Gravel Pack Lab Fixture for High-Pressure Rock Core Flow Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for testing rock cores to design perforation tools and procedures lack the ability to simulate high-pressure downhole conditions, making it difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of perforation and gravel pack operations in subterranean formations.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for testing rock cores under high-pressure conditions, including a containment vessel with a fast-opening flow control device and a gravel pack simulation fixture, to simulate perforation and gravel pack scenarios, allowing for the evaluation of fluid flow and pressure differentials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If rock cores are tested in a test laboratory uphole, then testing can be conducted in a controlled environment, but the ability to simulate high-pressure downhole conditions is lost
Solution Approach 1:
A pressure vessel acts as an intermediary between the laboratory environment and downhole conditions. The pressure vessel creates a controlled high-pressure environment that simulates downhole conditions while remaining operable in a laboratory setting, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and reliability of simulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The testing system changes the pressure parameter from atmospheric (uphole) to high pressure (downhole conditions) by utilizing a pressure vessel. This parameter change enables the simulation of authentic downhole environmental conditions while maintaining the benefits of laboratory-based controlled testing.
2Device complexity
If traditional flow testing is conducted without high pressure, then testing equipment and procedures are simpler, but the effectiveness of perforation and gravel pack operations cannot be accurately evaluated
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure vessel serves as a mediator that enables high-pressure testing without requiring complex downhole testing equipment. It creates a controlled high-pressure environment that allows for accurate evaluation of fluid flow and operational effectiveness while keeping the testing system relatively simple and laboratory-based.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copied representation of downhole conditions (high pressure, fluid flow) in a laboratory setting. By replicating the essential characteristics of downhole environmental parameters, the system achieves accurate measurement precision without the complexity of actual downhole testing equipment.
3Ease of operation
If perforation and gravel pack operations are tested without simulating downhole pressure, then testing procedures are easier to conduct, but the optimization of perforation gun design and gravel pack procedures is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the pressure parameter to simulate downhole conditions, enabling accurate optimization of perforation gun design and gravel pack procedures. This parameter modification allows testing procedures to remain relatively simple while achieving the adaptability needed for downhole application optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressure vessel acts as an intermediary that enables the testing of perforation and gravel pack operations under simulated downhole pressure conditions. This intermediary allows for both ease of operation in a laboratory setting and the adaptability to optimize designs for actual downhole applications.
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 accurate simulation of downhole conditions to assess the impact of perforation and gravel pack operations on fluid flow, facilitating the optimization of perforation gun design and gravel pack procedures.
Implementation Method 1
conducted flow testing on the rock core sample under high pressure
Implementation Method 2
creating a pressure differential between the pressures applied to the pore axial end and the wellbore facing end, the pressure differential inducing fluid flow
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a test gravel pack assembly. The test gravel pack assembly, in one instance, includes a housing having first and second opposing surfaces, the first and second opposing surfaces defining a thickness that simulates a desired downhole gravel pack thickness. In this instance, the test gravel pack assembly includes an opening extending entirely through the housing from the first surface to the second surface, the opening having a diameter that simulates a desired downhole wellbore casing perforation diameter, and a proppant screen coupled proximate the first opposing surface and over the opening.