Patent Application
20210172299
The present description relates to flow control devices used for controlling flow into or out of pipes, in particular pipes used in oil and gas wells.
Hydrocarbon reservoirs, such as oil and/or gas reservoirs, are generally accessed by wells that are drilled into the subterranean reservoir and the hydrocarbon materials are then brought to the surface through production tubing. Production tubing consists of a plurality of pope section that connected together and inserted into the well. The well may be cased or uncased. The production tubing may also include various other tools that connected between the pipe sections, such as packers etc.
The wellbore may be vertical or horizontal or at any angle there-between. In some cases, where the hydrocarbons comprises a highly viscous material, such as heavy oil and the like, steam, gas or other fluids may be injected into one or more sections of the reservoir to stimulate the flow of hydrocarbons into the wellbore.
Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage, “SAGD”, is one example of a process that is used to stimulate the flow of highly viscous oil. In a SAGD operation, two wells, typically horizontal wells, are drilled within a reservoir. The wells comprise an upper, steam injection well, and a lower production well. In operation, steam is injected into the injection well to heat and reduce the viscosity of the hydrocarbon material. After steam treatment, the hydrocarbon material, now mobilized, drains into the production well and subsequently brought to the surface by production tubing. Cyclic Steam Stimulation, “CSS”, is another example where steam is used to enhance the mobility of viscous hydrocarbon materials. In a CSS process, a single well is used to first inject steam into the reservoir through tubing, generally production tubing. Thereafter, the heat from the steam is allowed to be absorbed into the reservoir (a stage referred to as “shut in” or “soaking”), during which the viscosity of the hydrocarbon material is reduced. Following such stage, the hydrocarbons are produced in a production stage.
Production tubing used in wellbores typically includes a number of coaxial segments, or tubulars, that are connected together. Various tools may also be provided along the length of the tubing, wherein such tools comprise a base pipe with one or more apertures, or ports, provided along its length. The ports provide a means for the inflow of hydrocarbon materials from the reservoir into the pipe and thus into the production tubing. The ports may also provide a means for the outflow, or injection of steam and/or other viscosity reducing agents from the production tubing into the reservoir. The segments having ports are also often provided with one or more filtering devices, such as wire screens, or wire-wrap screens, which serve to filter the hydrocarbon materials being produced and thereby prevent or mitigate against sand and other solid debris in the well from entering the base pipe and therefore the production tubing.
In view of the length of production tubing (which may be in the range of several thousand meters), steps must often be taken to ensure that the production rates along its length are near constant. This is to avoid preferential production from one region of a reservoir, which may result in another region not be being produced. In addition, in cases where regions of the reservoir are under high pressure, the pressure of the produced fluids may result in damage to the tubing material. Similarly, in situations where steam or another fluid is being injected, it is important to ensure that the injection is accomplished evenly so as to avoid preferential stimulation of only certain regions of the reservoir.
Various devices have been proposed for controlling the rates of production and/or injection between tubing and a reservoir. In some cases, a device such as a flow restrictor or similar nozzle is associated with the base pipe to impede the flow of fluids flowing into or from the pipe. Examples of such flow control device are described in the following references: U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,518,455; 9,638,000; 9,027,642; 7,419,002; 8,689,883; 9,249,649, US 2017/0058655 and US 2009/0078428.
There exists a need for an improved flow control means to control the flow of reservoir fluids entering into production tubing.
In one aspect, there is provided an apparatus for regulating the flow of reservoir fluid entering into production tubing provided in a wellbore. In particular, the apparatus reduces or attenuates the pressure of the fluid entering into the production tubing.
In one aspect, there is provided an apparatus for controlling flow of fluids from a subterranean reservoir into production tubing provided in a well in the reservoir, the apparatus comprising:
In another aspect, there is provided an apparatus for controlling flow of fluids from a subterranean reservoir into production tubing provided in a well in the reservoir, the apparatus comprising:
The features of certain embodiments will become more apparent in the following detailed description in which reference is made to the appended figures wherein:
As used herein, the terms “nozzle” or “nozzle insert” will be understood to mean a device that controls the flow of a fluid flowing there-through. In one example, the nozzle described herein serves to control the flow of a fluid through a port in a pipe in at least one direction.
The term “hydrocarbons” refers to hydrocarbon compounds that are found in subterranean reservoirs. Examples of hydrocarbons include oil and gas.
The term “wellbore” refers to a bore drilled into a subterranean formation, such as a formation containing hydrocarbons.
The term “wellbore fluids” refers to hydrocarbons and other materials contained in a reservoir that are capable of entering into a wellbore.
The terms “pipe” or “base pipe” refer to a section of pipe, or other such tubular member. The base pipe is generally provided with one or more ports or slots along its length to allow for flow of fluids there-through.
The term “production” refers to the process of producing wellbore fluids.
The term “production tubing” refers to a series of pipes, or tubulars, connected together and extending through a wellbore from the surface into the reservoir.
The terms “screen”, “sand screen”, “wire screen”, or “wire-wrap screen”, as used herein, refer to known filtering or screening devices that are used to inhibit or prevent sand or other solid material from the reservoir from flowing into the pipe. Such screens may include wire wrap screens, precision punched screens, premium screens or any other screen that is provided on a base pipe to filter fluids and create an annular flow channel. The present description is not limited to any particular screen described herein.
The terms “comprise”, “comprises”, “comprised” or “comprising” may be used in the present description. As used herein (including the specification and/or the claims), these terms are to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components, but not as precluding the presence of one or more other feature, integer, step, component or a group thereof as would be apparent to persons having ordinary skill in the relevant art.
In the present description, the terms “top”, “bottom”, “front” and “rear” may be used. It will be understood that the use of such terms is purely for the purpose of facilitating the description of the embodiments described herein. These terms are not intended to limit the orientation or placement of the described elements or structures.
The apparatus 10 also includes a filter or screen as known in the art. In the example illustrated in the accompanying figures, the filter is a wire screen 14, which, as known in the art, comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced rib wires 16 that extend longitudinally over a portion of the base pipe 12. The wire screen 14 also includes a circumferential wire wrap 18 provided over the ribs 16. As would be known to persons skilled in the art, the wire screen 14 results in a plurality of longitudinally extending channels between adjacent rib wires 16. In addition, each winding of the wire wrap 18 is spaced by a given distance, thereby allowing fluids to pass there-through but filtering out solid material having a diameter greater than the spacing between the wires. As indicated above, although a wire screen, or wire-wrap screen, is described herein, it will be understood that various other filtering devices may be used with the apparatus described herein. The present description is not intended to be limited to any particular filtering device. For example, the filtering device may comprise a slotted liner or the like, which serves to filter fluids and create an annular flow channel whereby fluids are flowed to one or more ports on a base pipe. Although the present description will refer to a wire screen for convenience, it will be understood that this is not intended to be limiting in any way.
As known in the art, the wire screen 14 is secured to the base pipe 12 and this may be accomplished by various means. In one aspect, the wire screen 14 is secured to the base pipe 12 by means of circumferential collars provided on each end of the screen. As shown in
The apparatus includes an annular space 24 adjacent the second end of the wire screen 14, as described further below.
The base pipe 12 includes at least one port or aperture 26 providing fluid communication to the lumen of the pipe. The pipe 12 is preferably also provided with a recess 13 on the outer surface of thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the recess 13 is provided around the port 24. The recess 13 is sized to receive and retain a diverter 28. As shown in
The apparatus further includes a nozzle 32 positioned between the annular space 24 adjacent the wire screen 14 and the diverter 28. As more clearly shown in
As noted above, the base pipe 12 shown in
The nozzle 32 will now be discussed in further detail. As shown more clearly in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Downstream from the throat 42, the channel 40 is provided with a region of increasing diameter, or a diverging region 44, and an outlet 36. In one embodiment, as illustrated, the channel 40 includes a region of constant cross-sectional area, 46, between the diverging region 44 and the outlet 36. In the illustrated embodiment, the diverging region 44 and, where present, the region of constant diameter 46 are provided with smooth walls. However, as with the throat 42, the walls of these regions may also, together or independently, be provided with a stepped or otherwise non-smooth surface to enhance the dissipation of pressure of the fluid flowing there-through.
As also shown, the outlet 30 has a larger cross-sectional area than the inlet 38. As such, the diverter channel 48 is preferably provided with an increasing cross-sectional area extending in the direction from the inlet 38 to the outlet 30. In this way, the diverter serves to further reduce the pressure of the fluid flowing there-through while diverting the fluid into the base pipe.
Although the above description includes reference to certain specific embodiments, various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Any examples provided herein are included solely for the purpose of illustration and are not intended to be limiting in any way. Any drawings provided herein are solely for the purpose of illustrating various aspects of the description and are not intended to be drawn to scale or to be limiting in any way. The scope of the claims appended hereto should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the above description, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the present specification as a whole. The disclosures of all prior art recited herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CA2018/051411 | 11/8/2018 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62583405 | Nov 2017 | US |
