Abstract: A shockwave generator pre-treats one or more production zones within a well to facilitate recovery of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons from the well. The well may be heated to a particular temperature, w here after a cooling agent is introduced through the shockwave generator which effects a cooling action in the walls of the well and induces cracking which is propagated by the tremors or shocks of the cooling agent as it exits the generator. The initiated cracks may be further propagated using one or more additional stimulation methods, including a freeze-thaw method which is implemented through a subsystem having overlapping components with the shockwave generator subsystem.

Abstract: A production zone isolation system includes a sealing mechanism is positioned adjacent to or within the production zone of a well bore such that the expanders are positioned parallel to areas aft and fore of the area which is to be isolated. A refrigerant or cooling agent is pumped into a first inner tubular and exits out of the expanders and into regions of second outer tubular. At pressurized water filled regions of the well bore that are adjacent to the regions of the second outer tubular, freezing is induced, thereby forming ice plugs and a sealed region therebetween. The refrigerant is not in direct contact with the surrounding water but is instead in juxtaposition to it and separated therefrom by second outer tubular.

Abstract: A shockwave generator pre-treats one or more production zones within a well to facilitate recovery of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons from the well. The well may be heated to a particular temperature, where after a cooling agent is introduced through the shockwave generator which effects a cooling action in the walls of the well and induces cracking which is propagated by the tremors or shocks of the cooling agent as it exits the generator. The initiated cracks may be further propagated using one or more additional stimulation methods, including a freeze-thaw method which is implemented through a subsystem having overlapping components with the shockwave generator subsystem.

Abstract: A production zone isolation system includes a sealing mechanism is positioned adjacent to or within the production zone of a well bore such that the expanders are positioned parallel to areas aft and fore of the area which is to be isolated. A refrigerant or cooling agent is pumped into a first inner tubular and exits out of the expanders and into regions of second outer tubular. At pressurized water tilled regions of the well bore that are adjacent to the regions of the second outer tubular, freezing is induced, thereby forming ice plugs and a sealed region therebetween. The refrigerant is not in direct contact with the surrounding water but is instead in juxtaposition to it and separated therefrom by second outer tubular.

Abstract: A shockwave generator pre-treats one or more production zones within a well to facilitate recovery of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons from the well. The well may be heated to a particular temperature, where after a cooling agent is introduced through the shockwave generator which effects a cooling action in the walls of the well and induces cracking which is propagated by the tremors or shocks of the cooling agent as it exits the generator. The initiated cracks may be further propagated using one or more additional stimulation methods, including a freeze-thaw method which is implemented through a subsystem having overlapping components with the shockwave generator subsystem.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for introducing refrigerant into a wellbore, for freeze-fracturing a selected region of a subsurface formation, uses refrigerant diffuser pipe having multiple orifices in a selected pattern along a designated section of its length. The orificed supply tubing is disposed within a refrigerant return conduit, thereby forming a tubing annulus. A flow of liquid refrigerant is introduced into the diffuser pipe and flows through the orifices into the tubing annulus, with the orifices acting as expander means creating a pressure drop and causing vaporization of the refrigerant as it passes into the annulus. To facilitate use of the same diffuser pipe in different wells having different requirements, a helical orifice-isolation wrap may be disposed around the diffuser pipe, with the orifice-isolation wrap having orifice-plugging elements arrayed to effectively block fluid flow through selected orifices, while leaving other orifices open as required.