US 12,247,470 B1
Enhancing connectivity between injector and producer wells using sequenced stimulation
Jonathan Alcantar, Plano, TX (US); Gabrijel Grubac, Zrenjanin (RS); Abdel Wadood Mohamed El-Rabaa, Plano, TX (US); and Sriram Vasantharajan, Plano, TX (US)
Assigned to MAZAMA ENERGY, INC., Seattle, WA (US)
Filed by MAZAMA ENERGY, INC., Seattle, WA (US)
Filed on Aug. 13, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/801,992.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/662,134, filed on Jun. 20, 2024.
Int. Cl. E21B 43/17 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 43/17 (2013.01) [E21B 2200/20 (2020.05)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
(a) an injector well extending from a surface to a subterranean geologic formation and configured to be perforated;
(b) a pump configured to produce a thermal lattice in the subterranean geologic formation by:
(i) pumping a first volume of one or more fluids capable of tensile fracturing the subterranean geologic formation, generating a downhole pressure that produces a stress on the subterranean geologic formation exceeding a minimum horizontal stress of the subterranean geologic formation, from the injector well to a producer well, the producer well extending from the surface to the subterranean geologic formation;
(ii) pumping the one or more fluids in a pulsing mode to cause fatigue to any existing natural fractures intersecting fractures caused by the tensile fracturing, or to natural non-fractured rock, the pulsing mode having a pulse amplitude below the minimum horizontal stress of the subterranean geologic formation with frequency determined by rock fabric of the subterranean geologic formation and bottom hole static temperature;
(iii) pumping a second volume of the one or more fluids during an injection period as a hydro-shearing stage, the second volume based on an estimated total porosity of natural fractures encountered in the subterranean geologic formation estimated from a borehole logging tool or from geologic settings of the subterranean geologic formation; and
(c) a measurement sub-system configured to measure enhanced connectivity or permeability or both of the subterranean geologic formation after creation of the thermal lattice.