Patent ID: 7591306

Claim:
A hydrocarbon production well in a formation of unconsolidated and weakly cemented sediments having an ambient reservoir pressure and temperature, comprising: a. a bore hole in the formation to a predetermined depth; b. an injection casing grouted in the bore hole at the predetermined depth, the injection casing including multiple initiation sections separated by a weakening line and multiple passages within the initiation sections and communicating across the weakening line for the introduction of a fracture fluid; c. a fracture fluid source for delivering the fracture fluid into the injection casing with sufficient reservoir fracturing pressure to dilate the formation and initiate a vertical hydraulic fracture, having a fracture tip, at an azimuth orthogonal to the direction of dilation to create a process zone within the formation, for controlling the propagation rate of each individual opposing wing of the hydraulic fracture, and for controlling the flow rate of the fracture fluid and its viscosity so that the Reynolds Number Re is less than 100 at fracture initiation and less than 250 during fracture propagation and the fracture fluid viscosity is greater than 100 centipoise at the fracture tip; and d. a source for injecting steam at a steam pressure into the casing and the hydraulic fractures to produce hydrocarbons from the formation.