Classifications

• • 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
  • E21B43/10—Setting of casings, screens, liners or the like in wells
  • E21B43/103—Setting of casings, screens, liners or the like in wells of expandable casings, screens, liners, or the like
  • E21B43/108—Expandable screens or perforated 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
  • E21B41/00—Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00
  • E21B41/0099—Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00 specially adapted for drilling for or production of natural hydrate or clathrate gas reservoirs; Drilling through or monitoring of formations containing gas hydrates or clathrates
• • 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

Definitions

• the field of this invention is completions and more particularly in unconsolidated formations that produce methane hydrate where there is a need for sand control and flow distribution to protect the screen while stabilizing the borehole.
• Methane hydrate exists as a solid substance in layers that contain sand and other sediment. Hydrate to methane gas and water must be accomplished in order to produce the methane gas.
• the production of methane hydrate means dissociating methane hydrate in the layers and collecting the resultant methane gas through wells and production systems. To dissociate methane hydrate that is stable at low temperature and under high pressure, there must be an (1) increase the temperature , (2) decrease the pressure, (3) or both.
• the optimum methane hydrate production method is one based on the "depressurization method.” However, since methane hydrate layers are unconsolidated sediments, sand production occurs with the methane gas and water.
• the proposed method to control sand production and provide better borehole stability comprises providing a shape memory polymer foam filter that does not depend on the borehole for containment for sand management.
• the shape memory polymer will be utilized such that a flow path would not be exposed that would permit the production of sand from the borehole.
• One other issue related to the "depressurization method "of methane hydrate production is the uniform application of a differential pressure across the
• the method further comprises a porous media under the shaped memory polymer foam filter that can be varied in number and permeability to balance the differential pressure applied to reservoir being produced. This improves borehole stability via uniform drawdown and flow from the exposed reservoir. While these techniques could be used in a conventional open hole or cased hole completion, it is desirable to under ream or expand the borehole size to help increase reservoir exposure and decrease flow velocities at the sand management / reservoir interface. Additionally, consolidated proppant or sand is deposited adjacent the shape memory foam as it is not the objective to fully occupy the borehole with the foam after it crosses its critical temperature.
• the consolidated proppant or sand can be an outer protective layer to the foam. Its ability to self-adhere contains the foam and protects the foam from erosive velocity effects of the produced methane.
• the bottom hole assembly has a base pipe with porous media within it for equalizing flow along the base pipe.
• a shape memory polymer foam surrounds the base pipe with porous media.
• the borehole can be reamed to reduce produced methane velocities.
• Surrounding the shape memory polymer is an exterior layer of consolidated proppant or sand that can self-adhere and/or stick to the polymer foam.
• the proppant or sand can be circulated or squeezed into position although, circulation is preferred.
• the borehole may enlarge due to shifting sands in an unconsolidated formation as the methane is produced.
• the bottom hole assembly helps in fluid flow equalization and protects the foam and layers below from high fluid velocities during production.
• FIG. 1 shows the run in position of the bottom hole assembly with the shape memory polymer foam as yet unexpanded
• FIG. 2 is the view of FIG. 1 with the polymer foam expanded
• FIG. 3 is the view of FIG. 2 with the consolidated proppant or gravel in position
• FIG. 4 is the view of FIG. 3 showing the shifting of the unconsolidated borehole wall during methane production.
• a work string 1 is run through a wellhead 2.
• the bottom hole assembly comprises a base pipe 5 which is simply a pipe with openings.
• a production packer 6 isolates the methane hydrate reservoir 4.
• a schematically illustrated crossover tool 11 allows placement of the consolidated proppant or sand (gravel) 9 about the shape memory polymer foam 3.
• the base pipe 5 has flow balancing devices 7 that can be tortuous paths of different resistances to fluid flow or an annularly shaped porous member of different thicknesses or porosities.
• FIG. 1 the memory polymer foam is in its run in dimension where it has not yet been warmed above its transition temperature.
• FIG. 2 the transition temperature has been reached and the polymer foam 3 has expanded to a location still short of the borehole wall 12 to leave an annular gap 14 into which the proppant or sand 9 will be deposited using the crossover 11 as illustrated in FIG. 3. This is done preferably with circulation with crossover 11 and using a wash pipe that is not shown to direct returns that come through the proppant/sand 9 and the memory foam 3 into the upper annulus 8 above the packer 6.
• FIG. 4 illustrates the onset of methane production that ensues when the pressure in the formation 4 is allowed to be reduced. With the removal of methane a large void volume 10 can be created.
• the proppant/sand 9 can be a commercially available product such as Sandtrol®.
• the foam is available as GeoFORM®.
• Alternatives can be alloy memory foam or screens of various designs that do not change dimension with thermal stimulus.
• the screens can be constructed so that they can be radially expanded for borehole support or to reduce the volume needed for the proppant/sand 9.
• the flow balancing feature can be a porous annular shape or insert plugs in the base pipe or screen materials that vary in mesh size at different opening locations.

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• Geology (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
• Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
• Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
• Earth Drilling (AREA)
• Organic Low-Molecular-Weight Compounds And Preparation Thereof (AREA)
• Filling Or Discharging Of Gas Storage Vessels (AREA)
• Geophysics And Detection Of Objects (AREA)

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Publications (1)

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Citations (5)

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• 2013
  • 2013-09-11 US US14/023,982 patent/US9097108B2/en active Active
• 2014
  • 2014-08-05 WO PCT/US2014/049778 patent/WO2015038258A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2014-08-05 JP JP2016541973A patent/JP6369764B2/ja active Active

Patent Citations (5)

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