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Dean M. Willberg

Dean M. Willberg, Salt Lake City, UT US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20090286700Heterogeneous Proppant Placement in a Fracture with Removable Channelant Fill - A method of heterogeneous proppant placement in a subterranean fracture is disclosed. The method comprises injecting well treatment fluid including proppant (11-19-2009
20110056684DEGRADABLE FIBER SYSTEMS FOR STIMULATION - A method for minimizing the amount of metal crosslinked viscosifier necessary for treating a wellbore with proppant or gravel is given. The method includes using fibers to aid in transporting, suspending and placing proppant or gravel in viscous carrier fluids otherwise having insufficient viscosity to prevent particulate settling. Fibers are given that have properties optimized for proppant transport but degrade after the treatment into degradation products that do not precipitate in the presence of ions in the water such as calcium and magnesium. Crosslinked polymer carrier fluids are identified that are not damaged by contaminants present in the fibers or by degradation products released by premature degradation of the fibers.03-10-2011
20110083849HETEROGENEOUS PROPPANT PLACEMENT IN A FRACTURE WITH REMOVABLE CHANNELANT FILL - A method of heterogeneous proppant placement in a subterranean fracture is disclosed. The method comprises injecting a first treatment fluid comprising a gas and substantially free of macroscopic particles through a wellbore to initiate a fracture in a subterranean formation; injecting a second treatment fluid comprising proppant and channelant through the wellbore into the fracture; placing the proppant in the fracture in a plurality of proppant clusters forming pillars spaced apart by the channelant; and removing the channelant to form open channels around the pillars for fluid flow from the subterranean formation through the fracture toward the wellbore.04-14-2011
20110114313HETEROGENEOUS PROPPANT PLACEMENT IN A FRACTURE WITH REMOVABLE CHANNELANT FILL - A method of heterogeneous proppant placement in a subterranean fracture is disclosed. The method comprises injecting well treatment fluid including proppant (05-19-2011

Dean M. Willberg, Moscow RU

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20080236823Degradable Fiber Systems for Stimulation - A method for minimizing the amount of metal crosslinked viscosifier necessary for treating a wellbore with proppant or gravel is given. The method includes using fibers to aid in transporting, suspending and placing proppant or gravel in viscous carrier fluids otherwise having insufficient viscosity to prevent particulate settling. Fibers are given that have properties optimized for proppant transport but degrade after the treatment into degradation products that do not precipitate in the presence of ions in the water such as calcium and magnesium. Crosslinked polymer carrier fluids are identified that are not damaged by contaminants present in the fibers or by degradation products released by premature degradation of the fibers.10-02-2008
20100029516FIBER ASSISTED EMULSION SYSTEM - Emulsions, either water-in-oil or oil-in-water, may be formed by combining an aqueous component, a non-aqueous component and a surfactant in combination with fibers. The fibers decrease the time and energy required to form the emulsion and, in some cases, allow emulsion formation that would not be possible with the use of such fibers.02-04-2010

Patent applications by Dean M. Willberg, Moscow RU

Dean M. Willberg, Tucson, AZ US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20080200352Degradable Material Assisted Diversion or Isolation - A method for well treatment by forming a temporary plug in a fracture, a perforation, a wellbore, or more than one of these locations, in a well penetrating a subterranean formation is provided, in which the method of well treatment includes: injecting a slurry comprising a degradable material, allowing the degradable material to form a plug in a perforation, a fracture, or a wellbore in a well penetrating a formation; performing a downhole operation; and allowing the degradable material to degrade after a selected time such that the plug disappears.08-21-2008
20080289823Degradable Material Assisted Diversion or Isolation - A method for well treatment by forming a temporary plug in a fracture, a perforation, a wellbore, or more than one of these locations, in a well penetrating a subterranean formation is provided, in which the method of well treatment includes: injecting a slurry comprising a degradable material, allowing the degradable material to form a plug in a perforation, a fracture, or a wellbore in a well penetrating a formation; performing a downhole operation; and allowing the degradable material to degrade after a selected time such that the plug disappears.11-27-2008
20090014176PROPPANT AND METHODS OF USE - A proppant consists of a core part and shell of a material different from the material of the core part. The shell comprises a soft material attached rigidly to the core part in such a way that the total surface area of the points where the shell and the core part are joined is less than the surface area of the core part.01-15-2009
20090044945METHOD FOR HYDRAULIC FRACTURING OF SUBTERRANEAN FORMATION - The invention provides economically effective methods for hydraulic fracturing a subterranean formation that ensure improvement of the hydraulic fracture conductivity because of forming strong proppant clusters uniformly placed in the fracture throughout its length. One of these methods comprises: a first stage that involves injection into a borehole of fracturing fluid containing thickeners to create a fracture in the formation; and a second stage that involves periodic introduction of proppant into the injected fracturing fluid to supply the proppant into a created fracture, to form proppant clusters within the fracture to prevent fracture closure and channels for flowing formation fluids between the clusters, wherein the second stage or its sub-stages involve additional introduction of either a reinforcing or consolidation material or both, thus increasing the strength of the proppant clusters formed into the fracture fluid. Another method comprises: a first stage that involves injection of said fracturing fluid into a borehole, and a second stage that involves introduction of proppant into the injected fracturing fluid and further, involving periodic introduction of an agent into the fracturing fluid to provide formation of proppant clusters in the created fracture and channels for flowing formation fluids. Still another method comprises: a first stage that involves injection of a fracturing fluid into a borehole; a second stage that involves continuous introduction of a proppant into the injected fracturing fluid, and a third stage that involves injection of a lower-viscosity, in comparison with fracturing, fluid into the fracturing fluid, the lower-viscosity fluid, owing to the difference in viscosity compared to the fracturing fluid, penetrating into the fracturing fluid in the form of intrusions that divide the proppant into discrete clusters to form channels between them through which formation fluids to pass.02-19-2009