignees

• Exxonmobil Upstream Res Co

Inventors

• Thomas James B
• Hehmeyer Owen J
• Choi Nancy H
• English Erik N
• Grueschow Eric R

Classifications

• E21B43/267

  reinforcing fractures by propping · CPC title

• E21B33/12

  Packers; Plugs (used for cementing E21B33/134, E21B33/16) · CPC title

• E21B43/14

  Obtaining from a multiple-zone well · CPC title

• E21B43/261 Primary

  Separate steps of (1) cementing, plugging or consolidating and (2) fracturing or attacking the formation · CPC title