WELLBORE SCREEN, FILTER MEDIUM, AND METHOD

• US 20160024895A1
• Filed: 10/16/2013
• Published: 01/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Absolute Completion Technologies Ltd., Porous Metal Filter Inc.
• Original Assignee: Absolute Completion Technologies Ltd., Porous Metal Filter Inc.
• Inventors: RUSSELL, Thane Geoffrey, KENNEY, Rick, HARMAT, Fred
• Application Number:
  US14/436,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20160024895A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 29/111 Making filtering elements
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 35/02 Filters adapted for location in special places, e.g. pipe-lines, pumps, stop-cocks, B01D35/05 takes precedence; water pipe system filters E03B3/18, E03B7/07; dirt catchers in sewers E03F; filters or strainers for pipe-lines in general B08B, E03F; object or dirt catching devices in sinks or the like E03C1/26; suction strainers or filters for pumps F04B53/005, F04D29/70
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 39/10 Filter screens essentially made of metal
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 39/12 of wire gauze; of knitted wire; of expanded metal
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/084 Screens comprising woven materials, e.g. mesh or cloth

Abstract

There is provided a wellbore screen having a base pipe and a strip of filter medium wrapped around the base pipe. The strip of filter medium includes one or more layers of woven steel mesh of various weave patterns, fibers sizes, and/or thread tensions. During the construction of the screen, the strip is wrapped around the base pipe under high tension. The strip has two lengthwise edges that may overlap to form a bonded interface.

Claims

1. A filter medium comprising at least two layers of woven metal meshes that differ from one another in at least one of:

weave pattern, weave direction, fiber size, and fiber tension.

2. The filter medium of claim 1 wherein fibers in the at least two layers of woven metal meshes are roughly circular or roughly triangular in cross-section and are in the range of 20 to 485 μ

m in thickness.

3. The filter medium of claim 1 having a weight between about 20 and about 180 grams per meter length of the filter medium.

4. The filter medium of claim 1 having a filter bed with a thickness between about 1/64″

and about ⅜

″ and

a density between about 0.1 and about 10 g/cm³.

5. The filter medium of claim 1 wherein the thicknesses of the fibers in one of the at least two layers of woven metal meshes are not uniform.

6. The filter medium of claim 1 wherein one of the at least two layers of woven metal meshes has an x/y twill weave pattern, wherein x is 1 and y is greater than 2.

7. The filter medium of claim 1 having pore sizes in the range of 5 to 650 μ

m.

8. The filter medium of claim 1 having an initial permeability between about 1310 and about 1950 Darcys.

9. The filter medium of claim 1 having an initial permeability greater than 1950 Darcys.

10. A wellbore screen comprising:

an apertured base pipe;

an intermediate filtering layer including a filter medium wrapped around the apertured base pipe, the filter medium comprising at least two layers of woven metal meshes, the at least two layers of woven metal meshes differ from one another in at least one of;

weave pattern, weave direction, fiber size, and fiber tension; and

an outer apertured shell over the intermediate layer.

11. The wellbore screen of claim 10 wherein fibers in the at least two layers of woven metal meshes are roughly circular or roughly triangular in cross-section and are in the range of 20 to 485 μ

m in thickness.

12. The wellbore screen of claim 10 wherein the filter medium has a weight between about 20 and about 180 grams per meter length of the filter medium.

13. The wellbore screen of claim 10 wherein the filter medium has a filter bed with a thickness between about 1/64″

and about ⅜

″ and

a density between about 0.1 and about 10 g/cm³.

14. The wellbore screen of claim 10 wherein the thicknesses of the fibers in one of the at least two layers of woven metal meshes are not uniform.

15. The wellbore screen of claim 10 wherein one of the at least two layers of woven metal meshes has an x/y twill weave pattern, wherein x is 1 and y is greater than 2.

16. The wellbore screen of claim 10 wherein the filter medium has pore sizes in the range of 5 to 650 μ

m.

17. The wellbore screen of claim 10 wherein the filter medium has an initial permeability between about 1310 and about 1950 Darcys. 18, The wellbore screen of claim 10 wherein the filter medium has an initial permeability greater than 1950 Darcys.

19. The wellbore screen of claim 10 wherein the filter medium is a strip that is wrapped helically about the apertured base pipe.

20. The wellbore screen of claim 19 wherein the strip is between about 1″

and about 8″

in width.

21. The wellbore screen of claim 19 wherein the strip has lengthwise edges, and at least a portion of the lengthwise edges overlap to form an interface.

22. The wellbore screen of claim 21 wherein the interface is bonded by at least one of:

tension, welding, adhesives, fusion, clamping, pressure, and heat.

23. The wellbore screen of claim 21 wherein the lengthwise edges are shaped to mate at the interface.

24. The wellbore screen of claim 21 wherein the base pipe includes channels on its outer surface.

25. A wellbore screen comprising:

an apertured base pipe;

an outer apertured shell over the apertured base pipe; and

filter cartridges comprising a filter medium, the filter cartridges being disposed in at least some of the apertures of one or both of the apertured base pipe and the outer apertured shell, the filter medium comprising at least two layers of woven metal meshes, the at least two layers of woven metal meshes differ from one another in at least one of;

weave pattern, weave direction, fiber size, and fiber tension.

26. The wellbore screen of claim 25 wherein fibers in the at least two layers of woven metal meshes are roughly circular or roughly triangular in cross-section and are in the range of 20 to 485 μ

m in thickness.

27. The wellbore screen of claim 25 wherein the filter medium has a weight between about 20 and about 180 grams per meter length of the filter medium.

28. The wellbore screen of claim 25 wherein the filter medium has a filter bed with a thickness between about 1/64″

and about ⅜

″ and

a density between about 0.1 and about 10 g/cm³.

29. The wellbore screen of claim 25 wherein the thicknesses of the fibers in one of the at least two layers of woven metal meshes are not uniform.

30. The wellbore screen of claim 25 wherein one of the at least two layers of woven metal meshes has an x/y twill weave pattern, wherein x is 1 and y is greater than 2.

31. The wellbore screen of claim 25 wherein the filter medium has pore sizes in the range of 5 to 650 μ

m.

32. The wellbore screen of claim 25 wherein the filter medium has an initial permeability between about 1310 and about 1950 Darcys.

33. The wellbore screen of claim 25 wherein the filter medium has an initial permeability greater than 1950 Darcys.

34. A method for producing a wellbore screen, the method comprising:

forming a filter tube by wrapping an intermediate layer, including a filter medium strip, about an apertured base pipe in a helical arrangement under tension, the filter medium strip comprising at least two layers of woven metal meshes, the at least two layers of woven metal meshes differ from one another in at least one of;

weave pattern, weave direction, fiber size, and fiber tension;

positioning the filter tube within the long bore of an outer apertured sleeve; and

securing the outer apertured sleeve and the filter tube together.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein wrapping includes securing a starting end of the filter medium strip to the apertured base pipe;

rotating the apertured base pipe about its axis; and

applying a pulling tension to the filter medium strip to draw the filter medium strip in a helical orientation on to the apertured base pipe.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the pulling tension is between about 10 lbsf and about 5000 lbsf.

37. The method of claim 35 wherein the filter medium strip is carried on a supply roll and the pulling tension is applied by a brake in the supply roll.

38. The method of claim 35 wherein the filter medium strip is carried on a supply roll and the pulling tension is applied by clamping the filter medium strip after the filter medium strip rolls out of the supply roll.

39. The method of claim 34 wherein fibers in the at least two layers of woven metal meshes are roughly circular or roughly triangular in cross-section and are in the range of 20 to 485 μ

m in thickness.

40. The method of claim 34 wherein the filter medium strip has a weight between about 20 and about 180 grams per meter length of the filter medium strip.

41. The method of claim 34 wherein the filter medium strip has a filter bed with a thickness between about 1/64″

and about ⅜

″ and

a density between about 0.1 and about 10 g/cm³.

42. The method of claim 34 wherein the thicknesses of the fibers in one of the at least two layers of woven metal meshes are not uniform.

43. The method of claim 34 wherein one of the at least two layers of woven metal meshes has an x/y twill weave pattern, wherein x is 1 and y is greater than 2.

44. The method of claim 34 wherein the filter medium strip has pore sizes in the range of 5 to 650 μ

m.

45. The method of claim 34 wherein the filter medium strip has an initial permeability between about 1310 and about 1950 Darcys.

46. The method of claim 34 wherein the filter medium strip has an initial permeability greater than 1950 Darcys.

47. The method of claim 34 wherein the filter medium strip is between about 1″

and about 8″

in width.

48. The method of claim 34 wherein the filter medium has lengthwise edges, and the method further comprising overlapping at least a portion of the lengthwise edges to form an interface.

49. The method of claim 48 further comprising bonding the interface by at least one of:

tension, welding, adhesives, fusion, clamping, pressure, and heat.

50. The method of claim 48 wherein the lengthwise edges are shaped to mate at the interface.

51. The method of claim 37 wherein the supply roll rides along an axis parallel to the apertured base pipe.