Reciprocating Fracturing for Horizontal Well Stress Interference

The patent divides the fracturing process into multiple stages, where each stage creates a segment of the final hydraulic fracture. By fracturing in sequential stages rather than creating one long fracture at once, the stress field is allowed to stabilize between stages, preventing deflection of subsequent fractures. This segmentation approach maintains both fracture length and trajectory accuracy.

The patent performs preliminary fracturing actions in earlier stages to create initial fracture segments before proceeding to subsequent stages. By establishing these preliminary fracture segments first, the stress field is modified in a controlled manner, and later fracturing operations can proceed along the expected trajectory without unexpected deflections.

The patent employs periodic fracturing actions with multiple stages, where each stage introduces a new fracture segment after allowing sufficient time for stress field adjustment. This periodic approach ensures that stress interference from previous fractures is minimized before initiating new fracturing, thereby maintaining accurate fracture trajectories while expanding the overall stimulated reservoir area.

By performing preliminary fracturing in earlier stages, the patent prepares the stress field in advance for subsequent fracturing operations. This preliminary action creates a more favorable stress environment for later stages, reducing stress interference and ensuring that subsequent fractures follow the intended paths while still achieving broad reservoir coverage.

The patent segments the creation of long hydraulic fractures into multiple shorter stages. Each stage creates a manageable fracture segment that maintains trajectory accuracy, and the cumulative effect of multiple segments achieves the desired long fracture length for maximum reservoir contact and productivity enhancement without the deflection problems of single-stage long fractures.

By implementing periodic fracturing stages with appropriate intervals, the patent allows the stress field to stabilize between each fracturing event. This periodic approach enables the generation of long fractures that maintain the expected trajectory throughout their length, ensuring both high productivity and precise fracture placement for optimal reservoir stimulation.