US 12,264,565 B2
Application of elastic fluids in hydraulic fracturing implementing a physics-based analytical tool
Oswaldo J. Perez, Houston, TX (US); and Francisco E. Fragachan, Katy, TX (US)
Assigned to Weatherford Technology Holdings, LLC, Houston, TX (US)
Filed by Weatherford Technology Holdings, LLC, Houston, TX (US)
Filed on Dec. 8, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/077,740.
Application 18/077,740 is a continuation of application No. 16/539,645, filed on Aug. 13, 2019, granted, now 11,566,504.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/875,293, filed on Jul. 17, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0235652 A1, Jul. 27, 2023
Int. Cl. E21B 43/26 (2006.01); E21B 41/00 (2006.01); E21B 43/267 (2006.01); E21B 49/00 (2006.01); G01N 11/16 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 43/26 (2013.01) [E21B 41/00 (2013.01); E21B 43/267 (2013.01); E21B 49/00 (2013.01); G01N 11/162 (2013.01)] 25 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method implemented with a wellbore system having a programmable control device and a pump system to perform a wellbore operation in a wellbore in a formation, the method comprising:
obtaining, with the programmable control device, wellbore parameters characterizing the wellbore operation in the wellbore, the wellbore operation requiring use of a target fluid having at least one target parameter of a transport performance, a suspension performance, a characteristic density, a characteristic viscosity, and a friction performance;
obtaining, with the programmable control device, fluid parameters characterizing an elastic fluid for use as the target fluid in the wellbore operation in the wellbore to achieve the at least one target parameter, wherein:
(i) the fluid parameters are defined by regions of elastic behavior for the elastic fluid relating shear rate relative to viscosity of the elastic fluid, the regions of elastic behavior including a viscous region defined by the Power Law and including an elastic region defined by storage modulus (G′) relative to loss modulus (G″), the regions of elastic behavior being calculated from a threshold of the shear rate at which the Power Law applies to the elastic fluid based on: a first differential equation of the viscosity with respect to shear rate:

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 a second differential equation of a flow index (n′) of the Power Law with respect to shear rate:

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 and a third differential equation of the storage modulus (G′) with and respect to shear rate:

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 and
(ii) the fluid parameters define, according to the regions of elastic behavior, friction behavior of the elastic fluid relating fiction gradient relative to flow rate of the elastic fluid;
determining, with the programmable control device, operational parameters for using the elastic fluid as the target fluid in the wellbore operation in the wellbore to achieve the at least one target parameter by modeling the wellbore operation using the elastic fluid based on the wellbore parameters and the fluid parameters;
preparing a treatment of the elastic fluid having the fluid parameters by adding an elastic fluid agent to a base fluid; and
performing, through an interface of the programmable control device with the pump system, the wellbore operation by pumping the treatment of the elastic fluid in the wellbore with the pump system according to the determined operational parameters to reach the at least one target parameter.