Gas diverter for well and reservoir stimulation
First Claim
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1. A method, comprising:
- injecting a gas into a wellbore comprising a tubing string having inner and outer tubing string walls, a well casing having inner and outer well casing walls, and an annular space defined by the inner well casing wall and the outer tubing string wall, wherein the wellbore is at least partly contained within a subterranean formation, wherein the gas is injected into the annular space of the wellbore is at a rate from about 1 to about 500,000 scf/min and occupies one or more portions of the subterranean formation surrounding the wellbore at an injected pressure, wherein the gas comprises no more than about 1% by volume solid particulates;
maintaining the gas at the injected pressure, wherein the injected pressure is below a fracture gradient of the subterranean formation during substantially the duration of the injecting step; and
injecting a fracturing liquid into a tubing space defined by the inner tubing string wall at a sufficient pressure to fracture a target portion of the subterranean formation surrounding the wellbore, wherein the one or more portions of the subterranean formation and the target portion of the subterranean formation differ.
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Abstract
The fracturing methods described in the present disclosure provide advantage over the current fracturing methods. The disclosed fracturing methods can change the fracture gradient of the downhole subterranean formation. For example, one or more of the fracture gradients of the low and high stress zones of the downhole subterranean formation can be changed. Furthermore, the methods of present disclosure, in relation to current practices, can decrease the extent and/or degree of fracturing within low stress downhole formations and increase the degree of fracturing within high stress formations.
565 Citations
9 Claims
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1. A method, comprising:
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injecting a gas into a wellbore comprising a tubing string having inner and outer tubing string walls, a well casing having inner and outer well casing walls, and an annular space defined by the inner well casing wall and the outer tubing string wall, wherein the wellbore is at least partly contained within a subterranean formation, wherein the gas is injected into the annular space of the wellbore is at a rate from about 1 to about 500,000 scf/min and occupies one or more portions of the subterranean formation surrounding the wellbore at an injected pressure, wherein the gas comprises no more than about 1% by volume solid particulates; maintaining the gas at the injected pressure, wherein the injected pressure is below a fracture gradient of the subterranean formation during substantially the duration of the injecting step; and injecting a fracturing liquid into a tubing space defined by the inner tubing string wall at a sufficient pressure to fracture a target portion of the subterranean formation surrounding the wellbore, wherein the one or more portions of the subterranean formation and the target portion of the subterranean formation differ. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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Specification