Modular downhole debris separating assemblies

• US 10,641,066 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2015
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Mericas, Chris J., Rogers, Henry Eugene, Stair, Todd Anthony, Downey, Luke C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wills, III, Michael R
• Application Number:
  US15/574,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20180135388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,765 Days
• Field of Search: 166311, 166173
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/002 Down-hole drilling fluid separation systems containers comprising collecting means with a strainer E21B27/005; subsoil filtering E21B43/02; down-hole production separators E21B43/38
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/02 Subsoil filtering
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/08 Screens or liners expandable screens or liners E21B43/108

Abstract

A downhole system can include multiple sub-components of a downhole debris separator assembly that is modular. The system can also include multiple couplers arranged on or among the sub-components of the multiple sub-components. Each of the couplers can connect with others of the couplers in different combinations to form respectively different configurations of the downhole debris separator assembly.

Claims

1. A debris separator comprising:

a plurality of modular components, wherein the plurality of modular components are each modular by including at least one coupler formed so as to be connectable with a coupler of another component of the plurality of modular components, the plurality of modular components connectable together by the couplers into an assembly that is positioned within a tubular, wherein the tubular is positionable downhole in a well in a shoe track of a casing string to separate debris from wellbore fluid passed through an inner region of the tubular.

2. The debris separator of claim 1, wherein the assembly comprises at least one of:

plates with pass-through areas angularly offset from one another within the assembly;

screens covering different portions of a bore of a tubular and longitudinally offset from one another;

weirs;

or

impellers and baffles.

3. The debris separator of claim 1, wherein at least one pair of the plurality of modular components are connectable together by couplers that comprise snap-fitting interfaces that include at least a first structure and a second structure, the first structure sized to deflect when being received by the second structure and to return toward an un-deflected state when fully received by the second structure.

4. The debris separator of claim 1, wherein at least one pair of the plurality of modular components are connectable together by couplers that comprise a female threaded surface receiving a male threaded surface.

5. The debris separator of claim 1, wherein at least one pair of the plurality of modular components are connectable together by couplers that comprise securing pins traversing openings in each component coupled by the securing pins.

6. The debris separator of claim 1, wherein at least one pair of the plurality of modular components are connectable together by couplers that comprise slip-fitting interfaces including surfaces that are sized relative to one another so as to be moveable relative to one another by hand.

7. The debris separator of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of the modular components are connectable with the tubular.

8. A method comprising:

inserting a first component into a tubular, the first component included in a set of components that fit together in different combinations to form respectively different configurations of a modular debris separator assembly that is positionable downhole in a well to separate debris from wellbore fluid passed through an inner region of the tubular;

inserting a second component of the set into the tubular; and

coupling the first component with the second component so as to form at least a part of the modular debris separator assembly.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the coupling the first component with the second component occurs after inserting the first component into the tubular.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the coupling the first component with the second component occurs before inserting the second component into the tubular.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the different combinations differ in at least one of quantity of components, order of components, or relative orientation of components.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising coupling the first component and the second component with an additional number of components of the set, the additional number of components selected so as to form a downhole modular debris separator assembly of a target length.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein coupling the first component with the second component comprises connecting the first component to the second component by one or more couplers arranged on or among the first component and the second component.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein coupling the first component with the second component comprises coupling the first component with the second component by an intervening structure.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein coupling the first component with the second component comprises bonding the first component and the second component to one another or to an intervening structure so as to fix a relative orientation between the first component and the second component.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising positioning the tubular including the modular debris separator assembly between a float collar and a float shoe.

17. A system comprising:

a first sub-assembly of a debris separator assembly that is positionable downhole in a well to separate debris from wellbore fluid passed through the assembly;

a number of additional sub-assemblies of the debris separator assembly coupled in series with the first sub-assembly, the number of additional sub-assemblies selected so as to extend the debris separator assembly to a target length;

a float collar;

a float shoe; and

a joint of a casing string positioned between the float collar and the float shoe and containing the debris separator assembly.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the target length is less than a length of a single joint of a tubular in which the debris separator assembly is positioned when the debris separator assembly is positioned downhole.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the first sub-assembly is coupled with the number of additional sub-assemblies by couplers comprising at least one of (i) snap-fitting interfaces;

(ii) cooperating threads;

(iii) securing pins;

(iv) bonding;

(v) slip-fitting interfaces;

or (vi) stacking interfaces.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein each of the sub-assemblies comprises at least one of:

(i) plates with pass-through areas angularly offset from one another within the assembly;

(ii) screens covering different portions of a bore of a tubular and longitudinally offset from one another;

(iii) weirs;

or (iv) impellers and baffles.