Wellbore apparatus and methods for multi-zone well completion, production and injection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9322248-B2
Application number	US-201113991857-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2011
Priority date	Dec 17, 2010
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

Completing a wellbore in a subsurface formation with packer assembly having first mechanically-set packer as first zonal isolation tool, and second zonal isolation tool comprises internal bore for receiving production fluids, and alternate flow channels. First packer has alternate flow channels around inner mandrel, and sealing element external to inner mandrel and includes operatively connecting packer assembly to a sand screen, and running into wellbore. First packer set by actuating sealing element into engagement with surrounding open-hole portion of the wellbore. Thereafter, injecting a gravel slurry and further injecting the gravel slurry through the alternate flow channels to allow it to bypass the sealing element, resulting in a gravel packed wellbore within an annular region between sand screen and surrounding formation below packer assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for completing a wellbore in a subsurface formation, the method comprising:
providing a packer assembly having a first mechanically-set packer as a first zonal isolation tool, and a second zonal isolation tool, wherein each of the first and second zonal isolation tools comprises an internal bore for receiving production fluids, and alternate flow channels, and the first mechanically-set packer comprises:
an inner mandrel as the internal bore,
the alternate flow channels along the inner mandrel,
a movable piston housing external to the inner mandrel;
one or more flow ports providing fluid communication between the alternate flow channels and a pressure-bearing surface of the piston housing; and
a sealing element external to the inner mandrel and in selectively movable engagement with the piston housing;

connecting the packer assembly to a sand screen, the sand screen comprising a base pipe, a surrounding filter medium, and alternate flow channels, wherein:
the base pipe has an inner bore in fluid communication with the internal bore of the first and second zonal isolation tools, and
the alternate flow channels of the sand screen are in fluid communication with alternate flow channels of the first and second zonal isolation tools;

running the packer assembly and connected sand screen into the wellbore;
setting the first mechanically-set packer by communicating fluid pressure to the piston housing through the one or more flow ports to actuate the sealing element into engagement with the surrounding subsurface formation;
injecting a gravel slurry into the wellbore; and
injecting the gravel slurry at least partially through the alternate flow channels to allow the gravel slurry to bypass the sealing element so that the wellbore is gravel-packed within an annular region between the sand screen and the surrounding formation below the packer assembly.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the filtering medium of the sand screen comprises a wire-wrapped screen, a membrane screen, an expandable screen, a sintered metal screen, a wire-mesh screen, a shape memory polymer, or a pre-packed solid particle bed.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second zonal isolation tool is a gravel-based zonal isolation tool comprising:
an upstream manifold configured to receive the gravel slurry;
a gravel-packing conduit in fluid communication with the upstream manifold and extending longitudinally away from the upstream manifold, the gravel-packing conduit having a plurality of ports to place the gravel-packing conduit in fluid communication with an annulus between the second zonal isolation tool and the surrounding wellbore, and having a plug proximate a lower end of the gravel-packing conduit to isolate the gravel-packing conduit from a downstream flow path;
a transport conduit in fluid communication with the upstream manifold and in fluid communication with the downstream flow path, the transport conduit serving as the alternate flow channels for the second zonal isolation tool; and
a leak-off conduit comprising permeable media in order to place the leak-off conduit in fluid communication with the annulus but filtering gravel-packing particles during a gravel-packing procedure, the leak-off conduit comprising a longitudinal tubular body in fluid communication with the downstream flow path.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the gravel-based zonal isolation tool is at least 40 feet in length.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second zonal isolation tool comprises a second mechanically-set packer constructed in accordance with the first mechanically-set packer, and being arranged within the packer assembly as substantially a mirror image of the first mechanically-set packer.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second zonal isolation tool comprises a swellable packer adjacent the first mechanically-set packer.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the second zonal isolation tool comprises a second mechanically-set packer constructed in accordance with the first mechanically-set packer; and
the packer assembly further comprises a swellable packer intermediate the first and second mechanically-set packers, the swellable packer having alternate flow channels fluidly connected with the alternate flow channels of the first and second mechanically-set packers.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the second mechanically-set packer is arranged within the packer assembly as substantially a mirror image of the first mechanically-set packer.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of further injecting the gravel slurry through the alternate flow channels comprises bypassing the packer assembly so that the wellbore is gravel-packed above and below the packer assembly after the first and second mechanically-set packers have been set in the wellbore.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sand screen comprises:
a) a first conduit forming a primary flow path in fluid communication with the inner mandrel of the first mechanically-set packer, the first conduit having at least one section that is permeable and at least one section that is impermeable;
b) at least one shunt tube along the length of the first conduit, the at least one shunt tube being in fluid communication with one of the alternate flow channels of the first mechanically-set packer to transport gravel slurry;
c) a second conduit comprising a secondary flow joint, wherein the second conduit also has at least one section that is permeable and at least one section that is impermeable, and wherein one of the at least one permeable sections of the second conduit is in fluid communication with one of the at least one permeable sections of the first conduit, thereby providing fluid communication between the first and second conduits; and
d) the filtering medium, the filtering medium being designed to retain particles larger than a predetermined size while allowing fluids to pass into the permeable sections of the first and second conduits.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein:
the filtering medium comprises a first filtering screen placed along the permeable sections of the first conduit, and a second filtering medium placed along the permeable sections of the second conduit; and
the first conduit and the second conduit each comprises a tubular body having a cylindrical wall, with the first conduit and the second conduit running substantially parallel to one another within the wellbore.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the second conduit is disposed concentrically within the first conduit; and
at any cross-section location of the sand screen, the cylindrical wall of the first conduit or the second conduit is impermeable, while the cylindrical wall of the other one of the first conduit or the second conduit is permeable.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the sand screen further comprises:
at least one wall inside the first conduit to form at least one compartment in the first conduit, wherein the compartment has at least one inlet and at least one outlet; and wherein the at least one compartment is adapted to accumulate particles in the compartment to progressively increase resistance to fluid flow through the compartment in the event the at least one inlet is impaired and allows particles larger than a predetermined size to pass into the compartment.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sand screen comprises:
a first tubular member having a permeable section and a non permeable section, the permeable section defining the filtering medium;
a second tubular member disposed within the first tubular member, the second tubular member defi

Assignees

• Yeh Charles S
• Barry Michael D
• Hecker Michael T
• Moffett Tracy J
• Blacklock Jon
• Haeberle David C
• Hyde Patrick C
• Macleod Iain M
• Mercer Lee
• Reid Stephen
• Elrick Andrew J
• Exxonmobil Upstream Res Co

Inventors

• Yeh Charles S
• Barry Michael D
• Hecker Michael T
• Moffett Tracy J
• Blacklock Jon
• Haeberle David C
• Hyde Patrick C
• Macleod Iain M
• Mercer Lee
• Reid Stephen
• Elrick Andrew J

Classifications

• E21B33/124

  Units with longitudinally-spaced plugs for isolating the intermediate space · CPC title

• E21B43/045

  Crossover tools · CPC title

• E21B43/08

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

• E21B34/14

  operated by movement of tools, e.g. sleeve valves operated by pistons or wire line tools {(E21B34/066 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• E21B43/14

  Obtaining from a multiple-zone well · CPC title