Additive manufacture of wellbore tubulars

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11293259-B2
Application number	US-201816206222-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2018
Priority date	Dec 5, 2017
Publication date	Apr 5, 2022
Grant date	Apr 5, 2022

Abstract

Provided are systems and method for casing a wellbore of a hydrocarbon well. The casing including disposing a casing print head in a wellbore of a hydrocarbon well, and conducting a downhole casing operation including operating the casing print head to eject casing material to form a casing tubular in the wellbore, and operating the casing print head to eject casing liner material into an annular region located between the casing tubular and a wall of the wellbore to form a casing liner in the annular region, the casing tubular and the casing liner forming a casing of the wellbore.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of casing a wellbore of a hydrocarbon well, the method comprising:
disposing a casing print head in a wellbore of a hydrocarbon well; and
conducting a downhole casing operation comprising:
operating the casing print head to eject casing material to form a casing tubular in the wellbore;
operating the casing print head to eject cementitious casing liner material into an annular region located between the casing tubular and a wall of the wellbore to form a casing liner in the annular region formed of the cementitious casing liner material, the casing tubular and the casing liner forming a casing of the wellbore;
forming a perforation in the casing, forming the perforation in the casing comprising operating the casing print head to form a contiguous void extending radially across the casing tubular and the casing liner, wherein operating the casing print head to form a contiguous void extending radially across the casing tubular and the casing liner comprises operating the casing print head to deposit a disposable material to define the contiguous void extending radially across the casing tubular and the casing liner; and
performing a perforation operation comprising removing the disposable material.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the downhole casing operation comprises advancing the casing print head along a length of the wellbore and ejecting the casing material and the casing liner material along the length of the wellbore to form the casing along the length of the wellbore.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the disposable material comprises a dissolvable material, and wherein the perforation operation comprises exposing the dissolvable material to a substance configured to dissolve the dissolvable material.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the casing liner material comprises casing cement.

5. A method of lining a wellbore of a hydrocarbon well, the method comprising:
disposing a liner print head in a wellbore of a hydrocarbon well; and
conducting a downhole lining operation comprising:
operating the lining print head to eject tubular material to form a tubular in the wellbore;
operating the lining print head to eject a cementitious liner material into an annular region located between the tubular and a wall of the wellbore to form, in the annular region, a casing liner in the wellbore formed of the cementitious liner material, the tubular and the casing liner forming a lined tubular in the wellbore,
forming a perforation in the lined tubular, forming the perforation in the lined tubular comprising operating the casing print head to form a contiguous void extending radially across the tubular and the casing liner, wherein operating the casing print head to form a contiguous void extending radially across the tubular and the casing liner comprises operating the lining print head to deposit a disposable material to define the contiguous void extending radially across the tubular and the casing liner; and
performing a perforation operation comprising removing the disposable material.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the downhole lining operation comprises advancing the lining print head along a length of the wellbore and ejecting the tubular material and the lining material along the length of the wellbore to form the casing along the length of the wellbore.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Boul Peter J
• Thaemlitz Carl J

Classifications

• E21B33/14 Primary

  for cementing casings into boreholes · CPC title

• B33Y70/10

  Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29C64/241

  for rotary motion · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

  Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor · CPC title