A wellbore is often drilled into a geologic formation in order to produce one or more desired fluids, e.g., hydrocarbons, from a subterranean reservoir. During production operations, it is common for an undesired fluid, e.g., water, to be produced along with the desired fluid. The proportion of the desired fluid in the overall inflow may change over time and may not be consistent among various production intervals defined along the entire length of a wellbore. Accordingly various wellbore completion assemblies have been developed to balance the production of fluids over time and over the production intervals, thereby increasing the productivity of the wellbore. In some instances these completion assemblies may operate autonomously, e.g., the completion assemblies may include control valves responsive to changes in the composition of the inflow without requiring any monitoring or intervention from an operator at the surface.
The following figures are included to illustrate certain aspects of the present disclosure, and should not be viewed as exclusive embodiments. The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modifications, alterations, combinations, and equivalents in form and function, without departing from the scope of this disclosure.
Some well systems operate to distinguish between fluid flows having high and low proportions of a desired fluid by including a viscosity dependent flow resistors. These systems may be less effective to control fluid flows where very small viscosity differences exist between the desired and undesired fluids. For example, a wellbore drilled in certain geographic regions such as the Arabian Peninsula may produce fluid flows with a viscosity difference of less than 1 centipoise (cP). This very small viscosity difference makes flow control difficult using viscosity dependent equipment, e.g., by making the operability of the equipment more sensitive to manufacturing tolerances. Aspects of the present disclosure relate to flow control systems for variably resisting flow of a fluid composition dependent on the surface energy of the fluid composition. Surface energy is a measure of the wettability of a surface with a particular the fluid. Surface energy dependent flow resistors of the present disclosure include a support structure extending across and/or filling a control passageway such that the surface area exposed to a fluid may be maximized.
A tubing string 22 is disposed within the wellbore 12 and extends from a surface location (not shown). The tubing string 22 provides a conduit for fluids to travel from the geologic formation 20 to the surface location. Coupled within the tubing string 22 is a plurality of autonomous inflow control devices 24 positioned in various production intervals adjacent to the formation 20. At either end of each production interval, a packer 26 is provided that provides a fluid seal between tubing string 22 and the wall of the wellbore 12. The inflow control devices 24 provide a mechanism for controlling the amount of fluid flowing from an exterior annular space 28 between each pair of adjacent packers 26 and an interior passageway 30 of the tubing string 22. Although the well system 10 is described herein as a “production” system that collects fluids from the geologic formation 20 and delivers the fluids to the surface location, in other embodiments, a well system may be arranged to as an “injection” system that operates to deliver fluids from the surface location to the geologic formation. 20.
Each of the inflow control devices 24 may optionally be associated with a sand control element, e.g., a screen or filter media, to permit the introduction of fluids into the inflow control device but prevent particulate matter of sufficient size from flowing therethrough. In some embodiments, the filter media may be of the type known as “wire-wrapped,” since it is made up of a wire closely wrapped helically about a wellbore tubular, with a spacing between the wire wraps being chosen to allow fluid flow through the filter media while keeping particulates that are greater than a selected size from passing between the wire wraps. It should be understood that the generic term “filter media” as used herein is intended to include and cover all types of similar structures which are commonly used in gravel pack well completions which permit the flow of fluids through the filter or screen while limiting and/or blocking the flow of particulates (e.g., other commercially-available screens; slotted or perforated liners or pipes; sintered-metal screens; sintered-sized, mesh screens; screened pipes; pre-packed screens and/or liners; or combinations thereof). Also, a protective outer shroud having a plurality of perforations therethrough may be positioned around the exterior of any such filter medium.
Through the use of the inflow control devices 24 in one or more production intervals, some control over the volume and composition of the produced fluids may be enabled. For example, in an oil production operation, if an undesired fluid component, such as water, steam, carbon dioxide, or natural gas, is entering one of the production intervals, the inflow control device 24 in that interval will autonomously restrict or resist production of the undesired fluid from that interval while other inflow control devices 24 in other intervals continue to permit production of the desired fluids into the interior passageway 30 of the tubing string 22. It will be appreciated that whether a fluid is a desired or an undesired fluid depends on the purpose of the production operation being conducted. For example, if it is desired to produce oil from a well, but not to produce water or gas, then oil is a desired fluid and water and gas are undesired fluids. Alternatively, if it is desired to produce natural gas from a well, but not to produce water, then natural gas is a desired fluid and water is an undesired fluid.
The fluid flowing into the interior passageway 30 of the tubing string 22 typically comprises more than one fluid component. Typical components may include natural gas, oil, water, steam, and/or carbon dioxide. The proportion of these components in the fluid flowing into each production interval will vary over time, and is generally based on conditions within the geologic formation 20 and the wellbore 12. Likewise, the composition of the fluid flowing into the inflow control devices 24 throughout the length of the entire tubing string 24 can vary significantly from interval to interval. The inflow control devices 24 are designed to reduce or restrict the production of undesired fluids from any particular interval. Accordingly, a greater proportion of desired fluid component, e.g., oil, will be produced into the interior passageway 30 of the tubing string. 22
Although
Referring now to
Upon, entering through the inlet 34, The fluid composition 50 is initially divided into three distinct flow passages including a primary passageway 52 and multiple control passageways 54, 56. The control passageways 54 and 56 direct a portion of the fluid composition 50 to flow through the flow resistors 100, 102. The flow resistor 100 may be constructed with a hydrophobic and/or oleophilic material (repelling water and/or attracting oil) and the flow resistor 102 may be constructed with a hydrophilic and/or oleophobic material (attracting water and/or repelling oil). Thus, the fluid composition 50 (with a relatively high proportion of water and a relatively low proportion of oil) will pass more easily through the flow resistor 102 than through the flow resistor 100. Relatedly, more of the fluid composition 50 may pass through the control passageway 56 than through control passageway 54. As described in greater detail below (see, e.g.,
Control passageways 54, 56 may each include a respective control port 60, 62 at a downstream end with a reduced flow area with respect to a remainder of the control passageway 54, 56. The control ports 60, 62 may operate to increase a velocity of the fluid exiting the control passage 54, 56 or to direct the flow exiting the control passage 54, 56 onto the flow in the primary passageway 52. For example, the control ports may direct the flow exiting the control passage 54, 56 perpendicularly onto the flow in the primary passageway 52 (as shown) or at a more tangential angle (not shown). The ratio of flow exiting the control passages 54, 56 determines which of a pair of vortex chamber inlet passageways 66, 68 a majority of the flow from the three distinct flow passageways 52, 54, 56 will enter. In the example illustrated in
Fluid from the vortex chamber inlet passageway 66 is discharged into the vortex chamber 42 along a trajectory that is generally tangential to an outer cylindrical edge 72 of the vortex chamber 42. The fluid composition 50 spirals about the vortex chamber 42, increasing in velocity as it nears the central outlet 48, driven by a pressure differential from the inlet passageway 66 to the outlet 48. The vortex chamber 42 thus imparts a relatively high resistance to the fluid composition 50 entering from the inlet passageway 66 before being discharged from control valve 36 to the interior passageway 30 (
In contrast, a fluid composition 74 entering the vortex chamber from the inlet passageway 68 is imparted with a relatively low resistance as illustrated in
As described above with respect to
Referring to
In another configuration, the primary passageway 52 is removed and all of the flow must pass through the control passageways 54, 56.
The support structure 106 may be constructed of a naturally or intrinsically hydrophobic and/or oleophilic material, and/or may be coated with a hydrophobic and/or oleophilic coating on a plurality of the exposed outer surfaces thereof. In addition, the chamber 108 in which the support structure 106 is contained may also be coated with a hydrophobic and/or oleophilic coating. The support structure 106 may be a particle bed comprising discrete sand, gravel, nails, conglomerate, or other particulates. Also, in some embodiments, the support structure 106 may include a filter or mesh such as a weave, braid, knit, link or fabric. Hydrophobic materials that may be included in the construction of the support structure 106 include silica/polyaniline (PAni), alkanes, silica, silicone, and fluorocarbon. The material of the hydrophobic support structure 106 may, in some embodiments include nanoparticles, such as an agglomeration of alumina nanoparticles that are coated with carboxylic acid or a coating of copper nanoparticles.
In other example embodiments, the support structure 106 may be constructed of a hydrophobic ceramic material such as a ceramic comprising a lanthanide oxide. Although ceramic materials are generally hydrophilic, a class of ceramics comprising the entire lanthanide oxide series, ranging from ceria to lutecia, is intrinsically hydrophobic. These hydrophobic ceramic materials provide durability to the support structure 106 that enable the support structure 106 to withstand the harsh downhole environments without deterioration or loosing hydrophobicity.
Another material that may be employed in the construction of the support structure 106, e.g., to be used in a coating of support structure 106, is a hydrophobically modified water soluble poly-(dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate) chemical additive. One such material is manufactured by Halliburton Energy Services, Inc., and is known under the trade name HPT™-1 Many polymers are also hydrophobic and/or hydrophobically modified, and may be employed in the construction and/or coating of the support structure 106. For example, material such as acrylics, carbonates, amides and imides, olefins, etc, may be hydrophobic, and each may be included in the construction and/or coating of the support structure 106. Some of the materials, such as PTFE, exhibit both hydrophobic and oleophobic properties but have a different degree of hydrophobicity and oleophobicity.
It should be appreciated that the flow resistor 102 of
The flow resistor 110 illustrated in
The flow resistor 112 illustrated in
The flow resistor 114 illustrated in
In the embodiment illustrated in
A closure member 212 is positioned relative to primary fluid passageway 202 such that the closure member 212 has a first “open” operational position (
The control valve 200 includes a bridge network having two control fluid passageways 214, 216 branching from the primary fluid passageway 202 upstream of the closure member 212 and rejoining the primary fluid passageway downstream of the closure member 212. As illustrated, control passageways 214, 216 are in fluid communication with primary fluid passageway 202, however, those skilled in the art will recognize that control passageways 214, 216 could alternatively branch from a fluid pathway other than primary fluid passageway. In any such configurations, control passageways 214, 216 will be considered to have common fluid inlets and common fluid outlets with the main fluid pathway so long as control passageways 214, 216 and primary fluid passageway 202 directly or indirectly share the same pressure sources, such as wellbore pressure and tubing pressure, or are otherwise fluidically connected. It should be noted that the fluid flowrate through primary fluid passageway 202 may be much greater than the flowrate through control passageways 214, 216. For example, the ratio in the fluid flowrate between primary fluid passageway 202 and control passageways 214, 216 may be between about 5 to 1 and about 20 to 1 and is preferably greater than 10 to 1.
Control passageway 214 has two fluid flow resistors 100, 102 positioned in series with a pressure output terminal 218 positioned therebetween. Likewise, control passageway 216 has two fluid flow resistors 102, 100 positioned in series in reverse order with a pressure output terminal 220 positioned therebetween. Pressure from pressure output terminal 218 is routed to closure member 212 via fluid pathway 222 and pressure from pressure output terminal 220 is routed to closure member 212 via fluid pathway 224. As such, if the pressure at pressure output terminal 220 is higher than the pressure at pressure output terminal 218, closure member 212 is biased to the open position (
The pressure difference between pressure output terminals 220, 218 is created due to differences in flow resistance and associated pressure drops in the various fluid flow resistors 100, 102. As shown, the bridge network can be described as two parallel control passageways each having two fluid flow resistors in series with a pressure output terminal therebetween. This configuration simulates the common Wheatstone bridge circuit. With this configuration, fluid flow resistors 100, 102 can be arranged such that the flow of a fluid composition 74 (
For example, fluid flow resistors 100, 102 can be selected such that their flow resistance will change or be dependent upon their wettability by the fluid composition 74, 50 flowing therethrough as described above. In the example discussed above wherein oil is the desired fluid and water is the undesired fluid, fluid flow resistors 102 may be constructed with a hydrophilic and/or oleophobic material and fluid flow resistors 100 may be constructed of a hydrophobic and or oleophilic material. In this configuration, when the desired fluid composition 74 flows through control passageway 214, it experience a greater pressure drop in fluid flow resistor 102 (hydrophilic and/or oleophobic), than in fluid flow resistor 100 (hydrophobic and/or oleophilic). Likewise, as the desired fluid composition 74 flows through control passageway 216, it experiences a lower pressure drop in fluid flow resistor 100 than in fluid flow resistor 102. As the total pressure drop across each control passageway 214, 216 must be the same due to the common fluid inlets and common fluid outlets, the pressure at pressure output terminals 220, 218 is different. When the fluid composition 74 (
Also, in this configuration, when the fluid composition 50 (
It is to be clearly understood that other types and combinations of fluid flow resistors may be used to achieve fluid flow control through control valve 200. For example, if oil and water are not the desired and undesired fluids, fluid flow resistors sensitive to the particular fluids may be constructed. Even though
Referring next to
Referring next to
The aspects of the disclosure described below are provided to describe a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are described in greater detail above. This section is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
According to one aspect, the disclosure is directed to a downhole fluid control valve. The downhole fluid control valve includes an inlet, an outlet and a primary flow passageway extending from the inlet and in fluid communication with the outlet. At least one control passageway branches from the primary flow passageway, and at least one surface energy dependent flow resistor has a support structure extending across the at least one control passageway such that the flow of a fluid composition between the inlet and the outlet is permitted or restricted based on the wettability of the support structure by the fluid composition.
In one or more embodiments, the support structure of the at least one surface energy dependent flow resistor is constructed of at least one surface energy sensitive material selected from the group consisting of a hydrophobic material, a hydrophilic material, an oleophilic material and a oleophobic material. The at least one surface energy sensitive material may include a hydrophobic ceramic material comprising a lanthanide oxide.
In some embodiments, the support structure may be coated with the at least one surface energy sensitive material, and in some embodiments, the support structure includes discrete sand, gravel or conglomerate particulates coated with the at least one surface energy sensitive material.
In one or more example embodiments, the at least one control passageway includes a pair of discrete control passageways branching from the primary flow passageway, and a first control passageway of the pair of control passageways includes a hydrophobic or oleophilic support structure extending thereacross. A second control passageway of the pair of control passageways may include a hydrophilic or oleophobic support structure extending thereacross. In some embodiments, the first and second passageways each include a control port directed at the primary flow passageway such that flow from the control ports directs flow from the primary flow passageway along relatively high resistance and relatively low resistance pathways through the control valve. In example embodiments, the downhole fluid control valve further includes a vortex chamber and the relatively low resistance pathway includes a first vortex inlet passageway extending into the vortex chamber along a substantially radial direction with respect to the vortex chamber and the relatively high resistance pathway includes a second vortex inlet passageway extending into the vortex chamber along a substantially tangential direction with respect to the vortex chamber. In some embodiments, the downhole fluid control valve further includes a closure member disposed to move between open and closed positions to respectively permit and restrict flow through the primary flow passageway. The closure member may be operably coupled to a pressure output terminal in each of control passageways to move between the open and closed positions based on a pressure difference between the pressure output terminals.
In some example embodiments, the control valve is responsive to changes in fluid compositions having a difference in viscosity of less than 1 centipose to permit and restrict flow of the fluid composition between the inlet and the outlet. In embodiments, the support structure includes a weave, braid, knit, link or fabric extending across the at least one control passageway. The support structure may include a bundle of tubes extending across the at least one control passageway. In some example embodiments, the support structure is supported in a chamber having a transverse dimension larger than a transverse dimension of the at least one control passageway.
According to another aspect, the disclosure is directed to a downhole flow control system. The system includes an inlet fluidly coupled to a subterranean reservoir defined in a geologic formation, an outlet extending to an interior passageway of a tubing string extending to a surface location, a primary flow passageway extending from the inlet and in fluid communication with the outlet, at least one control passageway branching from the primary flow passageway, and at least one surface energy dependent flow resistor having a support structure extending across the at least one control passageway such that the flow of a fluid composition between the inlet and the outlet is permitted or restricted based on the wettability of the support structure by the fluid composition.
In one or more example embodiments, the downhole fluid control system further includes a screen defined between the downhole reservoir and the inlet, the screen operable to prohibit particulates of a particular size to flow to the inlet. In some embodiments, the support structure includes discrete sand, gravel or conglomerate or particulates coated with a hydrophobic material. In some embodiments, the support structure includes an intrinsically hydrophobic ceramic material.
According to another aspect, the disclosure is directed to a method of controlling a downhole fluid flow. The method includes (a) flowing a fluid composition through an inlet into a primary flow passageway, (b) branching a portion of the fluid composition from the primary flow passageway to at least one control passageway including at least one surface energy dependent flow resistor therein, and (c) permitting or resisting flow of the fluid composition from the primary flow passageway to an outlet based on the wettability of a support structure of the at least one surface energy dependent flow resistor extending across the at least one control passageway by the fluid composition.
In some embodiments, the method further includes permitting flow of a first fluid composition based on the wettability of the support structure by the first fluid composition and restricting flow of a second fluid composition based on the wettability of the support structure by the second fluid composition, and wherein a viscosity difference between the first and second fluid compositions is less than 1 centipose. In one or more example embodiments, the the first fluid composition has a relatively high proportion of oil and wherein the second fluid composition has a relatively high proportion of water.
The Abstract of the disclosure is solely for providing the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the public at large with a way by which to determine quickly from a cursory reading the nature and gist of technical disclosure, and it represents solely one or more examples.
While various examples have been illustrated in detail, the disclosure is not limited to the examples shown. Modifications and adaptations of the above examples may occur to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and adaptations are in the scope of the disclosure.
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