Remotely controllable valve for well completion operations

• US 9,869,153 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2014
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Moreno, Bernardo Alfonso, O'Hara, John Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Michener, Blake E
• Application Number:
  US14/277,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20150330188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 2200/06 Sleeve valves
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/124 Units with longitudinally-spaced plugs for isolating the intermediate space
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/128 with a member expanded radially by axial pressure E21B33/122, E21B33/124 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/06 in wells
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/066 electrically actuated
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/10 operated by control fluid supplied from outside the borehole
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/14 operated by movement of tools, e.g. sleeve valves operated by pistons or wire line tools E21B34/066 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/08 Screens or liners expandable screens or liners E21B43/108
• 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 43/16 Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/06 Measuring temperature or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/07 Temperature

Abstract

An example tubing string may at least partially define an internal bore. The tubing string may include an expandable packer and a permeable barrier. The tubing string may further include a remotely-controllable valve responsive to at least one downhole trigger condition, such as a downhole pressure or temperature condition. The remotely-controllable valve may provide selective fluid communication through the permeable barrier between the internal bore and an annulus outside of the permeable barrier. The remotely-controllable valve may function as at least one of a fluid-loss control valve in a completion string assembly or a circulation valve about a completion string assembly.

Claims

1. A completion string assembly, comprising:

a tubing at least partially defining an internal bore;

an expandable packer coupled to the tubing at a first segment;

an expandable sealing assembly coupled to the tubing at a second segment;

an isolated annulus formed between the expandable packer and the expandable sealing assembly, wherein the isolated annulus is in fluid communication with a formation;

a permeable barrier coupled to the tubing;

a remotely-controllable valve segment of the tubing, wherein the remotely-controllable valve segment comprises;

an outer tubular coupled between the permeable barrier and the expandable packer;

an inner tubular coupled to an inner string at least partially disposed within the permeable barrier, wherein the inner string defines an inner annulus within the completion string assembly, wherein the inner annulus is further defined by the permeable barrier, a lower seal in the expandable sealing assembly, the inner tubular and the outer tubular, and wherein the permeable barrier comprises a screen that provides an open flow channel between the isolated annulus and the inner annulus;

a port between the isolated annulus and the internal bore, wherein the port provides selective fluid communication between the isolated annulus and the internal bore through the permeable barrier by selective fluid communication between the inner annulus and the internal bore; and

a plurality of remotely-controllable valves responsive to at least one downhole trigger condition to provide selective fluid communication between the internal bore and the inner annulus by selectively blocking the port, wherein at least one of the plurality of remotely-controllable valves is responsive to a different one of the at least one downhole trigger condition of a wellbore from at least one other of the plurality of remotely-controllable valves.

2. The completion string assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one downhole trigger condition comprises at least one of a downhole pressure condition and a downhole temperature condition.

3. The completion string assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one downhole trigger condition comprises at least a downhole pressure condition, and wherein the downhole pressure condition comprises an ambient pressure condition or a surface-applied pressure condition.

4. The completion string assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the plurality of remotely-controllable valves comprises:

at least one of a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor;

a controller coupled to at least one of the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor; and

a valve assembly actuatable by the controller.

5. The completion string assembly of claim 4, wherein the valve assembly comprises:

at least one of a hydraulic pump and an electric motor coupled to the controller; and

a sleeve axially movable by one of the hydraulic pump and the electric motor.

6. The completion string assembly of claim 5, wherein the sleeve is within a valve segment comprising the inner tubular and the outer tubular.

7. The completion string assembly of claim 6, wherein

the outer tubular, the permeable barrier, and the inner tubular further at least partially define the inner annulus;

and

the valve segment comprises the port.

8. The completion string of claim 5, wherein the sleeve provides selective fluid communication between the inner annulus and a tubing segment by selectively closing the port.

9. The completion string assembly of claim 1, wherein the inner string comprises an elongated tubular with a diameter smaller than a diameter of the permeable barrier.

10. A completion system, comprising:

a completion string disposed within a borehole in a subterranean formation;

a tubing string disposed within the borehole above the completion string and providing fluid communication from the surface of the formation to the completion string through an internal bore within the tubing string;

a plurality of expandable sealing assemblies, wherein at least a first expandable sealing assembly of the plurality of expandable sealing assemblies is coupled to the tubing string at a first segment and at least a second expandable sealing assembly of the plurality of expandable sealing assemblies is coupled to the tubing string at a second segment;

an isolated annulus formed between the first expandable sealing assembly and the second expandable sealing assembly, wherein the isolated annulus is in fluid communication with the subterranean formation;

a permeable barrier coupled to the tubing string;

a remotely-controllable valve segment of the tubing string, wherein the remotely-controllable valve segment comprises;

an outer tubular coupled between the permeable barrier and the first expandable sealing assembly;

an inner tubular coupled to an inner string at least partially disposed within the permeable barrier, wherein the inner string defines an inner annulus within the completion string, wherein the inner annulus is further defined by the permeable barrier, a lower seal in the second expandable sealing assembly, the inner tubular and the outer tubular, and wherein the permeable barrier comprises a screen that provides an open flow channel between the isolated annulus and the inner annulus;

a port between the isolated annulus and the internal bore, wherein the port provides selective fluid communication between the isolated annulus and the internal bore through the permeable barrier by selective fluid communication between the inner annulus and the internal bore; and

a plurality of remotely-controllable valves coupled to the completion string and the tubing string and responsive to at least one downhole trigger condition to provide selective fluid communication between the internal bore and the inner annulus by selectively blocking the port, wherein at least one of the plurality of remotely-controllable valves is responsive to a different at least one downhole trigger condition of the borehole from at least one other of the plurality of remotely-controllable valves.

11. The completion system of claim 10, wherein the at least one downhole trigger condition comprises at least one of a downhole pressure condition and a downhole temperature condition.

12. The completion system of claim 10, wherein the at least one downhole trigger condition comprises at least a downhole pressure condition, and wherein the downhole pressure condition comprises an ambient pressure condition or a surface-applied pressure condition.

13. The completion system of claim 10, wherein the at least one of the plurality of remotely-controllable valves comprises

at least one of a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor;

a controller coupled to at least one of the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor; and

a valve assembly actuatable by the controller.

14. The completion system of claim 13, wherein the valve assembly comprises:

at least one of a hydraulic pump and an electric motor coupled to the controller; and

a sleeve axially movable by one of the hydraulic pump and the electric motor.

15. A method for completing a well within a subterranean formation, comprising:

positioning a tubing string that at least partially defines an internal bore within a wellbore in the subterranean formation, wherein the tubing string comprises an upper tubing string assembly and a lower tubing string assembly;

forming an annulus between the tubing string and the wellbore, the annulus defined on at least one end by at least one of a plurality of expandable sealing assemblies of a remotely-controllable valve segment, wherein at least a first expandable sealing assembly of the plurality of expandable sealing assemblies is at a first segment of the tubing string and at least a second expandable sealing assembly of the plurality of expandable sealing assemblies is at a second segment of the tubing string;

providing, by a screen of a permeable barrier of the remotely-controllable valve segment, an open flow channel between the annulus and an inner annulus, wherein the inner annulus is defined by an inner tubular of the remotely-controllable valve segment coupled to an inner string of the remotely-controllable valve segment, wherein the inner annulus is further defined by the permeable barrier, a lower seal in the second expandable sealing assembly, the inner tubular and an outer tubular that is coupled between the permeable barrier the first expandable sealing assembly;

providing, by a first remotely-controllable valve of the remotely-controllable valve segment, selective fluid communication between a first internal bore of the lower tubing string assembly and the annulus based, at least in part, on at least one of a downhole pressure condition and a downhole temperature condition by selectively blocking a first port of the first remotely-controllable valve positioned between the annulus and the first internal bore; and

providing, by a second remotely-controllable valve of the remotely-controllable valve segment, selective fluid communication between a second internal bore of the upper tubing string assembly and the annulus based, at least in part, on a different one of the at least one of the downhole pressure condition of the wellbore and the downhole temperature condition of the wellbore by selectively blocking a second port of the remotely-controllable valve positioned between the annulus and the second internal bore.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein providing selective fluid communication between at least one of the first and the second internal bores of at least one of the lower tubing string assembly and the upper tubing string assembly and the annulus based, at least in part, on the at least one of the downhole pressure condition and the downhole temperature condition comprises actuating at least one of the first and the second remotely-controllable valves in response to the at least one of the downhole pressure condition and the downhole temperature condition.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein actuating the at least one of the first and the second remotely-controllable valves in response to the at least one of the downhole pressure condition and the downhole temperature condition comprises:

measuring at least one of the downhole pressure condition and the downhole temperature condition with at least one of a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor of the at least one of the first and the second remotely-controllable valves;

receiving the measurement at a controller coupled to at least one of the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor; and

actuating a valve assembly coupled to the controller based, at least in part, on the received measurement.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein actuating the valve assembly coupled to the controller comprises triggering at least one of a hydraulic pump and an electric motor coupled to the controller to move a sleeve within the first internal bore.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein providing selective fluid communication between at least one of the first and the second internal bores and the annulus comprises providing selective fluid communication between the at least one of the first and the second internal bores and the annulus through a permeable barrier of the tubing string.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein providing selective fluid communication between the at least one of the first and the second internal bores and the annulus comprises providing selective fluid communication between the at least one of the first and the second internal bores and the inner annulus at least partially defined by the inner string of the tubing string and the permeable barrier.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein

forming the annulus between the tubing string and the wellbore comprises:

forming an isolated annulus defined on one end by an expandable packer of the plurality of expandable sealing assemblies and on another end by a sump packer of the plurality of expandable sealing assemblies; and

actuating at least one of the first and the second remotely-controllable valves in response to at least one of the downhole pressure condition and the downhole temperature condition comprises;

opening the at least one of the first and the second remotely-controllable valves to allow slurry pumped within the at least one of the first and the second internal bores of the tubing string to enter the isolated annulus; and

closing the at least one of the first and the second remotely-controllable valves to prevent fluids from the subterranean formation from entering the at least one of the first and the second internal bores of the tubing string.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein

forming the annulus between the tubing string and the wellbore comprises forming an annulus that extends to the top of the wellbore;

and

actuating the at least one of the first and the second remotely-controllable valves in response to at least one of the downhole pressure condition and the downhole temperature condition comprises;

opening the at least one of the first and the second remotely-controllable valves to allow fluid pumped within at least one of the first and the second internal bores of the tubing string to circulate through the annulus to the surface of the subterranean formation; and

closing the at least one of the first and the second remotely-controllable valves to engage with a seal assembly.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein providing selective fluid communication between at least one of the first and the second the internal bores of the at least one of the lower tubing string assembly and the upper tubing string assembly and the annulus based, at least in part, on at least one of the downhole pressure condition and the downhole temperature condition comprises actuating at least one of the first or the second remotely-controlled valves in response to the at least the downhole pressure condition, and wherein the downhole pressure condition comprises at least one of an ambient pressure condition or a surface-applied pressure condition.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein positioning the tubing string within the wellbore comprises positioning the tubing string within one of a single cased wellbore and a cased wellbore with a liner.