Method and system to create a tortuous flow path

1 . A system for creating a tortuous flow path, the system comprising:

a production zone including a production well;

an injection zone including an injection well, the injection zone remotely spaced from the production zone;

at least one intermediate wellbore positioned outside of the production zone and the injection zone, the intermediate wellbore being initially open to permit injection of barrier material, the intermediate wellbore being subsequently blocked to prevent flow of production fluid through the intermediate wellbore; and

a plurality of man-made impermeable barriers disposed between the injection zone and the production zone, the plurality of man-made impermeable barriers positioned in a high porosity region and a low porosity region and configured to divert fluid away from the high porosity region and through the low porosity region, thereby causing fluid to divert from a previously existing flow path and to flow along a tortuous flow path between the injection zone and the production zone, the plurality of man-made impermeable barriers comprising a first man-made impermeable barrier positioned adjacent a first well bore and a second man-made impermeable barrier positioned adjacent a second well bore, the second man-made impermeable barrier positioned downstream from the first man-made impermeable barrier relative to the tortuous flow path, the second man-made impermeable barrier being spaced apart from the first man-made impermeable barrier relative to an axis line extending from the injection well to the production well, the second man-made impermeable barrier offset from the first man-made impermeable barrier in a transverse direction such that the second man-made impermeable barrier is misaligned with and partially overlapping the first man-made impermeable barrier as viewed along the axis line.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first man-made impermeable barrier and the second man-made impermeable barrier are separated from each other, and wherein the tortuous flow path makes at least a 2 degree change in flow direction from the previously existing fluid flow path at each of the first man-made impermeable barrier and the second man-made impermeable barrier.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the tortuous flow path makes a greater than 5 degree direction change from the previously existing fluid flow path proximate the first man-made impermeable barrier and a greater than a 15 degree direction change from the previously existing fluid flow path proximate the second man-made impermeable barrier.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of man-made impermeable barriers comprises at least one of a cement, silica grout, a clay, a bentonite, a polymeric superabsorbent, an epoxy, a curable resin, a waste agricultural product, a wood product, a precipitating salt, a calcium carbonate, a wax, a ground rubber, an asphalt, plastic beads, a thermoplastic, or a thermoset plastic.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first man-made impermeable barrier is disposed in the previously existing fluid flow path to create the tortuous flow path.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the first man-made impermeable barrier is disposed so that the tortuous flow path is diverted through a part of a formation that was not a part of the previously existing fluid flow path.

7 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a facility, wherein the fluid is collected at the production zone and transported to the facility, wherein the fluid contains a desired element, wherein the facility extracts the desired element from the fluid.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the facility extracts the desired element from the fluid, the facility produces a concentrated fluid having an increased concentration of the desired element and a depleted fluid having a reduced concentration of the desired element.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the depleted fluid is injected into the injection zone.

10 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the desired element is lithium.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the second man-made impermeable barrier is positioned downstream from the first man-made impermeable barrier and wherein the second man-made impermeable barrier further modifies the tortuous flow path to be longer than an undesirable flow path.

12 . A method of creating a tortuous flow path from an injection zone to a production zone, the method comprising:

installing a first open intermediate wellbore positioned outside of the production zone and the injection zone;

hydraulicly fracturing a formation along a previously existing fluid flow path, thereby creating a first fracture;

injecting barrier material into the first fracture to form a first man-made impermeable barrier adjacent a first well bore, the first man-made impermeable barrier positioned in a high porosity region and a low porosity region and configured to divert fluid away from the high porosity region and through the low porosity region;

filling the first intermediate wellbore with barrier material to prevent the flow of production fluid through the first intermediate wellbore during production;

installing a second intermediate wellbore positioned outside of the production zone and the injection zone;

hydraulicly fracturing the formation to create a second fracture;

injecting barrier material into the second fracture to form a second man-made impermeable barrier positioned adjacent a second well bore and downstream from the first man-made impermeable barrier, the first man-made impermeable barrier and the second man-made impermeable barrier forming a plurality of man-made impermeable barriers, the second man-made impermeable barrier configured to divert fluid away from a high porosity region and through a low porosity region, wherein the second man-made impermeable barrier being spaced apart from the first man-made impermeable barrier relative to an axis line extending from the injection well to the production well, the second man-made impermeable barrier offset from the first man-made impermeable barrier in a transverse direction such that the second man-made impermeable barrier is misaligned with and partially overlapping the first man-made impermeable barrier as viewed along the axis line;

filling the second intermediate wellbore with barrier material to prevent the flow of production fluid through the second intermediate wellbore during production; and

changing the previously existing fluid flow path to the production zone with the first man-made impermeable barrier to create the tortuous flow path.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the injection zone is in an injection well and the production zone is in a production well spaced apart from the injection zone, wherein the method further includes selecting or drilling a plurality of wellbores in or near the previously existing fluid flow path and hydraulicly fracturing and injecting the barrier material using the selected or drilled plurality of wellbores.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the second man-made impermeable barrier adds an alteration to the tortuous flow path.

15 . The method of claim 14 , the method further comprising:

creating a third fracture; and

injecting barrier material into the third fracture to form a third man-made impermeable barrier, wherein the third man-made impermeable barrier adds a further alteration to the tortuous flow path to the production well, wherein the tortuous flow path makes at least a 5 degree flow direction change from the previously existing fluid flow path at each of the first man-made impermeable barrier, the second man-made impermeable barrier, and the third man-made impermeable barrier.

16 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising identifying the previously existing fluid flow path to the production well and estimating stresses within formations proximate the previously existing fluid flow path.

17 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the injection zone and the production zone are located in the same wellbore.

18 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

collecting a fluid having one or more elements of interest at the production well;

processing the fluid to extract the one or more elements of interest to yield a rich fluid and a depleted fluid; and

injecting the depleted fluid at the injection well.