Patent
One trip toe-to-heel gravel pack and liner cementing assembly
| العنوان: | One trip toe-to-heel gravel pack and liner cementing assembly |
|---|---|
| Patent Number: | 9,260,950 |
| تاريخ النشر: | February 16, 2016 |
| Appl. No: | 13/345418 |
| Application Filed: | January 06, 2012 |
| مستخلص: | A gravel packing assembly gravel packs a horizontal borehole. Operators wash down the borehole using an inner string in a first position by flowing fluid from the inner string through the apparatus' toe. Operators then gravel pack by moving the inner string to one or more flow ports between a screen and the toe. Slurry flows into the borehole from the flow ports, and returns from the borehole flow through the screen. The gravel in the slurry can pack the borehole in an alpha-beta wave from toe to heel. In another condition, operators can move the inner string to a second flow port so slurry can flow into the borehole through a shunt extending from the second flow port. When gravel packing is done, operators move the inner string to a port collar in a liner of the assembly to cement the liner in the borehole. |
| Inventors: | Broussard, John P. (Kingwood, TX, US); Hall, Christopher (Cypress, TX, US); van Petegem, Ronald (Montgomery, TX, US); Arrazola, Alvaro J. (Houston, TX, US) |
| Assignees: | Weatherford Technologies Holdings, LLC (Houston, TX, US) |
| Claim: | 1. A gravel pack-cementing apparatus for a borehole, the apparatus comprising: a body being deployable in the borehole and having a body passage, a toe, and a heel, the body defining at least one gravel pack port toward the toe, a returns port toward the heel, and a cementing port between the at least one gravel pack port and the returns port, the body having at least one screen disposed between the at least one gravel pack port and the cementing port; and an inner string being movably deployable in the body passage and defining a string passage with at least one outlet port, the inner string moved to a first selective condition in the body passage sealing the at least one outlet port with the at least one gravel pack port and communicating gravel pack slurry from the string passage to the borehole from the at least one gravel pack port, the at least one screen receiving gravel pack returns as the gravel pack slurry travels in the borehole toward the heel and communicating the gravel pack returns from the borehole to the body passage, and the inner string moved to a second selective condition sealing the at least one outlet port with the cementing port and communicating cementing slurry from the string passage to the borehole from the at least one cementing port, the returns port receiving cementing returns as the cementing slurry travels in the borehole toward the heel and communicating the cementing returns from the borehole to the body passage. |
| Claim: | 2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the body comprises a liner disposed in the borehole from a liner hanger. |
| Claim: | 3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the liner defines the returns port and the cementing port. |
| Claim: | 4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the liner hanger defines the returns port. |
| Claim: | 5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the body comprises an isolating element disposed between the at least one screen and the cementing port and isolating uphole and downhole portions of the borehole. |
| Claim: | 6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one outlet port of the inner string comprises a gravel pack outlet port and comprises a cementing outlet port disposed uphole of the gravel pack outlet port, and wherein the inner string comprises a valve selectively closing off fluid communication of the string passage with the gravel pack outlet port. |
| Claim: | 7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the valve comprises a sleeve movably disposed in the string passage and sliding open relative to the cementing outlet port in response to applied pressure on a dropped ball seated in the sliding sleeve. |
| Claim: | 8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the dropped ball prevents fluid communication in the string passage to the gravel pack outlet port. |
| Claim: | 9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the cementing and returns ports comprises a valve selectively opening fluid communication therethrough. |
| Claim: | 10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the valve comprises a sleeve disposed in the string passage and selectively movable relative to the at least one of the cementing and returns ports. |
| Claim: | 11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the inner string comprises a shifter mechanically moving the sleeve when disposed relative thereto. |
| Claim: | 12. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a first path device extending from the at least one gravel pack port and communicating gravel pack slurry from the at least one gravel pack port to the borehole. |
| Claim: | 13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the first path device delivers gravel pack slurry to the borehole toward the toe of the body. |
| Claim: | 14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the inner string in the first selective condition gravel packs the borehole from the toe to the heel. |
| Claim: | 15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the inner string in the second selective condition delivers cementing slurry from the toe to the heel of the body. |
| Claim: | 16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the body defines a toe port in the toe of the body, and wherein the inner string moved to a third selective condition in the body passage seals the at least one outlet port with the toe port and communicates the string passage with the borehole. |
| Claim: | 17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the toe port comprises a valve controlling communication through the toe port. |
| Claim: | 18. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one gravel pack port comprise first and second gravel pack ports, and wherein the at least one screen comprises a first screen disposed on the body between the first and second gravel pack ports and comprises a second screen disposed on the body uphole of the second gravel pack port. |
| Claim: | 19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein in a first stage of the first selective condition, the at least one outlet port communicates gravel pack slurry to the borehole through the first gravel pack port; and wherein at least one of the first and second screens communicates the gravel pack returns from the borehole into the body passage. |
| Claim: | 20. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein in a second stage of the first selective condition, the at least one outlet port communicates gravel pack slurry to the borehole through an alternative path device connected to the second gravel pack port; and wherein the body comprises a bypass communicating gravel pack returns from the borehole into the body passage. |
| Claim: | 21. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of arrangements of the at least one screen and the at least one gravel pack port disposed along the body between the toe and the cementing port. |
| Claim: | 22. The apparatus of claim 21 , further comprising a plurality of isolating elements disposed on the body between the arrangements of the at least one screen and the at least one gravel pack port. |
| Claim: | 23. A gravel pack-cementing apparatus for a borehole, the apparatus comprising: a body being deployable in the borehole and having a body passage, a toe, and a heel, the body defining at least one gravel pack port toward the toe, a returns port toward the heel, and a cementing port between the at least one gravel pack port and the returns port, the body having at least one screen disposed between the at least one gravel pack port and the cementing port; and an inner string being movably deployable in the body passage and defining a string passage with at least one outlet port, means for selectively gravel packing a first portion of the borehole around the at least one screen from toe to heel (a) with gravel pack slurry communicated from the string passage to the borehole from the at least one gravel pack port, and (b) with gravel pack returns communicated from the borehole to the body passage through the at least one screen as the gravel pack slurry travels in the borehole toward the heel, and means for selectively cementing a second portion of the borehole around the body from toe to heel (a) with cementing slurry communicated from the string passage to the borehole from the at least one cementing port, and (b) with cementing returns received from the borehole to the body passage through the returns port as the cementing slurry travels in the borehole toward the heel. |
| Claim: | 24. A gravel pack-cementing method for a borehole, the method comprising: deploying an apparatus in the borehole, the apparatus having a toe and a heel; deploying an inner string in a passage of the apparatus; moving at least one outlet port of the inner string to at least one gravel pack port disposed between at least one screen and the toe on the apparatus; gravel packing a first portion of the borehole around the apparatus from the toe to the heel by flowing gravel pack slurry through the at least one gravel pack port into the borehole and receiving gravel pack returns from the borehole to the body passage through the at least one screen as the gravel pack slurry travels in the borehole toward the heel; moving the at least one outlet port of the inner string to a cementing port disposed between the at least one screen and a returns port toward the heel on the apparatus; and cementing a second portion of the borehole around the apparatus from the toe to the heel by flowing cementing slurry through the cementing port into the borehole and receiving cementing returns from the borehole to the body passage through the returns port as the cementing slurry travels in the borehole toward the heel. |
| Claim: | 25. The method of claim 24 , wherein deploying the apparatus in the borehole comprises hanging a liner in the borehole from a liner hanger in a casing. |
| Claim: | 26. The method of claim 25 , wherein the liner defines the returns port and the cementing port. |
| Claim: | 27. The method of claim 25 , wherein the liner hanger defines the returns port. |
| Claim: | 28. The method of claim 24 , further comprising isolating uphole and downhole portions of the borehole between the at least one screen and the cementing port. |
| Claim: | 29. The method of claim 24 , wherein the at least one outlet port on the inner string comprises first and second outlet ports, and wherein gravel packing comprises flowing gravel packing slurry from the first outlet port, and wherein cementing comprises flowing cementing slurry from the second outlet port. |
| Claim: | 30. The method of claim 29 , wherein flowing from the first and second outlet ports comprises selectively opening and closing fluid communication through the first and second outlet ports. |
| Claim: | 31. The method of claim 24 , wherein flowing cementing slurry through the cementing port comprises selectively opening fluid communication through the cementing port. |
| Claim: | 32. The method of claim 24 , wherein flowing cementing slurry through the cementing port comprises selectively opening fluid communication through the return port disposed between the cementing port and the heel of the body. |
| Claim: | 33. The method of claim 24 , wherein gravel packing the first portion of the borehole around the apparatus comprises evacuating excess gravel packing slurry from the inner string into the borehole. |
| Claim: | 34. The method of claim 33 , wherein evacuating the excess gravel packing slurry comprises evacuating the excess gravel packing slurry into the borehole toward the toe of the apparatus. |
| Claim: | 35. The method of claim 33 , wherein evacuating the excess gravel packing slurry further comprises evacuating excess gravel packing slurry into the passage of the apparatus toward the toe. |
| Claim: | 36. The method of claim 33 , further comprising flowing gravel packing returns from the borehole through a bypass in the apparatus. |
| Claim: | 37. A gravel pack-cementing method for a borehole, the method comprising: deploying an apparatus in the borehole, the apparatus having a toe and a heel; deploying an inner string in a passage of the apparatus, the inner string comprising first and second outlet ports; moving the first outlet port of the inner string to at least one gravel pack port disposed between at least one screen and the toe on the apparatus; gravel packing a first portion of the borehole around the apparatus from the toe to the heel by flowing gravel pack slurry through the at least one gravel pack port into the borehole; moving the second outlet port of the inner string to a cementing port disposed between the at least one screen and the heel on the apparatus; and cementing a second portion of the borehole around the apparatus from the toe to the heel by flowing cementing slurry through the cementing port into the borehole. |
| Claim: | 38. The method of claim 37 , wherein flowing from the first and second outlet ports comprises selectively opening and closing fluid communication through the first and second outlet ports. |
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| Assistant Examiner: | Hall, Kristyn |
| Primary Examiner: | Bagnell, David |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | Blank Rome, LLP |
| رقم الانضمام: | edspgr.09260950 |
| قاعدة البيانات: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| الوصف غير متاح. |