Patent ID: 11891874
Assignee: HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.
Field: Civil engineering (Other fields)
Classification: CPC E | IPC E

Claim 9:
10. A method of installing a porous gravel pack downhole in a wellbore, the method comprising:
positioning a porous gravel pack around a tubing string, the porous gravel pack comprising a plurality of grains, each grain of the plurality of grains having an unexpanded position and an expanded position, wherein each grain of the plurality of grains comprises:
a core comprising an expandable material that expands in response to coming in contact with a fluid from an unexpanded position to an expanded position; and, a sheath surrounding a portion of the core, wherein the sheath does not fully extend over at least one end of the core in the unexpanded position, wherein the sheath is deformable in response to the core expanding to the expanded position wherein in the expanded position, each grain of the plurality of grains has a length to diameter ratio that is greater than 1, and wherein in the expanded position a fluid passageway is formed between a first grain of the plurality of grains and a second grain of the plurality of grains, the fluid passageway being defined by a deformed first sheath of the first grain and a deformed second sheath of the second grain, wherein the deformed first sheath and the deformed second sheath prevent a portion of the core of the first grain of the plurality of grains from contacting a portion of the core of the second grain of the plurality of grains for defining the fluid passageway; and
injecting the fluid into the wellbore for placing the fluid in contact with the plurality of grains of the porous gravel pack, wherein in response to contact with the fluid, the core of each grain of the plurality of grains expands to the expanded position.