CN101175893B

CN101175893B - Self conforming screen

Info

Publication number: CN101175893B
Application number: CN2006800162033A
Authority: CN
Inventors: R·贝内特
Original assignee: Baker Hughes Inc
Current assignee: Baker Hughes Holdings LLC
Priority date: 2005-04-13
Filing date: 2006-04-13
Publication date: 2013-06-19
Anticipated expiration: 2026-04-13
Also published as: CA2604236A1; CN101175893A; NO342649B1; GB2440066A; GB2440066B; AU2006236559A1; AU2006236559B2; RU2007141580A; NO20075594L; GB0720004D0; CA2604236C; RU2404355C2

Abstract

A screen assembly has a material that conforms to the borehole shape after insertion. The assembly comprises a compliant layer that takes the borehole shape on expansion. The outer layer is formed having holes to permit production flow. The material that is selected preferably swells with heat a nd preferably comprises a shape memory foam that is thermoset. The base pipe ca n have a screen over it to act as an underlayment for support of the conformin g layer or alternatively for screening. The conforming layer can expand by itself or expansion can also occur from within the base pipe.

Description

Self conforming screen

Priority information

The application is the part continuation application of the U.S. Patent application 10/226,941 of submission on August 23rd, 2002.

Technical field

Technical field of the present invention is well screen, can expand with the well screen of the irregularly shaped well of packing in open hole well more specifically.

Background technology

In the past, anti-sand method has been dominated in the gravel pack of well screen outside.Its thought is to fill the outer annular space of screen casing to prevent the undesired solid of output from the stratum with sand.Recently, along with the appearance of tubular expansion technology, by annular space around sandfilling, just do not needed gravel pack before having eliminated if expected screen casing to expand on the spot.Because the pit shaft out-of-shape has just occurred problem to screen expansion technique as substituting of gravel pack.Fixing tube expander is the fixing quantity of screen expansion.Problem is that the erosion in pit shaft still can stay in the screen casing outside large annular space.On the contrary, the undergauge place in pit shaft will produce the risk of blocked portion fixed swage.

An improvement of fixed swage technique is to use various forms of flexible tube expanders.In theory, these flexible tube expanders have compliance, therefore at the undergauge place they with turning-in, thereby reduced the risk of blocked portion tube expander.On the other hand, if free zone, same problem exists, and namely the external dimensions of the outside expandable screen of energy that has of flexible tube expander is limited.Therefore, when using flexible tube expander, still exist the screen casing outside to leave the problem of annular clearance, when well is produced from this zone, will cause the output of undesired solid like this.

The precommpression felt that is kept by protective metal shell has been used in screen casing design in the past, and when being placed into the position of down-hole expectation, protective metal shell suffers chemical attack so.Then felt just can expand from its pre-compressed state.Screen casing does not expand.This design is at United States Patent (USP) 2,981, is described in 332 and 2,981,333.Patent 5,667,011 discloses the fixed swage that the down-hole slotted liner is expanded.United States Patent (USP) 5,901,789 and United States Patent (USP) 6,012,522 well screen that is inflated is disclosed.United States Patent (USP) 6,253,850 disclose an atresia bushing pipe have been inserted in another slotted liner that has expanded with its technology of packing, and seal between bushing pipe with rubber or epoxy resin.United States Patent (USP) 6,263,966 disclose the screen casing with vertical pleat in expanded downhole.United States Patent (USP) 5,833,001 discloses rubber solidifies to make sticking patch on the spot after being expanded by dilatant.At last, United States Patent (USP) 4,262,744 relate generally to the technology of utilizing mould to make screen casing.

Summary of the invention

Apparatus and method of the present invention have the outer field screen assembly that can adapt to wellbore shape after expansion and solve this problem by providing.In a preferred embodiment, dilatable material when the material of selection is the contact wellbore fluids is further to promote afterwards zone empty in the filling well in expansion.In design as an alternative, do not need screen expansion, outermost layer touches and expands to adapt to the shape of well after wellbore fluids or other are introduced the fluid of pit shaft.Sieve tube segment is that the mode that reduces or eliminates weld seam is made.Weld seam can be in expansion process under violent load, therefore make weld seam minimum or eliminate weld seam provide expand after screen operation more reliably.These and other advantage of the present invention to those skilled in the art can be more obvious after the description of having read the back preferred embodiment and claim.

Screen assembly has the material that can adapt to wellbore shape after insertion.This assembly comprises the adaptation layer that has wellbore shape after expansion.Skin is formed has the hole to allow flowing of output object.Selected material is expanded by heating preferably, and preferably includes the thermoset shape memory foamed material.Can have screen casing on parent tube, to be used as the substrate layer that supports adaptation layer or selectively be used for sieving.Adaptation layer can self expand and maybe can expand in parent tube.

According to an aspect of the present invention, provide a kind of completion method, having comprised: utilized the concrete dynamic modulus adaptation material to cover at least one parent tube, can expand during described material contact wellbore fluids; The desired locations in the pit shaft under described parent tube; Make adaptation material fill and the wall of described pit shaft between annular space; The fluid that flows to described parent tube by described adaptation material is filtered.

Description of drawings

Accompanying drawing 1 is the screen casing facade view; With

Accompanying drawing 2 is the sectional views that are in the screen assembly of expanded downhole position, and one of them screen casing has been presented in accompanying drawing 1.

The specific embodiment

Accompanying drawing 1 has shown the part of one section screen casing 10.It has parent tube 12, is screen casing 14 on it, is outside adaptation layer 16 above screen casing 14.Layer 16 has a plurality of holes 18.Parent tube 12 also has hole 20.Actual filtering material or screen casing 14 can be silk screen or fabric or other known filtering product.Adaptation layer 16 is preferably soft, and when expanding with convenient screen casing 10, it will flow.Preferred material is dilatable material after the time that is exposed to wellbore fluids one elongated segment.Three examples are nitrile, natural rubber and AFLAS.In embodiment as an alternative, adaptation layer 16 fully expands with the contact pit shaft after putting into pit shaft, and screen casing 10 does not expand.What schematically show in screen casing 10

ends

22 and 24 is locating snap ring 26 and 28.When screen casing 10 expands, these locating snap rings will limit adaptation layer 16, in case adaptation layer 16 is vertically moving in the annular space of screen casing 10 outsides after screen expansion.Their use is selectable.

The assembling mode of screen casing 10 is another aspect of the present invention.Adaptation layer 16 can have and allows it to be set to internal diameter on screen material 14.The assembly of screen material 14 and adaptation layer 16 is set on parent tube 12.Afterwards, apply known bloat tool in parent tube 12 inside, so that its slight expansion.As a result, screen material 14 and adaptation layer 16 all are fixed on parent tube 12, and need not welding.This is favourable, because when screen casing 10 is lowered in pit shaft and is inflated, expansion process can apply large stress by butt welded seam, and this can cause screen casing to lose efficacy.A kind of selection mode of assembling screen casing 10 is according to the mode of just having described, screen material 14 to be attached on parent tube 12, then solidifies adaptation layer 16 on screen material 14.Another selection is, can apply protectiveness overcoat (not shown) on screen material 14, puts adaptation layer 16 is installed outside protectiveness.Even adopt selectable perforation protection overcoat (not shown), connecting technique is also from the interior outside expansion of parent tube 12 as previously described.

Hole 18 can be various shapes.Their function is to allow formation fluid to flow through after expansion.They can be circular ports, perhaps slit, perhaps other shape, the perhaps combination of shape.Adaptation layer 16 can be made by polymeric material, the material that preferably expands when continuing to be exposed to wellbore fluids, and irregularly shaped with better adaptation well 30, as shown in Figure 2.Accompanying drawing 2 also shown be placed on screen material 14, the outer protection overcoat 32 under adaptation layer 16, with protection screen material 14 when putting into well 30.Overcoat 32 is the known product with opening 33 of going out, and if used adaptation layer 16, can optionally use overcoat 32.It is that selectable reason is, adaptation layer 16 provides the protection of expectation to a certain extent in being lowered to process.In addition, there is no overcoat 32, adaptation layer 16 can be made thicklyer, with the voidage 34 in the annular space around filling screen casing 10 better after expansion.The thickness of adaptation layer 16 is limited by well and the external diameter that is arranged on its inner member.Preferably, adaptation layer 16 is pushed tightly, because promote like this it to move to fill the space in annular space on every side.

It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the present invention allows the manufacturing of expandable screen pipe to eliminate weld seam between layer.The use of adaptation material 16 allows to use multiple expansion technique, and has improved the ability of eliminating the expandable screen external void that causes due to hole anomaly.Alternatively, in the situation that screen casing 10 not expanded downhole adaptation material 16 can fully expand, allow to eliminate the necessity of gravel pack.If this material expands owing to being exposed to downhole fluid, expect used as adaptation layer 16.Protective sleeve 32 below adaptation layer 16 can be used for being lowered to process protection screen material 14.

Adaptation layer 16 can be foamed material, is preferably the thermosetting foams material, but can be also thermoplastic foam.Shown adaptation layer 16 is cylindric, but can change, and for example by recessed end or streaky regional (not shown), is beneficial to arrange, perhaps strengthens the filtering feature of this layer.Adaptation layer 16 preferably is made of the elastic memory foamed material, for example the perforate composite foam material.This foamed material has by changing foam temperature can change from a kind of size and dimension the character of another kind of size and/or shape into.This foamed material can form the object with required original size and shape, for example has the cylinder of required external diameter.The foams that form so then are heated, so that its temperature is elevated to its transition temperature.When it reached transition temperature, foamed material was softening, allowed foams again to be configured as the transition size and dimension of expectation, for example passed through compression to form the cylinder of small diameter.The temperature of foams then is lowered to below transition temperature, so that foams keep its transition size and dimension.When again being elevated to its transition temperature subsequently, foams will recover its original size and shape.

Cylindrical foam adaptation layer 16 can have by winding the original outer diameter OD of expectation ₁Foam carpet and initially be formed on screen casing 10 or parent tube 12.Alternatively, the technique that forms adaptation layer 16 on parent tube 12 or screen casing 10 can be any other technique that produces the adaptation layer 16 with expectation green diameter, for example molded foam body directly.The original outer diameter OD of expectation ₁Than the borehole diameter (BHD) of arrangement is large.For example, have 10 inches original outer diameter OD ₁Adaptation layer 16 can be formed well for 8.5 inch diameters.

Foam material composition is formulated, to realize the transition temperature of expectation.This character makes can be in the situation that estimate to prepare foamed material for the expectation transition temperature of application-specific.For example, be used for when of the present invention, foam material composition can be formulated, so that transition temperature is only a little less than the expectation downhole temperature of assembly with the depth that is used.This causes adaptation layer 16 at the temperature expansion at this desired depth place, and keeps being expanded on well bore wall.Downhole temperature can be used for expansion adaptation layer 16; Alternatively, can make otherwise, for example independent thermal source.Such thermal source can be the electric heater of wireline deployed, or battery powered heater.For example, such thermal source can be installed on parent tube 12, be incorporated in it or be mounted to foam adaptation layer 16 and contact.Heater can be controlled from ground, well site, perhaps controls by timing means or pressure sensor.Also have, can produce exothermic reaction by the chemical substance that pumps into to the down-hole from ground, perhaps can produce heat by other any suitable mode.

Adaptation layer 16 can be made as unique filtering medium, and does not use any screen material, and for example 14.This is because the character of adaptation material is mushy.But its conventional production technology is that mould stays non-permeable formation in its whole peripheries.This property allows this material basically can be used as packer material under the condition of the demoulding.But if the non-permeable formation of the external surface that finally contacts with well bore wall is stripped from or otherwise is removed, adaptation layer 16 can be installed on parent tube 12 or screen casing 14, and can use as unique filtering material or together with screen casing 14 separately.Screen casing 14 can be configured to be specifically designed to the support structure of adaptation material 16, makes adaptation material can not pass parent tube 12 to see through when wellbore fluids when adaptation material 16 is filtered, and perhaps screen casing can be saved fully.The aboveground end of adaptation material 16 and downhole end can have the non-permeable formation that molding process stays when making, better fluid is directed to opening in parent tube 12.

Adaptation material is shape-memory polymer preferably, and this polymer is mushy and heat cured, although also can adopt thermoplastic, if thermoplastic is mushy, perhaps can make under the sort of condition.

Disclosure and description above the present invention are exemplary with indicative, can carry out various variations on the detail of size, shape and material and example structure, and not depart from essence of the present invention.

Claims

1. completion method comprises:

Utilize the concrete dynamic modulus adaptation material to cover the parent tube that has screen casing at least one its, can expand during described material contact wellbore fluids;

The desired locations in the pit shaft under described parent tube;

Fill annular space between wall with described pit shaft to contact the wall of described pit shaft making adaptation material in the non-bloating situation of screen casing;

The fluid that flows to described parent tube by described adaptation material is filtered.

2. the method for claim 1 comprises:

Select foamed material as described adaptation material.

3. the method for claim 1 comprises:

The material of selected shape memory polymer is as described adaptation material.

4. method as claimed in claim 3 comprises:

Select heat cured material as described adaptation material.

5. method as claimed in claim 3 comprises:

Select thermoplastic material as described adaptation material.

6. the method for claim 1 comprises:

Provide Heat sources in the pit to start described filling.

7. the method for claim 1 comprises:

On described adaptation material, non-permeable formation is set; And

Remove non-permeable formation to expose the hole adaptation material from described adaptation material.

8. method as claimed in claim 4 comprises:

On described adaptation material, non-permeable formation is set; And