Flow control in subterranean wells

• US 10,233,719 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2016
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: THRU Tubing Solutions Incorporated (Estate of R Randall Rollins)
• Original Assignee: THRU Tubing Solutions Incorporated (Estate of R Randall Rollins)
• Inventors: Schultz, Roger L., Watson, Brock W., Ferguson, Andrew M., Funkhouser, Gary P.
• Primary Examiner(s): DiTrani Leff, Angela M
• Application Number:
  US15/138,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20160348466A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 166192, 166193, 166284
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/13 Methods or devices for cementing, for plugging holes, crevices or the like
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/138 Plastering the borehole wall; Injecting into the formation
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/263 using explosives

Abstract

A method for use with a subterranean well can include releasing flow conveyed plugging devices into the well, each of the plugging devices including a body and, extending outwardly from the body, at least one of lines and fibers, and the plugging devices blocking flow through respective openings in the well. Another method can include perforating a zone, releasing a set of flow conveyed plugging devices into the well, each of the plugging devices including a body and, extending outwardly from the body, at least one of lines and fibers, the set of plugging devices blocking flow through respective perforations in the zone, perforating another zone, releasing another set of the flow conveyed plugging devices into the well, and the second set of plugging devices blocking flow through respective perforations in the second zone.

Claims

1. A method for use with a subterranean well, the method comprising:

forming multiple openings in a sidewall of a tubular string adjacent a zone of the well;

releasing flow conveyed plugging devices into the well, each of the plugging devices including a body and, extending outwardly from the body, at least one of the group consisting of lines and fibers;

the plugging devices blocking less than all of the openings in the zone; and

then conveying a well tool without any additional flow conveyed plugging devices through the tubular string via fluid flow, wherein the fluid flow is through at least one of the openings which is not blocked.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the group consisting of lines and fibers has a lateral dimension substantially less than a size of the body.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the blocking comprises the body of each plugging device sealingly engaging a respective opening.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the blocking comprises the at least one of the group consisting of lines and fibers entering a respective opening.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the body of each of the plugging devices comprises a knot.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plugging devices comprises a degradable material.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the degradable material is selected from the group consisting of poly-vinyl alcohol, poly-vinyl acetate, poly-methacrylic acid, poly-lactic acid and poly-glycolic acid.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the group consisting of lines and fibers comprises at least one of the group consisting of film, tube, filament, fabric and sheet material.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the plugging devices being conveyed by flow through a restriction in the well.