Patent Application
20250027393
In the resource recovery and fluid sequestration industries flow control devices are often needed for various reasons. The art continues to improve and find alternate technology for such devices but also continuously seeks improvement of those. Some inflow control devices suffer from significant erosion. The art will positively receive technologies that address excessive erosion.
An embodiment of an inflow control device, including a housing, a flow restrictor defined within the housing, an outflow area defined within the housing fluidly connected to the flow restrictor; and a disperser disposed within the outflow area.
An embodiment of a method for reducing erosion in an inflow control device, including flowing a fluid through a flow restrictor, creating a jet of fluid leaving the flow restrictor, impinging the jet on a disperser in an outflow area for the flow restrictor, and dispersing the jetting fluid.
An embodiment of a borehole system including a borehole in a subsurface formation, an inflow control device disposed within the borehole.
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
Combatting the jetting fluid is a disperser 22 disposed within the outflow area 18 of device 10. The disperser 22 may comprise one or more features 24 such as ribs or similar structures. The disperser 22 may be axially aligned with the housing 12 or just aligned with the axis of the flow restrictor 14 in cases where the housing axis does not align with the flow restrictor axis. In one embodiment one of the features 24 of the disperser 22, that is designated 24a for clarity, may be specifically axially aligned with the flow restrictor 14 axis, which is identified by dashed line with the indicator “axis”. Feature 24a may also be positioned immediately at the downstream end of the expansion area 20 in embodiments.
In embodiments, the features 24 may be configured with pointed surfaces 26 and 28 exposed to a volume 29 defined within the outflow area 18 between walls 30, 31, 32, and 33 thereof, though flat surfaces and rounded surfaces are also acceptable. In an embodiment, the features 24 may extend from walls 30 and 32 toward each other (see
The disperser 22 in the embodiment that includes the feature 24 that is axially aligned with the flow restrictor 14 functions to split the oncoming jetting fluid into smaller constituents. Those constituents are diverted outwardly (or toward the top and toward the bottom of
The method for reducing erosion in an inflow control device that employs a flow restrictor to accelerate fluid flowing therethrough and consequently generated a jetting fluid at the exit of the flow restrictor will have the jet mitigated by impinging the jet on the disperser 22 in the outflow area 18 of the device 10, and dispersing the jetting fluid with the disperser 22. In an embodiment the dispersing includes splitting the jetting flow. In a further embodiment, the dispersing includes intermingling the split flow and thereby increasing turbulence in the flow.
Referring to
Set forth below are some embodiments of the foregoing disclosure:
Embodiment 1: An inflow control device, including a housing, a flow restrictor defined within the housing, an outflow area defined within the housing fluidly connected to the flow restrictor; and a disperser disposed within the outflow area.
Embodiment 2: The device as in any prior embodiment, wherein the disperser includes a first feature that is axially aligned with the flow restrictor.
Embodiment 3: The device as in any prior embodiment, wherein the disperser includes second features, the second features being positioned farther from the flow restrictor than the first feature.
Embodiment 4: The device as in any prior embodiment, wherein the second features are two and each is stepped back from the flow restrictor relative to the first feature by the same distance.
Embodiment 5: The device as in any prior embodiment, wherein the disperser includes third features, the third features being stepped back from the second features by the same distance.
Embodiment 6: The device as in any prior embodiment, wherein the outflow area includes an expansion area.
Embodiment 7: The device as in any prior embodiment, wherein the expansion area is continuously diverging from a throat of the flow restrictor.
Embodiment 8: The device as in any prior embodiment, wherein the disperser is located immediately downstream of the expansion area.
Embodiment 9: The device as in any prior embodiment, wherein the disperser includes pointed surfaces exposed to a volume of the outflow area.
Embodiment 10: The device as in any prior embodiment, wherein the disperser is a rib.
Embodiment 11: The device as in any prior embodiment, wherein the disperser is a plurality of ribs.
Embodiment 12: The device as in any prior embodiment, wherein the ribs extend from a wall of the outflow area into a volume of the outflow area.
Embodiment 13: The device as in any prior embodiment, wherein the ribs extend from two walls of the outflow area into a volume of the outflow area toward each other.
Embodiment 14: A method for reducing erosion in an inflow control device, including flowing a fluid through a flow restrictor, creating a jet of fluid leaving the flow restrictor, impinging the jet on a disperser in an outflow area for the flow restrictor, and dispersing the jetting fluid.
Embodiment 15: The method as in any prior embodiment, wherein the dispersing includes splitting the jetting flow.
Embodiment 16: The method as in any prior embodiment, wherein the dispersing includes intermingling the split flow.
Embodiment 17: The method as in any prior embodiment, wherein the dispersing includes introducing turbulence to the jetting flow.
Embodiment 18: A borehole system including a borehole in a subsurface formation, an inflow control device as in any prior embodiment disposed within 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% 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.
