US20210002987A1 - Commingling flow between transport tubes of a multi-transport tube shunt system - Google Patents
Commingling flow between transport tubes of a multi-transport tube shunt system Download PDFInfo
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- US20210002987A1 US20210002987A1 US16/928,043 US202016928043A US2021002987A1 US 20210002987 A1 US20210002987 A1 US 20210002987A1 US 202016928043 A US202016928043 A US 202016928043A US 2021002987 A1 US2021002987 A1 US 2021002987A1
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- tubes
- sand screen
- commingler
- transport
- manifold
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- 239000004576 sand Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 94
- 238000012856 packing Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 52
- 239000002002 slurry Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 42
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 15
- 230000032258 transport Effects 0.000 claims description 76
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 claims description 18
- 230000009049 secondary transport Effects 0.000 claims description 12
- 230000009977 dual effect Effects 0.000 claims description 8
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000000151 deposition Methods 0.000 claims 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 6
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 5
- 230000009046 primary transport Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000005086 pumping Methods 0.000 description 4
- 239000004215 Carbon black (E152) Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000009826 distribution Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001914 filtration Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229930195733 hydrocarbon Natural products 0.000 description 1
- 150000002430 hydrocarbons Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 238000007726 management method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000037361 pathway Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
- E21B43/02—Subsoil filtering
- E21B43/04—Gravelling of wells
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B17/00—Drilling rods or pipes; Flexible drill strings; Kellies; Drill collars; Sucker rods; Cables; Casings; Tubings
- E21B17/02—Couplings; joints
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
- E21B43/02—Subsoil filtering
- E21B43/04—Gravelling of wells
- E21B43/045—Crossover tools
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
- E21B43/02—Subsoil filtering
- E21B43/08—Screens or liners
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
- E21B43/02—Subsoil filtering
- E21B43/08—Screens or liners
- E21B43/086—Screens with preformed openings, e.g. slotted liners
Definitions
- Gravel packs are used in wells for removing particulates from inflowing hydrocarbon fluids.
- a completion having a plurality of sand screen joints is deployed downhole in a wellbore and a gravel pack is formed around the completion.
- shunt systems are used to facilitate distribution of the gravel pack.
- an open hole shunted gravel pack screen system may be configured with two transport tubes and two packing tubes in a 2 ⁇ 2 shunt system.
- Such a system effectively has two independent gravel packing systems in which each transport tube operates independently of the other and each transport tube has a dedicated packing tube along each screen joint.
- the functionality of half the system is lost, and this increases the risk of an incomplete gravel pack.
- a shunt system is positioned along a sand screen system.
- the shunt system comprises a plurality of transport tubes and a plurality of packing tubes.
- a manifold is coupled to the plurality of transport tubes and to the plurality of packing tubes at a corresponding sand screen joint of the sand screen system.
- the manifold serves to separate a portion of the gravel slurry flowing through the plurality of transport tubes and to direct the portion into the corresponding packing tubes.
- a commingler is positioned along the plurality of transport tubes at a location separate from the manifold.
- the commingler has an internal chamber where gravel slurry is received from uphole transport tube sections and is commingled before flowing into downhole transport tube sections.
- FIG. 1 is an orthogonal view of a well system having a sand screen system combined with a shunt system, according to an embodiment of the disclosure
- FIG. 2 is an illustration similar to that of FIG. 1 but showing cutaway portions, according to an embodiment of the disclosure
- FIG. 3 is an illustration of a portion of the well system showing an example of a commingler disposed along transport tubes, according to an embodiment of the disclosure
- FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a sand screen system having a plurality of sand screen joints combined with an example of a shunt system, according to an embodiment of the disclosure
- FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an example of a manifold combined with a commingler, according to an embodiment of the disclosure
- FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of a sand screen system having a plurality of sand screen joints combined with another example of a shunt system, according to an embodiment of the disclosure
- FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of another example of a shunt system, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
- FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of another example of a shunt system, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
- FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of a sand screen system having a plurality of sand screen joints combined with another example of a shunt system, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
- FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of an example of a manifold combined with a dual commingler, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
- FIG. 11A is an orthogonal view of a well system having a sand screen system combined with a shunt system, according to another embodiment of the disclosure.
- FIG. 11B is a comparison of jumper tubes shown in the system of FIG. 1 and a conjoined commingled jumper shown in the system of FIG. 11A , according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
- a sand screen system may be constructed with a plurality of sand screen joints having screens or filters for filtering inflowing production fluid during production of the well fluids.
- a shunt system is positioned along the sand screen system.
- the shunt system may comprise a plurality of transport tubes and a plurality of packing tubes.
- a manifold is coupled to the plurality of transport tubes and to the plurality of packing tubes at a corresponding sand screen joint of the sand screen system.
- the manifold serves to separate a portion of the gravel slurry flowing through the plurality of transport tubes and to direct the portion into the corresponding packing tubes.
- a manifold may be positioned along each sand screen joint such that the corresponding packing tubes are able to ensure proper gravel packing along the annulus surrounding each sand screen joint.
- a commingler is positioned along the plurality of transport tubes at a location separate from the manifold.
- the commingler has an internal chamber where gravel slurry is received from uphole transport tube sections and is commingled before flowing into downhole transport tube sections.
- at least one commingler may be positioned along each sand screen joint.
- the manifold and the commingler are positioned at opposite ends of each sand screen joint.
- the commingler is positioned to commingle gravel slurry received from two or more transport tube sections without interfacing with the packing tubes.
- the commingler(s) may be used with a variety of shunt systems to facilitate commingling of the gravel slurry at a location separate from the manifold.
- the commingler(s) may be used with 2 ⁇ 2 shunt systems, 3 ⁇ 2 shunt systems, 4 ⁇ 2 shunt systems, or other configurations of shunt systems.
- the overall configuration enables a reduction of pumping pressures and a reduction in carrier fluid leak-off during gravel packing operations.
- each sand screen joint 36 may comprise a base pipe 38 having appropriate perforations and/or inflow control devices through which production fluid may flow to an interior of the base pipe 38 during production operations. It should be noted that the perforations and/or inflow control devices also may be used to facilitate the return of carrier fluid from the gravel slurry during gravel packing operations.
- Each sand screen joint 36 also may comprise a filter 40 , e.g. a sand screen, positioned around each base pipe 38 to filter particulates from the inflowing well fluids before the well fluids pass through the perforations/inflow control devices of the base pipe 38 .
- a shroud 42 may be positioned around the filter 40 along each sand screen joint 36 .
- Each shroud 42 also contains perforations 44 to accommodate fluid flow therethrough.
- Sequential sand screen joints 36 may be connected together via a suitable coupler 46 , e.g. a box and pin end style connection.
- the well system 30 further comprises a shunt system 48 positioned along the sand screen system 34 .
- the shunt system 48 may comprise a plurality of transport tubes 50 routed along each sand screen joint 36 .
- the transport tubes 50 of sequential sand screen joints 36 may be coupled together in fluid communication via, for example, jumper tubes 52 .
- At least portions of the shunt system 48 may be located radially between each filter 40 and each corresponding shroud 42 .
- the shunt system 48 also comprises a plurality of packing tubes 54 which may be disposed along, for example, each sand screen joint 36 to deliver a portion of the gravel slurry to the annulus surrounding the corresponding sand screen joint 36 .
- packing tubes 54 may be disposed along, for example, each sand screen joint 36 to deliver a portion of the gravel slurry to the annulus surrounding the corresponding sand screen joint 36 .
- the shunt system 48 further comprises a commingler 58 positioned along the plurality of transport tubes 50 at a location separate from the manifold 56 .
- the commingler 58 has an internal chamber 60 where gravel slurry received from uphole transport tube sections 62 (of the plurality of transport tubes 50 ) is commingled before flowing into downhole transport tube sections 64 (of the plurality of transport tubes 50 ).
- the internal chamber 60 is placed in fluid communication with uphole transport tube sections 62 via inlets 66 and with downhole transport tube sections 64 via outlets 68 .
- the internal chamber 60 provides a cavity for bringing together flow of gravel slurry from the two or more transport tubes 50 and for mixing the gravel slurry flows before redistributing the gravel slurry downstream through the commingler outlets 68 .
- the commingler 58 and the internal chamber 60 may be positioned on one side of the sand screen joint 36 rather than being constructed as an annular volume encircling the sand screen joint 36 .
- the commingler 58 may be positioned at a variety of locations along the corresponding sand screen joint 36 . In the example illustrated, however, the commingler 58 is positioned generally on the pin-end of the corresponding sand screen joint 36 . As further illustrated schematically in FIG. 4 , the commingler 58 may be positioned at the pin-end of each sand screen joint 36 so as to deliver commingled gravel slurry to the next sequential manifold 56 located on the next sequential sand screen joint 36 .
- the shunt system 48 comprises at least one manifold 56 and at least one commingler 58 located along each corresponding sand screen joint 36 .
- the packing tubes 54 extend from the corresponding manifold 56 and are routed along the corresponding sand screen joint 36 to ensure delivery of gravel slurry along the surrounding annulus.
- each manifold 56 serves to separate a portion of the gravel slurry into the corresponding packing tubes 54 while directing the remainder of the gravel slurry downstream to the next sequential commingler 58 .
- addition of the commingler 58 enables the addition of one or more transport tubes 50 so as to reduce the pumping pressure utilized for a given gravel pack distance.
- the additional or secondary transport tube 50 (or additional tubes 50 ) is not coupled with a packing tube 54 but instead directly passes through the manifold 56 via a pass through 70 .
- the three transport tubes 50 direct their gravel slurry into the next sequential commingler 58 for commingling within internal chamber 60 .
- the shunt system 48 may be considered a 3 ⁇ 2 shunt system while the addition of two secondary transport tubes 50 to the 2 ⁇ 2 system may be considered a 4 ⁇ 2 shunt system.
- Other numbers of additional transport tubes 50 also can be added according to the parameters of a given system and/or application.
- the additional transport tubes 50 in combination with the location of the commingler 58 can greatly reduce leak-off of carrier fluid during a gravel packing operation.
- Gravel slurry is generally a combination of proppant and carrier fluid; and leak-off refers to the loss of carrier fluid to the wellbore annulus without a corresponding loss of proppant. The result is an undesirable increase in proppant concentration within the gravel slurry. Leak-off occurs where nozzles 72 of the packing tubes 54 communicate to the wellbore annulus (see FIG. 7 ).
- the distance from the manifold 56 to the first packing tube nozzle 72 is the shortest distance for leak-off.
- the proppant will pack the inside of the corresponding packing tubes 54 back to the manifold 56 , thus creating resistance to leak-off.
- the first packing tube nozzle 72 can be placed to achieve a desired gravel pack between the first packing tube nozzle 72 and the next closest nozzle 72 of the previous uphole sand screen joint 36 .
- the leak-off distance for the additional transport tube(s) 50 is equivalent to the distance between the first packing tube nozzle 72 and the manifold 56 plus the distance from the manifold 56 to the corresponding commingler 58 .
- the corresponding commingler 58 may be located above the manifold 56 on, for example, the next sequential uphole sand screen joint 36 , as illustrated in FIG. 7 . In other embodiments, however, the manifold 56 may be located above the corresponding commingler 58 , as illustrated in FIG. 8 . Accordingly, the maximum leak-off distance achievable is one half the length of a sand screen joint 36 plus the distance to the first packing tube nozzle 72 . It should be noted that throughout this description the term “above” refers to a relative position uphole and the term “below” refers to a relative position downhole. In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the proximity of the commingler 58 to the manifold 56 may exhibit maximum leak-off performance if the commingler 58 is located approximately midway between two manifolds 56 of adjacent screen joints 36 .
- a sand screen joint 36 may be 38 feet in length and a first nozzle distance may be 6 feet.
- This increased leak-off resistance for the additional/secondary transport tubes greatly improves the system reliability especially for extended reach gravel packs, e.g. gravel packs greater than 6000 feet or even greater than 10000 feet.
- the distances and sizes used in this example are provided merely for purposes of explanation and the actual distances and sizes can vary substantially.
- the shunt system 48 is structured as a 2 ⁇ 2 ⁇ 2 shunt system, which is accomplished by installing two commingling volumes in the form of a dual commingler 74 having two comminglers 58 .
- the dual commingler 74 may be located at a distance upstream or downstream of a corresponding manifold 56 , e.g. at some distance away from the interface between the transport tubes 50 and the packing tubes 54 .
- the embodiment further utilizes an additional (secondary) transport tube 50 alongside each of the transport tubes 50 that would exist in a 2 ⁇ 2 shunt system configuration.
- the dual commingler 74 creates two independent gravel pack pathways and provides a secondary transport tube 50 to each primary transport tube 50 .
- the secondary transport tube 50 has a sufficiently long leak-off path to eliminate leak-off concern, thus providing an especially useful configuration for use in extended reach gravel pack applications.
- each primary transport tube 50 is coupled with a corresponding packing tube 54 while each secondary transport tube 50 passes through the manifold 56 to the corresponding commingler 58 of the dual commingler 74 .
- each primary transport tube 50 and its corresponding secondary transport tube 50 is placed in fluid communication with one of the comminglers 50 of the dual commingler 74 as illustrated.
- the secondary transport tubes 50 effectively provide additional transport tubes with long leak-of distances to ensure that two transport tubes 50 always communicate to a toe of the well.
- Each commingler 50 receives gravel slurry flow from one of the primary and one of the secondary transport tubes 50 and redistributes the gravel slurry downstream into the same two transport tubes 50 .
- each commingler 58 of the dual commingler 74 contributes to reducing pumping pressure during gravel packing through the shunt system 48 while homogenizing the gravel slurry in the corresponding, e.g. partnered, transport tubes 50 . If plugging occurs in a primary transport tube 50 , each commingler 58 is able to help reestablish flow of gravel slurry downstream of the plug in the blocked transport tube 50 .
- the components and configuration of the sand screen system 34 may vary.
- the sand screen system 34 may utilize different numbers of sand screen joints 36 connected sequentially along various types of boreholes, e.g. horizontal or otherwise deviated wellbores.
- Each sand screen joint 36 may utilize different types of filters, flow control devices, shrouds, and/or other components.
- the shunt system 48 may comprise transport tubes 50 and packing tubes 54 of various sizes and numbers.
- the manifolds 56 and comminglers 58 also may be utilized along the shunt system 48 in various patterns and arrangements.
- each manifold 56 and each commingler 58 may vary according to the parameters of a given gravel packing and/or production operation.
- the manifold 56 and/or commingler 58 may be located on various other components such as on an intermediate pup joint located between sand screen joints.
- shunt system components may be located on some sand screen joints, e.g. every other sand screen joint.
- a commingler or comminglers 58 may be spaced out along the shunt system 48 , e.g. placed on every other sand screen joint 36 .
- FIG. 11A an orthogonal view of a well system 30 having a sand screen system 34 combined with a shunt system 48 , according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.
- the commingler 58 may be integrated into a conjoined commingled jumper 76 of the shunt system 48 , according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 11A shows that the commingler 58 may be integrated into a conjoined commingled jumper 76 of the shunt system 48 , according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
- transport tubes 50 of sequential sand screen joints 36 may be coupled together in fluid communication via the conjoined commingled jumper 76 , which includes a commingler 58 , as previously described, integrated with two jumper tubes 52 , according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 11B shows a comparison of a pair of jumper tubes 52 and the conjoined commingled jumper 76 , according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
- the pair of jumper tubes 52 may be implemented in embodiments of the present disclosure where the commingler 58 is built into the screen joint 36
- the conjoined commingled jumper 76 may be implemented in embodiments of the present disclosure where the commingler 58 is built into the jumper tubes 52 .
- building the commingler 58 into the jumper tubes 52 via the conjoined commingled jumper 76 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure provides a more affordable assembly than building the commingler 58 into the screen joint 36 .
- one or more embodiments of the present disclosure that include a conjoined commingled jumper 76 in the sand screen system 34 enjoy a smaller footprint over embodiments of the present disclosure that include a commingler 58 built into the screen joint 36 . This smaller footprint may translate into more preferable storage and inventory management logistics.
- a commingler 58 may be sporadically placed in the sand screen system 34 in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
- one or more sand screen joints 36 of the sand screen system 34 may not be associated with a commingler 58 at all (either in the sand screen joint 36 itself or in the associated jumper tubes 52 ) in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
- one or more comminglers 58 may be spaced along the well system 30 at every sand screen joint 36 , every couple of joints 36 , every few joints 36 , every several joints 36 , every 10 joints 36 , every 20 joints 36 , or one commingler 58 may be positioned per zone within the completion, or several comminglers 58 may be positioned within each zone of the completion, or any number of sporadic placements. All such embodiments are contemplated and are within the scope of the present disclosure.
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Abstract
Description
- The present document is based on and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/826,235, filed Mar. 29, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
- Gravel packs are used in wells for removing particulates from inflowing hydrocarbon fluids. Generally, a completion having a plurality of sand screen joints is deployed downhole in a wellbore and a gravel pack is formed around the completion. In some applications, shunt systems are used to facilitate distribution of the gravel pack. As an example, an open hole shunted gravel pack screen system may be configured with two transport tubes and two packing tubes in a 2×2 shunt system. Such a system effectively has two independent gravel packing systems in which each transport tube operates independently of the other and each transport tube has a dedicated packing tube along each screen joint. However, if one of the independent transport tubes becomes inoperable, the functionality of half the system is lost, and this increases the risk of an incomplete gravel pack.
- Attempts have been made to limit this risk by commingling the transport slurry where the slurry is exposed to both the transport tubes and packing tubes along each sand screen joint. Such systems utilize concentric shunt systems having annular commingling volumes, which accommodate this mixing at the interface between transport tubes and packing tubes. However, the commingling of slurry at this interface between transport tubes and packing tubes may be undesirable in a variety of applications.
- In general, a system and methodology are provided for facilitating gravel packing along a borehole. According to an embodiment, a shunt system is positioned along a sand screen system. The shunt system comprises a plurality of transport tubes and a plurality of packing tubes. A manifold is coupled to the plurality of transport tubes and to the plurality of packing tubes at a corresponding sand screen joint of the sand screen system. The manifold serves to separate a portion of the gravel slurry flowing through the plurality of transport tubes and to direct the portion into the corresponding packing tubes. Additionally, a commingler is positioned along the plurality of transport tubes at a location separate from the manifold. The commingler has an internal chamber where gravel slurry is received from uphole transport tube sections and is commingled before flowing into downhole transport tube sections.
- However, many modifications are possible without materially departing from the teachings of this disclosure. Accordingly, such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined in the claims.
- Certain embodiments of the disclosure will hereafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements. It should be understood, however, that the accompanying figures illustrate the various implementations described herein and are not meant to limit the scope of various technologies described herein, and:
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FIG. 1 is an orthogonal view of a well system having a sand screen system combined with a shunt system, according to an embodiment of the disclosure; -
FIG. 2 is an illustration similar to that ofFIG. 1 but showing cutaway portions, according to an embodiment of the disclosure; -
FIG. 3 is an illustration of a portion of the well system showing an example of a commingler disposed along transport tubes, according to an embodiment of the disclosure; -
FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a sand screen system having a plurality of sand screen joints combined with an example of a shunt system, according to an embodiment of the disclosure; -
FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an example of a manifold combined with a commingler, according to an embodiment of the disclosure; -
FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of a sand screen system having a plurality of sand screen joints combined with another example of a shunt system, according to an embodiment of the disclosure; -
FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of another example of a shunt system, according to an embodiment of the disclosure; -
FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of another example of a shunt system, according to an embodiment of the disclosure; -
FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of a sand screen system having a plurality of sand screen joints combined with another example of a shunt system, according to an embodiment of the disclosure; -
FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of an example of a manifold combined with a dual commingler, according to an embodiment of the disclosure; -
FIG. 11A is an orthogonal view of a well system having a sand screen system combined with a shunt system, according to another embodiment of the disclosure; and -
FIG. 11B is a comparison of jumper tubes shown in the system ofFIG. 1 and a conjoined commingled jumper shown in the system ofFIG. 11A , according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. - In the following description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of some embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the system and/or methodology may be practiced without these details and that numerous variations or modifications from the described embodiments may be possible.
- The disclosure herein generally involves a system and methodology to facilitate formation of gravel packs in wellbores and thus the subsequent improved production of well fluids. According to an embodiment, a system and methodology are provided for facilitating gravel packing along a borehole. A sand screen system may be constructed with a plurality of sand screen joints having screens or filters for filtering inflowing production fluid during production of the well fluids. To facilitate the gravel packing operation, a shunt system is positioned along the sand screen system.
- The shunt system may comprise a plurality of transport tubes and a plurality of packing tubes. A manifold is coupled to the plurality of transport tubes and to the plurality of packing tubes at a corresponding sand screen joint of the sand screen system. The manifold serves to separate a portion of the gravel slurry flowing through the plurality of transport tubes and to direct the portion into the corresponding packing tubes. In some embodiments, a manifold may be positioned along each sand screen joint such that the corresponding packing tubes are able to ensure proper gravel packing along the annulus surrounding each sand screen joint. Additionally, a commingler is positioned along the plurality of transport tubes at a location separate from the manifold. The commingler has an internal chamber where gravel slurry is received from uphole transport tube sections and is commingled before flowing into downhole transport tube sections. By way of example, at least one commingler may be positioned along each sand screen joint. In some embodiments, the manifold and the commingler are positioned at opposite ends of each sand screen joint.
- In various applications, the commingler is positioned to commingle gravel slurry received from two or more transport tube sections without interfacing with the packing tubes. The commingler(s) may be used with a variety of shunt systems to facilitate commingling of the gravel slurry at a location separate from the manifold. By way of example, the commingler(s) may be used with 2×2 shunt systems, 3×2 shunt systems, 4×2 shunt systems, or other configurations of shunt systems. The overall configuration enables a reduction of pumping pressures and a reduction in carrier fluid leak-off during gravel packing operations.
- Referring generally to
FIGS. 1 and 2 , an embodiment of awell system 30 is illustrated. Thewell system 30 may be deployed in a variety ofboreholes 32, e.g. wellbores. According to the illustrated embodiment, thewell system 30 comprises asand screen system 34 having a plurality ofsand screen joints 36. Depending on the application, thesand screen joints 36 may be constructed in a variety of configurations. By way of example, each sand screen joint 36 may comprise abase pipe 38 having appropriate perforations and/or inflow control devices through which production fluid may flow to an interior of thebase pipe 38 during production operations. It should be noted that the perforations and/or inflow control devices also may be used to facilitate the return of carrier fluid from the gravel slurry during gravel packing operations. - Each sand screen joint 36 also may comprise a
filter 40, e.g. a sand screen, positioned around eachbase pipe 38 to filter particulates from the inflowing well fluids before the well fluids pass through the perforations/inflow control devices of thebase pipe 38. In some embodiments, ashroud 42 may be positioned around thefilter 40 along each sand screen joint 36. Eachshroud 42 also containsperforations 44 to accommodate fluid flow therethrough. Sequential sand screen joints 36 may be connected together via asuitable coupler 46, e.g. a box and pin end style connection. - In the embodiment illustrated, the
well system 30 further comprises ashunt system 48 positioned along thesand screen system 34. By way of example, theshunt system 48 may comprise a plurality oftransport tubes 50 routed along each sand screen joint 36. Thetransport tubes 50 of sequential sand screen joints 36 may be coupled together in fluid communication via, for example,jumper tubes 52. At least portions of theshunt system 48 may be located radially between eachfilter 40 and each correspondingshroud 42. - The
shunt system 48 also comprises a plurality of packingtubes 54 which may be disposed along, for example, each sand screen joint 36 to deliver a portion of the gravel slurry to the annulus surrounding the corresponding sand screen joint 36. As a gravel slurry is flowed along thetransport tubes 50, a portion of that gravel slurry may be directed from thetransport tubes 50 and into thecorresponding packing tubes 54 via amanifold 56. - With additional reference to
FIG. 3 , theshunt system 48 further comprises acommingler 58 positioned along the plurality oftransport tubes 50 at a location separate from the manifold 56. Thecommingler 58 has aninternal chamber 60 where gravel slurry received from uphole transport tube sections 62 (of the plurality of transport tubes 50) is commingled before flowing into downhole transport tube sections 64 (of the plurality of transport tubes 50). Theinternal chamber 60 is placed in fluid communication with upholetransport tube sections 62 viainlets 66 and with downholetransport tube sections 64 viaoutlets 68. Theinternal chamber 60 provides a cavity for bringing together flow of gravel slurry from the two ormore transport tubes 50 and for mixing the gravel slurry flows before redistributing the gravel slurry downstream through thecommingler outlets 68. By way of example, thecommingler 58 and theinternal chamber 60 may be positioned on one side of the sand screen joint 36 rather than being constructed as an annular volume encircling the sand screen joint 36. - Depending on the application, the
commingler 58 may be positioned at a variety of locations along the corresponding sand screen joint 36. In the example illustrated, however, thecommingler 58 is positioned generally on the pin-end of the corresponding sand screen joint 36. As further illustrated schematically inFIG. 4 , thecommingler 58 may be positioned at the pin-end of each sand screen joint 36 so as to deliver commingled gravel slurry to the nextsequential manifold 56 located on the next sequential sand screen joint 36. - In this example, the
shunt system 48 comprises at least onemanifold 56 and at least onecommingler 58 located along each corresponding sand screen joint 36. Thepacking tubes 54 extend from the correspondingmanifold 56 and are routed along the corresponding sand screen joint 36 to ensure delivery of gravel slurry along the surrounding annulus. As further illustrated inFIG. 5 , each manifold 56 serves to separate a portion of the gravel slurry into thecorresponding packing tubes 54 while directing the remainder of the gravel slurry downstream to the nextsequential commingler 58. - It should be noted that addition of the
commingler 58 enables the addition of one ormore transport tubes 50 so as to reduce the pumping pressure utilized for a given gravel pack distance. As further illustrated inFIG. 5 , the additional or secondary transport tube 50 (or additional tubes 50) is not coupled with a packingtube 54 but instead directly passes through the manifold 56 via a pass through 70. In this example, the threetransport tubes 50 direct their gravel slurry into the nextsequential commingler 58 for commingling withininternal chamber 60. - By adding one
secondary transport tube 50, as illustrated inFIGS. 5 and 6 , theshunt system 48 may be considered a 3×2 shunt system while the addition of twosecondary transport tubes 50 to the 2×2 system may be considered a 4×2 shunt system. Other numbers ofadditional transport tubes 50 also can be added according to the parameters of a given system and/or application. In addition to reducing pumping pressure, theadditional transport tubes 50 in combination with the location of thecommingler 58 can greatly reduce leak-off of carrier fluid during a gravel packing operation. - Gravel slurry is generally a combination of proppant and carrier fluid; and leak-off refers to the loss of carrier fluid to the wellbore annulus without a corresponding loss of proppant. The result is an undesirable increase in proppant concentration within the gravel slurry. Leak-off occurs where
nozzles 72 of thepacking tubes 54 communicate to the wellbore annulus (seeFIG. 7 ). - In a 2×2 shunt system, the distance from the manifold 56 to the first
packing tube nozzle 72 is the shortest distance for leak-off. Once the annulus is gravel packed around a given sand screen joint 36, the proppant will pack the inside of thecorresponding packing tubes 54 back to the manifold 56, thus creating resistance to leak-off. However, there is a limit to the distance downstream of the manifold 56 that the firstpacking tube nozzle 72 can be placed to achieve a desired gravel pack between the firstpacking tube nozzle 72 and the nextclosest nozzle 72 of the previous uphole sand screen joint 36. The leak-off distance for the additional transport tube(s) 50 (e.g. themiddle transport tube 50 labeledtransport tube # 3 inFIG. 7 ) is equivalent to the distance between the firstpacking tube nozzle 72 and the manifold 56 plus the distance from the manifold 56 to the correspondingcommingler 58. - It should be noted the corresponding
commingler 58 may be located above the manifold 56 on, for example, the next sequential uphole sand screen joint 36, as illustrated inFIG. 7 . In other embodiments, however, the manifold 56 may be located above the correspondingcommingler 58, as illustrated inFIG. 8 . Accordingly, the maximum leak-off distance achievable is one half the length of a sand screen joint 36 plus the distance to the firstpacking tube nozzle 72. It should be noted that throughout this description the term “above” refers to a relative position uphole and the term “below” refers to a relative position downhole. In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the proximity of thecommingler 58 to the manifold 56 may exhibit maximum leak-off performance if thecommingler 58 is located approximately midway between twomanifolds 56 of adjacent screen joints 36. - According to an example, a sand screen joint 36 may be 38 feet in length and a first nozzle distance may be 6 feet. In this scenario, a maximum leak-off distance for the middle transport tube 50 (tube #3) would be 38/2+6=25 feet. This increased leak-off resistance for the additional/secondary transport tubes greatly improves the system reliability especially for extended reach gravel packs, e.g. gravel packs greater than 6000 feet or even greater than 10000 feet. It should be noted the distances and sizes used in this example are provided merely for purposes of explanation and the actual distances and sizes can vary substantially.
- Referring generally to
FIGS. 9 and 10 , another embodiment ofwell system 30 is illustrated. In this embodiment, theshunt system 48 is structured as a 2×2×2 shunt system, which is accomplished by installing two commingling volumes in the form of adual commingler 74 having twocomminglers 58. Thedual commingler 74 may be located at a distance upstream or downstream of acorresponding manifold 56, e.g. at some distance away from the interface between thetransport tubes 50 and thepacking tubes 54. - The embodiment further utilizes an additional (secondary)
transport tube 50 alongside each of thetransport tubes 50 that would exist in a 2×2 shunt system configuration. Thedual commingler 74 creates two independent gravel pack pathways and provides asecondary transport tube 50 to eachprimary transport tube 50. In the illustrated arrangement, thesecondary transport tube 50 has a sufficiently long leak-off path to eliminate leak-off concern, thus providing an especially useful configuration for use in extended reach gravel pack applications. - In the example illustrated, each
primary transport tube 50 is coupled with acorresponding packing tube 54 while eachsecondary transport tube 50 passes through the manifold 56 to the correspondingcommingler 58 of thedual commingler 74. In other words, eachprimary transport tube 50 and its correspondingsecondary transport tube 50 is placed in fluid communication with one of thecomminglers 50 of thedual commingler 74 as illustrated. Thesecondary transport tubes 50 effectively provide additional transport tubes with long leak-of distances to ensure that twotransport tubes 50 always communicate to a toe of the well. - Each
commingler 50 receives gravel slurry flow from one of the primary and one of thesecondary transport tubes 50 and redistributes the gravel slurry downstream into the same twotransport tubes 50. Effectively, eachcommingler 58 of thedual commingler 74 contributes to reducing pumping pressure during gravel packing through theshunt system 48 while homogenizing the gravel slurry in the corresponding, e.g. partnered,transport tubes 50. If plugging occurs in aprimary transport tube 50, eachcommingler 58 is able to help reestablish flow of gravel slurry downstream of the plug in the blockedtransport tube 50. - Depending on the parameters of a given well application, the components and configuration of the
sand screen system 34 may vary. For example, thesand screen system 34 may utilize different numbers of sand screen joints 36 connected sequentially along various types of boreholes, e.g. horizontal or otherwise deviated wellbores. Each sand screen joint 36 may utilize different types of filters, flow control devices, shrouds, and/or other components. Similarly, theshunt system 48 may comprisetransport tubes 50 and packingtubes 54 of various sizes and numbers. Themanifolds 56 andcomminglers 58 also may be utilized along theshunt system 48 in various patterns and arrangements. The size and configuration of each manifold 56 and each commingler 58 also may vary according to the parameters of a given gravel packing and/or production operation. In some well applications, the manifold 56 and/orcommingler 58 may be located on various other components such as on an intermediate pup joint located between sand screen joints. Additionally, shunt system components may be located on some sand screen joints, e.g. every other sand screen joint. For example, a commingler orcomminglers 58 may be spaced out along theshunt system 48, e.g. placed on every other sand screen joint 36. - Referring now to
FIG. 11A , an orthogonal view of awell system 30 having asand screen system 34 combined with ashunt system 48, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. As specifically shown inFIG. 11A , thecommingler 58 may be integrated into a conjoined commingledjumper 76 of theshunt system 48, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown inFIG. 11A ,transport tubes 50 of sequential sand screen joints 36 may be coupled together in fluid communication via the conjoined commingledjumper 76, which includes acommingler 58, as previously described, integrated with twojumper tubes 52, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Further, for the sake of clarity,FIG. 11B shows a comparison of a pair ofjumper tubes 52 and the conjoined commingledjumper 76, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. As previously described, the pair ofjumper tubes 52 may be implemented in embodiments of the present disclosure where thecommingler 58 is built into the screen joint 36, and the conjoined commingledjumper 76 may be implemented in embodiments of the present disclosure where thecommingler 58 is built into thejumper tubes 52. Advantageously, building thecommingler 58 into thejumper tubes 52 via the conjoined commingledjumper 76 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure provides a more affordable assembly than building thecommingler 58 into the screen joint 36. Further, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure that include a conjoined commingledjumper 76 in thesand screen system 34 enjoy a smaller footprint over embodiments of the present disclosure that include acommingler 58 built into the screen joint 36. This smaller footprint may translate into more preferable storage and inventory management logistics. - Moreover, a
commingler 58 may be sporadically placed in thesand screen system 34 in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, one or more sand screen joints 36 of thesand screen system 34 may not be associated with acommingler 58 at all (either in the sand screen joint 36 itself or in the associated jumper tubes 52) in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Indeed, one or more comminglers 58 may be spaced along thewell system 30 at every sand screen joint 36, every couple ofjoints 36, everyfew joints 36, everyseveral joints 36, every 10joints 36, every 20joints 36, or one commingler 58 may be positioned per zone within the completion, orseveral comminglers 58 may be positioned within each zone of the completion, or any number of sporadic placements. All such embodiments are contemplated and are within the scope of the present disclosure. - Although a few embodiments of the disclosure have been described in detail above, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible without materially departing from the teachings of this disclosure. Accordingly, such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined in the claims.
Claims (21)
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US16/928,043 US20210002987A1 (en) | 2019-03-29 | 2020-07-14 | Commingling flow between transport tubes of a multi-transport tube shunt system |
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US201962826235P | 2019-03-29 | 2019-03-29 | |
US16/928,043 US20210002987A1 (en) | 2019-03-29 | 2020-07-14 | Commingling flow between transport tubes of a multi-transport tube shunt system |
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Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US11333007B2 (en) * | 2018-06-22 | 2022-05-17 | Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. | Multiple shunt pressure assembly for gravel packing |
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Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US11333007B2 (en) * | 2018-06-22 | 2022-05-17 | Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. | Multiple shunt pressure assembly for gravel packing |
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