Systems and methods for improving reservoir fluid recovery from fractured subterranean formations

Abstract

Systems and methods for improving reservoir fluid recovery from fractured subterranean formations. The methods may include injecting a pressurizing fluid into an injection fracture that extends within a subterranean formation and producing a produced fluid from a production fracture that extends within the subterranean formation. The production fracture is spaced apart from the injection fracture and is in indirect fluid communication with the injection fracture via a portion of the subterranean formation that extends therebetween and the pressurizing fluid injection provides a motive force for the production of the produced fluid. The methods further include injecting a foaming agent into the production fracture to limit production of the pressurizing fluid from the production fracture. The systems may include hydrocarbon production systems that may be utilized to perform the methods and/or that may be created while performing the methods.

1 . A method of enhancing production of a reservoir fluid from a subterranean formation, the method comprising:
 injecting a pressurizing fluid into an injection fracture that extends within the subterranean formation;   producing a produced fluid from a production fracture that extends within the subterranean formation, wherein the production fracture is spaced apart from the injection fracture and in indirect fluid communication with the injection fracture via a portion of the subterranean formation that extends therebetween, and further wherein the injecting provides a driving force for the producing; and   injecting a foaming agent into the production fracture to limit production of the pressurizing fluid from the production fracture.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further includes ceasing the producing the produced fluid during the injecting the foaming agent, and further wherein the method includes resuming the producing the produced fluid subsequent to the injecting the foaming agent. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the injecting the pressurizing fluid and the injecting the foaming agent are at least partially concurrent. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method includes sequentially injecting the pressurizing fluid and injecting the foaming agent. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a wellbore extends within the subterranean formation, wherein the injection fracture emanates from the wellbore, wherein the production fracture emanates from the wellbore, wherein the injecting the pressurizing fluid includes injecting the pressurizing fluid via an injection conduit that extends within the wellbore and is in fluid communication with the injection fracture, and wherein the injecting the foaming agent includes injecting the foaming agent via a production conduit that extends within the wellbore and is in fluid communication with the production fracture, and further wherein the injection conduit is at least one of spaced apart from the production conduit, discrete from the production conduit, fluidly isolated from the production conduit, and radially spaced apart from the production conduit within the wellbore. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a production wellbore extends within the subterranean formation and is in fluid communication with the production fracture, wherein an injection wellbore extends within the subterranean formation and is in fluid communication with the injection fracture, wherein the production wellbore is spaced apart from the injection wellbore, wherein the injecting the pressurizing fluid includes injecting the pressurizing fluid via the injection wellbore, and further wherein the injecting the foaming agent includes injecting the foaming agent via the production wellbore. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the injecting the foaming agent includes injecting an at least substantially continuous foaming agent stream. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the injecting the foaming agent includes injecting alternating volumes of a liquid foaming agent and a gas. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of the subterranean formation that is located between the injection fracture and the production fracture includes a produced region, in which a majority of the reservoir fluid has been removed by flowing to the production fracture, and an unproduced region, in which a majority of the reservoir fluid has not been removed, and further wherein the injecting the foaming agent includes preferentially diverting the pressurizing fluid into the unproduced region. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the preferentially diverting includes at least one of increasing a flow resistance within a pore space that is present within the produced region and increasing an effective viscosity of a fluid that is located within the pore space. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the preferentially diverting includes generating a foam within the produced region with the foaming agent. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further includes forming at least one of the injection fracture and the production fracture. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the forming includes restricting intersection of the injection fracture and the production fracture. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further includes repeating the method, wherein the repeating includes ceasing the injecting the foaming agent and subsequently initiating the injecting the foaming agent at least six times. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further includes detecting a variable associated with production of the pressurizing fluid from the production fracture, and further wherein the injecting is based, at least in part, on the detecting. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further includes determining that the pressurizing fluid is being produced from the production fracture, and further wherein the injecting is based, at least in part, on the determining. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the injecting the foaming agent includes injecting the foaming agent based, at least in part, on at least one of a composition of the produced fluid, an oil-to-gas ratio of the produced fluid, and a downhole pressure within the subterranean formation. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the injecting the foaming agent includes injecting the foaming agent based, at least in part, on at least one of a composition of the produced fluid, a water-to-oil ratio of the produced fluid, and a downhole pressure within the subterranean formation. 
     
     
         19 . A method of limiting production of a pressurizing fluid from a production fracture within a subterranean formation, wherein the pressurizing fluid is injected into an injection fracture that is spaced apart from the production fracture, extends within the subterranean formation, and is in indirect fluid communication with the production fracture via a portion of the subterranean formation that extends therebetween, and further wherein the pressurizing fluid is injected to provide a driving force for production of a produced fluid from the production fracture, the method comprising:
 detecting a variable associated with production of the pressurizing fluid from the production fracture; and   injecting a foaming agent into the production fracture to limit production of the pressurizing fluid from the production fracture, wherein the injecting is based, at least in part, on the detecting.   
     
     
         20 . A hydrocarbon production system for producing a reservoir fluid from a subterranean formation, the hydrocarbon production system comprising:
 an injection fracture that extends within the subterranean formation;   a production fracture that is spaced apart from the injection fracture and extends within the subterranean formation, wherein the production fracture is in indirect fluid communication with the injection fracture via a portion of the subterranean formation that extends therebetween;   a pressurizing fluid supply system that is configured to inject a pressurizing fluid into the injection fracture to provide a driving force for flow of the reservoir fluid to the production fracture; and   a foaming agent supply system that is configured to selectively inject a foaming agent into the production fracture to limit production of the pressurizing fluid from the production fracture.   
     
     
         21 . The hydrocarbon production system of  claim 20 , wherein the hydrocarbon production system includes a wellbore that extends within the subterranean formation, wherein the production fracture emanates from the wellbore, and further wherein the injection fracture emanates from the wellbore. 
     
     
         22 . The hydrocarbon production system of  claim 21 , wherein the hydrocarbon production system includes an injection conduit that extends within the wellbore between the pressurizing fluid supply system and the injection fracture, and wherein the hydrocarbon production system further includes a production conduit that extends within the wellbore between the foaming agent supply system and the production fracture. 
     
     
         23 . The hydrocarbon production system of  claim 22 , wherein a portion of the injection conduit that extends within the wellbore is fluidly isolated from a portion of the production conduit that extends within the wellbore. 
     
     
         24 . The hydrocarbon production system of  claim 20 , wherein the hydrocarbon production system includes a production wellbore that extends within the subterranean formation and an injection wellbore that extends within the subterranean formation and is spaced apart from the production wellbore, wherein the production fracture emanates from the production wellbore, and further wherein the injection fracture emanates from the injection wellbore. 
     
     
         25 . The hydrocarbon production system of  claim 24 , wherein the pressurizing fluid supply system is configured to provide the pressurizing fluid to the injection fracture via the injection wellbore, and further wherein the foaming agent supply system is configured to provide the foaming agent to the production fracture via the production wellbore. 
     
     
         26 . The hydrocarbon production system of  claim 20 , wherein the hydrocarbon production system includes a plurality of production fractures and a plurality of injection fractures that are associated therewith, wherein each of the plurality of injection fractures is configured to receive the pressurizing fluid from the pressurizing fluid supply system to provide a driving force for flow of the reservoir fluid to at least one of the plurality of production fractures, and further wherein the foaming agent supply system is configured to selectively inject the foaming agent into each of the plurality of production fractures. 
     
     
         27 . The hydrocarbon production system of  claim 20 , wherein the hydrocarbon production system further includes the pressurizing fluid and the foaming agent. 
     
     
         28 . The hydrocarbon production system of  claim 27 , wherein the pressurizing fluid is a low density pressurizing fluid that defines a density of less than 70% of a density of water at the temperature and the pressure that are defined within the injection fracture, and further wherein the pressurizing fluid is a low viscosity pressurizing fluid that defines a viscosity of less than 70% of a viscosity of water at the temperature and the pressure that are defined within the injection fracture. 
     
     
         29 . The hydrocarbon production system of  claim 27 , wherein the pressurizing fluid includes at least one of a gas and a supercritical fluid. 
     
     
         30 . The hydrocarbon production system of  claim 27 , wherein the foaming agent includes at least one of a pre-mixed foam, an aqueous solution that includes a surfactant, and a water-laden surfactant. 
     
     
         31 . The hydrocarbon production system of  claim 20 , wherein the subterranean formation is a low permeability subterranean formation, wherein at least a threshold fraction of a volume of the subterranean formation defines less than a threshold fluid permeability. 
     
     
         32 . The hydrocarbon production system of  claim 31 , wherein the threshold fraction of the subterranean formation is at least 50% of the volume of the subterranean formation, and further wherein the threshold fluid permeability is less than 10 md.