U.S. patent application number 13/933374 was filed with the patent office on 2015-01-08 for selective plugging element and method of selectively plugging a channel therewith.
This patent application is currently assigned to BAKER HUGHES INCORPORATED. The applicant listed for this patent is Louis F. Lafleur. Invention is credited to Louis F. Lafleur.
Application Number | 20150008003 13/933374 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52132032 |
Filed Date | 2015-01-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150008003 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lafleur; Louis F. |
January 8, 2015 |
SELECTIVE PLUGGING ELEMENT AND METHOD OF SELECTIVELY PLUGGING A
CHANNEL THEREWITH
Abstract
An assembly for assisting performance of an operation involving
a hardenable fluid in an axial flowbore of a casing string
including a carrier disposed at the casing string. An operative
device is carried by the carrier. A channel connects between the
operative device and the axial flowbore. A plugging element is
positioned in the channel that protects the operative device by
preventing the hardenable fluid from entering the channel, and the
plugging element is reconfigurable to selectively permit
communication between the operative device and the axial flowbore
via the channel. A method of protecting and using an operative
device disposed at a casing string is also included.
Inventors: |
Lafleur; Louis F.; (Cypress,
TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Lafleur; Louis F. |
Cypress |
TX |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
BAKER HUGHES INCORPORATED
Houston
TX
|
Family ID: |
52132032 |
Appl. No.: |
13/933374 |
Filed: |
July 2, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
166/386 ;
166/181 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21B 47/01 20130101;
E21B 37/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
166/386 ;
166/181 |
International
Class: |
E21B 33/13 20060101
E21B033/13; E21B 33/12 20060101 E21B033/12 |
Claims
1. An assembly for assisting performance of an operation involving
a hardenable fluid in an axial flowbore of a casing string,
comprising: a carrier disposed at the casing string; an operative
device carried by the carrier; a channel connecting between the
operative device and the axial flowbore; and a plugging element
positioned in the channel that protects the operative device by
preventing the hardenable fluid from entering the channel, the
plugging element reconfigurable to selectively permit communication
between the operative device and the axial flowbore via the
channel.
2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the plugging element is
reconfigurably responsive to a selected fluid.
3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the operative device includes a
mechanism that controls application of the selected fluid to the
plugging element.
4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the mechanism holds the
selected fluid and releases the selected fluid to reconfigure the
plugging element.
5. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the plugging element is
disintegrable in responsive to the selected fluid.
6. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the plugging element changes in
size in response to the selected fluid.
7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the plugging element includes a
swellable material that un-swells in response to the selected
fluid.
8. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the plugging element is a shape
memory material that undergoes a shape change to a remember shape
in response to the selected fluid.
9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the operation includes
cementing and the hardenable fluid includes cement.
10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the operative device includes
one or more sensing elements for measuring one or more parameters
related to the fluid.
11. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the operative device includes
a chemical injection valve.
12. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the operative device is
located within a recessed area in the carrier.
13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the recessed area is open to
an annulus between the casing string and a borehole in which the
casing string is run.
14. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the carrier is installed as a
casing joint along the casing string.
15. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the hardenable fluid is
cement.
16. A method of protecting and using an operative device disposed
at a casing string, comprising: performing an operation involving a
hardenable fluid in an axial flowbore of the casing string;
preventing the hardenable fluid from entering a channel connecting
between the operative device and the axial flowbore with a plugging
element disposed in the channel; reconfiguring the plugging element
to permit communication through the channel; and communicating
between the operative device and the axial flowbore via the
channel.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein performing the operation
includes pumping cement through the casing string and cementing the
casing string in a borehole.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the operative device includes a
sensing element and the communicating includes monitoring one or
more parameters of fluid in the axial flowbore.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein the operative device includes a
chemical injection valve and the communicating includes injecting
one or more chemicals into the axial flowbore.
20. The method of claim 16, wherein the reconfiguring includes
disintegrating the plugging element, un-swelling the plugging
element, triggering a shape memory shape change of the plugging
element, bursting the plugging element, or a combination including
at least one of the foregoing.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] There is an ever present desire in the downhole drilling and
completions industry for improved monitoring and/or control of
various fluid operations, e.g., cementing, hydraulic fracturing,
chemical injection, etc. For example, the industry would well
receive new systems that increase efficiency, increase accuracy,
decrease costs, and/or are applicable to a wider variety of
scenarios than possible with previous systems.
SUMMARY
[0002] An assembly for assisting performance of an operation
involving a hardenable fluid in an axial flowbore of a casing
string, comprising a carrier disposed at the casing string; an
operative device carried by the carrier; a channel connecting
between the operative device and the axial flowbore; and a plugging
element positioned in the channel that protects the operative
device by preventing the hardenable fluid from entering the
channel, the plugging element reconfigurable to selectively permit
communication between the operative device and the axial flowbore
via the channel.
[0003] A method of protecting and using an operative device
disposed at a casing string, comprising performing an operation
involving a hardenable fluid in an axial flowbore of the casing
string; preventing the hardenable fluid from entering a channel
connecting between the operative device and the axial flowbore with
a plugging element disposed in the channel; reconfiguring the
plugging element to permit communication through the channel; and
communicating between the operative device and the axial flowbore
via the channel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] The following descriptions should not be considered limiting
in any way. With reference to the accompanying drawings, like
elements are numbered alike:
[0005] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a borehole completion
system;
[0006] FIG. 2 is a semi-transparent side view of an assembly that
facilitates a function, operation, or process performed by or with
the system of FIG. 1;
[0007] FIG. 3 is a semi-transparent top view of the assembly of
FIG. 2;
[0008] FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a plugging element of the assembly
of FIG. 1 being removed from a communication channel; and
[0009] FIG. 6 is a view of an operative device according to an
embodiment disclosed herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the
disclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way of
exemplification and not limitation with reference to the
Figures.
[0011] FIG. 1 depicts a completion system 10 in which a casing
string 12 is installed in a borehole 14. In this embodiment the
casing string 12 is cemented within the borehole 14 by filling an
annulus 16 between the string 12 and the borehole 14 with cement.
The cement can be supplied in any desired manner, e.g., pumped down
through a port or shoe (not shown) at the end of the string 12 and
back up the annulus 16, or according to any other known or
discovered technique. Other hardenable fluids, e.g., proppant or
sand slurries, could also be pumped through the string 12.
[0012] The system 10 includes an assembly 20 having an operative
device 22 that is in selective communication, e.g., fluid
communication with an axial flowbore 24 of the casing string 12 via
a communication channel 26. The operative device 22 is carried by a
carrier 28 that is installed with, along or otherwise disposed at
the casing string 12. In one embodiment, the carrier 28 includes
threaded ends or the like in order for the carrier 28 to be secured
along the length of the casing string 12. In this way, the carrier
28 is a casing joint or section that is secured on opposite sides
to other casing joints or sections to form the casing string 12. In
this way, the channel 26 is effectively formed in or through a wall
of the casing string 12, with the operative device 22 separated
from the flowbore 24 and in communication therewith via the channel
26.
[0013] By operative device it is meant any device that is capable
of performing a function, process, or operation for or with the
system 10, or assisting in the performance of such a function,
process, or operation, specifically requiring communication with
the flowbore 24, e.g., fluid communication, pressure communication,
etc. Alternatively stated, the operative device 22 relies upon
interaction with fluid within the flowbore 24 in order to function
to its desired end, be it direct contact with the fluid, or
indirectly via some intermediary interface. In one embodiment, the
operative device 22 is a chemical injection valve that selectively
enables chemical injection via the fluid communication channel 26.
In the illustrated embodiment, the operative device 22 includes a
pair of sensing elements 30 for enabling the assembly 20 to monitor
one or more parameters of fluid within the flowbore 24, e.g.,
temperature, pressure, etc. The sensing elements 30 can include
relevant components, e.g., sensors, transmitters, receivers, or
other communication devices or electronics, etc.
[0014] An instrumentation line 32 extending to surface or another
location in the system 10 can be included to provide power, fluid,
signal, and/or data communication with the device 22. In one
embodiment, the instrumentation line 32 is a tubing encapsulated
conductor, although in other embodiments the line 32 can be or
include chemical injection line, hydraulic control line, fiber
optic line, etc. The device 22 also includes a connector 34 to form
a fluid pressure bearing connection between the device 22 and the
channel 26. As shown in FIG. 3, the device 22 can be located within
a recessed area 35 in the carrier 28, e.g., to protect the device
22 during run-in. It is to be noted that the device 22 is
illustrated as being open to the annulus 16, but in other
embodiments a cover or other member can be disposed over the
recessed area 35 to provide further protection and fluidly isolate
the device 22 from the annulus 16. A clamp 36 or other fastener can
be included to assist in securing the device 22 to the carrier
28.
[0015] Although communication between the device 22 and the
flowbore 24 is required in order for the device 22 to properly
perform one or more of its functions, operations, or processes,
such communication may not be initially desired in order to protect
the device 22 from cement or other hardenable fluids that are
pumped through string 12. For example, in the example above,
communication through the channel 26 could be impaired or
compromised if cement enters and cures within the channel 26, if
sand grains or solid particulate of proppant slurry become
compacted within the channel 26, or some other hardenable fluid
clogs, blocks, or otherwise at least partially fills the channel
26. In order to initially protect the channel 26 from becoming
clogged, blocked, or impeded by a hardenable fluid, communication
through the channel 26 is prevented by a plugging element 38, as
shown in FIG. 4. The plugging element 38 is reconfigurable between
a first configuration in which communication between the flowbore
24 and the channel 26 is blocked and a second configuration in
which communication is permitted. For example, FIG. 4 depicts the
plugging element 38 in a first relatively larger size or
configuration in which the plugging element 38 impedes
communication between the device 22 and the flowbore 24, while FIG.
5 depicts the channel 26 after the plugging element 38 has changed
dimensions and fallen out of the channel 26, been urged out of the
channel 26. It is noted that the plugging element 38 may remain
positioned in the channel 26, but change in shape, size, or
dimension in order to permit fluid flow or other communication
through the channel 26.
[0016] Specifically, the plugging element 38 can be selected from a
material or having a structure that is reconfigurable in response
to a selected fluid and/or a fluid having a selected property. In
this way, the channel 26 can be selectively opened by exposing the
plugging element 38 to the selected fluid, thereby triggering the
plugging element 38 to reconfigure for providing the aforementioned
communication between the device 22 and the flowbore 24. The
application of the selected fluid to the plugging element 38 can be
set a desired time or following a selected event, e.g., after
cementing operations through the string 12 have completed. In one
embodiment, the selected fluid is provided through the axial
flowbore 24.
[0017] The plugging element 38 can be made from a variety of
materials and responsive to a variety of fluids in order to
selectively permit communication through the channel 26. For
example, in one embodiment, the plugging element 38 is made at
least partially from a material that is disintegrable in response
to a corresponding fluid. By disintegrable, it is meant that the
material is disintegrated, dissolved, consumed, decomposed, or
otherwise removed due to interaction with the selected fluid. In
one embodiment, the disintegrable material is the material made
commercially available from Baker Hughes Incorporated under the
name INTALLIC.TM. and the selected fluid includes brine, acid, etc.
According to one embodiment, the plugging element 38 is a swellable
material that can absorb one or more fluids (e.g., oil or water) in
order to increase in size. By exposing the swellable material to a
selected fluid to which the swellable material does not swellably
respond, the absorbed fluid can be displaced or otherwise forced or
drawn out of the plugging element 38 to cause the element 38 to
shrink, compress, un-swell, or otherwise change in size in order to
permit communication through the channel 26. In one embodiment, the
plugging element 38 is made at least partially from a shape-memory
material (e.g., polymer, alloy, etc.) and the selected fluid
conveys a corresponding transition stimulus, e.g., temperature, pH,
etc., suitable for triggering the shape memory material to revert
to a remembered shape having dimensions smaller than the channel
26. It is also noted that the plugging element 38 could take the
form of a rupture disk that is responsive to fluid pressure.
[0018] An operative device 40 according to another embodiment is
depicted in FIG. 6. In the illustrated embodiment, the operative
device 40 includes one of the sensing elements 30, although a
chemical injection valve or other tool could be alternatively
included, as noted above. In addition to the sensing element 30 or
other device, the operatively device 40 includes a mechanism 42 for
opening the channel 26 by triggering the reconfiguring of the
plugging element 38. For example, in one embodiment the mechanism
42 is or includes a chamber filled with the selected fluid to which
the plugging element 38 is reconfigurably responsive. Thus, the
reconfiguring mechanism can be a brine, acid, etc., for
disintegrating the plugging element 38, a fluid having a predefined
temperature, pH, etc., for trigging a shape-memory shape change of
the plugging element 38, a pressurized fluid for bursting the
plugging element 38, a non-absorptive fluid that causes the
plugging element 38 to un-swell, etc. The mechanism 42 can include
a valve, pistons, etc., or any other components to assist in
releasing the selected fluid at a desired time, pressuring up the
selected fluid, urging the selected fluid to the plugging element
38, etc. The mechanism 42 can be controlled via signals and/or
power delivered through the instrumentation line 32.
[0019] While the invention has been described with reference to an
exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those
skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents
may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the
scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made
to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the
invention without departing from the essential scope thereof
Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the
particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for
carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include
all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims. Also, in
the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed
exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms
may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a
generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of
limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so
limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not
denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second,
etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore,
the use of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of
quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the
referenced item.
* * * * *