Enhanced expandable tubing run through production tubing and into open hole

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9322249-B2
Application number	US-201213672996-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2012
Priority date	Feb 23, 2012
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed is a downhole completion assembly for sealing and supporting an open hole section of a wellbore and filtering fluids passing therethrough. One system includes a sealing structure arranged within the open hole section and being movable between a contracted configuration and an expanded configuration, the sealing structure having one or more perforations defined therein, and a filter device arranged about the sealing structure so as to radially overlap the one or more perforations, the filter device being configured to screen fluids passing through the one or more perforations.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A downhole completion system, comprising:
a sealing structure expandable from a contracted configuration to an expanded configuration and having one or more perforations defined therein;
a filter device arranged about the sealing structure and overlapping at least one of the one or more perforations when the sealing structure is in the expanded configuration to screen fluids passing through the at least one of the one or more perforations; and
an impermeable shroud arranged about the filter device and having opposing open axial ends to direct the fluids through an end of the filter device.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more flow control devices coupled to at least one of the one or more perforations and configured to regulate fluid flow through the at least one of the one or more perforations.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the filter device is expandable with the sealing structure.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more flow control devices are selected from the group consisting of an inflow control device, an autonomous inflow control device, a valve, a sleeve, a sleeve valve, a flow restrictor, a check valve, and combinations thereof.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a truss structure configured to be expanded from a contracted configuration to an expanded configuration when arranged at least partially within the sealing structure.

6. The system of claim 5 , further comprising:
a conveyance device configured to transport the sealing structure and truss structures in their respective contracted configurations through the production tubing and to an open hole section of the wellbore; and
a deployment device configured to radially expand the sealing and truss structures from their respective contracted configurations to their respective expanded configurations.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein, when in the expanded configuration, the truss structure radially supports the sealing structure.

8. The system of claim 5 , wherein the truss structure is an expandable device that defines a plurality of expandable cells that facilitate expansion of the truss structure from the contracted configuration to the expanded configuration.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the plurality of expandable cells comprises a thin strut connected to a thick strut, and wherein an axial length of the truss structure in the contracted and expanded configurations is generally the same.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sealing structure is a first sealing structure, the system further comprising a second sealing structure configured to be expanded within the first sealing structure, the second sealing structure being impermeable and thereby configured to occlude at least some of the one or more perforations.

11. A method of completing an open hole section of a wellbore, comprising:
conveying a sealing structure in a contracted configuration to the open hole section, the sealing structure having one or more perforations defined therein and a filter device coupled to the sealing structure and overlapping at least one of the one or more perforations, the sealing structure further including an impermeable shroud arranged about the filter device and having opposing open axial ends;
radially expanding the sealing structure to an expanded configuration with a deployment device when the sealing structure is arranged in the open hole section, the filter device and the shroud being expandable with the sealing structure;
directing fluids into an end of the filter device through the opposing open axial ends of the impermeable shroud; and
screening the fluids passing through the at least one of the one or more perforations with the filter device.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising regulating a flow of the fluids through the at least one of the one or more perforations with one or more flow control devices coupled to the at least one of the one or more perforations.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein screening fluids passing through the one or more perforations comprises screen fluids entering the sealing structure via the one or more perforations with the filter device.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein screening fluids passing through the one or more perforations comprises screen fluids exiting the sealing structure via the one or more perforations with the filter device.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
conveying a truss structure in a contracted configuration to the open hole section of the wellbore;
radially expanding the truss structure into an expanded configuration while arranged at least partially within the sealing structure; and
radially supporting the sealing structure with the truss structure.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising conveying the sealing structure and the truss structure in their respective contracted configurations through production tubing arranged within the wellbore.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein radially expanding the truss structure to the expanded configuration further comprises expanding a plurality of expandable cells defined on the truss structure.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein expanding the plurality of expandable cells further comprises radially expanding the truss structure such that an axial length of the truss structure in the contracted and expanded configurations is generally the same.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the sealing structure is a first sealing structure, the method further comprising:
conveying a second sealing structure to and at least partially within the first sealing structure, the second sealing structure being impermeable; and
expanding the second sealing structure such that at least some of the one or more perforations in the first sealing structure are occluded.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Fripp Michael
• Gano John
• Besselink Peter
• Van Moorleghem Wilfried

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

• E21B43/106

  Couplings or joints therefor · CPC title

• E21B43/103

  of expandable casings, screens, liners, or the like · CPC title

• E21B34/06

  in wells · CPC title

• E21B43/08

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