CONTROL LINE WITH SEAL ENHANCEMENT FEATURE, METHOD AND SYSTEM

Abstract

A control line including a control line body having an outside diameter and a textured surface at the outside diameter. A control line including a control line body and an expandable material disposed about the body. A borehole system including a borehole in a subsurface formation, a string in the borehole and a control line disposed outside of the string. A method to enhance sealing around a control line, including disposing cement in an annular space about a string in a borehole, flowing cement around a control line disposed in the annular space, interacting a seal enhancement feature with the cement, and sealing the cement to the control line.

Description

BACKGROUND

In the resource recovery and fluid sequestration industries, boreholes are often cemented and it is sometimes desirable to dispose a control line outside of a casing string in an annular space between the casing string and the borehole wall, which space is also to be filled with cement. The cement is to prevent migration of fluids from one zone of a formation to another through the annulus. Control lines can serve a number of positive purposes but also have traditionally presented a potential leak path via microannulus about the control line itself after curing of the cement. This is a drawback for a well operator. The art would well receive alternative constructions that address this issue.

SUMMARY

An embodiment of a control line including a control line body having an outside diameter and a textured surface at the outside diameter.

An embodiment of a control line including a control line body and an expandable material disposed about the body.

An embodiment of a borehole system including a borehole in a subsurface formation, a sting in the borehole and a control line disposed outside of the string.

An embodiment of a method to enhance sealing around a control line, including disposing cement in an annular space about a string in a borehole, flowing cement around a control line disposed in the annular space, interacting a seal enhancement feature with the cement, and sealing the cement to the control line.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following descriptions should not be considered limiting in any way. With reference to the accompanying drawings, like elements are numbered alike:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a first embodiment of a control line with seal enhancement feature as disclosed herein;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a second embodiment of a control line with an alternate seal enhancement feature as disclosed herein;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a fourth embodiment of a control line with seal enhancement feature as disclosed herein;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a fourth embodiment of a control line with seal enhancement feature as disclosed herein; and

FIG. 5 is a view of a borehole system including a control line with seal enhancement feature as disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way of exemplification and not limitation with reference to the Figures.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, three embodiments of a control line 10 with seal enhancement feature is illustrated. In each of the embodiments of FIGS. 1-3, the feature is a texture. Specifically, the control line has a body 12 that defines an inside diameter that defines a volume 14 that will host fluid or a conductor (electrical or optical) and an outside diameter surface 16 that is provided with a texture. In FIG. 1, the texture 18 provided is longitudinal and is composed of a groove, a protrusion like a spline or could be arranged as both splines and grooves. In embodiments the grooves and or splines may deviate from the outside diameter surface 16 by in a range of 0.005″ to 0.5″. In an embodiment the splines and grooves may alternate. Referring to FIG. 2, an alternate texture 20 is illustrated. In this embodiment the texture is a roughness that may be minimum 250 Ra (roughness average). Referring to FIG. 3, another embodiment textures the surface 16 with surface texture 22 in the form of rings. The rings may deviate from the outside diameter surface 16 by in a range of 005″ to 0.5″.

In each of the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the texture 18, 20, or 22 enhance the mechanical bond between curing cement and the control line 10 thereby reducing the possibility of the formation of a microannulus between the cured cement and the control line. The avoidance of the microannulus will prevent fluid migration along the control line 10. In embodiments, combinations of two or more of the textures 18, 20 and 22 are also contemplated.

Referring to FIG. 4, another embodiment comprises a control line 30 that further includes an expandable material 32 as the seal enhancement feature disposed around the control line 30. The expandable material 32 may be in a discrete location as illustrated in FIG. 4 or may be along more of the control line 30, or even coating the entire control line 30. The expandable material may be a swellable material that reacts to water, oil or both. Further the expandable material may be reactive to temperature or to chemicals that are expected to be present in cement pumped to an annulus 34 around a casing string 36. In addition, the expandable material may, in some embodiments be configured to expand after curing of cement using on demand methodologies such as a radio signal, seismic signal, acoustic signal, electric signal, etc. to expand upon demand. It is also contemplated that in some embodiments other expandable materials such as shape memory materials may be employed. In any case, the expandable material selected will have a time frame over which expansion occurs after exposure to a trigger. Selection of a particular expandable material is based upon information commercially available for each particular material. If it is desired that cement cures prior to the expandable material expanding, it may be desirable to select a slower reacting expandable material. Alternatively, it may be that it is desired for a particular application to have the expandable material expand prior to cure of the cement, in which case a faster reacting expandable material would be selected.

A method to enhance sealing around a control line such as control line 10 or control line 30 (and referring to FIG. 4 for both due to the illustration of other components surrounding the line itself) includes disposing cement 38 in the annulus 34 about the casing string 36 in a borehole 40. The cement 38 is further flowed around the control line 10 or 30. The method then includes interacting a seal enhancement feature such as texture 18, 20, 22 or a combination or such as expandable material 32 with the cement. The curing cement will form a bond with the control line 10 or be sealed with the expandable material 32 for control line 30 in the timing that is discussed above, as desired.

Referring to FIG. 5, a borehole system 50 is illustrated. The system 50 comprises the borehole 40 in a subsurface formation 52. The string 36 is disposed within the borehole 40 and the control line with seal enhancement feature 10 or 30 as disclosed herein is disposed within or as a part of the string 36.

Set forth below are some embodiments of the foregoing disclosure:

Embodiment 1: A control line including a control line body having an outside diameter and a textured surface at the outside diameter.

Embodiment 2: The control line as in any prior embodiment, wherein the textured surface is a longitudinal groove or spline.

Embodiment 3: The control line as in any prior embodiment, wherein the textured surface is randomly roughened.

Embodiment 4: The control line as in any prior embodiment, wherein the random roughness is minimum 250 Ra.

Embodiment 5: The control line as in any prior embodiment, wherein the textured surface is ringed grooves or protrusions.

Embodiment 6: A control line including a control line body and an expandable material disposed about the body.

Embodiment 7: The control line as in any prior embodiment, wherein the expandable material is a swellable material.

Embodiment 8: The control line as in any prior embodiment, wherein the swellable material is hydrophilic.

Embodiment 9: The control line as in any prior embodiment, wherein the swellable material is oleophilic.

Embodiment 10: A borehole system including a borehole in a subsurface formation, a string in the borehole and a control line as in any prior embodiment disposed outside of the string.

Embodiment 11: A method to enhance sealing around a control line, including disposing cement in an annular space about a string in a borehole, flowing cement around a control line disposed in the annular space, interacting a seal enhancement feature with the cement, and sealing the cement to the control line.

Embodiment 12: The method as in any prior embodiment, wherein the interacting is bonding cement to a textured surface of the control line.

Embodiment 13: The method as in any prior embodiment, wherein the interacting is expanding an expandable material disposed around the control line into sealing contact with the cement.

Embodiment 14: The method as in any prior embodiment, wherein the expanding includes penetration of the expandable material into porosity of the cement.

Embodiment 15: The method as in any prior embodiment, wherein the expanding occurs prior to setting of the cement.

Embodiment 16: The method as in any prior embodiment, wherein the expanding occurs after setting of the cement.

Embodiment 17: The method as in any prior embodiment, wherein the expanding occurs by drawing hydration from the cement.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Further, it should be noted that the terms “first,” “second,” and the like herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. The terms “about”, “substantially” and “generally” are intended to include the degree of error associated with measurement of the particular quantity based upon the equipment available at the time of filing the application. For example, “about” and/or “substantially” and/or “generally” includes a range of +8% of a given value.

The teachings of the present disclosure may be used in a variety of well operations. These operations may involve using one or more treatment agents to treat a formation, the fluids resident in a formation, a borehole, and/or equipment in the borehole, such as production tubing. The treatment agents may be in the form of liquids, gases, solids, semi-solids, and mixtures thereof. Illustrative treatment agents include, but are not limited to, fracturing fluids, acids, steam, water, brine, anti-corrosion agents, cement, permeability modifiers, drilling muds, emulsifiers, demulsifiers, tracers, flow improvers etc. Illustrative well operations include, but are not limited to, hydraulic fracturing, stimulation, tracer injection, cleaning, acidizing, steam injection, water flooding, cementing, etc.

While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited.

Claims

1. A control line, comprising:

a control line body having an outside diameter; and

a textured surface at the outside diameter.

2. The control line as claimed in claim 1, wherein the textured surface is a longitudinal groove or spline.

3. The control line as claimed in claim 1, wherein the textured surface is randomly roughened.

4. The control line as claimed in claim 3, wherein the random roughness is minimum 250 Ra.

5. The control line as claimed in claim 1, wherein the textured surface is ringed grooves or protrusions.

6. A control line comprising:

a control line body; and

an expandable material disposed about the body.

7. The control line as claimed in claim 6, wherein the expandable material is a swellable material.

8. The control line as claimed in claim 7, wherein the swellable material is hydrophilic.

9. The control line as claimed in claim 7, wherein the swellable material is oleophilic.

10. A borehole system comprising:

a borehole in a subsurface formation;

a string in the borehole; and

a control line as claimed in claim 1 disposed outside of the string.

11. A borehole system comprising:

a borehole in a subsurface formation;

a string in the borehole; and

a control line as claimed in claim 6 disposed outside of the string.

12. A method to enhance sealing around a control line, comprising:

disposing cement in an annular space about a string in a borehole;

flowing cement around a control line disposed in the annular space;

interacting a seal enhancement feature with the cement; and

sealing the cement to the control line.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the interacting is bonding cement to a textured surface of the control line.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the interacting is expanding an expandable material disposed around the control line into sealing contact with the cement.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the expanding includes penetration of the expandable material into porosity of the cement.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the expanding occurs prior to setting of the cement.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the expanding occurs after setting of the cement.

18. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the expanding occurs by drawing hydration from the cement.