Claims
- 1. An apparatus for use on a subterranean well conduit to prevent particulate matter in said well of a pre-determinable size from passing into said conduit with the well production fluids, comprising:
- an inner member having an interior wall and an exterior wall, said exterior wall having a selected exterior wall shape;
- a fluid flow passageway defined within the interior wall of said inner member;
- fluid flow passage means extending from the interior of said inner member through the exterior wall of said inner member and in communication with said fluid flow passageway;
- a retention barrier disposed around and secured to the exterior wall of said inner member and passing across said fluid flow passage means, and having fluid flow openings therethrough, said retention barrier being at least in-part structurally dependent on said inner member and conforming in shape to said selected exterior wall shape of said inner member when secured thereto;
- a fluid permeable bed of particulate solids around the exterior of said retention barrier sized to prevent effectively all such particulate matter in said well from passing inwardly with the production fluids through said fluid permeable bed and through said fluid flow passage means and into said fluid flow passageway when said conduit and said apparatus are positioned within said subterranean well;
- whereby said retention barrier is sized to prevent the particulate solids of said fluid permeable bed from passing into said fluid flow passage means and further sized to permit any particulate matter in said well passing through said fluid permeable bed to pass through the retention mesh means and into said fluid flow passageway and through the subterranean well conduit;
- a circumferentially shaped outer fluid permeable housing positioned around the exterior of said fluid permeable bed and having fluid passages therethrough for transmission of the production fluids within said well through and housing, said fluid passages in said outer housing being sized to prevent effectively all of said particulate solids of said fluid permeable bed from passing exteriorly through said housing and into said well; and
- means for securing said apparatus to said subterranean well conduit.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said retention barrier is provided in the form of a weave of inner and outer members thereof.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the retention barrier is provided in the form of a weaver including a series of spaced inner and outer looped metallic weave elements.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fluid permeable bed comprises particles of sand.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein in the fluid permeable bed comprises bauxite.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fluid permeable bed comprises glass beads.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fluid permeable bed comprises a resin-coated sand.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fluid permeable bed comprises a resin coated sand the resin for which is a one-step phenolic resin.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fluid permeable bed is a resin coated sand, the resin being cured to the exterior of the sand particles prior to placement of the apparatus into the well on the conduit.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fluid permeable bed is a resin coated sand, the resin being cured to the exterior of the sand particles in-situ within said well.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fluid permeable bed comprises a resin-coated sand, said sand being coated with a fusible, one-step, resole-type phenolic resin said resin being fused and cured to the infusible state onto the exterior of the sand particles.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fluid permeable bed comprises silica sand having a mesh size between about 6 and about 250 based upon the U.S. Standard Sieve Series.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fluid permeable housing comprises a wire-wrapped screen supported by a plurality of interiorly positioned longitudinally spaced ribs.
- 14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fluid permeable housing comprises a slotted member.
- 15. A method of gravel packing a subterranean oil or gas well, to prevent particulate matter in said well of a pre-determinable size from passing into said conduit with the well production fluids, comprising the steps of:
- (1) introducing into said well a subterranean well conduit having disposed thereon at least one well packer apparatus and at least one gravel packing apparatus, said gravel packing apparatus comprising:
- an inner member having an interior wall and an exterior wall, said exterior wall having a selected exterior wall shape;
- a fluid flow passageway defined within the interior wall of said inner member;
- fluid flow passage means extending from the interior of said tubular member thorough the exterior wall of said inner member and in communication with said fluid flow passageway;
- a retention barrier disposed around the exterior wall of said inner member and passing across said fluid flow passage means, and having fluid flow openings therethrough, said retention barrier being at least in-part structurally dependent on said inner member and conforming in shape to said selected exterior wall shape of said inner member when secured thereto;
- a fluid permeable bed of particulate solids around the exterior of said retention barrier sized to prevent effectively all such particulate matter in said well from passing inwardly with the production fluids through said fluid permeable bed and through said fluid flow passage means and into said fluid flow passageway when said conduit and said apparatus are positioned within said subterranean well;
- whereby said retention barrier is sized to prevent the particulate solids of said fluid permeable bed from passing into said fluid flow passage means and into said fluid flow passageway and is further sized to permit any particulate matter in said well passing through said fluid permeable bed to pass through the retention barrier and through the subterranean well conduit; and
- a circumferentially shaped outer fluid permeable housing positioned around the exterior of said fluid permeable bed and having fluid passages therethrough for transmission of the production fluids within said well through said housing, said fluid passages in said outer housing being sized to prevent effectively all of said particulate solids of said fluid permeable bed from passing exteriorly through said housing and into said well, at least one of said inner member and said fluid permeable housing being securable at at least one of its respective ends to the subterranean well conduit;
- (2) placing said gravel packing apparatus adjacent a production zone in said well;
- (3) setting said well packer; and
- (4) introducing a carrier fluid containing a particulate matter into said well conduit for placement of said particulate matter exterior of said well conduit and adjacent said production formation.
- 16. A method gravel packing a subterranean oil or gas well, comprising the steps of:
- (1) introducing into the well a conduit having a gravel packing apparatus thereon, said gravel packing apparatus comprising:
- a cylindrically shaped inner tubular member having an interior wall and an exterior wall;
- a fluid flow passageway defined within the interior wall of said tubular member;
- fluid flow passage means extending from the interior wall of said tubular member through the exterior wall of said tubular member and in communication with said fluid flow passageway;
- a cylindrical shaped retention barrier disposed around the exterior wall of said tubular member and passing across said fluid flow passage means, and having fluid flow openings therethrough, said retention barrier being structurally dependent on said tubular member for its cylindrical shape, and being secured to said tubular member to maintain its cylindrical shape;
- a fluid permeable bed of particulate solids around the exterior of said retention barrier sized to prevent effectively all such particulate matter in said well from passing inwardly with the production fluids through said fluid permeable bed and through said fluid flow passage means and into said fluid flow passageway when said conduit and said apparatus are positioned within said subterranean well;
- whereby said retention barrier is sided to prevent the particulate solids of said fluid permeable bed from passing into said fluid flow passage means and into said fluid flow passageway and is further sized to permit any particulate matter in said well passing through said fluid permeable bed to pass through the retention barrier and through the subterranean well conduit; and
- a circumferentially shaped outer fluid permeable housing positioned around the exterior of said fluid permeable bed and having fluid passages therethrough for transmission of the production fluids within said well through said housing, said fluid passages in said outer housing being sized to prevent effectively all of said particulate solids of said fluid permeable bed from passing exteriorly through said housing and into said well, at least one of said inner tubular member and said fluid permeable housing being securable at at least one of its respective ends to the subterranean well conduit
- (1) positioning said conduit in said well such that said gravel packing apparatus is disposed in said well adjacent a hydrocarbon production zone in said well; and
- (3) flowing fluid through said well and into said gravel packing apparatus and said conduit to the top of the well such that fluid produced from said well and into said conduit does not contain particulate matter of a pre-determinable size.
- 17. An apparatus for use in a subterranean well conduit to prevent particulate matter in said well of a pre-determinable size from passing into said conduit with the well production fluids, comprising:
- a cylindrically shaped inner tubular member having an interior wall and an exterior wall;
- a fluid flow passageway defined within the interior wall of said tubular member;
- fluid flow passage means extending from the interior of said tubular member through the exterior wall of said tubular member and in communication with said fluid flow passageway;
- a cylindrical shaped retention barrier disposed around and secured to the exterior wall of said tubular member, and structurally dependent on said exterior wall of said tubular member which forms and maintains said cylindrical shape of said retention barrier, and passing across said fluid flow passage means, and having fluid flow openings therethrough;
- a fluid permeable bed of particulate solids around the exterior of said retention barrier sized to prevent effectively all such particulate matter in said well form passing inwardly with the production fluids through said fluid permeable bed and through said fluid flow passage means and into said fluid flow passageway when said conduit and said apparatus are positioned within said subterranean well;
- whereby said retention barrier is sized to prevent the particulate solids of said fluid permeable bed from passing into said fluid flow passage means and into said fluid flow passageway and is further sized to permit any particulate matter in said well passing through said fluid permeable bed to pass through the retention barrier and through the subterranean well conduit; and
- a circumferentially shaped outer fluid permeable housing positioned around the exterior of said fluid permeable bed and having fluid passages therethrough for transmission of the production fluids within said well through said housing, said fluid passages in said outer housing being sized to prevent effectively all of said particulate solids of said fluid permeable bed from passing exteriorly through said housing and into said well.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 521,448 filed May 10, 1990, now abandoned, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 504,535 filed Apr. 4, 1990, now abandoned, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 400,864 filed Aug. 30, 1989, now abandoned, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 253,967 filed Oct. 5, 1988, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,183.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Continuations (4)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
521448 |
May 1990 |
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Parent |
504535 |
Apr 1990 |
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Parent |
400864 |
Aug 1989 |
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Parent |
253967 |
Oct 1988 |
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