US 11,840,909 B2
Attaining access to compromised fractured production regions at an oilfield
Dmitriy Ivanovich Potapenko, Sugar Land, TX (US); William Batzer, Houston, TX (US); Robert Utter, Sugar Land, TX (US); Donald W. Lee, Houston, TX (US); George Alan Waters, Oklahoma City, OK (US); Douglas Pipchuk, London (GB); and Ryan Rodgers, Houston, TX (US)
Assigned to Schlumberger Technology Corporation, Sugar Land, TX (US)
Appl. No. 16/332,418
Filed by Schlumberger Technology Corporation, Sugar Land, TX (US)
PCT Filed Sep. 12, 2017, PCT No. PCT/US2017/051071
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 12, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/049367, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 15, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/393,416, filed on Sep. 12, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2021/0102452 A1, Apr. 8, 2021
Int. Cl. E21B 34/00 (2006.01); E21B 7/06 (2006.01); E21B 43/26 (2006.01); E21B 43/30 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 43/26 (2013.01) [E21B 7/061 (2013.01); E21B 43/305 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of providing fluid communication between a main bore of a horizontal well and a plurality of substantially non-producing regions of a formation encompassed by a fracture from the main bore, the method comprising:
stimulating the formation through the main bore of the horizontal and forming the fracture in the formation;
forming a plurality of micro-tunnels from the main bore to the plurality of substantially non-producing regions of the fracture, wherein each substantially non-producing region of the plurality of substantially non-producing regions is separated from other substantially non-producing regions of the plurality of substantially non-producing regions and the main bore by a plurality of seal layers, the plurality of micro-tunnels is disposed on a same side of the fracture, and each micro-tunnel of the plurality of micro-tunnels is formed by:
determining, from prior obtained formation data and after stimulating the formation, a tunnel location, an angle, and a length of each micro-tunnel to reach from the tunnel location to intersect one of the plurality of substantially non-producing regions of the formation based on a height of the fracture and a distance from the tunnel location to the fracture, wherein the height extends from the main bore to a position in the fracture within the respective one of the plurality of substantially non-producing regions beyond a seal layer of the plurality of seal layers in the formation, wherein the seal layer of the plurality of seal layers is offset away from the main bore and at least partially obstructs fluid flow from the respective one of the plurality of substantially non-producing regions to the main bore;
selecting a micro-tunneling tool based on the angle and the length of each micro-tunnel of the plurality of micro-tunnels;
deploying the micro-tunneling tool within the main bore of the horizontal well to the tunnel location for each micro-tunnel of the plurality of micro-tunnels; and
forming the micro-tunnel from the tunnel location of the main bore to the fracture at the respective one of the plurality of substantially non-producing regions for each micro-tunnel of the plurality of micro-tunnels.