Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Overlapping horizontal fracture formation and flooding process

Patent ·
OSTI ID:5797607
This patent describes improvement in a fluid flood process for enhancing the secondary recovery of hydrocarbons from a reservoir using fluid injection wells and hydrocarbons recovery wells, each well having a well bore. It comprises establishing a horizontal injection fracture extending substantially horizontally from each of plural injection well bores in the reservoir and; establishing an individual horizontal recovery fracture, in the reservoir, extending substantially horizontally from each of plural recovery well bores and vertically displaced from and overlapping in the reservoir with at least one such injection fracture from an adjacent one of such injection well bores. The improvement comprises determining the azimuth of a vertical component of a fracture for the reservoir; and disposing the recovery wells in at least one row which substantially parallel with the azimuth. This patent also describes improvement in a well system for enhancing the secondary recovery of hydrocarbons from a reservoir involving fluid injection wells and hydrocarbon recovery wells, each well having a well bore and wherein there is a horizontal injection fracture extending substantially horizontally from each of plural injection well bores in the reservoir and a horizontal recovery fracture in the reservoir extending substantially horizontally from each of plural recovery well bores vertically displaced from and overlapping with at least one injection fracture of an adjacent injection well bore. The improvement comprises: disposing the recovery wells in at least one row which is substantially parallel with the azimuth of a vertical component of a fracture in the reservoir.
Assignee:
Comdisco Resources, Inc., San Francisco, CA (United States)
Patent Number(s):
A; US 5025859
Application Number:
PPN: US 7-504090
OSTI ID:
5797607
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English