Self-Configuring Inflow Control Device for Wellbore Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inflow control devices (ICDs) in well systems face a compromise between early and late well life production, where optimizing for one phase reduces production potential in the other, due to fixed configurations that do not adapt to changing well conditions over time.
Innovation Solution
A condition-dependent self-configuring ICD with a degradable material that changes its flow path configuration in response to fluid properties, such as viscosity, to minimize pressure drop and maximize production by initially blocking undesirable fluids and later allowing their exclusion, thereby maintaining high productivity throughout the well's life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If ICD is configured with high pressure drop to exclude unwanted fluids, then fluid separation is improved, but production rate decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The ICD configuration is made dynamic through the degradable material that allows the device to transition between different flow resistance states. Initially, the ICD maintains a low pressure drop configuration for high production rates. When unwanted fluids are detected, the degradable material degrades, automatically reconfiguring the ICD to a high pressure drop state for effective fluid exclusion, thus resolving the contradiction between production rate and fluid separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The ICD changes its operational parameters by altering the pressure drop across the device. The degradable material enables transition from a low pressure drop state (high production) to a high pressure drop state (effective separation). This parameter change is triggered by the presence of unwanted fluids, allowing the system to adapt to changing well conditions and resolve the contradiction between productivity and harmful factors.
2Productivity
If ICD configuration is optimized for early well life production, then productivity is improved, but ability to exclude unwanted fluids deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The ICD is pre-configured with degradable material that remains intact during early well life, maintaining a low pressure drop configuration optimized for high productivity. The degradable material is designed to react to specific conditions (presence of unwanted fluids) and automatically trigger the configuration change, eliminating the need for premature optimization that would harm early production.
Solution Approach 2:
The ICD system is self-regulating through the degradable material that automatically detects the presence of unwanted fluids and triggers the configuration change. The system serves itself by monitoring well conditions and autonomously transitioning from a high production mode to a fluid exclusion mode, resolving the contradiction between early production optimization and future water breakthrough prevention.
3Device complexity
If fixed ICD configuration is used, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to changing well conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The ICD incorporates a self-service mechanism where the degradable material automatically detects changing well conditions and triggers the configuration change without external intervention. This self-regulating capability provides adaptability to changing well conditions while maintaining relatively simple device architecture, resolving the contradiction between complexity and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The ICD changes its physical parameters (flow path configuration, pressure drop) in response to changing well conditions through the degradation of the degradable material. This parameter change mechanism enables the device to adapt to different well life stages and fluid conditions while maintaining a relatively simple fixed-structure design, thus resolving the contradiction between device complexity and adaptability.
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
The ICD automatically adjusts its configuration to prioritize production of desirable fluids early in the well's life while ensuring effective separation of unwanted fluids later on, enhancing overall production efficiency and extending the well's productive life.
Implementation Method 1
a degradable material disposed in the flow path that prevents the change until the degradable material is degraded
Data Source
AI summary
A condition dependent self-configuring inflow control device (ICD) including a flow path configured to change in response to a different fluid flow therethrough, a degradable material disposed in the flow path that prevents the change until the degradable material is degraded. A method for maximizing production over a life of a wellbore including maintaining an inflow control device (ICD) in a first of a plurality of configurations wherein the first configuration is of the relatively lowest pressure drop of the plurality of configurations, producing fluids through the ICD, automatically releasing the ICD to change to another of the plurality of configurations, and preferentially producing fluids through the ICD.