Remotely controllable valve for well completion operations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9869153-B2
Application number	US-201414277088-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 14, 2014
Priority date	May 14, 2014
Publication date	Jan 16, 2018
Grant date	Jan 16, 2018

Abstract

An example tubing string may at least partially define an internal bore. The tubing string may include an expandable packer and a permeable barrier. The tubing string may further include a remotely-controllable valve responsive to at least one downhole trigger condition, such as a downhole pressure or temperature condition. The remotely-controllable valve may provide selective fluid communication through the permeable barrier between the internal bore and an annulus outside of the permeable barrier. The remotely-controllable valve may function as at least one of a fluid-loss control valve in a completion string assembly or a circulation valve about a completion string assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A completion string assembly, comprising:
a tubing at least partially defining an internal bore;
an expandable packer coupled to the tubing at a first segment;
an expandable sealing assembly coupled to the tubing at a second segment;
an isolated annulus formed between the expandable packer and the expandable sealing assembly, wherein the isolated annulus is in fluid communication with a formation;
a permeable barrier coupled to the tubing;
a remotely-controllable valve segment of the tubing, wherein the remotely-controllable valve segment comprises:
an outer tubular coupled between the permeable barrier and the expandable packer;
an inner tubular coupled to an inner string at least partially disposed within the permeable barrier, wherein the inner string defines an inner annulus within the completion string assembly, wherein the inner annulus is further defined by the permeable barrier, a lower seal in the expandable sealing assembly, the inner tubular and the outer tubular, and wherein the permeable barrier comprises a screen that provides an open flow channel between the isolated annulus and the inner annulus;
a port between the isolated annulus and the internal bore, wherein the port provides selective fluid communication between the isolated annulus and the internal bore through the permeable barrier by selective fluid communication between the inner annulus and the internal bore; and
a plurality of remotely-controllable valves responsive to at least one downhole trigger condition to provide selective fluid communication between the internal bore and the inner annulus by selectively blocking the port, wherein at least one of the plurality of remotely-controllable valves is responsive to a different one of the at least one downhole trigger condition of a wellbore from at least one other of the plurality of remotely-controllable valves.

2. The completion string assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one downhole trigger condition comprises at least one of a downhole pressure condition and a downhole temperature condition.

3. The completion string assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one downhole trigger condition comprises at least a downhole pressure condition, and wherein the downhole pressure condition comprises an ambient pressure condition or a surface-applied pressure condition.

4. The completion string assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of remotely-controllable valves comprises:
at least one of a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor;
a controller coupled to at least one of the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor; and
a valve assembly actuatable by the controller.

5. The completion string assembly of claim 4 , wherein the valve assembly comprises:
at least one of a hydraulic pump and an electric motor coupled to the controller; and
a sleeve axially movable by one of the hydraulic pump and the electric motor.

6. The completion string assembly of claim 5 , wherein the sleeve is within a valve segment comprising the inner tubular and the outer tubular.

7. The completion string assembly of claim 6 , wherein
the outer tubular, the permeable barrier, and the inner tubular further at least partially define the inner annulus; and
the valve segment comprises the port.

8. The completion string of claim 5 , wherein the sleeve provides selective fluid communication between the inner annulus and a tubing segment by selectively closing the port.

9. The completion string assembly of claim 1 , wherein the inner string comprises an elongated tubular with a diameter smaller than a diameter of the permeable barrier.

10. A completion system, comprising:
a completion string disposed within a borehole in a subterranean formation;
a tubing string disposed within the borehole above the completion string and providing fluid communication from the surface of the formation to the completion string through an internal bore within the tubing string;
a plurality of expandable sealing assemblies, wherein at least a first expandable sealing assembly of the plurality of expandable sealing assemblies is coupled to the tubing string at a first segment and at least a second expandable sealing assembly of the plurality of expandable sealing assemblies is coupled to the tubing string at a second segment;
an isolated annulus formed between the first expandable sealing assembly and the second expandable sealing assembly, wherein the isolated annulus is in fluid communication with the subterranean formation;
a permeable barrier coupled to the tubing string;
a remotely-controllable valve segment of the tubing string, wherein the remotely-controllable valve segment comprises:
an outer tubular coupled between the permeable barrier and the first expandable sealing assembly;
an inner tubular coupled to an inner string at least partially disposed within the permeable barrier, wherein the inner string defines an inner annulus within the completion string, wherein the inner annulus is further defined by the permeable barrier, a lower seal in the second expandable sealing assembly, the inner tubular and the outer tubular, and wherein the permeable barrier comprises a screen that provides an open flow channel between the isolated annulus and the inner annulus;
a port between the isolated annulus and the internal bore, wherein the port provides selective fluid communication between the isolated annulus and the internal bore through the permeable barrier by selective fluid communication between the inner annulus and the internal bore; and
a plurality of remotely-controllable valves coupled to the completion string and the tubing string and responsive to at least one downhole trigger condition to provide selective fluid communication between the internal bore and the inner annulus by selectively blocking the port, wherein at least one of the plurality of remotely-controllable valves is responsive to a different at least one downhole trigger condition of the borehole from at least one other of the plurality of remotely-controllable valves.

11. The completion system of claim 10 , wherein the at least one downhole trigger condition comprises at least one of a downhole pressure condition and a downhole temperature condition.

12. The completion system of claim 10 , wherein the at least one downhole trigger condition comprises at least a downhole pressure condition, and wherein the downhole pressure condition comprises an ambient pressure condition or a surface-applied pressure condition.

13. The completion system of claim 10 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of remotely-controllable valves comprises
at least one of a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor;
a controller coupled to at least one of the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor; and
a valve assembly actuatable by the controller.

14. The completion system of claim 13 , wherein the valve assembly comprises:
at least one of a hydraulic pump and an electric motor coupled to the controller; and
a sleeve axially movable by one of the hydraulic pump and the electric motor.

15. A method for completing a well within a subterranean formation, comprising:
positioning a tubing string that at least partially defines an internal bore within a wellbore in the subterranean formation, wherein the tubing string comprises an upper tubing string assembly and a lower tubing string assembly;
forming an annulus between the tubing string and the wellbore, the annulus defined on at least one end by at least one of a plurality of expandable sealing assemblies of a remotely-controllable valve segment, w

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Moreno Bernardo Alfonso
• O'Hara John Patrick

Classifications

• E21B34/066

  electrically actuated · CPC title

• E21B34/10

  operated by control fluid supplied from outside the borehole · CPC title

• E21B43/12

  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

• E21B43/16

  Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons · CPC title

• E21B33/124 Primary

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