Low pressure fluid injection for recovering hydrocarbon material from low permeability formations

1. A process for producing hydrocarbon material from a subterranean formation comprising:

injecting a first conditioning material at a first pressure which is at or above a fracture initiation pressure, via a wellbore, to effect fracturing of a subterranean formation such that a hydraulically fractured formation, including an induced fracture disposed in flow communication with naturally-occurring fractures of the subterranean formation such that flow-communicating, pre-conditioned naturally-occurring fractures, are obtained;

after the fracturing, injecting post-fracturing conditioning material at a second pressure, via the wellbore, into the hydraulically fractured formation, wherein the injecting of the post-fracturing conditioning material is controlled within a range below the fracture initiation pressure to increase cross-sectional areas of the pre-conditioned naturally-occurring fractures such that conditioned naturally-occurring fractures are obtained; and

after the injecting of the post-fracturing conditioning material, producing, via the wellbore, hydrocarbon material from the hydraulically fractured formation;

wherein:

the second pressure of the post-fracturing conditioning material is less than the first pressure of the first conditioning material and the fracturing initiation pressure; and

the post-fracturing conditioning material includes proppant and drill cuttings.

2. The process as claimed in claim 1 ;

wherein:

the pre-conditioned naturally-occurring fractures have pre-conditioning cross-sectional areas at an axial position along the longitudinal axis of the naturally-occurring fractures;

the conditioned naturally-occurring fractures have post-conditioning cross-sectional areas at the axial position; and

the post-conditioning cross-sectional areas are greater than the pre-conditioning cross-sectional areas by a multiple of at least ten (10).

3. The process as claimed in claim 1 ;

wherein, after the fracturing, and prior to the injecting of the post-fracturing conditioning material, hydrocarbon material is produced from the fractured formation via the wellbore.

4. The process as claimed in claim 1 ;

wherein, the total volume of post-fracturing conditioning material that is injected is at least 4,200,000 U.S. Gallons.

5. The process as claimed in claim 1 ;

wherein the pre-conditioned naturally-occurring fractures have a pre-conditioning surface area, and the conditioned naturally-occurring fractures have a post-conditioning surface area, and the post-conditioning surface area is greater than the pre-conditioning surface area by at least 100%.

6. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein injecting the post-fracturing conditioning material comprises increasing the pressure from the second pressure to a third pressure, the third pressure lower than the fracture initiation pressure, and decreasing the pressure from the third pressure to a fourth pressure, the fourth pressure lower than the third pressure.