US 11,852,002 B2
Methods of stimulating a hydrocarbon well
James B. Thomas, Aledo, TX (US); Owen J. Hehmeyer, Houston, TX (US); Nancy H. Choi, Ft. Worth, TX (US); Erik N. English, Ft. Worth, TX (US); and Eric R. Grueschow, Naperville, IL (US)
Assigned to ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company, Spring, TX (US)
Filed by ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company, Spring, TX (US)
Filed on Sep. 22, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/934,281.
Application 17/934,281 is a continuation of application No. 17/227,696, filed on Apr. 12, 2021, granted, now 11,512,572.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/030,993, filed on May 28, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0018564 A1, Jan. 19, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. E21B 43/26 (2006.01); E21B 43/267 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 43/261 (2013.01) [E21B 43/267 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of stimulating a hydrocarbon well, wherein the hydrocarbon well includes a wellbore that extends within a subterranean formation and a tubular that extends within the wellbore and defines a tubular conduit, the method comprising:
retaining a sealing structure within the tubular conduit to at least partially fluidly isolate an uphole region of the tubular conduit, which is uphole from the sealing structure, from a downhole region of the tubular conduit, which is downhole from the sealing structure;
during the retaining, stimulating a zone of the subterranean formation by providing a stimulant fluid stream to the uphole region and flowing the stimulant fluid stream into the zone of the subterranean formation via a plurality of perforations defined within a portion of the tubular that defines the uphole region;
subsequent to the stimulating, fluidly isolating the zone of the subterranean formation from the uphole region by at least partially sealing the plurality of perforations;
subsequent to the fluidly isolating, moving the sealing structure in a downhole direction within the tubular conduit, wherein the sealing structure is configured to initiate the moving responsive to pressure within a wellbore fluid being less than a threshold move initiation pressure; and
repeating the retaining, the stimulating, the fluidly isolating, and the moving a plurality of times to stimulate a plurality of corresponding zones of the subterranean formation.