Inter-well Perforation for Extended Proppant Transport
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hydraulic fracturing methods often result in proppant transport limitations within hydraulic fractures, leading to incomplete drainage of hydrocarbon reservoirs, which increases the number of wells required for efficient production and raises development costs.
Innovation Solution
Implementing distributed fiber-optic sensing technology to identify hydraulic fracture locations in adjacent production wells, allowing for targeted perforation and increased flow velocity to enhance proppant transport distance and create fluid communication paths between wells, thereby increasing the effective drainage area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If proppant is added to injection fluid to prevent fracture closure, then fracture integrity is improved, but proppant transport distance is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a second production well as an intermediary structure to receive proppant from the hydraulic fracture and transport it to a third production well. This intermediary wellbore system enables proppant to be delivered beyond the traditional fracture length limitation, effectively extending the proppant transport distance while maintaining fracture integrity through controlled perforation and pressure management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-well fracture system to a multi-well network system, adding the spatial dimension of inter-well communication. By creating perforations in the wellbore wall at fracture locations and establishing fluid communication paths between multiple wells, the system enables proppant transport in a new spatial dimension beyond the traditional fracture radius.
2Area of stationary object
If hydraulic fractures are made longer to increase drainage area, then recovery volume is improved, but proppant delivery becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The second production well serves as an intermediary that receives proppant from the hydraulic fracture and transports it to the third production well. This intermediary system decouples the fracture length from the proppant delivery limitation, allowing long fractures to extend drainage area while the wellbore network ensures adequate proppant delivery to remote locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the proppant delivery system into distinct functional zones: the hydraulic fracture generates and initial transports proppant, the second production well receives and redistributes proppant, and the third production well is the final delivery point. This segmentation allows each component to optimize its function independently, enabling long fracture lengths without compromising proppant delivery.
3Productivity
If more wells are drilled to increase production capacity, then hydrocarbon recovery is improved, but development cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple production wells into an integrated network system where wells communicate through shared hydraulic fractures and perforated wellbore walls. This merging allows the system to achieve enhanced hydrocarbon recovery through cooperative flow between wells while reducing the total number of independent wellbores required, thereby lowering development costs.
Solution Approach 2:
Each production well in the network serves multiple functions: it acts as a source for hydraulic fracturing, a receiver for proppant transport, and a production well for hydrocarbon extraction. The perforated wellbore sections serve both as isolation barriers during fracturing and as flow channels for proppant and hydrocarbon transport, reducing the need for separate infrastructure and lowering overall development complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method significantly increases proppant transportation distance, reduces the number of wells needed for hydrocarbon production, and enhances the overall recovery rate by enabling longer fractures to be exploited without damaging additional reservoir rock, potentially doubling the recovery rate compared to conventional systems.
Implementation Method 1
injecting hydraulic fracturing fluid from the surface into the wellbore. The injected fluid flow through the perforation holes into the reservoir generates hydraulic fractures in the rocks to enhance production.
Implementation Method 2
proppant is fine grain sand or similar particulate materials, which can serve as supporting material in the hydraulic fractures to prevent complete closure. Fluid flow within a fracture decreases as the fracture size increases, and fluid flow velocity decreases further away from the injector.
Implementation Method 3
The generated hydraulic fractures could close completely due to pressure depletion during the production phase.
Implementation Method 4
Pressure of the second production well can be released from the surface to increase flow velocity in the communication path, and force proppant to propagate further away from the first production well.
Data Source
AI summary
A method creates a fluid communication path between a first production well and a second production well. At least one hydraulic fracture intersects the first production well and is separated from the second production well by a wall thereof. The method includes identifying, from the second production well, a location of the hydraulic fracture of the first production well, and perforating the wall of the second production well at the identified location. The perforating creates the fluid communication path between the production wells. Injection of fracking fluid and proppant at the first production well allows for additional fluids to be extracted from the second production well, thus generating a flow between the two production wells through the hydraulic fracture.