Downhole Screen with Valve Feature

Abstract

A screen assembly for downhole uses features screen sections that have a valve associated with the screen base pipe. Flow through the screen has to go into an annular space to reach one or more ports on the base pipe over which is located a sliding sleeve. The sliding sleeve is preferably located at an axially spaced location from the screen and its underlying base pipe to allow the presence of the sliding sleeve to be located in a recess avoiding a drift diameter reduction in the screen assembly.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The field of the invention is active flow control devices that can be associated with a well screen such as a sand screen for selective operation of the screen and more particularly where the valve feature is offset from a single screen section so as to be able to control its flow without reducing drift diameter.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]In completions that span multiple zones, an array of screens is frequently positioned in each of the zones. The zones are typically isolated with packers and are individually fractured and gravel packed generally in a downhole to uphole direction. In the past a given zone could be long enough to warrant using multiple screen sections. Typically, each of these screen sections had a base pipe under the screen material and a valve, typically a sliding sleeve, associated with each screen section. The annular space between the screen material and the base pipe for each screen section was sealed at opposed ends on a give...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007]A screen assembly for downhole uses features screen sections that have a valve associated with the screen base pipe. Flow through the screen has to go into an annular space to reach one or more ports on the base pipe over which is located a sliding sleeve. The sliding sleeve is preferably located at an axially spaced location from the screen and its underlying base pipe to allow the presence of the sliding sleeve to be located in a recess avoiding a drift diameter reduction in the screen assembly.

Problems solved by technology

This configuration required multiple sliding sleeve valves that had to be operated and created issues of flow distribution within a given zone.

The other lingering issue of the prior designs was that the location of the sliding sleeves inside the base pipe flow bore and directly under the screen assembly that covered the base pipe was that the resulting flow area or drift dimension of the screen section was diminished which limited the size of tools that could get through a given screen as well as created flow constrictions that could limit production or require the use of artificial lift techniques that consume additional power and create other costs for procurement and installation.

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