Wellbore apparatus and method for sand control using gravel reserve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9638012-B2
Application number	US-201314421343-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2013
Priority date	Oct 26, 2012
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

A method for completing a wellbore in a subsurface formation includes providing a sand screen assembly representing one or more joints of sand screen, joint assembly, and packer assembly. The packer assembly has at least one mechanically-set packer with at least one alternate flow channel. The sand screen assembly and joint assembly also each have transport conduits for carrying gravel slurry, and packing conduits for delivering gravel slurry. The method also includes running the sand screen assembly, connected joint assembly and packer assembly into the wellbore, and setting a sealing element of the packer assembly into engagement with the surrounding wellbore. Thereafter, the method includes injecting gravel slurry into the wellbore to form a gravel pack such that a reserve of gravel packing material is placed above the sand screen assembly. A wellbore completion apparatus is also provided that allows for placement of the gravel reserve.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for completing a wellbore in a subsurface formation, the method comprising:
providing a first sand screen assembly having one or more sand control segments, each of the sand control segments comprising:
a perforated base pipe having one or more joints, at least one transport conduit extending substantially along the base pipe for transporting gravel packing slurry,
a filtering medium radially around the base pipe along a substantial portion of the base pipe so as to form a sand screen, and
at least one packing conduit including a nozzle configured to release gravel packing slurry into an annular region between the filtering medium and the surrounding subsurface formation;

providing a first joint assembly comprising:
a non-perforated base pipe,
at least one transport conduit extending substantially along the non-perforated base pipe, and
at least one packing conduit having a nozzle configured to release gravel packing slurry into an annular region between the non-perforated base pipe and the surrounding subsurface formation;

providing a packer assembly comprising:
at least one sealing element,
an inner mandrel, and
at least one transport conduit extending substantially along the inner mandrel;

connecting the sand screen assembly, the first joint assembly, and the packer assembly in series, wherein (i) the perforated base pipe of the one or more sand control segments, the non-perforated base pipe of the first joint assembly, and the inner mandrel of the packer assembly are in fluid communication; and (ii) the at least one transport conduit in the one or more sand control segments, the at least one transport conduit in the first joint assembly, and the at least one transport conduit in the packer assembly are in fluid communication;
running the first sand screen assembly and connected first joint assembly and packer assembly into the wellbore;
setting the at least one sealing element into engagement with the surrounding wellbore;
injecting a gravel slurry into the wellbore in order to form a gravel pack below the packer assembly after the sealing element has been set; and
further injecting gravel slurry into the wellbore in order to deposit a reserve of gravel packing material around the non-perforated base pipe above the sand screen assembly.

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

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the packer assembly comprises a mechanically set packer; and
setting the sealing element comprises setting the mechanically-set packer into engagement with the surrounding wellbore.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the packer assembly comprises a swellable packer; and
setting the sealing element comprises allowing the swellable packer to expand into engagement with the surrounding wellbore.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the packer assembly comprises a first mechanically-set packer and a second mechanically-set packer spaced apart from the first mechanically-set packer, the second mechanically-set packer being substantially a mirror image of or substantially identical to the first mechanically-set packer; and
setting the sealing element comprises setting each of the mechanically-set packers into engagement with the surrounding wellbore.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein:
the packer assembly further comprises a swellable packer residing between the spaced-apart mechanically-set packers; and
setting the sealing element further comprises allowing the swellable packer to expand into engagement with the surrounding wellbore.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the wellbore is completed with a string of perforated casing; and
actuating the sealing element of the at least one packer assembly into engagement with the surrounding wellbore means actuating the sealing elements into engagement with the surrounding perforated casing.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the wellbore is completed as an open-hole completion; and
actuating the sealing element of the at least one packer assembly into engagement with the surrounding wellbore means actuating the sealing elements into immediate engagement with a surrounding subsurface formation.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing a second joint assembly comprising:
a non-perforated base pipe, and
at least one transport conduit extending substantially along the non-perforated base pipe.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
connecting the second joint assembly above the packer assembly such that (i) the non-perforated base pipe of the second joint assembly and the inner mandrel of the packer assembly are in fluid communication; and (ii) the at least one transport conduit in the second joint assembly and the at least one transport conduit in the packer assembly are in fluid communication.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
providing a second sand screen assembly having one or more sand control segments in accordance with the one or more sand control segments of the first sand screen assembly; and
operatively connecting the second sand screen assembly to the second joint assembly opposite the packer assembly, thereby placing the perforated base pipe of the second sand screen assembly in fluid communication with the inner mandrel of the packer assembly.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the at least one transport conduit of the one or more sand control segments of the first sand screen assembly comprises about six transport conduits placed concentrically around its corresponding perforated base pipe;
the at least one transport conduit of the one or more sand control segments of the second sand screen assembly also comprises about six transport conduits placed concentrically around its corresponding perforated base pipe;
the at least one packing conduit of the one or more sand control segments of the first sand screen assembly comprises about three packing conduits; and
the at least one packing conduit of the one or more sand control segments of the second sand screen assembly also comprises about three packing conduits.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
providing a third joint assembly that is constructed in accordance with the first joint assembly; and
operatively connecting the second joint assembly to the third joint assembly, thereby (i) placing the perforated base pipe of the second sand screen assembly and the non-perforated base pipes of the second and third joint assemblies in fluid communication with the inner mandrel of the packer assembly, and (ii) placing the transport conduits of the second and third joint assemblies in fluid communication with the transport conduits of the packer assembly.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein:
the second joint assembly comprises one or more pup joints that is about 15 feet in length; and
the third joint assembly comprises one or more pup joints that is also about 15 feet in length.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein:
the second joint assembly resides between the third joint assembly and the packer assembly; or
the second joint assembly resides between the third joint assembly and the second sand screen assembly.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
operatively connecting the second joint assembly to the first sand screen assembly below the packer assembly such that (i) the

Assignees

• Yeh Charles S
• Barry Michael D
• Hecker Michael T
• Moffett Tracy J
• Exxonmobil Upstream Res Co

Inventors

• Yeh Charles S
• Barry Michael D
• Hecker Michael T
• Moffett Tracy J

Classifications

• E21B43/086

  Screens with preformed openings, e.g. slotted liners (comprising porous materials E21B43/082) · CPC title

• E21B43/08

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

• E21B43/10

  Setting of casings, screens, liners {or the like} in wells · CPC title

• E21B43/082

  Screens comprising porous materials, e.g. prepacked screens · CPC title

• E21B33/1243

  with inflatable sleeves · CPC title