Technique and apparatus for completing multiple zones

• US 7,322,417 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2005
• Issued: 01/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Mitrea, Liana M., Sharma, Ashish, Rytlewski, Gary L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bagnell; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANDREWS, DAVID L
• Application Number:
  US11/081,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20060124312A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 166/308.1, 166/386, 166/177.5, 166/313, 166/318, 166/319, 166/320, 166/321, 166/329
• US Class Current: 166/313
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 23/02 for locking the tools or the like in landing nipples or in recesses between adjacent sections of tubing E21B23/03 - E21B23/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/14 Obtaining from a multiple-zone well
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/26 by forming crevices or fractures

Abstract

An apparatus that is usable with a well includes a string and a plurality of tools that are mounted in the string. The string includes a passageway. The tools are mounted in the string and are adapted to be placed in a state to catch objects (free-falling objects and/or pumped-down objects, as just a few examples) of substantially the same size, which are communicated downhole through the passageway.

Claims

1. An apparatus usable with a well, comprising:

a string comprising a passageway; and

a plurality of tools mounted in the string and being adapted to be placed in a state to catch objects of substantially the same size communicated downhole through the passageway,

wherein each of said plurality of tools, when placed in the state, restricts its inner diameter from a larger size to a size smaller than said same size to catch one of the objects.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sizes of the objects vary less than approximately 0.125 inches.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the objects comprise at least one of a free-falling object and a pumped down object.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein only one of the plurality of tools is placed in the state at any one time.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of tools, when placed in the state, restricts its inner diameter to the same size to catch the object.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of tools are adapted to be placed in the states according to a sequence.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the sequence is based on a position of the tool in the string.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the sequence comprises a sequence in which the tools are placed in the state with each lower tool occurring in the sequence before an upper tool.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of tools is adapted to place another one of the tools in the state in response to said each tool performing a downhole function.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of tools comprises valves.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the tools is adapted to restrict a flow passageway through the tool in response to the tool catching one of the objects and use the restriction of the flow to activate the tool.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said at least one of the tools comprises a valve comprising a sleeve adapted to respond to a force communicated through the restricted flow to open the valve.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the valve further comprises a port adapted to communicate pressure to place another one of the tools in the state in response to the opening of the valve.

14. An apparatus usable with a well, comprising:

a tubular member comprising a passageway;

a first tool attached to the tubular member, the first tool adapted to be placed in a state to catch a first object communicated through the passageway and perform an operation after catching the first object; and

a second tool attached to the tubular member and adapted to transition to a state to catch a second object communicated through the passageway in response to the operation,

wherein the first object is communicated through a passageway of the second tool.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first object and the second object comprise spheres of the same size.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one of the first tool and the second tool comprises a valve.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first tool comprises a valve comprising a sleeve operable to open and close the valve, wherein the sleeve opens to perform the operation and the opening of the sleeve establishes a fluid communication path to cause the second tool to transition to the state to catch the second object.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first tool comprises:

a sleeve adapted to form a seat to catch the first object to place the first tool in the state.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second tool comprises:

a sleeve adapted to form a seat to catch the first object to place the second tool in the state.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein

the second tool comprises a surface to be contacted by the first object after the second tool transitions to the state to catch the second object, the surface being adapted to prevent a seal from forming between the first object and the surface.

21. A method usable with a well, comprising:

providing a string having a plurality of tools and a passageway extending through the tools; and

without running an activation tool into the passageway, selectively activating the tools of the string according to a sequence to cause each activated tool to transition from a first state in which the activated tool is configured to allow a free-falling object to pass through the passageway to a second state in which the activated tool is configured to catch the free-falling object.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the sequence is based on a position of the tool in the string.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the act of activating comprises:

activating lower tools of the string before activating upper tools of the string.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the act of activating occurs in response to one of the tools of the string performing a downhole function.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the plurality of tools comprises valves.

33. The method of claim 21, wherein the tools comprise at least one valve and the well contains cement in an annular region between said at least one valve and a formation, the method further comprising:

communicating fluid through said at least one valve to perform at least one of treating and fracturing the formation.

34. The method of claim 21, wherein the tools comprise valves, the method further comprising:

communicating fluid through the valves and surrounding cement to fracture a formation.

26. A method usable with a well, comprising:

dropping a first object into a passageway of a string;

catching the first object downhole in a first tool and allowing the first object to pass through a second tool;

after the catching, exerting pressure in the passageway to cause the first tool to perform an operation, the operation producing a pressure change downhole; and

responding to the pressure change to transition the second tool from a first state in which the second tool is configured to permit a second object communicated through the string to pass through the second tool into a second state in which the second tool is configured to catch the second object.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the first object and the second object comprise spheres of the same size.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein at least one of the first tool and the second tool comprises a valve.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the first tool comprises a valve, the method further comprising:

opening the valve to produce the pressure change.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the act of responding comprises:

compressing a sleeve of the second valve to form a seat to catch the second object.

31. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

flowing the first object upstream to cause the second tool to transition the second tool from the second state to the first state.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein the flowing comprises:

using the first object to contact a radially compressed mechanism of the second tool to force the mechanism into an annular region in which the mechanism radially expands.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein the well contains cement in an annular region between the valve and a formation, the method further comprising:

communicating fluid through the valve to perform at least one of treating and fracturing the formation.

36. The method of claim 26, wherein the first and second tools comprises valves the method further comprising:

communicating fluid through the valves and surrounding cement to fracture a formation.

37. A method usable with a well, comprising:

providing a string comprising a passageway and a plurality of tools; and

adapting the tools to catch objects of substantially the same size communicated downhole through the passageway such that each of said plurality of tools, when placed in a state, restricts its inner diameter to the same size from a larger size to catch the object.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the sizes of the objects vary less than approximately 0.125 inches.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the objects comprise at least one of a free-falling object and a pumped down object.

40. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the plurality of tools are adapted to be placed in the states according to a sequence.