U.S. patent application number 14/488922 was filed with the patent office on 2016-03-17 for treating and completion system and method of treating a formation.
This patent application is currently assigned to BAKER HUGHES INCORPORATED. The applicant listed for this patent is Robert D. Morton, Andrea Nino-Penaloza, Ronnie David Russell, Sharon Yunhong Wang. Invention is credited to Robert D. Morton, Andrea Nino-Penaloza, Ronnie David Russell, Sharon Yunhong Wang.
Application Number | 20160076343 14/488922 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 55454255 |
Filed Date | 2016-03-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160076343 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wang; Sharon Yunhong ; et
al. |
March 17, 2016 |
TREATING AND COMPLETION SYSTEM AND METHOD OF TREATING A
FORMATION
Abstract
A method of treating a formation includes, running a first
string having at least one first port into a completion string
having a plurality of second ports, flowing treating fluid through
the first string, and flowing treating fluid through the at least
one first port and through at least one of the plurality of second
ports and into the formation
Inventors: |
Wang; Sharon Yunhong;
(Spring, TX) ; Morton; Robert D.; (Kingwood,
TX) ; Russell; Ronnie David; (Cypress, TX) ;
Nino-Penaloza; Andrea; (Houston, TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Wang; Sharon Yunhong
Morton; Robert D.
Russell; Ronnie David
Nino-Penaloza; Andrea |
Spring
Kingwood
Cypress
Houston |
TX
TX
TX
TX |
US
US
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
BAKER HUGHES INCORPORATED
Houston
TX
|
Family ID: |
55454255 |
Appl. No.: |
14/488922 |
Filed: |
September 17, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
166/305.1 ;
166/179 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21B 43/25 20130101;
E21B 43/14 20130101; E21B 43/28 20130101 |
International
Class: |
E21B 43/16 20060101
E21B043/16; E21B 33/124 20060101 E21B033/124; E21B 43/14 20060101
E21B043/14 |
Claims
1. A method of treating a formation, comprising: running a first
string having at least one first port into a completion string
having a plurality of second ports; flowing treating fluid through
the first string; and flowing treating fluid through the at least
one first port and through at least one of the plurality of second
ports and into the formation.
2. The method of treating a formation of claim 1, further
comprising fluidically aligning a plurality of the at least one
first ports with a plurality of the plurality second ports.
3. The method of treating a formation of claim 2, further
comprising flowing treating fluid through the plurality of the at
least one first ports and through the plurality of second ports
aligned with the plurality of the at least one first ports
simultaneously.
4. The method of treating a formation of claim 2, further
comprising adjusting restriction of the plurality of the at least
one first ports prior to running the first string into the
completion string.
5. The method of treating a formation of claim 2, further
comprising adjusting restriction of the plurality of the at least
one first ports according to treating fluid flow rates desired at
locations along a borehole where each of the plurality of the at
least one first ports will be positioned during treatment.
6. The method of treating a formation of claim 5, further
comprising increasing flow restriction of one or more of the
plurality of the at least one first ports to be located nearer a
heal of the borehole in comparison to one or more of the plurality
of the at least one first ports to be located nearer to a toe of
the borehole.
7. The method of treating a formation of claim 5, further
comprising increasing flow restriction of one or more of the
plurality of the at least one first ports to be located nearer a
portion of the formation that has high permeability in comparison
to one or more of the plurality of the at least one first ports to
be located nearer to a portion of the formation that has low
permeability.
8. The method of treating a formation of claim 1, further
comprising removing the first string from the completion
string.
9. The method of treating a formation of claim 1, further
comprising producing through the at least one of the plurality of
second ports in the completion string and through the at least
first port in the first string.
10. The method of treating a formation of claim 1, further
comprising sealing portions along the first string to portions
along the completion string.
11. A treatment and completion system, comprising: a completion
string positioned within a borehole in an earth formation; a first
string runnable within the completion string, having a plurality of
first ports distributed along the first string being configured to
be in fluidic communication with a plurality of second ports along
the completion string, the plurality of first ports being
independently settable to a different flow restriction; and a
plurality of seals distributed along the first string or the
completion string configured to seal to the other of the first
string and the completion string to isolate the plurality of first
ports from one another such that treating fluid can be pumped
through the first string and through the plurality of first ports
and through the plurality of second ports to treat a plurality of
zones of a formation simultaneously.
12. The treatment and completion system of claim 11, wherein
independent setting of each of the plurality of first ports allows
treating fluid flow through each of the plurality of first ports to
be customized to match characteristics of the zones that each of
the plurality of first ports will be treating.
13. The treatment and completion system of claim 12, wherein the
customization adjusts for differences in permeability between the
zones.
14. The treatment and completion system of claim 12, wherein the
customization adjusts for location along a borehole.
15. The treatment and completion system of claim 12, wherein the
first string is runnable to an end of the completion string
regardless of how long a highly deviated portion of the borehole
is.
16. The treatment and completion system of claim 11, wherein at
least one of the plurality of first ports and plurality of second
ports include inflow control devices.
17. The treatment and completion system of claim 11, wherein the
plurality of first ports are configured to complement the plurality
of second ports to create a total desired outward flow restriction
through aligned pairs of the plurality of first ports and the
plurality of second ports.
18. The treatment and completion system of claim 11, wherein flow
restriction through each of the plurality of first ports is
adjustable after the first string is run into the completion
string.
19. The treatment and completion system of claim 18, wherein
adjustment of the plurality of first ports includes fully closing
the plurality of first ports.
20. The treatment and completion system of claim 18, wherein
adjustment of the plurality of first ports is possible in real
time.
21. The treatment and completion system of claim 11, wherein the
first string is retrievable from the completion string after
injecting a treating fluid and before producing.
22. The treatment and completion system of claim 21, wherein a
second string is runnable within the completion string prior to
production.
23. The treatment and completion system of claim 11, wherein the
first string can be remain in the completion string during
production.
24. The treatment and completion system of claim 11, further
comprising a plurality of seals sealingly engaged with both the
completion string and the borehole.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Conventional systems for treatment of earth formations, such
as acidizing, in downhole industries typically employ coiled
tubing. Coiled tubing is run into a borehole and treatment is
performed on one zone of the formation at a time. After treatment
of a zone is completed the coiled tubing is moved to align with the
next zone and the process is repeated until all desired zones have
been treated. This process is time consuming because of the serial
nature. Additionally, coiled tubing is unable to reach the toe of
wells with long horizontal or highly deviated sections. The maximum
flow rate through the coiled tubing is limited because of the flow
area available. As such, industry is receptive to new systems and
methods that alleviate any of the foregoing concerns.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0002] Disclosed herein is a method of treating a formation. The
method includes, running a first string having at least one first
port into a completion string having a plurality of second ports,
flowing treating fluid through the first string, and flowing
treating fluid through the at least one first port and through at
least one of the plurality of second ports and into the
formation.
[0003] Further disclosed herein is a treatment and completion
system. The system includes, a completion string positioned within
a borehole in an earth formation, a first string runnable within
the completion string, having a plurality of first ports
distributed along the first string that are configured to be in
fluidic communication with a plurality of second ports along the
completion string. The plurality of first ports are independently
settable to a different flow restriction, and a plurality of seals
distributed along the first string or the completion string are
configured to seal to the other of the first string and the
completion string to isolate the plurality of first ports from one
another such that treating fluid can be pumped through the first
string and through the plurality of first ports and through the
plurality of second ports to treat a plurality of zones of a
formation simultaneously.
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 depicts a schematic of a treating system disclosed
herein; and
[0006] FIG. 2 depicts a schematic of an alternate treating system
disclosed herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0007] 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.
[0008] Referring to FIG. 1, an embodiment of a treating system
disclosed herein is illustrated at 10. The treating system 10
includes a first string 14 referred to herein is a treating string
that is runnable within a completion string 18. The treating string
14 includes a plurality of first ports 22 referred to herein as
treating ports that are distributed along the treating string 14.
The treating ports 22 are configured to be in fluidic communication
with second ports 26 that are distributed along the completion
string 18. Each of the plurality of treating ports 22 is
independently settable to a different flow restriction level. The
ports 22 and 26 can be simply openings of selected sizes and shapes
including perforations, slots and round holes, for example. The
ports 22 can also include flow control devices that include
restrictors such as annular tortuous flow paths like mazes and
helical flow paths, for example. They can also include movable
portions such as sleeves to alter restriction of flow therethrough
including completely closing flow through one or more of the ports
22, 26. A plurality of seals 30 are distributed along the treating
string 14 or the completion string 18 and are configured to seal to
the completion string 18. Sealing of the seals 30 isolates each of
the plurality of treating ports 22 from one another within the
completion string 18. Similarly, seals 32, such as packers, for
example, sealingly engage between the completion string 18 and a
borehole 50 within an earth formation 38 thereby creating separate
zones 34 along the borehole 50. The seals 38 may be aligned with
the seals 30 to allow an operator to control flow of fluid through
specific ports 22 and through specific ports 26 and into the
formation 38 simultaneously. The foregoing structure allows for
greater control of injection flow rates along the borehole 50 than
is permitted with conventional systems.
[0009] The treating system 10 allows for customization of flow
restriction through each of the treating ports 22 along the
treating string 18. These adjustments can be configured to account
for various characteristics and differences between the zones 34.
These differences can be due to variations in permeability between
the different zones 34, for example. They can also be due to where
along the completion string 18 (i.e. relative locations along the
completion string 18) each of the treating ports 22 will be
located. Flow restriction of the treating ports 22 near a heal 42
of the completion string 18 will likely need to be set at a higher
flow restriction level than the treating ports 22 near a toe 46 of
the completion string 18 to balance flow of treating fluid between
the zones 34 near the heal 42 with the zones 34 near the toe
46.
[0010] The treating string 14, unlike conventional treating systems
that employ coiled tubing, uses sections of pipe that are connected
together in an end-to-end fashion. As such, the treating string 14
can be run through a full length of the completion string 18
regardless of how highly deviated the completion string 18 may be,
including when the deviated portion of the completion string 18 is
completely horizontal.
[0011] Additionally, the inner diameter that defines a flow area
through the treating string 14 can be significantly larger than
conventional coiled tubing treating lines. As such, treating
fluids, such as acid for acidizing the formation 38, for example,
can be injected at higher flow rates. These higher flow rates can
be beneficial when treating fluid needs to be pumped deep into one
or more of the zones 34 including those that have low permeability
or are far from the heal. The high flow rates possible allow for
treating a plurality of the zones 34 simultaneously, up to and
including all the zones 34 along the borehole 50.
[0012] In addition to the treating ports 22 being independently
customized for flow restriction to the specific desired needs of
the zones 34 that will be treated via the treating ports 22, the
treating ports 22 can work together in pairs with the second ports
26. Knowing specific distinctive features about second ports 26
allows an operator to customize the treating ports 22 to work in
concert with the second-ports 26. This is helpful since some or all
of the second ports 26 may be simply slotted openings in a base
pipe (as in the present embodiment). In a hydrocarbon recovery
application, for example, after injecting a treating fluid, the
treating string 14 may be left in place during production of
hydrocarbons. In this embodiment employing inflow control devices
as the ports 22 can allow for more complete emptying of hydrocarbon
from all of the zones 34 than would occur without the inflow
control devices 22 being present. Additionally, the inflow control
devices delay water breakthrough in highly permeable zones 34 that
would likely produce water much earlier if the inflow control
devices 22 were not present. Alternately the treating string 14 can
be removed from the completion string 18 and hydrocarbons produced
through the completion string 18 alone. In yet another embodiment a
third string (not shown) could be run into the completion string 18
and production carried out through both the completion string 18
and the third string.
[0013] In one embodiment of the treating system 10 the flow
restriction levels of the treating ports 22 are adjustable after
being run into the completion string 18. Control lines 54 in
operable communication with actuators 58 at each of the treating
ports 22 can adjust the flow restriction of each of the treating
ports 22 as desired in real time. This real time adjustment can
include completely closing of the treating ports 22 to thereby
allow operators to alter flow rates as well as the total amount of
treating fluid supplied to the particular zones 34.
[0014] Referring to FIG. 2, an alternate embodiment of a treating
system disclosed herein is illustrated at 110. The treating system
110 differs from the system 10 in that instead of treating all of
the zones 34 simultaneously, only a subset of the full number of
the zones 34 is treated at one time. In the embodiment illustrated
three of the zones 34 are treated at one time, although any number
of the zones 34 could be included in a subset in an alternate
embodiment. As illustrated, the first three zones 34 being treated
are those nearest the toe 46. After this first treatment is
completed a treating string 114 employed within the completion
string 18 is moved toward the heal 42 to align three treating ports
122 thereon with the next three second ports 26 and treating fluid
is supplied therethrough. This is repeated until all of the zones
34 have been treated.
[0015] The system 110 uses just two seals 130, one on either side
of the two outer-most treating ports 122. Although embodiments can
use one of the seals 130 between any of the treating ports 122 as
each application dictates.
[0016] 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.
* * * * *