The method of claim 17, further comprising introducing a proppant material into one or more of the hydraulic fractures.Ģ0. The method of claim 17, wherein the hydraulic fractures are formed in the direction perpendicular to that of least horizontal principal stress in the oil shale formation.ġ9.
A method for producing hydrocarbons from an oil shale formation, comprising: completing a production well substantially vertically hydraulically fracturing the oil shale formation from the production well in a vertical orientation, such that artificial fractures are formed completing at least two heater wells that are substantially horizontal within the oil shale formation heating the oil shale formation in situ from the at least two heater wells, thereby creating horizontal fractures due to thermal stresses within the oil shale formation which intersect the artificial fractures, and also thereby converting at least a portion of the oil shale formation into hydrocarbon fluids by pyrolysis and producing hydrocarbon fluids from the production well.ġ8. The method of claim 2, further comprising introducing a proppant material into one or more of the artificial fractures.ġ7. The method of claim 2, wherein the artificial fractures are formed in the direction perpendicular to that of least horizontal principal stress in the oil shale formation.ġ6. The method of claim 2, wherein the artificial fractures from the production well are horizontal in orientation.ġ5. The method of claim 2, wherein the artificial fractures from the production well are vertical in orientation.ġ4. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of heating results in at least a portion of the oil shale formation reaching a temperature of 270° C. The method of claim 2, wherein the thermal fractures intersect at least one of the artificial fractures formed from hydraulically fracturing within one year of initiating heating.ġ2. The method of claim 2, wherein the artificial fractures propagate a distance no more than half of the distance toward a heater well.ġ1. The method of claim 2, further comprising: determining a distance from the production well in which to form the one or more artificial fractures in order to provide fluid communication with anticipated thermal fractures.ġ0. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of hydraulically fracturing the oil shale formation is performed after the step of heating the oil shale formation has begun, but before the substantial formation of thermal fractures.ĩ. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of hydraulically fracturing the oil shale formation is performed before the step of heating the oil shale formation.Ĩ.
The method of claim 2 wherein the thermal fractures are at least partially formed in a first portion of the oil shale formation which has not been heated to the extent of a second portion of the oil shale formation which is more proximate the at least one heater well.ħ. The method of claim 2, further comprising: performing geomechanical modeling to determine the direction and extent of thermal fractures.Ħ. The method of claim 2, wherein the thermal fractures are substantially vertical.ĥ. The method of claim 2, wherein the thermal fractures are substantially horizontal.Ĥ. The method of claim 1, wherein the organic-rich rock formation is an oil shale formation.ģ. A method for producing hydrocarbon fluids from an organic-rich rock formation, comprising: completing at least one heater well in the organic-rich rock formation completing a production well in the organic-rich rock formation hydraulically fracturing the organic-rich rock formation from the production well such that one or more artificial fractures are formed heating the organic-rich rock formation from the at least one heater well, thereby pyrolyzing at least a portion of the organic-rich rock into hydrocarbon fluids and thereby creating thermal fractures in the organic-rich rock formation due to thermal stresses created by heating, the thermal fractures intersecting the artificial fractures and producing hydrocarbon fluids from the production well.Ģ.
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