None.
Aspects of the disclosure relate to packers. More specifically, aspects of the disclosure relate to downhole packers and packer outer layers used in the oil field services market.
Use of packers in downhole oilfield service markets is a significantly important aspect of today's downhole drilling operations. These packers are used to isolate various sections of the drilled downhole wells. By isolating these various sections, operators may perform sampling functions. Packer systems come in various forms and may include systems such as single, dual and quad packers. Single packers are currently being developed to allow operators the ability to isolate selected sections of the downhole environment based upon various formation features.
There are many disadvantages in the use of dual and quad packer designs. Among these disadvantages are excessive weight for the dual and quad packer designs. Additionally, some systems are very long heavy and expensive and difficult to deploy on wireline tools. There is a need to provide a system that provides a large surface area combined with a superior sealing efficiency as well as a resistance to plugging from foreign contaminants entering the packer.
In one embodiment described, a packer is provided comprising a body with a first end and a second end, wherein the first end and the second end are configured to establish a connection with downhole equipment and wherein at least one of the first end and the second end is configured to establish a fluid flow between the downhole equipment and the packer, and wherein at least a portion of the body is configured to expand from a first unexpanded configuration to a second expanded configuration; at least one guard drain with a circular shape through the body; at least one sample drain with an oval shape through the body, the at least one sample drain located in an axial line with the at least one guard drain with the circular shape; at least one guard drain flow line configured to transport fluid flow from and to the at least one guard drain; a swivel connection connected to the at least one guard drain flow line and one of the first end and the second end, the swivel connection configured to transport fluid from the at least one guard drain flow line to one of the first end and the second end; at least one sample drain flow line configured to transport fluid flow from and to the at least one sample drain; a second swivel connection connected to the at least one sample drain flow line and one of the first end and the second end, the second swivel connection configured to transport fluid to and from the at least one sample drain flow line to one of the first end and the second end; and a sealing element placed around a periphery of the body incorporating the at least one guard drain and the at least one sample drain, the sealing element configured to create a seal between the sealing element and a downhole geological formation.
In another embodiment a packer is described comprising a body with a first end and a second end, wherein the first end and the second end are configured to establish a connection with downhole equipment and wherein at least one of the first end and the second end is configured to establish a fluid flow between the downhole equipment, at least two guard drains, each of the guard drains with one half circular shape, at least one sample drain with a rectangular shape, the at least one sample drain located in an axial line with the at least two guard drains with the one half circular shape, at least one guard drain flow line configured to transport fluid flow from and to the at least two guard drains, a swivel connection between the at least one guard drain flow line and one of the first end and the second end, the swivel connection configured to transport fluid to and from the at least one guard drain flow line to one of the first end and the second end, at least one sample drain flow line configured to transport fluid flow from and to the at least one sample drain, a second swivel connection between the at least one sample drain flow line and one of the first end and the second end, the second swivel connection configured to transport fluid and a sealing element placed around a periphery of the body incorporating the at least two guard drains and the at least one sample drain with a rectangular shape, the sealing element configured to create a seal between the sealing element and a downhole geological formation.
In another embodiment, a packer is disclosed comprising a body with a first end and a second end, wherein the first end and the second end are configured to establish a connection with downhole equipment and wherein at least one of the first end and the second end is configured to establish a fluid flow between the downhole equipment and the packer; at least two guard drains, each of the guard drains with one half circular shape; at least one sample drain with a rectangular shape, the at least one sample drain located in an axial line with the at least two guard drains with the one half circular shape; at least one guard drain flow line configured to transport fluid flow from and to the at least two guard drains; at least one swivel connection between the at least one guard drain flow line and one of the first end and the second end, the at least one swivel connection configured to transport fluid to and from the at least one guard drain flow line to one of the first end and the second end; at least one sample drain flow line configured to transport fluid flow from and to the at least one sample drain; at least one second swivel connection between the at least one sample drain flow line and one of the first end and the second end, the at least one second swivel connection configured to transport fluid; and a sealing element placed around a periphery of the body incorporating the at least two guard drains and the at least one sample drain with a rectangular shape, the sealing element configured to create a seal between the sealing element and a downhole geological formation.
In another embodiment, a method of sampling is disclosed, comprising expanding a packer from a first contracted state to a second expanded state, wherein the second expanded state occurs downhole and to establish an environment between the packer and a downhole formation when in the second expanded state, establishing a guard drain flow in the packer through a guard drain, establishing a sample drain flow in the packer through a sample drain, wherein the sample drain flow and the guard drain flow are in an axial relationship and sampling at least a portion of the sample drain flow.
In the following description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of aspects of the present disclosure. It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the aspects described may be practiced without these details and that numerous variations or modifications from the described embodiments may be possible.
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The packer 26 may be expanded across the expansion zone 30 along the formation 28 to facilitate sample collection of the subject fluids. The fluid sample is collected and then directed along flow lines 35, for example, along flow tubes, having sufficient inner diameter to allow inflow of sample material from sample collection operations in a variety of environments. The sample materials may be directed along the conveyance or the materials may be stored along the conveyance, such as in a sampling tool. For materials stored in the packer 26, for example, the materials may be stored in a sample bottle or numerous sample bottles. These sample bottles may be designed to retain pressure and temperature to the greatest extent possible, for later testing. The sample materials may include formation fluids which may include solid materials. Formation fluid samples can be collected through one or more drains, described later. Separate drains may be disposed at distinct locations around the packer 26 to establish collection intervals or zones that enable focused sampling at a plurality of collecting regions or intervals along the expansion zone 30. Separate flow lines can be connected to different drains to enable the collection of unique formation fluid samples from the different regions or intervals. These separate flow lines may be maintained in discrete flowpaths so that flows from individual areas in the packer 26 may be sampled. In an alternative configuration, the separate flow lines may be combined for sampling.
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In each embodiment illustrated, the packer 26 is covered by a layer of material that is provided to prevent materials from entering the body of the packer 26. The foreign material exclusion provided by the layer of material allows the packer 26 to operate in contaminated zones with no impingement of materials on internal components. Holes are placed in the cover layer of material to allow for the inlets of each of the guard and sample zones to recover fluid materials from the formation. The layer of material used may be made of any flexible material, such as rubber, to allow for repeated expansion and contraction of the packer. The drains may be embedded radially into a sealing element or seal layer which surrounds the outer structural layer. The sealing layer may be cylindrical and formed of an elastomeric material selected for hydrocarbon based applications, such as nitrile rubber (NBR), hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HHBR) and fluorocarbon rubber (FKM).
In embodiments disclosed, a heater may be placed within the body of the packer 26 such that heat produced by the heater can change the viscosity of fluids located within the proximity of the packer 26. As a non-limiting example, high viscosity fluids that have a difficulty flowing under certain conditions can be exposed to the heat, thereby causing the fluids to flow. The heating elements may be powered via an electric power line routed to the packer 26 and the heat may be generated by heating elements over intervals of time, such as predetermined periods of time, to sufficiently lower the viscosity of the desired material.
At least one temperature sensor may also be included in the packer 26 proximate the heating elements previously described. The temperature sensor may be used to monitor temperatures to enable better control over the sampling and also guard against creating excessive heat along an external seal surface of the packer 26.
In the embodiments illustrated and described, the packer 26 is designed to withstand hydrostatic pressures and temperatures in a variety of wellbore environments and foundation types. These hydrostatic pressures may be in excess of 30000 pounds per square inch and 200 degrees Centigrade.
While embodiments have been described in detail above, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible without materially departing from the teachings of the aspects described. Such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined in the claims.