PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15761338
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-03
Publication Date: 2018-10
Patent Classification: ["166", "280200"]

Abstract:
A method of fracturing a subterranean formation penetrated by a wellbore surrounded by a casing having one or more openings therein adjacent to the formation is provided. In one embodiment, a spacer fluid is pumped into the formation together with a proppant slurry to separate and space the non-degradable proppant particulates in the fracture. The spacer fluid includes degradable food grade particulates that degrade and form proppant free channels in the fracture. In a second embodiment, degradable food grade particulates are used to increase the permeability of a proppant pack.

Claim (Index 10):
A method of fracturing a subterranean formation penetrated by a wellbore having a casing comprising one or more openings therein adjacent to the formation, comprising:\n (a) creating at least one fracture in the formation by pumping a first fracturing fluid into the formation through the openings in the casing at a pressure above the fracture gradient of the formation, said first fracturing fluid being free of proppant particulates and degradable particulate material; (b) providing an aqueous based proppant slurry, said proppant slurry including water, a cross-linkable gelling agent, a cross-linker, a gel breaker, a plurality of non-degradable proppant particulates, and a degradable material, wherein said non-degradable proppant particulates are coated with a consolidating agent and said degradable material includes a plurality of degradable food grade particulates; (c) pumping said proppant slurry into the formation through the openings in the casing at a pressure above the fracture gradient of the formation such that said cross-linking gelling agent cross-links to form a cross-linked gel and increase the viscosity of said proppant slurry, and said proppant slurry is placed in said fracture; (d) providing a cross-linkable, degradable spacer fluid, wherein said spacer fluid comprises water, a cross-linkable gelling agent, a cross-linker, a gel breaker, and a degradable material, and wherein said degradable material comprises a plurality of degradable food grade particulates; (e) while pumping said proppant slurry into the formation in accordance with step (c), pumping said spacer fluid into the formation through the openings in the casing, said spacer fluid being pumped into said formation at a pressure above said fracture gradient such that said cross-linkable gelling agent cross-links to form a cross-linked gel and increase the viscosity of said spacer fluid, and said spacer fluid separates and spaces said non-degradable proppant particulates within said fracture; (f) allowing said cross-linked gel in said proppant slurry and spacer fluid to break down hereby decreasing the viscosity of said proppant slurry and spacer fluid; (g) allowing said non-degradable proppant particulates in said proppant slurry to consolidate into a plurality of spaced proppant pillars in said fracture; (h) allowing the pressure within the formation to fall below said fracture gradient of the formation; (i) allowing said degradable material of said spacer fluid and said degradable material of said proppant slurry to degrade; and (j) flowing back the well to remove the broken gels in said proppant slurry and spacer fluid and the degraded material from the fracture thereby forming proppant-free channels in said fracture.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 50.0
- Percentile: 90.0
- Lexical Diversity: 1.65517
- Patent Class: 166.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['14963036', '13926141', '15759197', '15772795', '12950226']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.8202442939392603
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5170139136695816
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.7899212559122925
- Mean Citation Score: 316.117744
- Max Citation Score: 361.74838
- Similarity Product: 285.9650430207181

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 0
- Claim Label 112: 0
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test