Expandable Sleeve for Selective Well Cementing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional well cementing techniques fail to effectively cement the annulus when a permeable screen is present downhole, as cement passes through openings, requiring additional costly and time-consuming drilling to fill the screen, and do not apply to other fluid types or zones behind the screen.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a permeable tube forming an annulus with the wellbore, an expandable and impermeable sleeve placed inside the tube, inflation to isolate a zone, and pumping a treatment fluid through the permeable zone to treat or cement the annulus, allowing for selective impermeability and permeability control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cementing technique is used with permeable screen, then cement can be pumped through the screen, but cement passes through openings and cannot effectively cement the annulus
Solution Approach 1:
The screen is divided into two functional zones: a first zone with openings for fluid entry and a second zone without openings for cement containment. This segmentation allows the screen to simultaneously perform filtration and cementing functions, resolving the contradiction between maintaining screen permeability and achieving effective annulus cementing.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the screen have different properties: the first zone has permeable openings while the second zone is impermeable. This local quality variation enables the screen to allow treatment fluid entry while preventing cement loss, thereby achieving both effective cementing and operational simplicity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If permeable screen is used to allow oil passage, then production zones can be accessed, but there is no simple way to cement the annulus or treat zones behind the screen
Solution Approach 1:
The screen is designed to perform multiple functions: it allows production fluids to pass through the first zone while enabling cement or treatment fluids to be pumped through the second zone for annulus cementing or formation treatment. This multi-functionality achieves adaptability without requiring separate apparatus for different operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The screen is pre-configured with distinct permeable and impermeable zones before deployment. This preliminary design eliminates the need for complex temporary isolation devices or multiple apparatus during cementing operations, reducing device complexity while maintaining versatility.
3Reliability
If cement is pumped inside permeable screen, then cement can reach the annulus, but cement fills the inside of the screen requiring extra drilling
Solution Approach 1:
The screen is segmented into a first zone for fluid entry and a second zone for fluid containment. This segmentation directs cement through the impermeable second zone to the annulus while preventing cement from filling the screen interior, thereby achieving effective cementing without requiring additional drilling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The impermeable second zone creates a localized pathway that guides cement flow to the annulus while preventing cement accumulation inside the screen. This local quality control ensures reliable cementing while avoiding time-consuming remedial drilling.
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
Enables efficient cementing or treatment of well zones behind permeable screens or liners, reducing drilling costs and time, and allowing for various fluid types to be treated, including oil, water, and gas, with minimal disruption to the wellbore.
Implementation Method 1
inflating the sleeve so that the sleeve is in contact with the tube
Implementation Method 2
a tube which is permeable to a material, so that the tube forms an annulus with the wellbore
Data Source
AI summary
A method of and an apparatus for treating a near zone and/or a far zone of a well is disclosed. The method comprises the following steps. (1) A tube that is permeable to a material is placed inside a wellbore, forming an annulus inside the wellbore. (2) A setting section surrounded by a sleeve is placed inside the tube. The sleeve is expandable and impermeable to the material. (3) The sleeve is inflated so that the sleeve is in contact with the tube, ensuring that the first zone of the tube is impermeable to the material, but leaving a second zone permeable to the material. (4) A treatment fluid is pumped to the zones that passes through the second zone still permeable to the material. (5) The near zone in the annulus and/or the far zone in the surrounding formation is treated with the treatment fluid.