Gravel packing is used in wells to control the production of sand and other fines from a surrounding formation. In oil and gas wells, gravel packs have served as an effective way to control the production of these particulates. Gravel is placed in a wellbore around screens or slotted liners, and the screens or liners are sized such that the gravel cannot pass through. A gravel slurry is pumped downhole into an annular region between the wellbore wall and the screen which blocks gravel from moving to the interior of the screen. The slurry carrier fluid, on the other hand, readily passes through the screen and into an open end of an internal wash pipe to be returned up through the wellbore. The gravel particles are sized to prevent sand and other fines from traveling through the gravel pack and entering the screens while allowing formation fluids to freely flow through the gravel pack and into the screens for production.
A problem common to gravel packing horizontal wells is a sudden rise in pressure within the wellbore. During gravel packing, an initial wave of gravel, the “alpha wave”, flows to the far end or “toe” of the wellbore. A return wave or “beta wave” carries gravel back up the wellbore from the toe and fills the upper portion of the wellbore left unfilled by the alpha wave. As the beta wave progresses up the wellbore, the pressure in the wellbore increases due to frictional resistance to the flow of carrier fluid. The part of the carrier fluid which is not lost to the formation by leak-off into the formation must flow back to the toe region through the small annular space between the screen and the wash pipe. At the toe region, the return flow of carrier fluid finally enters the open end of the wash pipe. Accordingly, the further the beta wave progresses, the further the carrier fluid must travel to reach the toe region. The increasing distance creates an increasing frictional resistance to the return fluid flow, causing the wellbore pressure to rise.
The increased wellbore pressure can lead to early termination of the gravel pack operation by increasing the risk that the wellbore pressure will rise above the formation fracture pressure. Such increased wellbore pressures can fracture the formation and lead to a bridge at the fracture and thus a poor quality gravel pack. Accordingly, the gravel pack operations typically are terminated before the wellbore pressure approaches formation fracture pressure, or the gravel pack procedures are designed such that the formation fracture pressure will only be reached when the beta wave has carried the gravel pack up through the wellbore over the entire screen region. This, of course, limits the length of the screen region that can be gravel packed in one time.
Attempts have been made to reduce the pressure build up during propagation of the beta wave. For example, valves have been placed along the wash pipe with the intent that the valves will open when wellbore pressure builds to effectively short-circuit or shorten the flow path of the returning carrier fluid. However, existing systems can suffer from lack of immediate or accurate control over the opening of the valves. For example, some systems are actuated from the surface via pressure pulses, which can be undesirably slow in initiating actuation of the valves. Other systems actuate the valves based on threshold pressures, rates of change in pressure or differential pressures. However, relying on threshold pressures requires use of a relatively small pressure window and incurs the risk of valves not opening in the proper sequence. Similarly, relying on rates of pressure change or differential pressures can lead to inadvertent actuation of the valves due to a variety of downhole events other than pressure increases created by the beta wave.
In general, the present invention provides a system and method for controlling pressure in a wellbore during a gravel packing procedure. The system and method utilize a conduit, such as a wash pipe, positioned and isolated within a lower wellbore region. The conduit comprises an internal passageway, and one or more valve assemblies are positioned along the conduit to selectively admit fluid from the isolated lower wellbore region into the internal passageway. A unique control system enables the immediate and accurate opening of each valve assembly at a desired time to relieve pressure increase.
Certain embodiments of the invention will hereafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements, and:
In the following description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the present invention. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these details and that numerous variations or modifications from the described embodiments may be possible.
The present invention relates to a system and methodology for gravel packing an isolated lower wellbore region. The system and methodology enable dependable and predictable control over pressure increases in the wellbore that result from progression of the gravel packing beta wave. For example, the system and methodology facilitate maintenance of the wellbore annulus pressure below the formation fracture pressure on a real-time basis. The pressure control system also is compatible with subsequent fluid pumping or other fluid flow operations that often follow the gravel packing procedure.
Referring generally to
A gravel packing system 27 is deployed in wellbore 20 and comprises a packer 28 which is positioned and set generally near the lower end of upper section 22. Packer 28 is designed to engage and seal against casing 26, as is known in the art. In this embodiment, packer 28 comprises an extension 30 to which other lower completion equipment can be attached. For example, a screen 32 can be attached to extension 30 adjacent, for example, a producing formation. A lower annulus 34 is formed between screen 32 and the wall of wellbore 20.
A gravel packing tool or service tool 36 is deployed in wellbore 20 such that it passes through packer 28 and extends within screen 32. Service tool 36 extends to the “toe” or distal end of lower section 24. Service tool 36 further comprises a conduit 38 that extends from packer 28 to the toe of lower section 24 and is primarily located in an isolated region of the wellbore downhole from packer 28. Service tool 36 also comprises an upper portion 40, such as a tubing, coupled to conduit 38 at a crossover 42. An upper annulus or other flow path 44 is formed above packer 28 between the wall of wellbore 20 and the wall of upper portion 40. Also, an inner annulus or other flow path 46 is formed between the inner surface of screen 32 and conduit 38 within the isolated region of the wellbore.
Crossover 42 allows a gravel slurry 47 to be pumped down through tubing 40 and to emerge into lower annulus 34 below packer 28. Slurry fluids separated from the gravel enter conduit 38 below packer 28, such as through an open end 48 of conduit 38 at the toe of wellbore 20. Those returning slurry fluids are conveyed upwardly through an interior passageway 50 of conduit 38, as indicated by arrows 51. Upon reaching crossover 28, the returning slurry fluids are conveyed through or past packer 28 and into upper annulus/flow path 44, through which the return fluids are conveyed to the surface.
At least one diverter valve assembly, such as pressure release valve assembly 52, is mounted in cooperation with conduit 38 below packer 18. The one or more pressure release valves 52 may be mounted to the wall forming conduit 38 or formed as an integral part of the conduit. However, other structures for employing valve assemblies 52 in cooperation with conduit 38 also can be used. In any event, the valve assembly 52 closes and seals corresponding openings through conduit 38 until wellbore pressure is to be released. At that time, the selected specific valve assembly is opened to short-circuit the flow of return fluids that would otherwise be forced to migrate to open end 48 before returning along interior passage 50. In the embodiment illustrated, gravel packing system 27 comprises a plurality of pressure relief valve assemblies 52, such as the three illustrated valve assemblies, however other numbers of valve assemblies can be utilized depending on the specific application.
Valve assemblies 52 are selectively controlled by a control system 54 which enables the dependable and rapid actuation of individual valve assemblies 52 as desired to relieve pressure buildup in wellbore 20 along conduit 38. As discussed in greater detail below, control system 54 may comprise individual units associated with each pressure relief valve assembly 52, or the control system 54 may comprise valve units that are actuated in response to signals provided from a central control located at the surface or other control location. The pressure build up in wellbore 20 begins after an alpha wave 56 progresses along the lower portion of the isolated wellbore region to the toe of the wellbore and then begins to return along an upper portion of the wellbore as a beta wave 58. The greater the distance over which the beta wave 58 must travel to cover screen 32, the greater the increase in wellbore pressure. Control system 54 in cooperation with valve assemblies 52 can selectively relieve this wellbore pressure to enable progression of the beta wave over greater distances without risking fracture of the surrounding formation.
As illustrated graphically in
Referring generally to
The electromagnetic telemetry system 60 can be utilized with a variety of gravel packing system configurations, e.g. a multiple valve system deployed in a deviated wellbore as illustrated in
An example of a valve assembly 52 that can be utilized with electromagnetic telemetry system 60 is illustrated schematically in
Many of the valve assembly components can be combined in a unit 94 located within narrow diameter section 78, as further illustrated in
An embodiment of valve 84 is illustrated in greater detail in
When valve 84 is in the closed position, a valve mandrel 106 blocks any flow through opening 82. The valve mandrel 106 is slidably sealed within valve housing 102 via one or more seal members 108. Furthermore, the valve mandrel 106 may be designed such that hydrostatic pressure in the well acts on the mandrel to naturally bias the mandrel toward an open position that would allow fluid flow through opening 82 into interior passage 50. However, movement to this open position is blocked by a fluid 110, such as a hydraulic oil, disposed in a chamber 112 that prevents any movement of valve mandrel 106 toward the open position. Chamber 112 is in fluid communication with a flow port 114 extending through a ported sub 115, as illustrated in
Upon receiving the appropriate electromagnetic command signal from the surface, electronic section 88 activates one shot pilot valve 100, as further illustrated in
Upon completing certain types of gravel pack operations, subsequent operations require that ports 82 remained closed. This might be necessary, for example, to apply treatment fluid through a far end of the wash pipe without creating flow paths at the valve locations. Accordingly, one-way check valves 104 can be deployed in openings 82 to block any outward flow from interior passage 50. In one embodiment, as illustrated in
The operation of gravel packing system 27 can further be described with reference
As the gravel packing operation proceeds and the beta wave 58 continues to move along the wellbore, wellbore pressure again begins to rise as indicated by segment 130 in
An alternate embodiment of wellbore assembly 52 and its control system is illustrated in
As illustrated in
One example of a suitable predetermined pressure profile is provided with reference to
Accordingly, a microprocessor based intelligent electronics section 88 can be programmed to detect a specific sequence of events or pressure profile as follows:
a.) Initially, the wellbore pressure detected at both location 144 and location 146 is increasing (see
b.) subsequent to a.), the wellbore pressure detected at location 144 forms a plateau while the wellbore pressure detected at location 146 continues to increase;
c.) subsequent to b.), the wellbore pressure detected at location 146 forms a plateau.
Once these three conditions are met in the right sequence, the microprocessor based controller 88 recognizes the predetermined pressure profile and sends the appropriate command to open valve 84. If more than one valve assembly 52 is deployed along conduit 38, each valve assembly 52 can be constructed similarly to recognize a predetermined pressure profile and to open a flow path based on detection of that predetermined pressure profile.
In general, the gravel packing systems described herein can be constructed with a greater or lesser number of valve assemblies than those illustrated, depending on the length of the desired gravel pack and other formation or well equipment parameters. Furthermore, the gravel packing systems can be constructed for compatibility with subsequent fluid pumping or flow operations without affecting the dependable, accurate annulus wellbore pressure reduction capability of the pressure relief system.
Accordingly, although only a few embodiments of the present invention 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 this invention. Accordingly, such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims.
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