Stimulation of recovery from underground deposits

Claim 1

The method of claim 1 in which said first and second reactions are such that the explosive reaction mixture formed in the formation autodetonates with the passage of time.

Claim 6

A method for fracturing a mineral bearing formation to facilitate the recovery of minerals therefrom comprising: a. injecting a first chemically stable liquid reactant into the formation through a wellbore positioned therein; b. injecting an inert spacing medium into the formation through said wellbore; c. injecting a second chemically stable liquid reactant into the formation through said wellbore, said first and second reactants being capable of forming explosive reaction mixtures; and d. repeating steps (a) through (c) of injection of reactants and spacing medium so that a series of concentric regions of reaction mixtures are formed throughout the formation in such a manner that each succeeding amount of spacing medium is decreased relative to preceding amount of spacing medium during the treating operation, whereby that reactants and the inert spacing medium move outward from the wellbore in circular bands, the reactants gradually approaching each other as the bands of spacing medium narrow so that the reactants can contact each other in a generally circular region of the formation around the wellbore and form the desired concentric bands of reaction mixture, which, upon detonation by shock and/or the passage of time causes explosive fracturing of the formation in a radial manner with the resulting fractures propagated both outward in the formation and inward toward the wellbore, thereby facilitating the production of minerals from the formation by leaching, solution mining and other mineral recovery techniques.

Claim 12

A method for fracturing a fluid bearing formation to stimulate the production of desired fluid therefrom comprising: a. injecting a first chemically stable liquid reactant into a formation through a wellbore positioned therein; b. injecting an inert spacing medium into the formation through said wellbore; c. injecting a second chemically stable liquid reactant into the formation through said wellbore, said first and second reactants being capable of forming explosive reaction mixtures which do not autodetonate with passage of time; and d. repeating steps (a) through (c) of injection of reactants and spacing media by varying each succeeding amount of spacing medium so that the explosive reaction mixtures are formed in generally concentric regions of the formation by decreasing each succeeding amount of spacing medium relative to the preceding amount of spacing medium during the treating operation such that each cycle consists of said reactants separated by the inert spacing media, whereby the reactants and inert spacing media move outward from the wellbore in increasing circular bands, the reactants gradually approaching each other as the Bands of spacing media narrow so that the reactants contact each other in a generally circular region of the formation around the wellbore to form the desired bands of reaction mixture, which, upon detonation by shock cause explosive fracturing of the formation in a radial manner with the resulting fractures propagated both outward into the formation and inward toward the wellbore, thereby stimulating the production of desired fluid by creating a more effective drainage area in said formation.

Claim 14

A method for fracturing a fluid bearing formation to stimulate the production of desired fluid therefrom comprising: a. injecting a first chemically stable liquid reactant into the formation through a wellbore positioned therein at an injection pressure of at least the formation breakdown pressure, whereby said injection results in the hydraulic fracturing of said formation and including the presence of shock-sensitive propping agents in said first liquid reactant injected into said formation, the detonation of said explosive reaction mixture causing the further detonation of said explosive propping agents; b. injecting an inert spacing medium into the formation through said wellbore; c. injecting a second chemically stable liquid reactant into the formation through said wellbore, said first and second reactants being capable of forming explosive reaction mixtures which do not autodetonate with passage of time; and d. repeating steps (a) through (c) of injection of reactants and spacing media into the formation in cycles such that each cycle consists of said reactants separated by the inert spacing media, whereby the reactants and inert spacing medium move outward form the wellbore in increasing circular bands, the reactants gradually approaching each other as the bands of spacing media narrow so that the reactants contact each other in a generally circular region of the formation around the wellbore to form the desired bands of reaction mixture, which, upon detonation by shock cause explosive fracturing of the formation in a radial manner with the resulting fractures propagated both outward into the formation and inward toward the wellbore, thereby stimulating the production of desired fluid by creating a more effective drainage area in said formation.

Claim 16

A method for fracturing a mineral bearing formation to facilitate recovery of minerals therefrom comprising: a. injecting a first chemically stable liquid reactant into the formation through a wellbore positioned therein; b. injecting an inert spacing medium into the formation through said wellbore; c. injecting a second chemically stable liquid reactant into the formation through said wellbore, said first and second reactants being capable of forming explosive reaction mixtures which do not autodetonate with passage of time; and d. repeating steps (a) through (c) of injection of reaction spacing medium into the formation in which each succeeding amount of spacing medium is decreased relative to the preceding amount of spacing medium during the treating and operation so that the explosive reaction mixtures are formed in generally concentric regions of the formations in cycles such that each cycle consists of said reactant separated by inert spacing medium, whereby the reactants and their inert spacing media move outward from the wellbore in increasing circular bands, the reactants gradually approaching each other as the bands of spacing media narrow so that the reactants contact each other in a generally circular region of the formation around the wellbore to form the desired bands of reactioN mixture, which, upon detonation by shock cause explosive fracturing of the formation in a radial manner with the resulting fractures propagated both outward into the formation and inward toward the wellbore, therefore facilitating the production of minerals from the formation by leaching, solution mining and other mineral recovery techniques.