Frac diverter and method

Abstract

A fracture diverter including a body having a porosity and permeability that allows the passage of fluid and not proppant and a set of dimensions selected to enter an expected dimension perforation.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A fracture diverter comprising a body having a porosity and permeability that allows the passage of fluid and not proppant and a set of dimensions selected to enter an expected dimension perforation. 
     
     
         2 . The diverter as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the set of dimensions defines a sphere or spheroid geometric shape. 
     
     
         3 . The diverter as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the body comprises a shape memory property. 
     
     
         4 . The diverter as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the body comprises a swellable material. 
     
     
         5 . The diverter as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the body comprises a resilient material. 
     
     
         6 . The diverter as claimed in  claim 3  wherein the shape memory property is temperature based. 
     
     
         7 . The diverter as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the body comprises a shape memory polymer foam. 
     
     
         8 . A method for fracturing a formation comprising:
 pumping a diverter as claimed in  claim 1  into a borehole in a formation;   automatically disposing a diverter body in a perforation in the borehole; and   jamming the diverter body in the perforation thereby inhibiting future movement of the body in an opposite direction through the perforation.   
     
     
         9 . The method as claimed in  claim 8  wherein the pumping is with a fracture fluid. 
     
     
         10 . The method as claimed in  claim 9  wherein the automatically disposing is by the body following a path of least resistance for the fluid. 
     
     
         11 . The method as claimed in  claim 8  wherein the jamming is physically jamming the body into the perforation by fluid pressure. 
     
     
         12 . The method as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the fluid pressure associated with the jamming is higher than a flowback pressure from the formation. 
     
     
         13 . The method as claimed in  claim 8  wherein the jamming is by expanding a set of dimensions of the body. 
     
     
         14 . The method as claimed in  claim 13  wherein the expanding occurs within the perforation. 
     
     
         15 . The method as claimed in  claim 13  wherein the expanding occurs radially outwardly the perforation. 
     
     
         16 . The method as claimed in  claim 13  wherein the expanding is by shape memory. 
     
     
         17 . The method as claimed in  claim 8  wherein the method further comprises producing fluid from the formation through the body. 
     
     
         18 . The method as claimed in  claim 8  wherein the method further comprises diverting fracture fluid to perforations other than the perforation in which the body is jammed. 
     
     
         19 . The method as claimed in  claim 8  wherein the method further comprises automatically disposing additional bodies in additional perforations as a path of least resistance for the fluid is established in the additional perforations. 
     
     
         20 . A wellbore system comprising:
 a borehole in a subsurface formation;   a string in the borehole having a perforation therein;   and a fracture diverter as claimed in  claim 1  disposed in the wellbore system.