Method for treating multiple wellbore intervals

• US 6,543,538 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2001
• Issued: 04/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Inventors: El-Rabaa, Abdel Wadood M., Tolman, Randy C., Sorem, William A., Nygaard, Kris J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bagnell, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): GAY, JENNIFER HAWKINS
• Application Number:
  US09/891,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20020007949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 166/284, 166/305.1, 166/306, 166/307, 166/308, 166/373, 166/381, 166/386, 166/278, 166/297
• US Class Current: 166/284
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/124 Units with longitudinally-spaced plugs for isolating the intermediate space
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/138 Plastering the borehole wall; Injecting into the formation
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/116 Gun or shaped-charge perforators
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/26 by forming crevices or fractures
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/261 Separate steps of (1) cementing, plugging or consolidating and (2) fracturing or attacking the formation

Abstract

This invention provides a method for treating multiple intervals in a wellbore by perforating at least one interval then treating and isolating the perforated interval(s) without removing the perforating device from the wellbore during the treatment or isolation. The invention can be applied to hydraulic fracturing with or without proppant materials as well as to chemical stimulation treatments.

Claims

1. A method for treating multiple intervals of one or more subterranean formations intersected by a cased wellbore, said method comprising:

a) using a perforating device to perforate at least one interval of said one or more subterranean formations;

b) pumping a treating fluid into the perforations created in said at least one interval by said perforating device without removing said perforating device from said wellbore;

c) deploying one or more diversion agents in said wellbore to removably block further fluid flow into said perforations; and

d) repeating at least steps a) through b) for at least one more interval of said one or more subterranean formations;

wherein at some time after step a) and before removably blocking fluid flow into said perforations, said perforating device is moved to a position above said at least one interval perforated in step a).

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising repeating step c) for at least one more interval of said one or more subterranean formations.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein at some time after step a) and before removably blocking fluid flow into said perforations, said perforating device is moved to a position adjacent to the interval of subterranean formation desired to be perforated next.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein at some time after step a) and before removably blocking fluid flow into said perforations, said perforating device is moved to a position above the position in said wellbore at which said treating fluid enters said wellbore.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein at some time after step a) and before removably blocking fluid flow into said perforations, said perforating device is moved to a position above the position in said welibore at which said diversion agent enters said wellbore.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said diversion agents deployed in the wellbore are ball sealers.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein diversion agents deployed in said wellbore are selected from the group of particulates, gels, viscous fluids, and foams.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said diversion agents deployed in said wellbore is at least one mechanical sliding sleeve.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said perforating device is additionally used to actuate said mechanical sliding sleeves.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said diversion agent deployed in said wellbore is at least one mechanical flapper valve.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said perforating device is additionally used to actuate said mechanical flapper valve.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein a wireline is used to suspend the perforating device in said wellbore.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein a wireline isolation device is positioned in the wellbore near the point at which said treating fluid enters said wellbore to protect said wireline from said treating fluid.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said treating fluid is a slurry of a proppant material and a carrier fluid.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said treating fluid is a fracturing fluid containing no proppant material.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein said treating fluid is an acid solution.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein said treating fluid is an organic solvent.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein a tubing string is used to suspend the perforating device in said wellbore.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein a tubing isolation device is positioned in said wellbore near the point at which said treating fluid enters said wellbore to protect said tubing from said treating fluid.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein said tubing string is a coiled tubing.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein said tubing string is a jointed tubing.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein said perforating device is a jet cutting device that uses fluid pumped down said tubing string to establish hydraulic communication between said wellbore and said one or more intervals of said one or more subterranean formations.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein said perforating device is a select-fire perforating gun containing multiple sets of one or more shaped-charge perforating charges.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein said wellbore has perforating charges affixed to said casing at locations corresponding to said multiple intervals of said one or more subterranean formations and said perforating device actuates at least one of said casing-conveyed charges in order to perforate at least one interval of said one or more subterranean formations.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein a tractor device is used to move said perforating device within said wellbore.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said tractor device is actuated by an on-board computer system which also actuates said perforating device.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein said tractor device is actuated and controlled by a wireline communication.

28. A method for treating multiple intervals of one or more subterranean formations intersected by a cased wellbore, said method comprising:

a) using a select-fire perforating device containing multiple sets of one or more shaped-charge perforating charges to perforate at least one interval of said one or more subterranean formations;

b) pumping a treating fluid into the perforations created in said at least one interval by said perforating device without removing said perforating device from said wellbore;

c) deploying ball sealers in said wellbore to removably block further fluid flow into said perforations; and

d) repeating at least steps a) through b) for at least one more interval of said one or more subterranean formations;

wherein at some time after step a) and before removably blocking fluid flow into said perforations, said perforating device is moved to a position above said at least one interval perforated in step a).

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising repeating step c) for at least one more interval of said one or more subterranean formations.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein said perforating device has a depth locator connected thereto for controlling the location of said perforating device in said wellbore.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein at some time after step a) and before deploying said ball sealers, said perforating device is moved to a position adjacent to the interval of subterranean formation desired to be perforated next.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein at some time after step a) and before deploying said ball sealers, said perforating device is moved to a position above the position in said wellbore at which said treating fluid enters said wellbore.

33. The method of claim 29 wherein at some time after step a) and before deploying said ball sealers, said perforating device is moved to a position above the position in said wellbore at which said ball sealers enter said wellbore.

34. The method of claim 29 wherein a wireline is used to suspend said perforating (device in said wellbore.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein a wireline isolation device is positioned in said wellbore near the point at which said treating fluid enters said wellbore to protect said wireline from said treating fluid.

36. The method of claim 34 wherein said treating fluid is a slurry of a proppant material and a carrier fluid.

37. The method of claim 34 wherein said treating fluid is a fracturing fluid containing no proppant material.

38. The method of claim 28 wherein said treating fluid is an acid solution.

39. The method of claim 28 wherein said wellbore has perforating charges affixed to said casing at locations corresponding to said multiple intervals of said one or more subterranean formations and said perforating device actuates at least one of said casing-conveyed charges in order to perforate at least one interval of said one or more subterranean formations.

40. The method of claim 28 wherein a tubing string is used to suspend the perforating device in said wellbore.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein a tubing isolation device is positioned in said wellbore near the point at which said treating fluid enters said wellbore to protect said tubing from said treating fluid.

42. The method of claim 40 wherein said tubing string is a coiled tubing.

43. The method of claim 40 wherein said tubing string is a jointed tubing.

44. The method of claim 28 wherein a tractor device is used to move said perforating device within said wellbore.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein said tractor device is actuated by an on-board computer system which also actuates said perforating device.

46. The method of claim 44 wherein said tractor device is actuated and controlled by a wireline communication.