PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15905352
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-02
Publication Date: 2018-08
Patent Classification: ["166", "280100"]

Abstract:
A method of enhancing conductivity within a hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir by building proppant pillars in a spatial arrangement in fractures created or enlarged in the reservoir. Two fluids of differing stability are simultaneously pumped into the reservoir. The fluids may contain identical proppant mixtures which include a first proppant which has an apparent specific gravity less than the apparent specific gravity of a second proppant. The fluids may contain identical proppants mixtures where the average particle size of a first proppant is greater than the average particle size of a second proppant. Vertically extending pillars are created within the formation when the fluids are destabilized and the first proppant is then released from the destabilized fluids. The area between the pillars may be held open by the presence of the second proppant in the remaining fluid. Fluid produced from the hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir is then flowed at least partially through channels between the vertically extending pillars.

Claim (Index 20):
A method of pillar fracturing a hydrocarbon-bearing subterranean formation penetrated by a well, the method comprising:\n (A) subsequent to the creation or enlargement of fractures within the subterranean formation, simultaneously pumping into a well penetrating the hydrocarbon-bearing formation at least two fluids laden with a proppant mixture wherein the at least two fluids comprise a first fluid exhibiting greater stability than a second fluid and further wherein:\n (i) the proppant mixture of the first fluid and the proppant mixture of the second fluid are the same and comprises a first proppant and a second proppant wherein the first proppant has an apparent specific gravity greater than the apparent specific gravity of the second proppant; or \n (ii) the first proppant and the second proppant of the first fluid and the second fluid are the same and wherein the average particle size of the first proppant is greater than the average particle size of the second proppant; \n (B) controlling the shape and/or placement of a proppant pillar to be created within the subterranean formation during the simultaneous pumping of the first fluid and the second fluid while the first fluid and the second fluid are in a dynamic state by fingering the first fluid and the second fluid into the created or enlarged fractures; (C) releasing the first proppant from the second fluid while the second fluid is in a static state; (D) creating at least two vertically extended pillars within the subterranean 8  formation from the first proppant released from the second fluid; (E) releasing the first proppant suspended in the first fluid while the more first fluid is in a static state; (F) building onto the at least two vertically extended pillars from the first proppant released from the first fluid; (G) creating conductive channels within the subterranean formation between the vertically extending pillars; and (H) bracing open the fracture between the vertically extended pillars with the second proppant from the first fluid and/or second fluid.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 50.0
- Percentile: 88.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.03797
- Patent Class: 166.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['15161226', '14494030', '12248773', '13782952', '13491837']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.8061473419747542
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5977219483771289
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.7853048026149917
- Mean Citation Score: 392.23339
- Max Citation Score: 555.5139
- Similarity Product: 477.5219048538208

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

Dataset: test