Inflow control device having externally configurable flow ports and erosion resistant baffles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10273786-B2
Application number	US-201615346228-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2016
Priority date	Nov 9, 2015
Publication date	Apr 30, 2019
Grant date	Apr 30, 2019

Abstract

A flow control apparatus for a borehole comprises a basepipe, a screen, a sleeve, and at least one baffle. The basepipe has a bore for conveying fluid and defines at least one opening for communicating fluid into the bore. The screen is disposed on the basepipe and screens fluid from outside the basepipe. The sleeve is disposed on the basepipe adjacent the screen and has at least one flow passage for communicating the fluid from the screen to the at least one opening in the basepipe. A shelf of the sleeve extends downstream from the at least one flow passage and covers at least a portion of the basepipe upstream from the at least one opening. The at least one baffle is disposed on the shelf and changes a direction of the flow exiting from the at least one flow passage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flow control apparatus for a borehole, the apparatus comprising:
a basepipe having a bore for conveying fluid and defining at least one opening for communicating fluid into the bore;
a screen disposed on the basepipe and screening fluid from outside the basepipe;
a sleeve disposed on the basepipe adjacent the screen and enclosing at least one inner chamber in communication with the at least one opening in the basepipe, the sleeve having at least one flow passage for communicating the fluid in a longitudinal direction from the screen toward the at least one inner chamber in fluid communication with the at least one opening in the basepipe, a shelf of the sleeve extending in the longitudinal direction downstream from the at least one flow passage and covering at least a portion of the basepipe upstream from the at least one opening; and
at least one baffle disposed on the shelf of the sleeve downstream from the at least one flow passage and upstream from the at least one opening, the at least one baffle changing the flow exiting from the at least one flow passage from the longitudinal direction to a lateral direction before allowing the flow to enter the at least one inner chamber in fluid communication with the at least one opening.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one baffle is at least partially composed of an erosion-resistant material.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the at least one baffle comprises a shield affixed thereto, the shield being composed of the erosion-resistant material.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one baffle comprises a plurality of rib segments disposed on the shelf of the sleeve in an alternating pattern relative to one another and the at least one flow passage.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve defines at least one external opening communicating with the at least one flow passage; and wherein the apparatus further comprises:
at least one valve disposed in the at least one external opening in the sleeve, the at least one valve interposed in the at least one flow passage of the sleeve and being externally configurable to selectively control flow of the fluid from the screen through the at least one flow passage to the at least one opening defined in the basepipe.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the at least one valve is externally configurable between first and second states, the at least one valve in the first state permitting fluid communication to the at least one opening, the at least one valve in the second state preventing fluid communication to the at least one opening.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the at least one valve comprises a nozzle orifice restricting the flow of the fluid in the first state of the at least one valve through the at least one flow passage.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the at least one valve comprises a ball valve having an orifice defined therein and being rotatable relative to the at least one flow passage, the rotation of the ball valve being externally accessible on the exterior of the sleeve and changing fluid communication through the at least one flow passage.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one flow passage comprises a nozzle disposed therein and being selectively configurable from an open state without a pin disposed in the nozzle and a closed state with the pin disposed in the nozzle.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve defines at least one external opening communicating with the at least one flow passage; and wherein the apparatus further comprises:
at least one set of first and second inserts selectively insertable in the at least one external opening in the sleeve relative to the at least one flow passage, the first insert selectively preventing the flow of the fluid from the screen through the at least one flow passage to the at least one opening defined in the basepipe, the second insert selectively preventing the flow of the fluid from the screen through the at least one flow passage to the at least one opening defined in the basepipe.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the at least one set of the first and second inserts are each selectively affixable in the at least one external opening.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve comprises:
an intermediate body having the at least one flow passage and the shelf of the sleeve;
a first housing portion disposed about the basepipe between an end-ring of the screen and the intermediate body, the first housing portion enclosing a first chamber for passage of the fluid to the at least one flow passage; and
a second housing portion disposed about the basepipe from the intermediate body and enclosing the at least one inner chamber for passage of the fluid from the at least one flow passage to the at least one opening in the basepipe.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the second housing encloses the at least one baffle disposed on the shelf of the sleeve.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve comprises:
a body having the at least one flow passage and the shelf of the sleeve, the body having a first end disposed against an end-ring of the screen; and
a housing portion disposed about the basepipe from a second of the body and enclosing the at least one inner chamber for passage of the fluid from the at least one flow passage to the at least one opening in the basepipe.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve comprises:
a body having the at least one flow passage and having the shelf;
a first housing portion disposed about the basepipe between an end-ring of the screen to an intermediate portion of the body, the first housing enclosing communication of the fluid from the at least one screen; and
a second housing portion disposed about the basepipe from the intermediate portion of the body and enclosing the at least one inner chamber in communication with the at least one opening in the basepipe.

16. A flow control method for a borehole comprises:
selectively configuring one or more flow devices disposed in one or more flow passages of a sleeve on a basepipe;
deploying the basepipe in the borehole;
receiving fluid in the sleeve from outside the basepipe;
controlling flow of the received fluid through the one or more flow passages to one or more inner chambers enclosed in communication with one or more internal openings in the basepipe using the one or more flow devices; and
changing the flow exiting in a longitudinal direction from the one or more flow passages to a lateral direction before allowing the flow to enter the one or more inner chambers in fluid communication with the one or more internal openings of the basepipe by using at least one baffle disposed on a shelf of the sleeve extending downstream from the one or more flow passages and covering a portion of the basepipe upstream of the one or more internal openings.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the at least one baffle is at least partially composed of an erosion-resistant material.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein selectively configuring the one or more flow devices disposed in the sleeve on the basepipe comprises selectively permitting or preventing fluid communication to the one or more internal openings through the one or more flow devices.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein selectively configuring the flow devices disposed in the sleeve on the basepipe comprises selectively opening or closing fluid communication through the one or more flow devices by externall

Assignees

• Weatherford Tech Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Mcnamee Stephen

Classifications

• E21B43/12 Primary

  Methods or apparatus for controlling the flow of the obtained fluid to or in wells (E21B43/25 takes precedence; valve arrangements E21B34/00) · CPC title

• E21B43/32

  Preventing gas- or water-coning phenomena, i.e. the formation of a conical column of gas or water around wells · CPC title

• E21B43/121

  Lifting well fluids (monitoring of down-hole pump systems E21B47/008) · CPC title

• E21B34/06

  in wells · CPC title

• E21B43/08 Primary

  Screens or liners {(expandable screens or liners E21B43/108)} · CPC title