Hydrocarbon fluids, such as oil and natural gas, are commonly obtained from subterranean geologic formations by drilling a well that penetrates a hydrocarbon-bearing formation. Once a wellbore has been drilled, the well must be completed before the fluids can be produced from the well. A typical completion involves the design, selection, and installation of equipment and materials in or around the wellbore for conveying, pumping, or controlling the production or injection of fluids therein. After the well has been completed, production of the hydrocarbon fluids can begin.
When the hydrocarbon fluid is eventually produced from the subterranean formation, the fluid typically contains particulates, such as sand. Problems caused by sand production can significantly increase operational and maintenance expenses and can potentially lead to a total loss of the well. To control sand production, one technique commonly employed involves the installation of a gravel packing system in the wellbore where the well fluid is routed through a downhole filter formed from gravel that surrounds a sand screen.
More specifically, the sand screen is a cylindrical mesh apparatus that is disposed around the production tubular and arranged generally concentric with the borehole where well fluid is produced. Gravel is packed between the annulus formed between the formation and the sand screen. The well fluid produced from the hydrocarbon formation passes through the gravel, enters the sand screen and is eventually communicated uphole via the production tubular. The gravel surrounding the sand screen is typically introduced into the well in the form of a slurry comprising a mixture of a carrier fluid and gravel. The gravel packing system directs the slurry around the sand screen so that when the fluid in the slurry disperses, the gravel remains seated around the sand screen.
In some applications, such as when relatively long formations are being gravel-packed, zonal isolation is undertaken to define and isolate multiple zones along the length of the wellbore. Conventionally, zonal isolation is accomplished using manmade isolation devices, such as cup packers, which can be bypassed for gravel packing using shunt tubes. However, the combination of shunt tubes and cup-type isolation packers often fails to provide sufficient isolation between adjacent zones.
There is a need, therefore, for improved tools and methods for providing an adequate bather and isolating multiple hydrocarbon zones.
A gravel pack apparatus for use in a wellbore and method for using the same are provided. In at least one specific embodiment, the apparatus can include a screen assembly to filter particulates, the screen assembly being disposed around a completion string tubular, and an isolation device, such as a cup packer, disposed within the wellbore and configured to sealingly engage an inside surface of the wellbore to isolate a first wellbore zone from a second wellbore zone. The apparatus can further include upper and lower shunt tubes disposed within the wellbore and configured to convey a gravel slurry to the first and second wellbore zones, wherein the upper shunt tube passes through the isolation device to convey the gravel slurry to the second wellbore zone. A swellable element can also be disposed on the completion string tubular between the first and second wellbore zones and configured to swell in response to an input stimulus to sealingly engage the inside surface of the wellbore. In operation, the swellable element prevents fluid communication between the first and second wellbore zones within the wellbore and further prevents fluid communication between the upper and lower shunt tubes.
In at least one specific embodiment, the method can include running a completion string into the wellbore, the completion string having a screen assembly, a packer configured to sealingly engage an inside surface of the wellbore and isolate a first wellbore zone from a second wellbore zone, upper and lower shunt tubes, and a swellable element disposed between the first and second wellbore zones. The method can further include conveying a gravel slurry to the first and second wellbore zones through the upper and lower shunt tubes, wherein the upper shunt tube passes through the packer to convey the gravel slurry to the second wellbore zone. In response to an input stimulus, the swellable element can then expand from a first diameter to a second larger diameter to sealingly engage the inside surface of the wellbore and prevent fluid communication between the first and second wellbore zones and between the upper and lower shunt tubes.
So that the recited features can be understood in detail, a more particular description, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to one or more embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
It will be appreciated that the present invention may take many forms and embodiments. In the following description, some embodiments of the invention are described and numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate, however, that the present invention may be practiced without those details and that numerous variations and modifications from the described embodiments may be possible. The following description is thus intended to illustrate and not to limit the present invention.
The screen assemblies 102 can include one or more screens (or other types of filtering structures) adapted to filter particulates so that the particulates are not produced into the completion string 101. In at least one embodiment, the screen assembly 102 includes an inflow/outflow control device (“ICD”), where the screen is a sand screen and the ICD is configured to control the inflow of hydrocarbons. In other embodiments, instead of fluid production to the surface, the completion string 101 can be used for injecting fluids into the surrounding formation to prepare the hydrocarbon formation for hydrocarbon recovery.
Each isolation device 104 can be made up between joints of screen assemblies 102 and/or blank pipe, and run in the wellbore 100 with the completion string 101. In one or more embodiments, each isolation device 104 can be generally formed of a hardened rubber material configured to sealingly engage the inside surface 106 of the wellbore 100. In one or more embodiments, in order to engage the isolation device 104, a pressurized fracturing or treating fluid can be pumped from the earth's surface through the completion string 101 and force the isolation device 104 to engage the inner surface 106 of the wellbore 100. Upon engaging or otherwise installing the isolation device 104, at least two zones 108A and 108B are defined, as illustrated. It should be noted, however, that if a different number (one or more than two) of isolation devices are used, then any number of zones may be defined and isolated from each other.
The isolation devices 104 can include a variety of downhole manmade isolation devices, such as, but not limited to, cup packers, swellable packers, inflatable packers, mechanical set packers, or combinations thereof. In one or more embodiments, various different types of cup packers may be implemented without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For example, embodiments may employ the cup packers disclosed and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,668,938 entitled “Cup Packer,” or U.S. Pat. No. 7,357,177 entitled “Restriction Tolerant Packer Cup,” the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, insofar as they are not inconsistent with the present disclosure.
Also illustrated in
In at least one embodiment, the shunt tubes 110A,B and 112A,B can ameliorate gravel bridging obstacles and also provide conduits whereby the gravel slurry may bypass man-made isolation devices, such as the isolation devices 104. The shunt tubes 110A,B and 112A,B can be used to channel the gravel slurry and bypass such obstacles so that a good gravel fill is provided throughout each zone 108A, 108B. As can be appreciated, in different implementations of the present invention, different numbers of shunt tubes can be used without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
The completion string 101 can also include one or more swellable elements 114 (also referred to as swellable packers) disposed between the first and second zones 108A, 108B. In at least one embodiment, the swellable elements 114 can be configured to swell from a first diameter to a second, larger diameter in response to some type of input stimulus. As a result, the swellable elements 114 expand to sealingly engage the inner surface 106 of the wellbore 100. Accordingly, the swellable elements 114 radially swell or expand, thereby exerting radial forces on the inner surface 106 of the wellbore 100 such that a sealing barrier is provided to further isolate the different zones 108A, 108B. As can be appreciated, any number of swellable elements 114 can be employed without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In at least one embodiment, two or more swellable elements 114 can be deployed between adjacent zones to enhance zonal isolation.
The input stimulus that causes swelling of the swellable elements 114 can include stimulus due to exposure to a downhole environment. For example, the material that makes up the swellable elements 114 may be selected to expand in the presence of one specific substance, such as water or a hydrocarbon fluid. In other embodiments, the swellable elements 114 may be formed of composite materials or from materials that swell when exposed to other swell-inducing substances. In some embodiments, the swellable material is selected based on naturally-occurring fluids found in the wellbore and to which the swellable elements 114 can be exposed at controlled, predetermined intervals. In other embodiments, the swellable elements 114 are selected such that they expand when exposed to a specific substance pumped along the flow path defined between vertically-adjacent shunt tubes 110A,B and 112A,B, thereby coming into contact with the swellable elements 114 at predetermined times during a given application.
In some implementations, the swellable elements 114 can be formed of elastomers that expand upon exposure to well fluids at elevated temperatures or pressures. In other implementations, the swellable elements 114 expand in response to chemical activation, such as the release of an activating agent within the wellbore 100. The activating agent can be stored in some container (not shown) that is sealed prior to deployment in the wellbore 100. The activating agent may be derived from the container to communicate with the swellable elements 114 such that the swellable elements 114 are caused to chemically swell. In yet another implementation, the swellable elements 114 can be inflatable bladders that are filled with a fluid (e.g., a gas or a liquid) to cause the swellable elements 114 to expand and thereby engage the inner surface 106 of the wellbore 100.
During run-in of the completion string 101, the swellable elements 114 encompass an outer diameter that is less than the inner diameter (i.e., the inner surface 106) of the wellbore 100. The annular clearance around the swellable elements 114, therefore, allows fluid and gravel to flow around the swellable elements 114 during gravel packing operations (arrows A in
In other embodiments, various different types of swellable elements 114 may be implemented without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For example, contemplated are embodiments employing swellable elements 114 such as those disclosed and described in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2009/0242189 entitled “Swell Packer,” or U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2009/0229816 entitled “Swell Packer and Method of Manufacturing,” the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, insofar as they are not inconsistent with the present disclosure.
The swelling of each swellable element 114 can generally conform to the inner surface 106 of the wellbore 100, even in the presence of any loose gravel or other material inadvertently disposed in the region to be sealed. As can be appreciated, this can prove advantageous in applications where the isolation devices 104 fail to provide adequate sealing isolation between zones 108A,B. For example, isolation devices 104 can frequently fail to completely seal against the inner surface 106 of the wellbore 100, especially in instances where sand or gravel becomes lodged between the inner surface 106 and the isolation devices 104. Where isolation devices 104 fail to adequately seal, their ability to sustain the necessary differential pressure during the subsequent treatment of another formation zone is severely diminished. Thus, the swellable element 114 can provide and supplement the needed additional sealing.
Especially in wellbores 100 producing gaseous hydrocarbons, employing the swellable element 114 can further prove advantageous because it not only serves to seal off fluid communication between zones 108A,B via the inner annulus 113, but also between vertically-adjacent shunt tubes 110A,B and 112A,B. Therefore, the swellable elements 114 help provide a better hydraulic seal that not only improves the seal with the inner surface 106 of the wellbore 100, but also isolates hydrocarbon fluid flow to only the completion string 101 (e.g., a production tubular disposed therein). Whereas, without the additional swellable element 114 seal, gaseous hydrocarbons could instead be susceptible to fluid communication via vertically-adjacent shunt tubes 110A,B and 112A,B.
Referring now to
Referring to
The upper shunt tubes 110A and 112A can be configured to penetrate the upper portion 402 of the isolation device 104, while the lower shunt tubes 110B and 112B penetrate the lower portion 404 of the isolation device 104. Accordingly, the first and second wellbore zones 108A,B can be in fluid communication via the upper and lower shunt tubes 110A,B and 112A,B which communicate via the interior 406 of the isolation device 104.
With the swellable element 114 in its unswelled state, as depicted in
As described above, an input stimulus can serve to deploy or otherwise activate the swellable element 114, thereby swelling the element 114 and sealing the inside surface 106 of the wellbore 101, as depicted in
Various terms have been defined above. To the extent a term used in a claim is not defined above, it should be given the broadest definition persons in the pertinent art have given that term as reflected in at least one printed publication or issued patent. Furthermore, all patents, test procedures, and other documents cited in this application are fully incorporated by reference to the extent such disclosure is not inconsistent with this application and for all jurisdictions in which such incorporation is permitted.
While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.
This application claims benefit of and priority to U.S. provisional patent application having Ser. No. 61/306,826 that was filed on Feb. 22, 2010. The entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
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