In Situ Polymeric Pillar Placement in Fracture Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hydraulic fracturing methods face challenges in maintaining fracture openness and maximizing fluid flow permeability, particularly in subterranean formations, as they often rely on proppants that can cause damage and are inefficient in finer fractures.
Innovation Solution
A multistage treatment fluid containing a polymer-forming composition and a spacer fluid is introduced into the wellbore, where the polymer-forming composition polymerizes to create polymeric pillars that stabilize fractures, reducing the need for proppants and minimizing damage, while the spacer fluid and degradable fillers ensure open flow channels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If proppants are injected into fractures to prevent closure, then fracture openness is maintained, but damage to surface regions increases and fluid flow permeability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the harmful proppant material from the fracture treatment system and replaces it with a polymer-forming composition that creates pillars through in-situ polymerization. This removes the source of surface region damage while maintaining the fracture-opening function.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical proppant pack system with a chemical polymerization system. Instead of relying on solid proppant particles to mechanically hold fractures open, the system uses polymer-forming composition that polymerizes in-situ to create pillars that stabilize fractures through chemical transformation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If proppants are used to hold fractures open, then fracture stability is achieved, but fluid flow permeability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts proppant material from the system and replaces it with polymer pillars formed in-situ. This eliminates the proppant-pack barrier that reduces permeability while maintaining fracture stability through the polymer pillar structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The polymer-forming composition creates localized pillars at specific positions within the fracture where needed for stability, rather than filling the entire fracture with proppant. This localized approach maintains open flow channels while providing necessary structural support.
3Stability of the object's composition
If polymer-forming composition is injected at high rates, then fracture stability is achieved quickly, but polymerization control becomes difficult and energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the polymerization trigger parameter from pressure-dependent (high pumping rate) to temperature-dependent (formation temperature). This allows polymerization to occur at lower, more energy-efficient pumping rates while maintaining fracture stability through controlled thermal polymerization in-situ.
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
The polymeric pillars effectively hold fractures open, enhancing fluid flow permeability and reducing the energy required for pumping, thus improving hydraulic fracture network stability and longevity.
Implementation Method 1
initiating polymerization of the one or more stages of polymer-forming composition
Implementation Method 2
precipitating the polymer from the solvent and forming a polymeric pillar within a fracture
Data Source
AI summary
Methods include introducing a multistage treatment fluid into one or more intervals of a wellbore, wherein the treatment fluid contains one or more stages of a polymer-forming composition and one or more stages of a spacer fluid and initiating polymerization of the one or more stages of polymer-forming composition. Methods may include designing a multistage treatment fluid containing one or more stages of a polymer-forming composition and one or more stages of a spacer fluid, wherein or more stages of the polymer-forming composition comprises a thermosetting polymer; and pumping the multistage treatment fluid into a wellbore, wherein the pumping rate is determined by constructing a model based upon (a) the minimum pumping rate determined from the critical reaction temperature and the downhole temperature, (b) the fracture closing time, (c) the temperature within one or more fractures, and (d) the maximum pumping rate.