Patent Application
20240003228
In the resource recovery industry and fluid sequestration industry gravel packing may be undertaken to support borehole walls or filter fluids for example. Gravel pack operations often include cross over tools. Such tools have been known to the industry for quite some time and generally employ a plug conveyed through the workstring to facilitate particular operations of the system. While dropping a plug, such as a ball, is effective in many situations, it can cause undue delay due to time it takes the plug to traverse the borehole and/or be pushed along with fluid flow for highly deviated or horizontal boreholes. Time is directly correlated to cost in the subject industries and hence the art would well receive alternatives that reduce time required.
An embodiment of a cross-over tool including a housing having an extension port therein, a gravel pack port sleeve having a gravel pack port structure and a seal disposed at a radially inward surface of the port structure, and an activation sleeve having an opening therein, the activation sleeve being in dynamic sealing contact with the seal of the port structure.
An embodiment of a borehole system including a borehole in a subsurface formation, a completion string in the borehole, and a tool disposed in the completion string.
An embodiment of a method for gravel packing a borehole including releasing the housing from a latch connected to a workstring, applying tension to the activation sleeve with the workstring, and aligning the opening of the activation sleeve with the gravel pack port.
The following descriptions should not be considered limiting in any way. With reference to the accompanying drawings, like elements are numbered alike:
A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way of exemplification and not limitation with reference to the Figures.
Referring to
Disposed within the housing 12 is a gravel pack port sleeve 18 having a gravel pack port structure 20 as a part thereof, the port structure 20 defining a port 22 therethrough. The port sleeve 18 is slidably disposed in the housing 12 and includes a no go shoulder 24 to prevent the port sleeve 18 moving relative to the housing in one direction beyond seating of the shoulder 24 against housing 12. The port sleeve 18 is movable in the opposite direction to allow for positioning and for pulling out of the hole. At a radially inward surface 26 of the structure 20 are seals 28 that are disposed on either longitudinal end of the port 22 and function to dynamically seal the structure 20 to a radially inwardly positioned activation sleeve 30. The sleeve 30 includes an opening 32 therein that allows initially for Inside Diameter (ID) flow through the sleeve 30 for washdown and flow during running. The sleeve 30 further includes a lock 34 that is interactive with the port sleeve 18 to, once engaged, prevent any further relative motion between the port sleeve 18 and the activation sleeve 30. This lock in an embodiment is a body lock ring although it is contemplated that this lock may also be a C-ring, a collet, any other type of snap ring, etc. Also, in an embodiment, a stop 36 and a counter stop 38 are disposed upon sleeve 30 and sleeve 18 such that they will contact one another at a certain position of the sleeve 30 relative to sleeve 18 and prevent further relative movement in the same direction. The stop and counter stop are illustrated in contact in
Referring to
In use, the tool 10 is made up to the workstring 40 and latched with a latch 42. The position of the latch 42 when latched is illustrated in
Referring to
Set forth below are some embodiments of the foregoing disclosure:
Embodiment 1: A cross-over tool including a housing having an extension port therein, a gravel pack port sleeve having a gravel pack port structure and a seal disposed at a radially inward surface of the port structure, and an activation sleeve having an opening therein, the activation sleeve being in dynamic sealing contact with the seal of the port structure.
Embodiment 2: The tool as in any prior embodiment further including a lock that when engaged prevents relative motion between the port sleeve and the activation sleeve.
Embodiment 3: The tool as in any prior embodiment wherein the lock is a body lock ring.
Embodiment 4: The tool as in any prior embodiment further including a stop limiting relative movement between the activation sleeve and the port sleeve.
Embodiment 5: The tool as in any prior embodiment wherein the shoulder when shouldered positions the activation sleeve relative to the port sleeve such that the opening of the activation sleeve is aligned with the gravel pack port of the port sleeve.
Embodiment 6: The tool as in any prior embodiment further including a sealing element disposed on the housing.
Embodiment 7: A borehole system including a borehole in a subsurface formation, a completion string in the borehole, and a tool as in any prior embodiment disposed in the completion string.
Embodiment 8: A method for gravel packing a borehole including releasing the housing as in any prior embodiment from a latch connected to a workstring, applying tension to the activation sleeve with the workstring, and aligning the opening of the activation sleeve with the gravel pack port.
Embodiment 9: The method as in any prior embodiment further including engaging a lock, which thereafter prevents relative movement between the activation sleeve and the gravel pack port sleeve.
Embodiment 10: The method as in any prior embodiment further including pumping a fluid through the workstring and through the opening, gravel pack port and extension port.
Embodiment 11: The method as in any prior embodiment further including setting a seal element about the housing.
Embodiment 12: The method as in any prior embodiment further including pulling the gravel pack port sleeve and the activation sleeve out of the borehole leaving the element and housing in the borehole.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Further, it should be noted that the terms “first,” “second,” and the like herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. The terms “about”, “substantially” and “generally” are intended to include the degree of error associated with measurement of the particular quantity based upon the equipment available at the time of filing the application. For example, “about” and/or “substantially” and/or “generally” can include a range of ±8% or 5%, or 2% of a given value.
The teachings of the present disclosure may be used in a variety of well operations. These operations may involve using one or more treatment agents to treat a formation, the fluids resident in a formation, a borehole, and/or equipment in the borehole, such as production tubing. The treatment agents may be in the form of liquids, gases, solids, semi-solids, and mixtures thereof. Illustrative treatment agents include, but are not limited to, fracturing fluids, acids, steam, water, brine, anti-corrosion agents, cement, permeability modifiers, drilling muds, emulsifiers, demulsifiers, tracers, flow improvers etc. Illustrative well operations include, but are not limited to, hydraulic fracturing, stimulation, tracer injection, cleaning, acidizing, steam injection, water flooding, cementing, etc.
While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited.
