IP Library Granted Patent US 12,264,566
Granted Patent B2
US 12,264,566 · App. 18/134,851 · Granted Apr 1, 2025

Method for borehole completion

Inventors: Howard K. Schmidt (Hockley, TX); Scott Wright (Houston, TX)
Assignee: Quidnet Energy, Inc.
E21B43/26E21B29/005E21B43/10
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,264,566
App. No.
18/134,851
Granted
Apr 1, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method for improved borehole completion. In one embodiment, the method comprises removing a section of casing entirely and cutting a notch through the cement and into the surrounding rock formation, wherein the notch optimally comprise a symmetric triangle terminating in a sharp point oriented perpendicular to the casing axis. Flow may be further optimized by extending the notch as far as practical into the rock matrix to increase the effective diameter of the wellbore and increase the length of the intersection between the fracture and the wellbore.

Claims (13)

1. A method for completing a wellbore in a rock formation, comprising:

providing the wellbore, wherein the wellbore is drilled in two different directions in the rock formation, and further wherein an axis of the wellbore does not lie in the plane of an expected fracture, and further wherein the wellbore comprises a plurality of sections of casing, wherein the plurality of sections of casing are surrounded by cement;

removing a section of casing from the wellbore;

cutting a notch through cement exposed by the removed section of casing and into the surrounding rock formation as far as practical, wherein the notch comprises a symmetric triangle shape terminating in a sharp point oriented perpendicular to an axis of the casing, and wherein the notch is cut with a rotary multi-string casing cutter, wherein the rotary multi-string casing cutter comprises a plurality of cutter arms, wherein each of the plurality of cutter arms has been modified to swing about 45 degrees; and

fracturing the rock formation with a fluid.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wellbore comprises a vertical wellbore with of depth of less than 2,000 feet.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cutting is about 45 degrees to an axis of the wellbore.

4. A method for completing a wellbore in a rock formation, comprising:

drilling a wellbore into a rock formation;

cutting a notch into the surrounding rock formation, wherein the notch comprises a symmetric triangle shape terminating in a sharp point oriented perpendicular to an axis of the wellbore, and wherein the notch is cut with a rotary cutter, wherein the rotary cutter comprises a plurality of cutter arms, wherein each of the plurality of cutter arms has been modified to swing about 45 degrees; and

fracturing the rock formation with a fluid.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising cutting a plurality of notches into the rock formation and creating a plurality of fractures by fracturing the rock formation at each of the plurality of notches, wherein each of the plurality of fractures does not intersect any of the other plurality of fractures.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the cutting is about 45 degrees to an axis of the wellbore.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 12, 2026
From: QUIDNET ENERGY, INC.
To: HUNT INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES, L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 075629/0776 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 24, 2024
From: WRIGHT, SCOTT; SCHMIDT, HOWARD K.
To: QUIDNET ENERGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 068390/0816 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63331002 · Apr 14, 2022
Related Publication 20240076972A1 · Mar 7, 2024
References Cited (6)
US 3211221A · Huitt · 1965 [cited by examiner]
US 3313348A · Huitt et al. · 1967 [cited by applicant]
US 20180334903A1 · Lehr · 2018 [cited by examiner]
English translation of CN 109538183. (Year: 2019). [cited by examiner]
“The Impact of Oriented Perforations on FracturePropagation and Complexity in Hydraulic Fracturing” by Liyuan Liu, et. al., published Nov. 1, 2018, which may be found at https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9717/6/11/213/htm. [cited by applicant]
“Perforation Fundamentals—Basic Knowledge about Perforation Used in Oil and Gas Industry” by DrillingFormulas.com, published Jul. 16, 2016, which may be found at https://www.drillingformulas.com/perforation-fundamentals… [cited by applicant]