Systems and methods for advanced well access to subterranean formations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9284794-B2
Application number	US-201113991855-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 11, 2011
Priority date	Jan 31, 2011
Publication date	Mar 15, 2016
Grant date	Mar 15, 2016

Abstract

Systems and methods for improving functional access to subterranean formations that include a well, which includes a casing string having at least one casing conduit that extends and provides a hydraulic connection between a surface region and the subterranean formation. Performing a plurality of downhole operations utilizing a casing string that constitutes a plurality of hydraulic pathways between the surface region and the subterranean formation. The plurality of downhole operations may be simultaneous operations and/or may be associated with at least one of a plurality of operational states including a drilling state, completing state, stimulating state, producing state, abandoning state, and/or killing state. In some embodiments, systems and methods may include a plurality of production control assemblies to control and/or monitor the downhole operations.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of operating a well configured to provide a hydraulic connection between a surface region and a subterranean, the well including a casing string contained within a wellbore that extends between the surface region and the subterranean formation, wherein the casing string constitutes a plurality of hydraulic pathways between the surface region and the subterranean formation, the method comprising:
providing the casing string within the wellbore between the surface region and a first portion of the subterranean formation;
providing another tubular conduit within the wellbore between the surface region and a second portion of the subterranean formation, the second portion of the subterranean formation extending within a portion of the subterranean formation not including the casing string;
performing a first downhole operation in the first portion of the subterranean formation, including establishing a first fluid communication between the surface region and the first portion of the subterranean formation using a first hydraulic pathway of the casing string; and
performing a second downhole operation in the second portion of the subterranean formation using the another tubular conduit, including establishing a second fluid communication between the surface region and a second portion of the subterranean formation using a second hydraulic pathway of the casing string, wherein the second hydraulic pathway is different from the first hydraulic pathway, the second downhole operation related to drilling the well.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the well is in fluid communication with a plurality of production control assemblies and the method further includes controlling the first downhole operation with a first production control assembly and controlling the second downhole operation with a second production control assembly, wherein the first production control assembly is different from the second production control assembly.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the well includes a plurality of operational states, including at least a drilling state, and further wherein, in the drilling state, performing the first downhole operation includes supplying a drilling mud to a terminal end of the wellbore and performing the second downhole operation includes removing the drilling mud from the wellbore.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein performing the first downhole operation further includes providing a drill bit to the terminal end of the wellbore and producing drilling spoils at the terminal end of the wellbore, and further wherein performing the second downhole operation further includes removing the drilling spoils from the wellbore.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the well includes a plurality of operational states, including at least a drilling state, and further wherein, in the drilling state, performing the first downhole operation includes supplying a drilling mud to the terminal end of the wellbore and performing the second downhole operation includes controlling an equivalent circulating density of the drilling mud.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein controlling the equivalent circulating density of the drilling mud includes injecting a fluid with a lower density than the drilling mud into the wellbore.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the well includes a plurality of operational states, including at least a completing state, and further wherein, in the completing state, performing the first downhole operation includes supplying a sealing material to the wellbore and performing the second downhole operation includes removing a fluid from the wellbore.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the well includes a plurality of operational states, including at least a stimulating state, and further wherein, in the stimulating state, performing the first downhole operation includes supplying a stimulant fluid to the wellbore and performing the second downhole operation includes controlling a flow rate of at least one of the reservoir fluid and the stimulant fluid from the wellbore.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein controlling a flow rate of at least one of the reservoir fluid and the stimulant fluid from the wellbore further includes controlling a pressure within the wellbore.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the well includes a plurality of operational states, including at least a producing state, and further wherein, in the producing state, performing the first downhole operation includes injecting a pressurizing fluid into the wellbore and performing the second downhole operation includes producing the reservoir fluid from the subterranean formation.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the well includes a plurality of operational states, including at least an abandoning state, and further wherein, in the abandoning state, at least one of performing the first downhole operation and performing the second downhole operation includes providing a sealing material to the wellbore.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein providing the sealing material to the wellbore includes providing the sealing material to a bottom portion of the casing string.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the performing the first downhole operation and the performing the second downhole operation are simultaneous.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the casing string includes an outer casing string surface and a plurality of inner casing string surfaces, wherein the casing string constituting the plurality of hydraulic pathways includes the plurality of inner casing string surfaces defining at least a portion of the plurality of hydraulic pathways, including at least a portion of the first hydraulic pathway and at least a portion of the second hydraulic pathway, wherein each of the plurality of inner casing string surfaces is contained within the outer casing string surface, and further wherein the plurality of inner casing string surfaces are separated from at least a portion of the outer casing string surface by a casing string wall.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the casing string includes a plurality of casing conduits that each includes a longitudinal axis, and further wherein the casing conduits are operatively attached along their respective longitudinal axes to form the casing string.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein at least a portion of the plurality of casing conduits include a monolithic structure that forms at least a portion of the first hydraulic pathway and at least a portion of the second hydraulic pathway.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein at least a portion of the plurality of casing conduits include a composite structure that includes at least two components that are operatively attached to one another to form at least a portion of the first hydraulic pathway and at least a portion of the second hydraulic pathway.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of casing conduits includes at least a first casing conduit and at least a second casing conduit, and further wherein the at least a first casing conduit is operatively attached to the at least a second casing conduit at a casing conduit junction, and still further wherein the casing conduit junction includes a manifold.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of casing conduits includes at least a first casing conduit and at least a second casing conduit, and further wherein the at least a first casing conduit is operatively attached to the at least a second casing conduit at a casing conduit junction, and still further wherein the casing condu

Assignees

• Dale Bruce A
• Entchev Pavlin B
• Keller Stuart R
• Exxonmobil Upstream Res Co

Inventors

• Dale Bruce A
• Entchev Pavlin B
• Keller Stuart R

Classifications

• E21B17/18 Primary

  Pipes provided with plural fluid passages {(E21B17/203 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• E21B21/00

  Methods or apparatus for flushing boreholes, e.g. by use of exhaust air from motor (freeing objects stuck in boreholes by flushing E21B31/03) · CPC title

• E21B21/12

  using drilling pipes with plural fluid passages, e.g. closed circulation systems · CPC title

• E21B43/12

  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

• E21B34/06

  in wells · CPC title