Completing a well in a reservoir

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9587474-B2
Application number	US-201214347215-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2012
Priority date	Dec 13, 2011
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

Methods and systems for completing a well including injecting a stimulation fluid to stimulate a first interval in the reservoir. The stimulation fluid is at a pressure sufficient to open a number of check valves in the first interval, allowing stimulation fluid to flow into the first interval. A number of ball sealers configured to block flow through the check valves are dropped into the well to stop the flow of the stimulation fluid into the first interval and begin treatment of a second interval. The stimulation fluid is injected to stimulate a subsequent interval with pressure sufficient to open a number of check valves in the subsequent interval, allowing stimulation fluid to flow into the subsequent interval. The dropping of ball sealers is repeated until all intervals are treated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for completing a well in a reservoir, comprising:
injecting a stimulation fluid to stimulate a first interval in the reservoir, wherein the stimulation fluid is at a pressure sufficient to open a plurality of check valves in the first interval, allowing stimulation fluid to flow into the first interval;
dropping a plurality of ball sealers into the well to stop a flow of the stimulation fluid into the first interval and begin treatment of a second interval, wherein the ball sealers are configured to block flow through the plurality of check valves in the first interval;
injecting the stimulation fluid to stimulate a subsequent interval in the reservoir, wherein the stimulation fluid is at a pressure sufficient to open a plurality of check valves in the subsequent interval, allowing stimulation fluid to flow into the subsequent interval; and
repeating the dropping of ball sealers until all intervals are treated.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
installing a plurality of check valves into a production liner, wherein the check valves are configured to allow flow from the production liner into the wellbore;
installing the production liner into a wellbore; and
fluidically isolating a plurality of intervals in the wellbore, wherein at least two of the plurality of intervals are accessible from the production liner through the check valves.

3. The method of claim 2 , comprising installing a plurality of inflow control devices (ICDs) into the production liner.

4. The method of claim 3 , comprising harvesting hydrocarbons from the production liner as the hydrocarbons flow through the ICDs into the production liner.

5. The method of claim 2 , comprising installing the check valves by tapping holes in the liner.

6. The method of claim 2 , comprising installing the check valves in casing joints installed between pipe joints of the production liner.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
placing the well into production; and
capturing the ball sealers as they are flowed to the surface.

8. The method of claim 1 , comprising selecting an opening pressure for each of the plurality of check valves based on a reservoir pressure and/or permeability in each of a plurality of intervals.

9. The method of claim 1 , comprising fluidically isolating intervals by installing packers between each interval.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the packers can be swelled by exposure to hydrocarbons or water.

11. A system for stimulation of a well, comprising:
a wellbore drilled through an interval in a reservoir;
a production liner installed in the wellbore, wherein the production liner comprises a plurality of check valves configured to allow flow from the production liner into the wellbore;
a seat in the production liner behind each check valve, wherein the seat is configured to block the flow of fluid through the check valve when a ball sealer is in place on the seat;
a plurality of packers placed in the well in the annulus between the wellbore and the production liner, wherein an interval is defined by the location of two sequential packers, and wherein at least two intervals are accessible from the wellbore through check valves; and
an injection system configured to inject a plurality of ball sealers into the production liner as a pressure of a stimulation fluid in the production liner is increased.

12. The system of claim 11 , comprising a ball catcher configured to intercept the ball sealers once the well is placed into production.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of check valves are configured to withstand liner rotation.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the exit of a check valve comprises a high-velocity jet.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the profile of the seat matches a diameter of a ball sealer.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein a check valve is installed in a protrusion from a side of a piping segment.

17. The system of claim 11 , comprising a plurality of inflow control devices (ICDs) configured to allow a controlled flow of fluids from the well bore into the production liner.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the ICDs are designed to prevent unwanted fluids from entering the production liner.

19. The system of claim 11 , wherein at least a portion of the plurality of packers comprises oil swellable materials, water swellable materials, or both.

20. A method for harvesting hydrocarbons from a well in a production interval, comprising:
installing a production liner into a wellbore in a reservoir, wherein the production liner comprises:
check valves that are configured to allow flow from the production liner into the wellbore; and
inflow control devices configured to allow a controlled fluid flow from the wellbore into the production liner;

fluidically isolating a plurality of intervals along the wellbore by installing packers in the annulus between the wellbore and the production liner to isolate each interval from an adjacent interval, wherein at least two intervals are accessible from the production liner by check valves;
injecting a stimulation fluid to stimulate a first interval in the reservoir;
dropping a set of ball sealers into the reservoir to seat on the check valves to stop acid flow into the first interval and begin treatment of a second interval;
repeating the dropping of ball sealers until all intervals are treated;
placing the well into production to harvest the hydrocarbons; and
catching the ball sealers in a ball catcher as they flow to the surface.

21. The method of claim 20 , comprising
taking the well out of production;
injecting a fluid comprising ball sealers at a selected pressure to isolate an interval;
injecting a stimulation fluid to stimulate a target interval;
placing the well back into production; and
catching the ball sealers in a ball catcher as they flow to the surface.

Assignees

• Entchev Pavlin B
• Keller Stuart R
• Spitzenberger Jeffrey D
• Exxonmobil Upstream Res Co

Inventors

• Entchev Pavlin B
• Keller Stuart R
• Spitzenberger Jeffrey D

Classifications

• E21B2034/002

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic

• E21B43/14

  Obtaining from a multiple-zone well · CPC title

• E21B33/138

  Plastering the borehole wall; Injecting into the formation · CPC title

• E21B23/06

  for setting packers · CPC title

• E21B33/12

  Packers; Plugs (used for cementing E21B33/134, E21B33/16) · CPC title