Pillar Fracturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022017813-A1
Application number	US-202016928926-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 14, 2020
Priority date	Jul 14, 2020
Publication date	Jan 20, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system and method for hydraulic fracturing a subterranean formation with fracturing fluid to generate fractures, and intermittently adjusting a characteristic of the fracturing fluid conveying proppant to form pillars of proppant in the fractures.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of hydraulic fracturing, comprising:
providing a fracturing fluid through a wellbore into a subterranean formation; hydraulically fracturing the subterranean formation with the fracturing fluid, thereby generating fractures in the subterranean formation; conveying proppant in the fracturing fluid through the wellbore into the fractures; and intermittently adjusting a characteristic of the fracturing fluid conveying the proppant to form pillars of proppant in the fractures.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein to form the pillars comprises to agglomerate the proppant, and wherein the characteristic comprises rheology or a rheological property.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein intermittently adjusting the characteristic of the fracturing fluid does not comprise changing type of fracturing fluid, wherein intermittently adjusting the characteristic comprises adjusting the characteristic at a frequency comprising an interval in a range of 2 minutes to 2 hours, and wherein the characteristic comprises viscosity or proppant suspension, or both.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein intermittently adjusting the characteristic of the fracturing fluid does not comprise pulsing different types of fracturing fluid, and wherein intermittently adjusting the characteristic comprises adjusting the characteristic at a frequency comprising an interval in a range of 2 minutes to 100 minutes.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the characteristic comprises concentration of surfactant in the fracturing fluid, concentration of salt in brine added to the fracturing fluid, or concentration of salt in the fracturing fluid, or any combinations thereof.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the characteristic comprises concentration of microparticles or concentration of nanoparticles, or both, in the fracturing fluid.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing fluid comprises foam, and wherein the characteristic is associated with the foam.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing fluid comprises foam, and wherein the characteristic comprises at least one of foam stability or concentration of foaming surfactant in the fracturing fluid.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing fluid comprises foam, and wherein the characteristic comprises foam quality (FQ), and wherein the FQ is in a range of 52% to 80% by volume.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing fluid is foam fracturing fluid, and wherein the characteristic comprises FQ of the foam fracturing fluid.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing fluid is foam fracturing fluid, and wherein the characteristic comprises concentration of foaming surfactant in the foam fracturing fluid.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein intermittently adjusting the concentration of the foaming surfactant comprises repeatedly cycling through a first concentration of the foaming surfactant in the foam fracturing fluid and a second concentration of the foaming surfactant in the foam fracturing fluid different than the first concentration.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein intermittently adjusting the concentration of the foaming surfactant comprises repeatedly cycling through a first concentration of the foaming surfactant in the foam fracturing fluid, a second concentration of the foaming surfactant in the foam fracturing fluid different than the first concentration, and a third concentration of the foaming surfactant in the foam fracturing fluid different than the first concentration and the second concentration.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing fluid comprises viscoelastic surfactant (VES)-based fracturing fluid, and wherein the characteristic comprises concentration of VES in the VES-based fracturing fluid.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein intermittently adjusting the concentration of the VES in the VES-based fracturing fluid comprises repeatedly cycling through a first concentration of the VES in the VES-based fracturing fluid and a second concentration of the VES in the VES-based fracturing fluid different than the first concentration.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein intermittently adjusting the concentration of the VES in the VES-based fracturing fluid comprises repeatedly cycling through a first concentration of the VES in the VES-based fracturing fluid, a second concentration of the VES in the VES-based fracturing fluid different than the first concentration, and a third concentration of the VES in the VES-based fracturing fluid different than the first concentration and the second concentration.

17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing fluid comprises VES-based fracturing fluid, and wherein the characteristic comprises concentration of salt in brine incorporated into VES-based fracturing fluid or concentration of salt in the VES-based fracturing fluid, or a combination thereof.

18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing fluid comprises VES-based fracturing fluid, and wherein the characteristic comprises a type of salt in brine incorporated into the VES-based fracturing fluid or a type of salt in the VES-based fracturing fluid, or a combination thereof.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein intermittently adjusting the type of the salt comprises repeatedly cycling through a first salt type comprising divalent salt and a second salt type comprising monovalent salt.

20 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing fluid comprises VES-based fracturing fluid, and wherein the characteristic comprises concentration of microparticles or concentration of nanoparticles, or both, in the VES-based fracturing fluid.

21 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing fluid comprises oil-based fracturing fluid, and wherein the characteristic comprises concentration of crosslinker metal ions in the oil-based fracturing fluid.

22 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing fluid comprises emulsion fracturing fluid, and wherein the characteristic comprises concentration of an emulsifying surfactant in the emulsion fracturing fluid.

23 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing fluid comprises emulsion fracturing fluid, and wherein the characteristic comprises a ratio of water to oil in the emulsion fracturing fluid.

24 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing fluid comprises emulsion fracturing fluid, and wherein the characteristic comprises concentration of salt in brine incorporated into the emulsion fracturing fluid or concentration of salt in the emulsion fracturing fluid, or a combination thereof.

25 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing fluid comprises emulsion fracturing fluid, and wherein the characteristic comprises a concentration of microparticles or nanoparticles, or both, in the emulsion fracturing fluid.

26 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the proppant comprises proppant coated with resin, and wherein the resin fuses between neighboring proppant in the pillars at downhole conditions to advance stability of the pillars.

27 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the proppant comprises proppant coated with tackifier, and wherein the tackifier fuses between neighboring proppant in the pillars at downhole conditions to advance stability of the pillars.

28 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the proppant comprises proppant coated with tackifier, wher

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Malik Ataur
• Asiri Mohammed A
• Al-Driweesh Saad
• Saini Rajesh Kumar
• Haque Mohammad Hamidul
• Sayed Mohammed

Classifications

• C09K8/805 Primary

  Coated proppants · CPC title

• C09K2208/30

  Viscoelastic surfactants [VES] · CPC title

• C09K8/64

  Oil-based compositions · CPC title

• C09K8/703

  Foams · CPC title

• C09K8/62 Primary

  Compositions for forming crevices or fractures · CPC title