Pulse Mode Hydraulic Fracturing for Well Productivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydraulic fracturing methods do not effectively reduce the impact of fracturing fluid on fracture walls and proppant clusters, leading to reduced well lifetime and increased pressure drop, which affects fluid flow rates and well productivity.
Innovation Solution
The method involves injecting fracturing fluid in a pulse mode with alternating pulses of proppant-laden and proppant-free fluid, incorporating reinforcing and consolidation materials to optimize proppant cluster formation and reduce fluid viscosity, thereby minimizing the impact on fracture walls and increasing the depth of proppant placement, while using specific proppant and fiber concentrations to control cluster size and distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If fracturing fluid is injected continuously with proppant, then proppant placement is achieved, but fluid viscosity causes high pressure drop and reduced fluid flow rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by injecting fracturing fluid in alternating pulses: one pulse contains proppant for cluster formation, while the next pulse is proppant-free to reduce viscosity and clear channels. This periodic alternation maintains productivity by ensuring open flow paths while minimizing energy loss through reduced pressure drop during the low-viscosity phases.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If fracturing fluid contacts fracture walls and proppant clusters, then fracture is formed and propped, but well lifetime is reduced due to fluid impact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful proppant from the fracturing fluid during specific phases of injection. By separating proppant injection into distinct pulses from fluid injection, the proppant-free pulses allow the fracturing fluid to clear channels and reduce impact on fracture walls without the abrasive effect of proppant, thereby extending well lifetime while maintaining the propping function during dedicated proppant pulses.
3Reliability
If proppant concentration is increased to improve cluster formation, then fracture conductivity is enhanced, but fluid viscosity increases reducing flow rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction through periodic action by alternating between high proppant concentration pulses (to build and maintain fracture conductivity through cluster formation) and proppant-free pulses (to reduce viscosity and restore high fluid flow rates). This temporal separation allows the system to achieve both high reliability through consistent cluster placement and high productivity through periodic viscosity reduction.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure claimed herein relates to well systems for various fluids production, in particular, for production of fluids from hydrocarbon-containing formations using hydraulic fracturing process. According to the proposed method, injecting into well of fracturing fluid not containing proppant is performed to form a fracture in the formation, after which fracturing fluid is injected into the wellbore in pulse mode; the pulse mode provides at least one pulse of injecting fracturing fluid containing proppant, and at least one pulse of proppant-free fluid. Also, methods for fluid production and injection are proposed. Methods for fluids production, injection and recovery using hydraulic fracturing method are proposed. The proposed method increase the well lifetime due to reduced fluid flow impact on fracture walls and proppant clusters.