Flow restriction devices

• US 8,646,535 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2012
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Xu, Yang, Coronado, Martin P.
• Primary Examiner(s): WRIGHT, GIOVANNA COLLINS
• Application Number:
  US13/568,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20120298370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 553 Days
• Field of Search: 166/370, 166/373, 166/319, 166/386, 138/42
• US Class Current: 166/373
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/12 Methods or apparatus for controlling the flow of the obtained fluid to or in wells E21B43/25 takes precedence; valve arrangements E21B34/00
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/32 Preventing gas- or water-coning phenomena, i.e. the formation of a conical column of gas or water around wells

Abstract

An inflow control device may include flow control elements along a flow path. The flow control elements may change the inertial direction of the fluid flowing in the flow path. The change in inertial direction occurs at junctures along the flow path. The flow control elements may also be configured to form segmented pressure drops across the flow path. The segmented pressure drops may include a first pressure drop segment and a second pressure drop segment that is different from the first pressure drop segment. The pressure drop segments may be generated by a passage, an orifice or a slot. In embodiments, the plurality of flow control elements may separate the fluid into at least two flow paths. The flow control elements may also be configured to cause an increase in a pressure drop in the flow path as a concentration of water increases in the fluid.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a flow of a fluid into a wellbore tubular, the apparatus comprising:

a flow control device for conveying the flowing fluid into the wellbore tubular, the flow control device having a plurality of parallel flow paths conveying fluid across the flow control device, wherein the plurality of parallel flow paths include at least one channel across the flow control device, and wherein each of the plurality of parallel flow paths have a plurality of flow control elements to;

(i) control a flow characteristic based on a viscosity and a density of the fluid, and

(ii) increase resistance to flow as a concentration of a specified fluid increases in the fluid.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the specified fluid is a gas.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the specified fluid is water.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of parallel flow paths separate the fluid into at least two fluid streams at a first juncture and rejoin the separated fluid at a second juncture along the least one channel.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flow control elements includes at least one feature that causes the flow characteristic to vary as a fluid with a different fluid property flows through the flow control device.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one feature is selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a surface friction, (ii) a flow path surface property, (iii) a flow path geometry, and (iv) a flow path dimension.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the plurality of flow control elements of each of the plurality of parallel flow paths independently cause a specified pressure drop along the in-flow control device.

8. An apparatus for controlling a flow of a fluid from a formation into a wellbore tubular, the apparatus comprising:

a flow control device having a plurality of parallel flow paths configured to restrict a flow of a fluid into the wellbore tubular, wherein the plurality of parallel flow paths including passages having orientations selected to increase a pressure drop as a concentration of a specified fluid increases in the flowing fluid, wherein the flow paths direct fluid in different directions by the passages being oriented differently from one another, and wherein the parallel flow paths separately flow the fluid across the flow control device and loin the separated fluid flow at a juncture.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the specified fluid is a gas.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the specified fluid is water.

11. An apparatus for controlling a flow of a fluid from a formation into a wellbore tubular, the apparatus comprising:

a flow control device configured to restrict a flow of gas and water into the wellbore tubular, the flow control device having a plurality of parallel flow paths having flow control elements arranged to control a flow characteristic based on a viscosity and a density of the inflowing fluid, wherein the flow control elements of each of the plurality of flow paths direct fluid in different directions and are oriented differently from one another, wherein at least one of the flow paths has at least one passage having a tortousity selected to increase a pressure drop as a concentration of a specified fluid increases in the flowing fluid, and wherein the parallel flow paths separately flow the fluid across the flow control device and join the separate fluid flow at a juncture.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the specified fluid is a gas.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the specified fluid is water.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of parallel flow paths has a flow path geometry that controls flow resistance based on fluid composition.

15. An apparatus for controlling a flow of a fluid into a wellbore tubular, the apparatus comprising:

a flow control device for conveying the flowing fluid into the wellbore tubular, the flow control device having a plurality of parallel flow paths, the parallel flow paths separately flowing the fluid across the flow control device and joining the separated fluid flow at a juncture, and wherein each of the plurality of parallel flow paths includes at least one flow control element, the flow control elements cooperating to;

(i) control a flow characteristic based on a viscosity and a density of the fluid, and

(ii) increase resistance to flow as a concentration of a specified fluid increases in the fluid,

wherein the at least one flow control elements are oriented to cause each of the plurality of parallel flow paths to direct fluid in a different direction.