ENHANCED WELL EXTRACTION TOOL

Information

  • Patent Application
  • 20250146397
  • Publication Number
    20250146397
  • Date Filed
    November 07, 2024
    8 months ago
  • Date Published
    May 08, 2025
    2 months ago
  • Inventors
    • SCHRAUTEMYER; Alexander (SAN FRANCISCO, CA, US)
  • Original Assignees
    • AGOG ENERGY INC. (SAN FRANCISCO, CA, US)
Abstract
Improved techniques for fracking are presented, including simultaneous stimulation and resource extraction. The improved techniques include stimulating a rock formation surrounding a length along a borehole of a well, the length including alternating stimulation and extraction sections along the length, and extracting extraction fluid from the rock formation simultaneously with the stimulating of the well. A resource extraction tool may include a series of stages, each stage including a stimulation section and an extraction section.
Description
BACKGROUND

Fracking (also known hydraulic fracturing) is a technique for extracting underground resources from a well using a pressurized fluid, referred to as a fracking fluid, to stimulate and accelerate extraction of the underground fluid resource, such as energy in the form of liquid oil or natural gas. Fracking techniques are typically used on “unconventional” resource reservoirs where oil or gas is bound to surrounding rock such as by capillary forces. Injecting highly pressurized fluid into the rock surrounding an unconventional reservoir may cause the rock to fracture and release the oil or gas from the rock.


A typical fracking operation includes drilling a wellbore down to a region of an unconventional reservoir and sealing the walls of the wellbore with a casing of concrete to create a well. Completion of the well may include perforating the wellbore casing at a well depth or region near the reservoir and forcing fracking fluid (the stimulant) through the perforations and into the surrounding rock formation at a pressure sufficient to crack or fracture the rock. The factures create fairways that allow previously trapped reservoir fluids to drain back into the wellbore and be extracted from the well. A fracking fluid may be a slurry of liquids and solids, such as water mixed with solid proppant and chemical additives. After fracturing the rock, the pressure of the fracking fluid is allowed to reduce, and the newly released reservoir fluids are allowed to drain from the rock formation into the wellbore via the same casing perforations used to force fracking fluid into the rock formation.


SUMMARY

In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, a mining method may comprise stimulating a length along a borehole of a well, where the length including a plurality of stimulation sections alternating along the length with a plurality of extraction sections, and the stimulating including injecting pressurized fracking fluid into rock surrounding the plurality of stimulation sections. An extraction fluid may be extracted from the well simultaneously with the stimulating of the well, where the extracting includes extracting the extraction fluid from rock surrounding the plurality of extraction sections.


In an aspect, the mining method may further include expanding, from a fracking system in the borehole, at least one barrier between a stimulation section and a neighboring extraction section and forming a seal between the barrier and a casing of the borehole. In another aspect, the mining method may further include providing pressure to the pressurized fracking fluid in the fracking system, wherein the expanding the barrier includes inflating an expansion divider, such as a bladder, in the fracking system with the pressurized fracking fluid until the barrier contacts the casing of the borehole.


In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, a fracking system may comprise a plurality of resource extraction tools, where each tool may correspond to a stage of a well and include: an outer casing; a stimulation section along a length of the respective stage; an extraction section neighboring the stimulation section along the length of the respective stage; a stimulation pathway, an extraction pathway, and a barrier. The stimulation pathway may pass through the stimulation section and the extraction section, and the stimulation pathway may be connected to a stimulation perforation in the outer casing and configured to provide a fracking fluid from the stimulation pathway to an exterior of the respective tool through the stimulation perforation. The extraction pathway also may pass through the stimulation section and the extraction section, and the extraction pathway may be connected to an extraction perforation in the outer casing and configured to drain an extraction fluid from an exterior of the respective tool through the extraction perforation and into the extraction pathway. The barrier may be positioned between the stimulation section and the extraction section, the barrier may be configured to expand beyond the outer casing and into the exterior of the respective tool and mate with a casing of a borehole, and the barrier may divide the exterior of the respective tool into a stimulation portion of the exterior and an extraction portion of the exterior.


In an aspect, the individual tools of the fracking system may further comprise a first mating section at a first end of a respective tool, and a second mating section at a second end of the respective tool. In this aspect, the first mating section may be configured to mate with a second mating section of a neighboring tool, and the first mating section may include a connection for the stimulation pathways of the respective tool and the neighboring tool, and the first mating section may include a connection for the extraction pathways of the respective tool and the neighboring tool.





BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:



FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an example underground well.



FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an example underground well with a simplified resource extraction tool.



FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an example of one stage of an resource extraction tool.



FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of example stimulation and extraction sections of one stage of the resource extraction tool of FIG. 3.



FIGS. 5A is a cross-sectional view of an example resource extraction tool at a stimulation section.



FIGS. 5B is a cross-sectional view of an example resource extraction tool between a stimulation section and an extraction section.



FIGS. 5C is a cross-sectional view of an example resource extraction tool at an extraction section.





DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure describes improved techniques for extracting resources from a well, including improved fracking techniques. The improved techniques may include stimulating a rock formation with pressurized fracking fluid while simultaneously draining fluid resources, such as oil, natural gas energy or other recoverable substance, from the rock formation. By maintaining pressure on fracking fluid near a simultaneous draining of resources from a reservoir, the resources may drain faster and/or with a steadier stream of resource production as compared to prior techniques. The improved techniques may also provide detection and/or mitigation of a risk of seismic activity.


When referencing elements illustrated in each of the figures, the numbered label corresponding to each element will start with a number corresponding to the figure in which it is first discussed and best illustrated. For example, if an element is first discussed with reference to FIG. 1, the label for the element will follow the format 1NN, and when reference an element first discussed with reference to FIG. 2, the label for the element will follow the format 2NN, etc. Identical element numbers used in different figures may label the same element.



FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view 100 of an example underground well 101. Well 101 has an entrance 102 at the earth's surface 140 and continues down into the earth to reach underground region 120 that may include a reservoir containing an unconventional resource, such as oil or natural gas energy that is trapped or bound to a rock formation in region 120. Well 101 may include a vertical wellbore 104, a wellbore bend 106, and a lateral wellbore 108. The well transitions between vertical wellbore 104 and the wellbore bend 106 at the kickoff point 110, and then transitions from the wellbore bend 106 to lateral wellbore at the lateral heal 108. Well 101 may terminate at the lateral toe 114.


In the example of FIG. 1, the trapped resource may be extracted via four stages, including stages 130, 132, 134, 136, where within each stage, a rock formation surrounding the well may be stimulated while resources are simultaneously extracted from the rock formation. In an aspect, a fracking system inserted into the well 101 may comprise a series of resource extraction tools mated together in series, where each resource extraction tool corresponds to one stage of the well. Each resource extraction tool may be capable of simultaneously stimulating the surrounding rock and extract resources from the tool's corresponding stage of the well, as further illustrated below.


While some example embodiments described in this disclosure demonstrate extraction from a lateral portion of a well, such as lateral wellbore 108, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to extraction from only lateral portions of a well. For example, it is to be understood that methods and tools described here may also be used in other portions of a well, such as a vertical portion of a wellbore, or a curved portion of wellbore, and/or a sloped portion of a wellbore.


As described in the various embodiments of this disclosure, pressurized stimulation of rock formations via a fracking fluid may cause a resource to drain from the rock formations. In an aspect of the various embodiments, in addition to pressurizing the fracking fluid, a pressure and/or flow speed of the draining resource may be regulated, for example by pumping the draining resource. For example, a first pump at the surface may provide pressure to the fracking fluid, while a second pump alternately or simultaneously applies suction to the draining resource. In one aspect, a pump for the draining resource may increase a speed of extraction and/or a total amount (e.g., volume) of extracted resource from the well. In another aspect, a pump for the draining resource may allow regulation of resource drain speed, such as by increasing and/or decreasing speed of resource extraction from the well. Increasing resource extraction flow speed, such as toward the end of the well's lifetime, may substantially reduce the time required to complete extraction of the resource from the well. Decreasing resource extraction flow speed may mitigate a risk of seismic events caused by draining the rock formation.



FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view 200 of an example underground well 201 with a simplified resource extraction tool. Well 201 includes an annular casing 202 extending down to the end of the well at the lateral toe 206 and passes through a region 220 of a reservoir of a resource trapped in a rock formation. A fracking system 270 may be positioned along the entire length of well 201, and include an outer casing 210, a stimulation pathway 212, and an extraction pathway 214. In an example implementation, fracking system 270 may be used to extract resources from well 101 (FIG. 1)


Although well 201 is illustrated as including three stages 230, 240, and 250 positioned in or near region 220, well 201 could include any number of stages. Fracking system 270 may include three energy extraction tools, each positioned within and corresponding to one of the three stages 230, 240, 250. Each stage 230, 240, 250 (and each corresponding stage tool) may include a respective stimulation section 232, 242, and 252 as well as a respective extraction section 234, 244, 254. Barriers 260 may separate stimulation sections from neighboring extraction sections.


In operation, each stage tool of the fracking system is an energy extraction tool that may enable stimulation of surrounding rock by forcing pressurized fracking fluid from the surface via the stimulation pathway to exit the wellbore via a stimulation perforation, such as stimulation perforation 256, in the annular casing 202 near the respective stimulation section. A fracking fluid may include a liquid, a slurry of liquid and solid (such as a proppant), and/or a gas (such as steam). Simultaneously to the stimulation, each energy extraction tool stage may enable extraction of resources from surrounding rock with its respective extraction section by draining the resource from the surrounding rock via an extraction perforation, such as extraction perforation 258, in the annular casing 202 near the respective extraction section, and the extracted resource may flow to the surface via the extraction pathway.


Annular casing 202 may seal the walls of a drilled wellbore, for example to prevent ground water surrounding the vertical wellbore from entering the well 201 and to prevent fracking fluid or extracted resources from contaminating any surrounding ground water. Annular casing 202 may be composed, for example, of concrete and/or a metal casing. The annular casing may vary in thickness or composition along the well 201. For example, the vertical portion of annular casing 202 above kickoff point 204 may be thicker and include concrete covered by a metal casing, while the lower portions of the wellbore below the kickoff point 204 may be thinner and composed of only concrete. In an aspect, stimulation perforations 256 and extraction perforations 258 may be created in the annular casing prior to insertion of energy extraction tools for stages 230, 240, 250.


The energy extraction tools for stages 230, 240, and 250 may each be discrete apparatus that may be inserted into a wellbore near the resource reservoir region 220 and joined together as a series of stages. Each distinct stage apparatus may include a mating section at one or both ends configured to mate and seal to neighboring stages. For example, a first end of a stage may include a male mating section and the opposite second end may include a female mating section. By mating a male mating section of a first stage to a female mating section of a neighboring stage, the stimulation pathway 212 and extraction pathway 214 in the first stage may each be joined to their respective pathways in the neighboring stage. In an aspect, the mating mechanism may be sufficient to retain fluid pressure in the pathways throughout the fracking system 270 from the lateral toe 206 all the way up to the well entrance at the surface.


As depicted in FIG. 2, each discrete stage tool includes one stimulation section and one extraction section. However, examples of improved fracking techniques are not so limited. In other examples not depicted, a discrete stage may include different numbers of extraction and stimulation sections. For example, one discrete stage may include one stimulation section positioned between two extraction sections with mating sections only at the ends of the stage. In this example, the ordering of sections in the stage might be: a male matting section, a first extraction section, a stimulation section, a second extraction section, and finally a female mating section. In another example, a discrete state may include only one extraction section without any stimulation sections, or one stimulation section without any extraction sections. In this example, the ordering of section in the stage might be: a male mating section, an extraction section, and a female mating section. In some implementations, a combination of stages with different numbers of extraction and stimulation sections may be mated together to form a single fracking system in a well. In an optional aspect, an energy extraction tool may additionally include a transition section between a stimulation section (such as 352) and a neighboring extraction section (such as 354).


In the example of FIG. 2, fracking system 270 includes three energy extraction tools, each corresponding to respective stages 230, 240, and 250, although it should be understood as noted above that improved techniques are not so limited, and fracking tools may be composed of any number of 1 or more stages. The length of each stage along a well may be uniform, as depicted in FIG. 1, or may be variable, as depicted in FIG. 2. By constructing a fracking system out of a series of discrete stage apparatuses, the fracking techniques described herein may be adapted to many well types, different well dimensions, and various well shapes. For example, after drilling a well, sensors lowered into the well may indicate two discrete resource reservoirs. A fracking system can then be constructed for the well by positing a first series of mated stages in the region of the first reservoir, and a separate second series of mated stages may be positioned in the region of the second reservoir.


In an aspect, barriers 260 may be incorporated as part of the fracking system 270 and inserted into well 201 as part of energy extraction tools for respective stages 230, 240, 250. After insertion of tools into the well, the barriers 260 may be expanded beyond the outer casing 210 of the fracking system 270 and form a seal with the annular casing 202 (or another type of wellbore wall) between neighboring stimulation and extraction sections, such as between stimulation section 252 and extraction section 254 of stage 250, or between stages 240 and 250. The seal formed by the barriers 260 may be sufficient to preserve a significant pressure difference between pressurized fracking fluid in a stimulation section and the lower pressure of the extraction fluid draining into the extraction section. In an aspect, barriers 260 may be erected a pressurized mechanical expander, such as by inflating a bladder in the barrier with the pressurized fracking fluid and causing the barrier to expand until it seals with the surrounding annular casing 202 of the wellbore. In another aspect, barriers 260 may be expanded and engage the wellbore wall by an electric or electric/mechanical motor, such as an electric or electric/mechanical motor included in one or more sections of fracking system 270. In an aspect, barriers 260 may be positioned at a transition section between stimulation and extraction sections. Barriers 260 may be a mechanical device operated by pressurized lines, or an electromechanical device that is operated by signals transmitted through wiring, provided in the stages, as further discussed herein.



FIG. 3 is a perspective view 300 of an example of a resource extraction tool 390 for one stage of a well. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view 400 of the resource extraction tool 390 of FIG. 3. Fracking system 270 (FIG. 2) may include, for example, a copy of tool 390 for each stage of well 201. The tool 390 is positioned within a wellbore wall or annular casing 301 of the well and is divided longitudinally to include a stimulation section 352 and an extraction section 354. The well's annular casing 301 includes an annular casing stimulation perforation 302 near the tool's stimulation section and an annular casing extraction perforation 303 near the tool's extraction section 354. The tool 390 itself includes an outer casing 306 providing the outer shell structure of tool 390 within the stimulation section 352, and outer casing 306 includes an outer casing stimulation perforation 304. Outer casing 306 may extend to cover barriers 260 (FIGS. 2) and 305, and may also extend to any separate mating sections between stage tools. Tool 390 may or may not include an outer casing for the extraction section 354. Tool 390 may include a tool stimulation pathway with a section stimulation pathway 311 through the stimulation section 352, a section stimulation pathway 314 through the extraction section 354, and in between, a stimulant gateway 313 positioned at a transition between the simulation section 352 and extraction section 354. In an aspect, an additional stimulation gateway 316 may be positioned at the end of the extraction section in order to mate with stimulation pathway in a neighboring resource extraction tool (see FIG. 4). An extraction pathway 312 may extend through a central portion along the entire length of tool 390, running through both stimulation section 352 and extraction section 354.


One or more barriers 305 may surround tool 390 and be positioned along the tool at the transition between the stimulation section 352 and extraction section 354. The one or more barriers 305 may be extendable, such that tool 390 may be inserted into the well with the barrier 305 in a retracted state, and then after tool 390 is positioned at a well stage, the barrier may be extended past outer casing 306 and away from the tool 390 to reach the well's annular casing 301 and form a seal between the barrier 305 and the annular casing 301. The barrier(s) and the seal formed may extend around the circumference of the annular casing 301 and tool 390, and the seal may maintain a pressure differential between a stimulation annular space 310 exterior of the outer casing 306 in the stimulation section 352, and an extraction annular space 318 exterior of the tool 390 in the extraction section 354.


In an aspect, stimulation pathway 311 may have a larger cross-section than stimulation pathway 314. For example, as depicted in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C, stimulation pathway 311 may surround extraction pathway 312 within the stimulation section 352, while stimulation pathway 314 may be limited to one or more channels with a smaller total cross-sectional area within the extraction section 354. For example, FIG. 5A, depicts stimulation pathway 311 as surrounding extraction pathway 312, while FIG. 5C depicts stimulation pathway 314 as including four discrete channels within extraction section 354. Other embodiments (not depicted) may include any number of discrete channels within the extraction section, such as 2 or 6 discrete channels. Stimulant gateway 313 may include a wall sealing a portion of stimulation pathway 311 from the open extraction pathway 312 in extraction section 352 while still allowing fracking fluid in stimulation pathway 311 to flow into stimulation pathway 314. Similarly, stimulation gateway 316 may include a wall to prevent fracking fluid from flowing backward from a downstream neighboring tool (on the right in FIG. 4) and into extraction pathway 312 in extraction section 354. In some implementations, the reduction in cross-sectional area between stimulation pathways 311 and 314 may cause a buildup of fracking fluid pressure at stimulation gateway 313 as pressurized fracking fluid flows from the surface to the end of the well. Stimulation gateway 313 may be configured to direct such as pressure buildup into a device, such as a bladder or other pressurized mechanical expander, to cause expansion of barrier 305. Accordingly, as pressure builds along the tool's stimulation pathway from the ground surface to the end of the well, the barriers 260/305 may expand outward from tool 390 toward well annular casing 301 first at well stages and tool sections closer to the surface, such as stage 250, and then later at well stages and tool sections closer to the toe end of the well, such as stage 240.


In operation of resource extraction tool 390, the various perforations described herein may be structural holes in the corresponding casing that allow a fluid (such as fracking fluid or any extractable/recoverable resource such as oil or natural gas resources) to flow through the corresponding casing. After inserting tool 390 into a well and sealing stimulation annular space 310 from extraction annular space 318 with barrier(s) 305, pressurized fracking fluid may come from the surface and be forced via pressure generated at the surface through stimulation pathway 311, outer casing stimulation perforation 304, stimulation annular space 310, annular casing stimulation perforation 302, and into a rock formation surrounding the well in the region of stimulation section 352. The pressure of fracking fluid may fracture the rock formation which may release previously trapped fluid resources in the rock formation and provide drainage pathways for the released resources to drain from the rock formation in the extraction section 354 into the annular casing extraction perforation 303. From there, the drained resource may continue though the extraction annular space 318 and extraction pathway 312 all the way up to the surface.


In addition, to fracturing the rock, pressurized fracking fluid may assist resource extraction by “sweeping” the rock formation from a stimulate section, such as section 352 to neighboring extraction sections, such as section 354. Fracking fluid may flood the rock formation and may help force the resources in the rock to move from stimulation perforation 302 through the rock and toward extraction perforation. Resources may be drained simultaneously and/or continuously while pressurized fracking fluid floods the rock formation surrounding the well. The sweeping process my occur in neighboring well stages simultaneously where the well is stimulated with fracking fluid at a plurality of stimulation sections (e.g., 223, 242, 252 of FIG. 2), while simultaneously extracting resources from an interleaved plurality of extraction sections (e.g., 234, 244, 254), such that stimulant sweeps occur in parallel in each stage of the well. In an aspect, the fluid extracted via extraction pathway 312 may include a mixture of both resource from the rock formation and fracking fluid. The extracted resource may be separated from any extracted fracking fluid, for example at the well surface.


In some optional aspects, tool 390 may include a mid-casing 307 inside the outer casing 306 within the stimulation section 352 to form the stimulation pathway 311 within the stimulation section 352. An inner casing 308 inside the mid-casing 307 may form the extraction pathway within the stimulation section 352. In another optional aspect, a gap 317 may be formed between the mid-casing 307 and inner casing 308. Structural spacers 309 (see FIGS. 3, 5A, 5B) may maintain gap 307 by positioning inner casing 308 within mid-casing 307.


In an optional aspect, tool 390 may include a coupling for wiring at the ends of the tool. As depicted in the example of FIG. 4, tool 390 includes a male wiring coupling 315 at a first end of the tool, and a female wiring couple 319 at a second end of the tool. Wiring couple may be functional to connect wiring running along a wiring pathway, such as along gap 317, and may be functional to provide electrical power to electrical devices in the well as well as to provide electronic communications between those devices and a surface device outside the well (or between multiple devices within the well). Such devices within the well may include, for example, sensors or actuators within tool 390. In some implementations, gap 317 may optionally act as a wiring or pressurized line pathway for wires and lines connected to electronic devices, such as well sensors, or electrical or mechanical actuators positioned within the well and/or positioned within an resource extraction tool.


In an optional aspect, spacers 320 may provide additional structural integrity of extraction section 354. In some implementations, stimulation pathway 314 in extraction section 354 may be divided into separate channels, and structural spacers 320 may connect the separate channels (see FIG. 5C).


Fracking systems typically include few sensors, aside from wellhead instruments, pressure sensors, temperature sensors and position sensor as wells are being drilled. By incorporating wiring coupling and/or pathways, additional sensors may be added, particularly in each stage or section, to monitor a wide variety of conditions all along the active area of the well, including pressure, temperature, frequency, sound, vibration, chemical detection, flow, radiation, etc. Sensor data may be utilized to map activity associated with a well to seismic activity in the region of the well. In an example, certain sensed conditions may be found to occasionally or regularly occur prior to seismic activity in the region of the well. When such sensed conditions are detected, the activity associated with the well may be altered to reduce or eliminate the seismic activity. In an aspect, sensor data may be used to control stimulation and/or extraction processes, such as by adjusting pressure from a pump(s) for the fracking fluid and/or extraction resource. By controlling stimulation and/or extraction, a risk of seismic activity associated with the well may be mitigated.



FIGS. 5A-5C depict cross-sectional views of the example resource extraction tool 390 of FIGS. 4-5. FIGS. 5A is a cross-sectional view 510 of the resource extraction tool 390 at a stimulation section. FIGS. 5B is a cross-sectional view 520 of the resource extraction tool 390 at a transitional section between a stimulation section and an extraction section. FIGS. 5C is a cross-sectional view 530 of the resource extraction 390 tool at an extraction section.


It will be appreciated that the fracking methods and tools discussed herein are not limited to the depicted embodiments, and other such sealing systems and methods and tools may be used to achieve the described features and benefits. While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions disclosed herein. For instance, the fracking techniques described herein may be applied to well topologies of different sorts, such as sloped wellbores, or wells with a single vertical wellbore section and multiple lateral wellbore sections leading in different directions from the single kickoff point. Indeed, the present disclosure described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions disclosed herein. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of certain of the inventions disclosed herein.

Claims
  • 1. A mining method, comprising: stimulating a length along a borehole of a well, the length located within a reservoir and including a plurality of stimulation sections alternating along the length with a plurality of extraction sections, and the stimulating including injecting pressurized fracking fluid into rock surrounding the plurality of stimulation sections; andextracting extraction fluid from the well simultaneously with the stimulating of the well, the extracting including extracting the extraction fluid from rock surrounding the plurality of extraction sections.
  • 2. The mining method of claim 1, further including: expanding, from a fracking system in the borehole, at least one barrier positioned between a stimulation section and a neighboring extraction section and forming a seal between the barrier and a casing of the borehole.
  • 3. The mining method of claim 2, further including: providing pressure to the pressurized fracking fluid in the fracking system;wherein the expanding the barrier includes inflating a bladder in the mining tool with the pressurized fracking fluid until the barrier contacts the casing of the borehole.
  • 4. The mining method of claim 1, further including: positioning a fracking system along the length of the borehole, wherein the fracking system includes an extraction pathway for the extraction fluid, anda stimulation pathway, separate from the extraction pathway, for the fracking fluid.
  • 5. The mining method of claim 4, wherein the fracking system further includes a wiring pathway separate from the extraction pathway and separate from the stimulation pathway, and the method further includes one or more of: sensing the well with a sensor connected to wiring in the wiring pathway; and controlling the fracking system by controlling a device connected to the wiring in the wiring pathway.
  • 6. The mining method of claim 4, wherein the resource extraction tool including a plurality of resource extraction tools, each tool corresponding to a stage of the well, each stage tool mated in a series along the borehole of the well, and each tool including at least one extraction section and at least one stimulation section.
  • 7. A fracking system, comprising: a plurality of resource extraction tools, each tool corresponding to a stage of a well, and each tool including: an outer casing;a stimulation section along a length of the respective stage,an extraction section neighboring the stimulation section along the length of the respective stage;a stimulation pathway through each of the stimulation section and the extraction section, the stimulation pathway connected to a stimulation perforation in the outer casing and configured to provide a fracking fluid from the stimulation pathway to an exterior of the respective tool through the stimulation perforation;an extraction pathway through each of the stimulation section and the extraction section, the extraction pathway connected to an extraction perforation in the outer casing and configured to drain an extraction fluid from the exterior of the respective tool through the extraction perforation and into the extraction pathway; anda barrier between the stimulation section and the extraction section, the barrier configured to expand beyond the outer casing and into the exterior of the respective tool, mate with a casing of a borehole, and divide the exterior of the respective tool into a stimulation portion of the exterior and an extraction portion of the exterior.
  • 8. The fracking system of claim 7, each tool further comprising: a first mating section at a first end of the respective tool; anda second mating section at a second end of the respective tool;wherein the first mating section is configured to mate with a second mating section of a neighboring tool, and wherein the first and second mating sections include a connection for the stimulation pathways of the respective tool and the neighboring tool and include a connection for the extraction pathways of the respective tool and the neighboring tool.
  • 9. The fracking system of claim 7, each tool further comprising: a wiring pathway separate from the extraction pathway and separate from the stimulation pathway; anda device connected to wiring in the wiring pathway.
  • 10. The fracking system of claim 7, wherein: a cross section along the length of a tool is substantially circular;the extraction pathway runs through an inner portion of the cross section including a center of the cross section; andthe stimulation pathway runs through an outer portion of the cross section not including the center of the cross section.
  • 11. The fracking system of claim 7, each tool further including: a middle casing between the stimulation pathway and a wiring pathway; andan inner casing between the wiring pathway and the extraction pathway.
  • 12. The fracking system of claim 7, each tool further including: a bladder configured to receive the fracking fluid from the stimulation pathway positioned to engage the barrier as the bladder inflates with the fracking fluid.
  • 13. The fracking system of claim 7, each tool further including: a motor configured to receive electrical power from a wiring pathway and to engage the barrier and cause the expansion of the barrier.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 (e) of Provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 63/597,211, filed Nov. 8, 2023, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
63597211 Nov 2023 US