Asymmetric Flow Control Devices for Well Injection and Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wellbore injection treatments are costly and time-consuming due to the need to run multiple well strings, and there is a challenge in efficiently managing fluid flow between the wellbore and subterranean zone during both injection and production processes.
Innovation Solution
A well production and injection string equipped with spaced packers and flow control devices that allow easier flow from the interior to the exterior than from the exterior to the interior, utilizing one-way passages and asymmetrical flow control devices to manage fluid flow resistance and profile along the production/injection interval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple well strings are used for different injection treatments, then injection treatments can be performed, but the operation becomes costly and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The production string is designed to perform multiple functions: it serves as both the production conduit and the injection treatment conduit. The string includes flow control devices that enable it to switch between production mode and injection treatment mode, eliminating the need for separate well strings for different operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the production function and injection treatment function into a single well string. The flow control devices are integrated into the production string, merging what would traditionally require separate equipment into one unified system that can handle both production and various injection treatments.
2Ease of operation
If flow control devices restrict flow from exterior to interior, then production control is improved, but injection efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The flow control devices are designed with dynamic flow characteristics that change based on flow direction. The devices provide different flow resistance for inward flow versus outward flow, automatically adjusting their flow control properties based on whether the system is in production mode or injection treatment mode.
Solution Approach 2:
The flow control devices exhibit asymmetrical flow characteristics, offering different resistance to flow depending on the direction. This asymmetry allows the same device to provide strong flow control during production while allowing efficient flow during injection treatments, resolving the contradiction between production control and injection efficiency.
3Device complexity
If a single well string is used for both production and injection, then operational complexity is reduced, but flow control between interior and exterior becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The well string is segmented into multiple functional zones using packers that create isolated intervals. Flow control devices are distributed at different locations along the string, allowing independent control of flow in different segments. This segmentation enables precise flow control in each interval while maintaining a unified string structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the well string are equipped with flow control devices having different flow characteristics tailored to local requirements. Each flow control device can be optimized for its specific location and function, providing appropriate flow control for that particular interval while contributing to the overall system performance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances the efficiency of fluid injection and production by reducing the complexity and cost of well operations, allowing for uniform and controlled fluid flow, and accommodating varying permeability and pressure differentials along the wellbore.
Implementation Method 1
The one-way passages have check valves adapted to close the passage in response to a pressure differential between the interior and exterior of the string
Data Source
AI summary
A well production and injection string includes a plurality of spaced apart packers each adapted to seal with a wall of the wellbore. A plurality of flow control devices are provided in the string, distributed between pairs of adjacent packers. The flow control devices are adapted to communicate flow between an interior and an exterior of the string with less restriction to flow from the interior to the exterior of the string than to flow from the exterior to the interior of the string.