Wellbore notching assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hydraulic fracturing in tight hydrocarbon-bearing formations like tight sandstones, tight carbonates, and shale is difficult to achieve and sustain at required levels due to limited connectivity between reservoir formations and wellbores, necessitating improved methods to enhance fluid flow.
Innovation Solution
A wellbore notching system with a cutting device having blades that can extend and retract to form notches in open-hole wellbores, allowing for controlled notch dimensions and lower injection pressures during fracturing by adjusting blade positions and angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If hydraulic fracturing is performed in tight formations, then fluid flow connectivity is improved, but injection pressure requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting device creates notches in the wellbore wall before hydraulic fracturing is performed. This preliminary action of notch creation provides pre-defined fracture initiation points and pathways, allowing the subsequent fracturing process to proceed at lower injection pressures while achieving the desired fluid flow connectivity in tight formations.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting device segments the wellbore wall by creating discrete notches that divide the formation into distinct zones. These segmented notches serve as controlled entry points for fracturing fluids, improving connectivity without requiring excessive injection pressure to create new fracture pathways from scratch.
2Productivity
If blade length is increased to create deeper notches, then fracture propagation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting device employs adjustable blade mechanisms that can extend and retract based on operational requirements. The blades can be positioned at different lengths and angles dynamically during the notching process, allowing deep notches to be created when needed while maintaining a more compact configuration during tool deployment and retrieval, thus balancing fracture propagation capability with device 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
The system facilitates the creation of fractures at lower pressures and enhances fluid flow by controlling notch dimensions, reducing friction, and optimizing fracture propagation.
Implementation Method 1
The shaft has a first portion having first exterior threads that extend around the first portion in a first direction, and a second portion having second exterior threads that extend around the second portion in a second direction opposite the first direction
Data Source
AI summary
A well tool for generating a notch in an open-hole wellbore, includes a tool body having a housing defining at least one slot and an interior volume. The tool body includes a cutting device disposed in the interior volume, configured to form a notch in a formation. The cutting device includes a shaft disposed in the interior volume of the housing having a first portion with a first exterior threads that extend around the first portion in a first direction, and a second portion having second exterior threads that extend around the second portion in a second direction opposite the first direction. The cutting device includes multiple blades configured to extend radially outward toward the formation through the slot or inward away from the formation and having a first blade extending from the first portion of the shaft and a second blade extending from a second portion of the shaft.