Contaminant excluding junction and method
A junction selective contaminant exclusion tool includes a tubular positionable within the junction and having an opening through a wall thereof, a material disposed on an outside surface of the tubular, the material being capable of increasing a radial dimension between a surface of the material in contact with the tubular and an opposite surface of the material upon exposure to a selected species. A method for excluding selected contaminants from a wellbore junction is also disclosed. The method includes: disposing a junction at a wellbore casing window; disposing a tubular member having at least one opening through a wall thereof at the junction, the tubular member including an exclusion material thereon capable of existing in a first configuration and a second configuration, the second configuration obtainable upon exposure to a selected species; and exposing the material to the selected species.
In the hydrocarbon exploration and recovery art, extensive use is made of multilateral wellbores for reasons such as reduced cost and reduced surface footprint. More specifically, it is far more economically prudent to drill a single surface-down primary borehole and then multiple lateral boreholes therefrom than it is to drill the same number of total boreholes (primary and laterals) from the surface. A multilateral wellbore allows access to various zones of a hydrocarbon containing formation while minimizing the total length of boreholes as duplicative length is avoided.
One consideration to be addressed in multilateral wellbores, is the one or more junctions and the exclusion of contaminants from the wellbore at that point. Because milling a window in a casing is imprecise with respect to exact window shape, and potential damage to the material at the edge of the window, exclusionary means such as sealing or filtering thereagainst is difficult and sometimes impossible to accomplish. This leaves the junction vulnerable to influx of debris, sand or other particulate material or other contaminant that can deleteriously affect equipment installed in the wellbore or surface equipment or could reduce quality of produced fluids. Thus it is normally common to utilize particulate resistant well tools capable of continued function in the presence of the particulate laden fluid flow and other exclusionary or purification type devices but these are expensive and in the case of particulate contaminants the expected working life is still necessarily reduced over that of equipment in non particulate-laden flows. Junction technology resulting in the exclusion of particulate matter and or other contaminants from the production flow would therefore be well received by the art.
SUMMARYA junction selective contaminant exclusion tool includes a tubular positionable within the junction and having an opening through a wall thereof, a material disposed on an outside surface of the tubular, the material being capable of increasing a radial dimension between a surface of the material in contact with the tubular and an opposite surface of the material upon exposure to a selected species.
A method for excluding selected contaminants from a wellbore junction is also disclosed. The method includes: disposing a junction at a wellbore casing window; disposing a tubular member having at least one opening through a wall thereof at the junction, the tubular member including an exclusion material thereon capable of existing in a first configuration and a second configuration, the second configuration obtainable upon exposure to a selected species; and exposing the material to the selected species.
Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several Figures:
Referring to
The final component illustrated in
LEM 22 is similar in function to commercially available products from Baker Oil Tools, Houston, Tex. under part number H28918 but may include differences in structure as desired for particular applications.
Referring to
To illustrate the seal or sieve material reference is made to
For swellable materials, the material configuration will be such that it does not significantly impede run-in while at the same time having sufficient swelling ability to bridge between surface 36 of LEM 22 and a surface 44 of flange 20 (see
In any of the above cases, the material is intended when deployed to extend from surface 36 to a surface 44 (see
Referring now to
While preferred embodiments have been shown and described, modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustrations and not limitation.
Claims
1. A junction selective contaminant exclusion tool comprising:
- a tubular positionable within the junction and having an opening through a wall thereof,
- a material disposed on an outside surface of the tubular, the material being capable of increasing a radial dimension between a surface of the material in contact with the tubular and an opposite surface of the material upon exposure to a selected species.
2. The exclusion tool as claimed in claim 1 wherein the material is a swellable material.
3. The exclusion tool as claimed in claim 2 wherein the swellable material is swellable in the presence of a selected species.
4. The exclusion tool as claimed in claim 3 wherein the selected species is a hydrocarbon.
5. The exclusion tool as claimed in claim 1 wherein the material is a shape memory material
6. The exclusion tool as claimed in claim 5 wherein the material changes dimension in the presence of a selected species.
7. The exclusion tool as claimed in claim 6 wherein the selected species is heat.
8. The exclusion tool as claimed in claim 6 wherein the selected species is a hydrocarbon.
9. The exclusion tool as claimed in claim 6 wherein the selected species is a chemical species.
10. The exclusion tool as claimed in claim 6 wherein the selected species is time.
11. The exclusion tool as claimed in claim 5 wherein the material is a foam.
12. The exclusion tool as claimed in claim 10 wherein the foam is compressed prior to exposure to a selected species and expands in the presence of the selected species.
13. The exclusion tool as claimed in claim 5 wherein the material changes in shape such that an outside dimension of the material is repositioned to provide excluding contact with another surface.
14. The exclusion tool as claimed in claim 5 wherein the material is bonded to the tubular with a bonding agent defeatable by exposure to a selected species.
15. The exclusion tool as claimed in claim 1 wherein the material is fluid impermeable.
16. The exclusion tool as claimed in claim 1 wherein the material is fluid permeable.
17. The exclusion tool as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a lip at the tubular positioned to alleviate extrusion of the material.
18. A sealed junction comprising:
- a junction;
- a tubular disposed at the junction, the tubular having at least one opening through a wall thereof;
- a fluid permeable or fluid impermeable material in contact with the tubular about the at least one opening and in contact with a surface of the junction, the material being capable of excluding at least some particulate matter from traveling between the hanger and the tubular.
19. A method for excluding selected contaminants from a wellbore junction comprising:
- disposing a junction at a wellbore casing window;
- disposing a tubular member having at least one opening through a wall thereof at the junction, the tubular member including an exclusion material thereon capable of existing in a first configuration and a second configuration, the second configuration obtainable upon exposure to a selected species;
- exposing the material to the selected species.
20. A method for excluding selected contaminants from a wellbore junction as claimed in claim 19 wherein the exposing is passive.
21. A method for excluding selected contaminants from a wellbore junction as claimed in claim 19 wherein the exposing occurs by applying the selected species to the material.
22. A method for excluding selected contaminants from a wellbore junction as claimed in claim 19 wherein the exposing includes defeating a bonding agent restraining the material.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 31, 2006
Publication Date: May 1, 2008
Inventors: Barton F. Sponchia (Cypress, TX), Douglas J. Murray (Magnolia, TX)
Application Number: 11/590,428
International Classification: E21B 31/14 (20060101); E21B 7/06 (20060101); E21B 33/12 (20060101); E21B 33/10 (20060101);