This invention relates, in general, to controlling the production of particulate materials from a hydrocarbon formation and, in particular, to a sand control screen assembly having a swellable material layer that is operable to radially extend a plurality of telescoping perforations having particulate filtering capability into contact with the formation.
Without limiting the scope of the present invention, its background is described with reference to the production of hydrocarbons through a wellbore traversing an unconsolidated or loosely consolidated formation, as an example.
It is well known in the subterranean well drilling and completion art that particulate materials such as sand may be produced during the production of hydrocarbons from a well traversing an unconsolidated or loosely consolidated subterranean formation. Numerous problems may occur as a result of the production of such particulate materials. For example, the particulate materials cause abrasive wear to components within the well, such as tubing, pumps and valves. In addition, the particulate materials may partially or fully clog the well creating the need for an expensive workover. Also, if the particulate materials are produced to the surface, they must be removed from the hydrocarbon fluids by processing equipment at the surface.
One method for preventing the production of such particulate materials to the surface is gravel packing the well adjacent the unconsolidated or loosely consolidated production interval. In a typical gravel pack completion, a sand control screen is lowered into the wellbore on a work string to a position proximate the desired production interval. A fluid slurry including a liquid carrier and a particulate material, such as gravel, is then pumped down the work string and into the well annulus formed between the sand control screen and the perforated well casing or open hole production zone.
The liquid carrier either flows into the formation or returns to the surface by flowing through the sand control screen or both. In either case, the gravel is deposited around the sand control screen to form a gravel pack, which is highly permeable to the flow of hydrocarbon fluids but blocks the flow of the particulate carried in the hydrocarbon fluids. As such, gravel packs can successfully prevent the problems associated with the production of particulate materials from the formation.
It has been found, however, that a complete gravel pack of the desired production interval is difficult to achieve particularly in long or inclined/horizontal production intervals. These incomplete packs are commonly a result of the liquid carrier entering a permeable portion of the production interval causing the gravel to form a sand bridge in the annulus. Thereafter, the sand bridge prevents the slurry from flowing to the remainder of the annulus which, in turn, prevents the placement of sufficient gravel in the remainder of the annulus.
In certain open hole completions where gravel packing may not be feasible, attempts have been made to use expandable sand control screens. Typically, expandable sand control screens are designed to not only filter particulate materials out of the formation fluids, but also provide radial support to the formation to prevent the formation from collapsing into the wellbore. It has been found, however, that conventional expandable sand control screens are not capable of contacting the wall of the wellbore along their entire length as the wellbore profile is not uniform. More specifically, due to the process of drilling the wellbore and heterogeneity of the downhole strata, washouts or other irregularities commonly occur which result in certain locations within the wellbore having larger diameters than other areas or having non circular cross sections. Thus, when the expandable sand control screens are expanded, voids are created between the expandable sand control screens and the irregular areas of the wellbore. In addition, it has been found that the expansion process undesirably weakens such sand control screens.
More recently, attempts have been made to install sand control screens that include telescoping screen members. Typically, hydraulic pressure is used to extend the telescoping screen members radially outwardly toward the wellbore. This process requires providing fluid pressure through the entire work string that acts on the telescoping members to shift the members from a position partially extending into to production string to the radially extended position. It has been found, however, that in substantially horizontal production intervals, the telescoping screen members may not properly deploy, particularly along the portion of the production string resting on the bottom surface of the wellbore. Failure to fully extend all the telescoping screen members results in a non uniform inner bore which may prevent the passage of tools therethrough.
Therefore, a need has arisen for a sand control screen assembly that prevents the production of particulate materials from a well that traverses a hydrocarbon bearing subterranean formation without the need for performing a gravel packing operation. A need has also arisen for such a sand control screen assembly that provides radial support to the formation without the need for expanding metal tubulars. Further, a need has arisen for such a sand control screen assembly that is suitable for operation in open hole completions and horizontal production intervals.
The present invention disclosed herein comprises a sand control screen assembly that prevents the production of particulate materials from a well that traverses a hydrocarbon bearing subterranean formation. The sand control screen assembly of the present invention achieves this result without the need for performing a gravel packing operation. In addition, the sand control screen assembly of the present invention provides radial support to the formation without the need for expanding metal tubulars and is suitable for operation in open hole completions and horizontal production intervals.
In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a sand control screen assembly including a base pipe having a plurality of openings that allow fluid flow therethrough and a swellable filter media disposed exteriorly of the base pipe and surrounding the plurality of openings. The swellable filter media is radially extendable between a first configuration and a second configuration in response to contact with an activating fluid. The swellable filter media is operable to allow fluid flow therethrough and prevent particulate flow of a predetermined size therethrough.
In one embodiment, the activating fluid is a hydrocarbon. In another embodiment, the swellable filter media is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of elastic polymers, EPDM rubber, styrene butadiene, natural rubber, ethylene propylene monomer rubber, ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber, ethylene vinyl acetate rubber, hydrogenized acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, isoprene rubber, chloroprene rubber and polynorbornene. In this embodiment, the swellable material may contain pores having diameters of less than 1 mm. In yet another embodiment, the swellable filter media is operable to swell into contact with a surface of a formation when the sand control screen assembly is disposed in a well and the swellable filter media is in the second configuration. In one embodiment, the swellable filter media may include filter medium layer and a swellable material layer. In another embodiment, the swellable filter media may include a filter medium layer positioned between two swellable material layers.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a sand control screen assembly that includes base pipe having at least one opening in a sidewall portion thereof and a swellable material layer disposed exteriorly of the base pipe and having at least one opening corresponding to the at least one opening of the base pipe. A telescoping perforation is operably associated with the at least one opening of the base pipe and is at least partially disposed within the at least one opening of the swellable material layer. A filter medium is disposed within the telescoping perforation. In operation, radial expansion of the swellable material layer, in response to contact with an activating fluid, causes the telescoping perforation to radially outwardly extend.
In one embodiment, a face plate located at the distal end of the telescoping perforation substantially transverse to a longitudinal axis of the telescoping perforation. In this embodiment, the face plate may be positioned on the exterior surface of the swellable material layer. In another embodiment, the filter medium is recessed radially inwardly from the distal end of the telescoping perforation. In this embodiment, the filter medium further may be a multi-layer woven wire mesh. In yet another embodiment, the telescoping perforation may be a telescoping tubular perforation. In a further embodiment, the activating fluid may be a hydrocarbon and the swellable material may be selected from the group consisting of elastic polymers, EPDM rubber, styrene butadiene, natural rubber, ethylene propylene monomer rubber, ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber, ethylene vinyl acetate rubber, hydrogenized acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, isoprene rubber, chloroprene rubber and polynorbornene.
In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a sand control screen assembly that includes a base pipe having a plurality of openings in a sidewall portion thereof and defining an internal flow path. A swellable material layer is disposed exteriorly of the base pipe and has a plurality of openings that correspond to the openings of the base pipe. A plurality of telescoping perforations is operably associated with the openings of the base pipe and at least partially disposed within the corresponding openings of the swellable material layer. The telescoping perforations provide fluid flow paths between a fluid source disposed exteriorly of the base pipe and the interior flow path. A filter medium is disposed within each of the telescoping perforations. In operation, radial expansion of the swellable material layer, in response to contact with an activating fluid, causes the telescoping perforation to radially outwardly extend.
In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for making a sand control screen assembly. The method includes providing a base pipe having an interior flow path, disposing a swellable material layer on the exterior of the base pipe, forming corresponding openings in the base pipe and the swellable material layer and operably associating a plurality of telescoping perforations having filter media with the openings of the base pipe and at least partially disposing the telescoping perforations within the corresponding openings of the swellable material layer such that upon radial expansion of the swellable material layer, the telescoping perforations are radially outwardly extendable.
The method may also include forming the openings after the swellable material layer is disposed on the exterior of the base pipe, drilling holes through the swellable material layer and the base pipe and threadably coupling the telescoping perforations with the openings of the base pipe.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of installing a sand control screen assembly in a subterranean well. The method includes running the sand control screen assembly to a target location within the subterranean well, contacting a swellable material layer disposed exteriorly on a base pipe with an activating fluid, the swellable material layer and the base pipe having corresponding openings, radially expanding the swellable material layer in response to contact with the activating fluid and radially outwardly extending telescoping perforations having filter media that are operably associated with the openings of the base pipe and at least partially disposed within the corresponding openings of the swellable material layer, in response to the radial expansion of the swellable material layer.
For a more complete understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention, reference is now made to the detailed description of the invention along with the accompanying figures in which corresponding numerals in the different figures refer to corresponding parts and in which:
While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts which can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention, and do not delimit the scope of the present invention.
Referring initially to
Positioned within wellbore 12 and extending from the surface is a tubing string 22. Tubing string 22 provides a conduit for formation fluids to travel from formation 20 to the surface. Positioned within tubing string 22 is a plurality of sand control screen assemblies 24. The sand control screen assemblies 24 are shown in a run in or unextended configuration.
Referring next to
Referring to
These zone isolation devices 26 may be made from materials that swell upon contact by a fluid, such as an inorganic or organic fluid. Some exemplary fluids that may cause the zone isolation devices 26 to swell and isolate include water and hydrocarbons.
In addition, even though
Referring to
The filter media 52 may comprise a mechanical screening element such as a fluid-porous, particulate restricting, metal screen having a plurality of layers of woven wire mesh that may be diffusion bonded or sintered together to form a porous wire mesh screen designed to allow fluid flow therethrough but prevent the flow of particulate materials of a predetermined size from passing therethrough. Alternatively, filter media 52 may be formed from other types of sand control medium, such as gravel pack material, metallic beads such as stainless steel beads or sintered stainless steel beads and the like
Referring additionally now to
Referring next to
The sand control screen assembly 100 includes a concentric layer of swellable material 112 that surrounds a base pipe 108 having an interior flow path 120. In one aspect, the telescoping perforations 106 include a face plate 118 and a filter medium 110. The swellable material 112 includes an outer surface 114. In the illustrated embodiment, face plates 118 are embedded within swellable material 112 such that a substantially smooth outer surface is established in the run in configuration. Located between the outer surface 114 and the surface 104 of the formation 102 is an annular region 116.
Referring additionally to
Referring additionally to
Referring to
Even though
Preferably, when telescoping perforations 48, 106 are fully extended, a stand off distance remains between the filter media 52, 110 and the surface 58, 104 of the formation 54, 102. For example, if a filter cake has previously formed on the surface 58, 104 of the formation 54, 102, then the stand off will prevent damage to the filter media 52, 110 and allow removal of the filter cake using acid or other reactive fluid.
Referring to
Referring additionally to
Referring to
The above described swellable materials such as swellable materials 46, 112, 154, 184 are materials that swells when contacted by an activation fluid, such as an inorganic or organic fluid. In one embodiment, the swellable material is a material that swells upon contact with and/or absorption of a hydrocarbon, such as oil. The hydrocarbon is absorbed into the swellable material such that the volume of the swellable material increases creating a radial expansion of the swellable material when positioned around a base pipe which creates a radially outward directed force that may operate to radially extend telescoping perforations as described above. Preferably, the swellable material will swell until its outer surface contacts the formation face in an open hole completion or the casing wall in a cased wellbore. The swellable material accordingly provides the energy to extend the telescoping perforations to the surface of the formation.
Some exemplary swellable materials include elastic polymers, such as EPDM rubber, styrene butadiene, natural rubber, ethylene propylene monomer rubber, ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber, ethylene vinyl acetate rubber, hydrogenized acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, isoprene rubber, chloroprene rubber and polynorbornene. These and other swellable materials swells in contact with and by absorption of hydrocarbons so that the swellable materials expands. In one embodiment, the rubber of the swellable materials may also have other materials dissolved in or in mechanical mixture therewith, such as fibers of cellulose. Additional options may be rubber in mechanical mixture with polyvinyl chloride, methyl methacrylate, acrylonitrile, ethylacetate or other polymers that expand in contact with oil.
In some embodiments, the swellable materials may be permeable to certain fluids but prevent particulate movement therethrough due to the porosity within the swellable materials. For example, the swellable material may have a pore size that is sufficiently small to prevent the passage of the sand therethrough but sufficiently large to allow hydrocarbon fluid production therethrough. For example, the swellable material may have a pore size of less than 1 mm.
Referring to
In a manner similar to that described above, sand control screen assembly 220 is run downhole with swellable material 230 in its unexpanded configuration. As seen in
Referring to
In a manner similar to that described above, sand control screen assembly 240 is run downhole with swellable materials 248, 252 in their unexpanded configuration. As seen in
In addition to the aforementioned aspects and embodiments of the present sand control screen assemblies, the present invention further includes methods for making a sand control screen assembly.
In step 326, openings are created in the swellable material. This step may be performed by removing those portions of the swellable material by drilling, cutting and the like. In this step, corresponding portions of the base pipe may also be removed to create holes in the base pipe using the same or a different drilling or cutting process.
In step 328, the holes in the base pipe may be tapped or threaded for acceptance of the telescoping perforations. In step 330, the telescoping perforations, including face plates, are installed through the removed portions of the swellable material and threaded into the tapped holes of the base pipe to complete the sand control screen assembly.
In step 346, an activating fluid, such as a hydrocarbon, contacts the sand control screen assemblies and they expand, extend and/or swell radially outwards to come in contact with the surface of the formation of the wellbore. In those embodiments including telescoping perforations, steps 348 and 350 involve radially expanding the swellable material of the sand control screen assemblies which creates a outward radial force on the face plates such that telescoping perforations radially extend.
At this point, the wellbore is highly suitable for post treatment stimulation as there are no restrictions inside the wellbore. Further, it is not necessary to pump gravel or cement to achieve effective zone isolation and sand control. As described above, this process may further include incorporating blank packers, including swell packers, in the work string to further isolate desired sections of the wellbore making it possible to complete long, heterogeneous intervals.
The available flow area can be regulated by the density and size of the telescoping perforations used. In any of the steps above, packers may be set up to run control lines or fiber optics. Thus, it may be further configured to include fiber optics for continuous temperature and pressure monitoring as well as other control lines to perform smart well functions.
While this invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments as well as other embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description. It is, therefore, intended that the appended claims encompass any such modifications or embodiments.
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