Crossover joint for connecting eccentric flow paths to concentric flow paths

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9797226-B2
Application number	US-201113990804-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2011
Priority date	Dec 17, 2010
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

A wellbore apparatus and method comprising a first wellbore tool having a primary flow path and at least one secondary flow path and a second wellbore tool having a primary flow path and secondary flow path. A radial center of the primary flow path in the first wellbore tool is offset from a radial center of the primary flow path in the second wellbore tool which comprises a crossover joint connecting the first wellbore tool to the second wellbore tool having a primary flow path fluidly connecting the primary flow path of the first wellbore tool to the primary flow path of the second wellbore tool, and at least one secondary flow path fluidly connecting the at least one secondary flow path of the first wellbore tool to the at least one secondary flow path of the second wellbore tool.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A crossover joint for connecting a first wellbore tool to a second wellbore tool, the first wellbore tool having a primary flow path and at least one secondary flow path, and the second wellbore tool having a primary flow path and at least one secondary flow path, the crossover joint comprising:
a first end for connecting to the first wellbore tool and a second end for connecting to the second wellbore tool;
a primary flow path configured to fluidly connect the primary flow path of the first wellbore tool to the primary flow path of the second wellbore tool; and
at least one secondary flow path configured to fluidly connect the at least one secondary flow path of the first wellbore tool to the at least one secondary flow path of the second wellbore tool;
wherein a radial center of the primary flow path in the first wellbore tool at a connection to the first end of the crossover joint is offset from a radial center of the primary flow path in the second wellbore tool at a connection to the second end of the crossover joint; and
wherein the primary flow path in the crossover joint is eccentric to the crossover joint at a first end, and the primary flow path in the crossover joint is concentric to the crossover joint at a second end.

2. The crossover joint of claim 1 , wherein the primary flow path in the crossover joint has a profile of a sigmoid function.

3. The crossover joint of claim 1 , wherein the primary flow path in the crossover joint changes direction along a longitudinal axis of the crossover joint at least once.

4. The crossover joint of claim 3 , wherein the primary flow path in the crossover joint comprises at least two linear segments.

5. The crossover joint of claim 3 , wherein the at least one secondary flow path of the crossover joint changes direction along a longitudinal axis of the crossover joint at least once.

6. A wellbore apparatus comprising:
a first wellbore tool having a primary flow path and at least one secondary flow path;
a second wellbore tool also having a primary flow path and at least one secondary flow path; and
a crossover joint for connecting the first wellbore tool to the second wellbore tool, the crossover joint comprising:
a first end for connecting to the first wellbore tool and a second end for connecting to the second wellbore tool;
a primary flow path fluidly connecting the primary flow path of the first wellbore tool to the primary flow path of the second wellbore tool; and
at least one secondary flow path fluidly connecting the at least one secondary flow path of the first wellbore tool to the at least one secondary flow path of the second wellbore tool;
wherein a radial center of the primary flow path in the first wellbore tool at a connection of the second end of the first wellbore tool to the first end of the crossover joint is offset from a radial center of the primary flow path in the second wellbore tool at a connection of the first end of the second wellbore tool to the second end of the crossover joint; and
wherein the primary flow path for the first wellbore tool at the second end of the first wellbore tool is concentric with respect to a radial center of the first wellbore tool and the primary flow path of the second wellbore tool at the first end of the second wellbore tool is eccentric with respect to the radial center of the second wellbore tool.

7. The wellbore apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
the primary flow path in the crossover joint is eccentric to the crossover joint at a first end; and
the primary flow path in the crossover joint is concentric to the crossover joint at a second end.

8. The wellbore apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the primary flow path in the crossover joint has a profile of a sigmoid function.

9. The wellbore apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the primary flow path in the crossover joint changes direction along a longitudinal axis of the crossover joint at least once.

10. The wellbore apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the primary flow path in the crossover joint comprises at least two linear segments.

11. The wellbore apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the at least one secondary flow path of the crossover joint changes direction along a longitudinal axis of the crossover joint at least once.

12. The wellbore apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the primary flow path of the first wellbore tool is eccentric to the first wellbore tool.

13. The wellbore apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the primary flow path of the second wellbore tool is concentric to the second wellbore tool.

14. The wellbore apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the at least one secondary flow path of the first wellbore tool is eccentric to the first wellbore tool.

15. The wellbore apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the primary flow in the crossover tool has a profile of a sigmoid function.

16. The wellbore apparatus of claim 7 , wherein an inner diameter of the primary flow path of the crossover joint is greater than an inner diameter of (i) the primary flow path of the first wellbore tool, (ii) the primary flow path of the second wellbore tool, or (iii) both.

17. The wellbore apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
the wellbore apparatus is a sand control device;
the first wellbore tool is a sand screen that comprises an elongated base pipe, a filtering medium circumferentially around the base pipe, and at least one shunt tube along the base pipe serving as an alternate flow channel, the at least one shunt tube being configured to allow gravel slurry to at least partially bypass the first wellbore tool during a gravel-packing operation in a wellbore;
the base pipe serves as the primary flow path of the sand screen; and
the at least one shunt tube serves as the at least one secondary flow path of the sand screen.

18. The wellbore apparatus of claim 17 , wherein:
the at least one shunt tube is internal to the filtering medium.

19. The wellbore apparatus of claim 17 , wherein:
the at least one shunt tube is external to the filtering medium.

20. The wellbore apparatus of claim 19 , wherein:
each of the at least one shunt tube has a round profile, a square profile, or a rectangular profile; and
the elongated base pipe is eccentric to the sand screen.

21. The wellbore apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the first wellbore tool further comprises a perforated outer protective shroud around the at least one shunt tube.

22. The wellbore apparatus of claim 17 , wherein:
the second wellbore tool is a packer, the packer comprising an elongated inner mandrel, a sealing element external to the inner mandrel, and an annular region serving as an alternate flow channel, the annular region being configured to allow gravel slurry to at least partially bypass the second wellbore tool during a gravel-packing operation in a wellbore after the packer has been set in the wellbore;
the inner mandrel serves as the primary flow path of the packer; and
the annular region serves as the at least one secondary flow path of the packer.

23. The wellbore apparatus of claim 22 , wherein:
the elongated base pipe of the sand screen is eccentric to the sand screen; and
the inner mandrel of the packer is concentric to the packer.

24. The wellbore apparatus of claim 22 , wherein:
the elongated base pipe of the sand screen is concentric to the sand screen; and
the inner mandrel of the packer is eccentric to the packer.

25. The wellbore apparatus of claim 17 , wherein:
the second well

Assignees

• Yeh Charles S
• Barry Michael D
• Hecker Michael T
• Moffett Tracy J
• Entchev Pavlin B
• Hyde Patrick C
• Exxonmobil Upstream Res Co

Inventors

• Yeh Charles S
• Barry Michael D
• Hecker Michael T
• Moffett Tracy J
• Entchev Pavlin B
• Hyde Patrick C

Classifications

• E21B17/18

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

• E21B43/045 Primary

  Crossover tools · CPC title

• E21B17/02

  Couplings; joints {(expandable couplings or joints E21B43/106)} · CPC title