GRAVEL PACKING APPARATUS UTILIZING DIVERTER VALVES

• US 20090133875A1
• Filed: 01/25/2008
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (SLB)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (SLB)
• Inventors: Ceccarelli, Tomaso U., Tibbles, Raymond J., Parlar, Mehmet, Stamm, Bryan
• Granted Patent: US 7,841,398 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/278
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/04 Gravelling of wells
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/08 Screens or liners expandable screens or liners E21B43/108

Abstract

Method and apparatus for gravel packing an open-hole wellbore are disclosed. The apparatus includes a sandscreen disposed in the wellbore thereby creating an annulus between the wellbore and the sandscreen for receiving a gravel slurry. The apparatus further comprises a tubular member or wash pipe which is concentrically disposed in the sandscreen for receiving carrier fluid which passes through the sandscreen and for returning the carrier fluid to the earth'"'"'s surface. At least one diverter valve is installed in the tubular member for permitting flow of the carrier fluid into the tubular member.

Claims

1. Apparatus for gravel packing a subterranean open-hole wellbore comprising:

a sandscreen which is disposed in the wellbore, thereby creating an annulus between the wellbore and the sandscreen for receiving a gravel slurry, said gravel slurry comprising gravel and a carrier fluid;

a tubular member which is concentrically disposed in the sandscreen for receiving carrier fluid that passes through the sandscreen and for returning said carrier fluid to the earth'"'"'s surface; and

at least one diverter valve which is installed in said tubular member for permitting flow of said carrier fluid into the tubular member.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a plurality of diverter valves are installed in the tubular member at spaced intervals along its length.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operation at each said diverter valve is remotely controlled from the earth'"'"'s surface

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the operation of the plurality of diverter valves is remotely controlled from the earth'"'"'s surface.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the diverter valve is a relief valve.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the diverter valve is a one-way pressure-actuated valve.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the tubular member comprises wired pipe, wherein each said diverter valve is operatively connected to the wire in said wired pipe and wherein a remote control device is operatively connected at the earth'"'"'s surface to the wire in said wired pipe.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising wireless telemetry apparatus at the earth'"'"'s surface for remotely controlling the operation of each said diverter valve.

9. A method of gravel packing a wellbore using a gravel slurry comprising gravel and a carrier fluid, said method comprising:

disposing a sandscreen into a wellbore to create an annulus between the sandscreen and the wellbore;

installing at least one diverter valve in a tubular member;

disposing said tubular member in said sandscreen such that the tubular member is concentric with the sandscreen;

introducing the gravel slurry into the annulus between the wellbore and the sandscreen; and

passing at least some of the carrier fluid through the diverter valve and into the tubular member.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein it further comprises the step of installing plurality of diverter valves in the tubular member at spaced intervals along the length of the tubular member.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of remotely controlling the operation of each said diverter valve.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of remotely controlling the operation of said diverter valves from the earth'"'"'s surface.

13. A method of intentionally creating a gravel plug in the annulus between a sandscreen and an open wellbore across a downhole region that is potentially damaging to the sandscreen, comprising:

introducing a gravel slurry comprising gravel and a carrier fluid into said annulus;

controlling the velocity of the gravel slurry such that at least a portion of the carrier fluid leaves the slurry and passes through the sandscreen proximate the potentially damaging downhole region; and

providing a tubular member which is concentric with the sandscreen for communication of the carrier fluid passing through the sandscreen to the earth'"'"'s surface, said tubular member comprising at least one diverter valve for permitting flow of the carrier fluid into the tubular member.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the tubular member comprises a plurality of diverter valves.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein it further comprises the step of remotely controlling the operation of said diverter valves from the earth'"'"'s surface.

16. A method of gravel packing a wellbore, comprising:

drilling the wellbore with a synthetic/oil-based drilling mud;

running a predrilled liner in the synthetic/oil-based drilling mud;

displacing the drilling mud in the wellbore with a water-based fluid;

running a sandscreen containing at least one diverter valve into the wellbore to create an annulus between the sandscreen and the wellbore; and

introducing a gravel slurry comprising a water-based carrier fluid into said annulus.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the water-based carrier fluid comprises a brine, a viscoelastic surfactant or a polymer solution.

18. A method of gravel packing a wellbore, comprising:

drilling a wellbore with a synthetic/oil-based drilling mud;

conditioning the drilling mud by passing it through shaker screens having first openings;

running a sandscreen containing at least one diverter valve into the wellbore to create an annulus between the sandscreen and wellbore, said sandscreen having second openings; and

introducing a gravel slurry comprising a carrier fluid into the annulus between the sandscreen and the wellbore.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first openings in said shaker screen are smaller than or equal to 1/4 the second openings in the sandscreen.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the gravel slurry comprises an oil-based carrier fluid.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the gravel slurry comprises a water-based carrier fluid.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the water-based carrier fluid comprises a brine, a viscoelastic surfactant solution or a polymer solution.