Systems and methods for stimulating a multi-zone subterranean formation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9963960-B2
Application number	US-201314437163-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2013
Priority date	Dec 21, 2012
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

Methods for stimulating a subterranean formation comprising providing a stimulating fluid stream to a casing conduit that is defined by a production casing that extends within the subterranean formation to increase a fluid pressure within the casing conduit. The methods further include locating an isolation device on an isolation sleeve to fluidly isolate a downhole portion of the casing conduit from an uphole portion of the casing conduit and opening an injection port that is associated with the isolation sleeve to permit an injection port fluid flow into the subterranean formation. The methods also include sealing the injection port and creating an uphole perforation in the uphole longitudinal section of the production casing responsive to the fluid pressure exceeding the threshold perforating pressure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of stimulating a subterranean formation, the method comprising:
providing a stimulating fluid stream to a casing conduit that is defined by a production casing that extends within the subterranean formation to increase a fluid pressure within the casing conduit;
locating an isolation device with an isolation sleeve that defines at least a portion of the casing conduit to fluidly isolate a downhole portion of the casing conduit that is defined by a downhole longitudinal section of the production casing from an uphole portion of the casing conduit that is defined by an uphole longitudinal section of the production casing;
subsequent to the locating the isolation device, opening an injection port that is associated with the isolation sleeve to permit an injection port fluid flow of the stimulating fluid stream through the injection port from the casing conduit into the subterranean formation;
flowing the stimulating fluid stream through the opened injection port associated with the injection sleeve while a perforating device is positioned within the uphole portion of the casing conduit;
sealing the injection port to restrict the injection port fluid flow to the subterranean formation and to permit the fluid pressure within the casing conduit to increase to a wellbore pressure exceeding a threshold perforating pressure;
creating an uphole perforation in the uphole longitudinal section of the production casing using the perforating device responsive to an indication that the injection port has been sealed as indicated by an increase in the fluid pressure within the uphole portion of the casing conduit; and
flowing the stimulating fluid stream through the created uphole perforation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein, prior to the locating, the method further includes creating a downhole perforation in the downhole longitudinal section of the production casing responsive to the fluid pressure exceeding the threshold perforating pressure.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein, prior to the creating the downhole perforation, the method further includes fluidly isolating the casing conduit from the subterranean formation.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the fluidly isolating includes fluidly isolating the casing conduit from the subterranean formation to permit the fluid pressure to increase above the threshold perforating pressure.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the fluidly isolating includes flowing an isolation plug through the casing conduit and to a region of the casing conduit that is downhole from the uphole longitudinal section of the production casing.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the fluidly isolating includes locating an initial sealing device on an initial perforation that is present within the production casing to limit fluid flow through the initial perforation between the casing conduit and the subterranean formation.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein, prior to the fluidly isolating, the method further includes:
providing the stimulating fluid stream to the casing conduit;
creating the initial perforation in an initial perforated region of the downhole longitudinal section of the production casing with the perforation device; and
flowing a portion of the stimulating fluid stream through the initial perforation to stimulate an initial zone of the subterranean formation.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein locating the initial sealing device includes locating an initial ball sealer on the initial perforation.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing includes at least substantially continuously providing the stimulating fluid stream during the method.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the locating the isolation device includes positioning the isolation device on an isolation device seat that is defined by the isolation sleeve, and further wherein the locating the isolation device includes flowing the isolation device from a surface region to the isolation sleeve to locate the isolation device on the isolation sleeve.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further includes flowing a perforation device from a surface region into the casing conduit, wherein the flowing the perforation device is at least one of (i) performed concurrently with the locating the isolation device, (ii) performed subsequent to the locating the isolation device, and (iii) performed concurrently with the injection port fluid flow.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further includes stimulating a zone of the subterranean formation by flowing a portion of the stimulating fluid stream from the casing conduit into the zone of the subterranean formation through the uphole perforation.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the method further includes providing a proppant to the zone of the subterranean formation.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the method further includes retaining a perforation device within the casing conduit during the providing the proppant.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein, during the providing the proppant, the method further includes perforating the production casing with the perforation device responsive to the fluid pressure exceeding a threshold screenout pressure.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein, prior to the creating the uphole perforation, the method further includes flowing a perforation device from a surface region into the casing conduit concurrently with the injection port fluid flow.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the sealing the injection port includes receiving an injection port sealing device on an injection port sealing device seat that defines a portion of the injection port.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein receiving an injection port sealing device includes receiving a ball sealer on the injection port sealing device seat.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein locating an isolation device includes locating an isolation ball on the isolation sleeve to fluidly isolate the downhole portion of the casing conduit.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further includes producing a reservoir fluid from the subterranean formation via the casing conduit, wherein the producing is subsequent to the creating the uphole perforation, and further wherein the method includes transitioning from the creating the uphole perforation to the producing without removing an isolation plug from the casing conduit.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further includes:
determining that at least one component of a well that is performing the method has malfunctioned;
providing a sealing fluid to the casing conduit responsive to the determining;
flowing the sealing fluid to a perforated section of the production casing that includes an existing perforation; and
generating a fluid plug within the perforated section of the production casing by increasing a viscosity of the sealing fluid.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the method further includes:
providing an existing perforation sealing device to the casing conduit responsive to the determining;
flowing the existing perforation sealing device to the perforated section of the production casing;
locating the existing perforation sealing device on the existing perforation to at least partially seal the existing perforation; and
retaining the existing perforation sealing device proximate the existing perforation with the fluid plug.

23. A well, comprising:
a wellbore that extends between a surf

Assignees

• Tolman Randy C
• Benish Timothy G
• Steiner Geoffrey
• Nygaard Kris J
• Exxonmobil Upstream Res Co

Inventors

• Tolman Randy C
• Benish Timothy G
• Steiner Geoffrey
• Nygaard Kris J

Classifications

• E21B43/26

  by forming crevices or fractures · CPC title

• E21B43/119

  Details, e.g. for locating perforating place or direction · CPC title

• E21B2034/007

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic

• E21B33/12

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

• E21B43/267

  reinforcing fractures by propping · CPC title