Patent ID: 7882895

Claim:
A method for fracturing an oil and gas formation, the method including the following steps: placing at least one packing element into a wellbore and positioning at least one deflector element below the at least one packing element in the wellbore, the at least one deflector element forming a damper chamber between the at least one deflector element and the at least one packing element, the chamber operative to dampen the stress of the impact of compressed gas impulses on the at least one packing element; introducing a gas impulse device into the wellbore; pumping a pressurized liquid into the wellbore at a pressure lower than an estimated fracturing pressure of the oil or gas formation; and firing the gas impulse device periodically so that the device releases high pressure compressed gas impulses which when expanding through the pumped pressurized liquid substantially instantaneously increases the liquid flow rate into the oil or gas formation causing the total pressure to exceed the actual fracturing pressure of the formation thereby initiating or extending fractures in the formation stimulating the flow of the oil or gas therefrom into the wellbore.