Shrouded Closing Sleeve Fluid Redirection in Open Hole Completions
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In open hole well completions, gravel pack or fracpack slurry dehydration near the closing sleeve can lead to sand bridges and tool sticking, limiting the effectiveness of sand control and formation stimulation operations.
Innovation Solution
An open hole completion apparatus with a shrouded closing sleeve and inner tubing string, which directs treatment fluids away from the closing sleeve, preventing dehydration and ensuring accurate injection of fluids into the wellbore, utilizing packers for zonal isolation and a crossover assembly for fluid communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If gravel pack or fracpack slurry is pumped through the closing sleeve in open hole completions, then formation stimulation and sand control are achieved, but slurry dehydration occurs proximate to and inside the closing sleeve causing sand bridges and tool sticking
Solution Approach 1:
A shroud is introduced as an intermediary component between the closing sleeve and the wellbore formation. The shroud acts as a mediator that redirects the slurry flow path, preventing direct contact between the slurry and the formation proximate to the closing sleeve, thereby eliminating the harmful dehydration effect while maintaining the beneficial sand control function
Solution Approach 2:
The shroud extends radially outward from the closing sleeve into the wellbore annulus, creating a three-dimensional flow redirection structure. This dimensional extension allows the slurry to be directed along a different path (through the shroud and along the wellbore wall) rather than directly contacting the formation at the closing sleeve location
2Ease of operation
If the service tool is positioned inside the completion string to provide a conduit for pumping fluids downhole, then fracpack and gravel pack operations can be performed, but the service tool may become stuck within the completion string due to sand bridges formed by slurry dehydration
Solution Approach 1:
The shroud serves as a protective intermediary that prevents sand bridges from forming around the service tool. By redirecting the slurry flow away from the closing sleeve area, the shroud eliminates the dehydration process that would otherwise create sand bridges and cause the service tool to become stuck, thereby maintaining both fluid pumping capability and tool mobility
3Reliability
If treatment fluid is injected into the wellbore remote from the closing sleeve through the shroud, then slurry dehydration is prevented, but the fluid flow path becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The shroud is constructed as a thin-walled tubular member that can be easily integrated into the completion string. This thin-film structure provides effective flow redirection and dehydration prevention while adding minimal complexity to the overall device configuration, maintaining ease of installation and operation
Data Source
AI summary
An open hole completion apparatus (80) includes an outer tubing string (56) disposed in an open hole portion of a wellbore (32). The outer tubing string (56) includes a sand control screen (102) and a shrouded closing sleeve (91). An inner tubing string (84) is at least partially disposed within the outer tubing string (56). The inner tubing string (84) includes a crossover assembly (114). The shrouded closing sleeve (91) has a shroud (92) that creates a channel (98) with a portion of the outer tubing string (56) by extending over a fluid port (94) of the shrouded closing sleeve (91) toward the sand control screen (102), such that when a treatment fluid is pumped through the inner tubing string (84), the crossover assembly (114) and the fluid port (94), the treatment fluid is injected into the wellbore (32) remote from the fluid port (94).