WO2022040414A1

WO2022040414A1 - Remote pressure sensing port for a downhole valve

Info

Publication number: WO2022040414A1
Application number: PCT/US2021/046664
Authority: WO
Inventors: Cassius ELSTON; Geng Zhao; Venkata Siva Reddy BATTULA; Ashish Sharma; Diana Orzechowski
Original assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation; Schlumberger Canada Limited; Services Petroliers Schlumberger; Schlumberger Technology B.V.
Priority date: 2020-08-20
Filing date: 2021-08-19
Publication date: 2022-02-24

Abstract

A completion system includes a lower completion including production tubing, a valve disposed downhole of the production tubing, an indexer connected to the valve, a pressure sensing port disposed near a top end of the lower completion, a control line that runs along an outer diameter of the production tubing, the control line being connected to the indexer and the pressure sensing port, and a sliding sleeve that seals the pressure sensing port of the lower completion, thereby initially isolating the pressure sensing port from tubing pressure.

Description

REMOTE PRESSURE SENSING PORT FOR A DOWNHOLE VALVE

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/068, 190, filed August 20, 2020, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein and should be considered part of this specification.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Hydrocarbon fluids such as oil and natural gas are obtained from a subterranean geologic formation, referred to as a reservoir, by drilling a wellbore that penetrates the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. Once the wellbore is drilled, various forms of well completion components may be installed to control and enhance the efficiency of producing the various fluids from the reservoir.

[0003] Isolation valves safeguard reservoirs by providing a reliable barrier within the completion tubing string. Isolation valves may utilize a ball valve as the primary barrier mechanism, and the ball valve can be actuated to open and close by a variety of different means (e.g., via hydraulic control line or mechanically).

[0004] A challenge all isolation valves must mitigate is operating in dirty, debris laden environments. Dirt, debris, particulates, or any foreign material in the valve have a significant impact on the valve’s performance. To remotely open, the valve must be able to sense pressure applications. However, debris may block the pressure sensing port in debris laden environments. If the applied pressure cannot reach the sensing port of the valve, then triggering the valve to an open position can be hindered. Accordingly, there is a need for sensing pressure applications to have improved performance in debris laden environments. SUMMARY

[0005] A completion system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure includes a lower completion including production tubing, a valve disposed downhole of the production tubing, an indexer connected to the valve, a pressure sensing port disposed near a top end of the lower completion, a control line that runs along an outer diameter of the production tubing, the control line being connected to the indexer and the pressure sensing port, and a sliding sleeve that seals the pressure sensing port of the lower completion, thereby initially isolating the pressure sensing port from tubing pressure.

[0006] A method according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure includes running a lower completion into a wellbore, the lower completion including production tubing, a valve disposed downhole of the production tubing, an indexer connected to the valve, a pressure sensing port disposed near a top end of the lower completion, and a control line that runs along an outer diameter of the production tubing, the control line being connected to the indexer and the pressure sensing port, initially isolating the pressure sensing port from tubing pressure, landing an upper completion on the top end of the lower completion, opening tubing pressure communication to the valve via the control line, sending a pressure command to the sensing pressure port, and indexing the indexer to open the valve.

[0007] 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.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] 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 described technologies. The drawings are as follows: [0009] FIG. 1 is a representation of an initially isolated tubing pressure design according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] 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 that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these details and that numerous variations or modifications from the described embodiments may be possible.

[0011] In the specification and appended claims: the terms “connect,” “connection,” “connected,” “in connection with,” “connecting,” “couple,” “coupled,” “coupled with,” and “coupling” are used to mean “in direct connection with” or “in connection with via another element.” As used herein, the terms “up” and “down,” “upper” and “lower,” “upwardly” and “downwardly,” “upstream” and “downstream,” “uphole” and “downhole,” “above” and “below,” and other like terms indicating relative positions above or below a given point or element are used in this description to more clearly describe some embodiments of the disclosure.

[0012] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure is directed to a completion system and a method of using the same that improves the performance of sensing pressure applications in debris laden environments. Specifically, in a completion system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a pressure sensing port is disposed near a top end of a lower completion. Because the pressure sensing port is located relatively far away from debris that may accumulate on top of the isolation valve, the system may accommodate a significantly larger amount of debris in the completion without affecting communication with the isolation valve.

[0013] Referring generally to FIG. 1, a representation of an initially isolated tubing pressure design according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Specifically, FIG. 1 shows a completion system 10 that includes a lower completion 12, production tubing 14, a valve 16 disposed downhole of the production tubing 14, and an indexer 18 connected to the valve 16. In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the valve 16 may be an isolation valve, a ball valve, a circulation valve, a flow control valve, or another type of downhole valve, for example. As further shown in FIG. 1, the lower completion 12 also includes a pressure sensing port 20 disposed near a top end 22 of the lower completion 12. In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a control line 24 runs along an outer diameter of the production tubing 14 of the lower completion 12. According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the control line 24 is connected to the indexer 18 and the pressure sensing port 20. In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the control line 24 may be a hydraulic control line, and the indexer 18 may be a hydraulic indexer, for example.

[0014] As further shown in FIG. 1, the lower completion 12 may also include a sliding sleeve 26 at the top of the lower completion 12. In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the sliding sleeve 26 seals the pressure sensing port 20 of the lower completion 12, thereby initially isolating the pressure sensing port 20 from tubing pressure. Moreover, in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the indexer 18 may be directly connected to the sliding sleeve 26 at the top of the lower completion 12 via the control line 24 in the initially isolated tubing pressure design of the completion system 10 shown in FIG. 1, for example. Still referring to FIG. 1, in addition to the lower completion 12, the completion system 10 may also include an upper completion 28 that is configured to land on the top end 22 of the lower completion 12. Landing the upper completion 28 on the top end 22 of the lower completion 12 causes the sliding sleeve 26 to shift away from the pressure sensing port 20, which allows the control line 24 to communicate with the tubing pressure to actuate the valve 16. In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the sliding sleeve 26 may include a profile for a mechanical collet shoe. In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the upper completion 28 may have a corresponding profile that engages with the profile for the mechanical collet shoe of the sliding sleeve 26 to facilitate shifting of the sliding sleeve 26.

[0015] In operation, a method according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure includes running the lower completion 12 into a wellbore and initially isolating the pressure sensing port 20 of the lower completion 12 from tubing pressure. In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, initially isolating the pressure sensing port 20 of the lower completion 12 from tubing pressure includes sealing the pressure sensing port 20 of the lower completion 12 with the sliding sleeve 26. That is, prior to landing the upper completion 28 onto the lower completion 12, the hydraulic indexing system of the valve 16 (/.< ., hydraulic control line 24 and hydraulic indexer 18) is isolated from tubing pressures, and indexing cannot occur. Thereafter, the act of landing the upper completion 28 on the top end 22 of the lower completion 12 opens pressure communication to the valve 16 via the control line 24. More specifically, landing the upper completion 28 onto the lower completion 12 shifts the sliding sleeve 26 away from the pressure sensing port 20, which opens tubing pressure communication to the valve 16. With tubing pressure communication open, a pressure command may be received and sensed by the sensing pressure port 20 of the lower completion 12. In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the pressure command may be sent from surface, for example, and then communicated to the indexer 18 via the control line 24. Sending the pressure command via the control line 24 triggers the indexer 18 to index, thereby opening the valve 16.

[0016] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the indexer 18 may include an indexing mechanism (e.g., a ratchet, a J-slot, etc.), a piston connected to the indexing mechanism, and a spring. The indexing mechanism of the indexer 18 transitions through a sequence of positions or counts in response to the pressure command in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Further, the spring of the indexer 18 generates an upward force on the piston, which is countered by a downward force from the pressure command that is applied to an upwardly facing surface of the piston. The pressure command may move the piston to cycle the indexing mechanism through a predetermined sequence of positions. For example, if the downward force on the piston from the pressure command exceeds the upward force exerted by the spring, the piston will move in a downward direction, and if the pressure relaxes so that the upward force generated by the spring exceeds the downward force that is exerted by the pressure command, the piston will move in an upward direction. Eventually, the indexing mechanism of the indexer 18 will reach a position that permits the indexing mechanism to shift to a position that actuates the valve 16, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [0017] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure improves the performance of sensing pressure applications in debris laden environments. For example, in ball valve completion system designs that include the pressure sensing port inside the valve, the pressure sensing port may be within 20 feet of the ball of the valve. In this location, the pressure sensing port may become blocked by debris if approximately 2-3 gallons of debris piles up on top of the ball, for example. However, by locating the pressure sensing port 20 near the top end 22 of the lower completion 12 instead of in the valve 16, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a significantly larger amount of debris (i.e., more than approximately 2-3 gallons) may be accommodated in the completion system 10 without affecting communication with the valve 16. Advantageously, by locating the pressure sensing port 20 far away from the debris that accumulates on top of the valve 16, the pressure sensing port 20, and in turn the valve 16, will exhibit improved performance.

[0018] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with respect to completions systems having isolation valves or ball valves, embodiments of the present disclosure may also be used in a variety of other sensing pressure applications in debris laden downhole environments.

[0019] 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

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A completion system comprising: a lower completion comprising: production tubing; a valve disposed downhole of the production tubing; an indexer connected to the valve; a pressure sensing port disposed near a top end of the lower completion; a control line that runs along an outer diameter of the production tubing, the control line being connected to the indexer and the pressure sensing port; and a sliding sleeve that seals the pressure sensing port of the lower completion, thereby initially isolating the pressure sensing port from tubing pressure.

2. The completion system of claim 1, further comprising an upper completion configured to land on the top end of the lower completion, thereby shifting the sliding sleeve away from the pressure sensing port and allowing the control line to communicate with the tubing pressure to actuate the valve.

3. The completion system of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the control line is a hydraulic control line.

4. The completion system of claim 2 or claim 2, wherein the control line is a hydraulic control line.

5. The completion system of any preceding claim, wherein the valve is an isolation valve.

6. The completion system of any preceding claim, wherein the sliding sleeve comprises a profile for a mechanical collet shoe.

7. The completion system of claim 6, further comprising an upper completion configured to land on the top end of the lower completion, the upper completion having a

7 corresponding profile that engages with the profile for the mechanical collet shoe of the sliding sleeve to facilitate shifting of the sliding sleeve. A method, comprising: running a lower completion into a wellbore, the lower completion comprising: production tubing; a valve disposed downhole of the production tubing; an indexer connected to the valve; a pressure sensing port disposed near a top end of the lower completion; and a control line that runs along an outer diameter of the production tubing, the control line being connected to the indexer and the pressure sensing port; initially isolating the pressure sensing port from tubing pressure; landing an upper completion on the top end of the lower completion; opening tubing pressure communication to the valve via the control line; sending a pressure command to the sensing pressure port; and indexing the indexer to open the valve. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of initially isolating the pressure sensing port from the tubing pressure comprises sealing the pressure sensing port of the lower completion with a sliding sleeve. The method of claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the step of landing the upper completion on the top end of the lower completion shifts the sliding sleeve away from the pressure sensing port. The method of claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the sliding sleeve comprises a profile for a mechanical collet shoe, and wherein the upper completion comprises a corresponding profile that engages with the profile for the mechanical collet shoe of the sliding sleeve to facilitate shifting of the sliding sleeve. The method of any of claims 8-11, wherein the control line is a hydraulic control line.

8 The method of any of claims 8-11, wherein the valve is an isolation valve. The method of any of claims 8-11, wherein the pressure command is sent to the sensing pressure port from surface.

9