Patent ID: 9677383
Date: 2017-06-13
CPC Classifications: E21B

Claim:
1. A gravel pack apparatus for a wellbore, comprising: a flow tube having a flow passage conducting slurry in a conducted direction from a proximal end toward a distal end of the flow tube, the flow tube having a plurality of flow ports disposed along a length of the flow tube for passing the conducted slurry into the wellbore; and a plurality of inserts disposed in the flow ports, each of the inserts defining at least one aperture therethrough and being composed of an erodible material, each of the inserts eroding via the conducted slurry passing through the at least one aperture and allowing passage of the conducted slurry from an initial flow rate to a subsequently greater flow rate, wherein the inserts are designed differently from one another in order to erode at different rates from one another in a predetermined pattern along the length of the flow tube, the predetermined pattern comprising at least one of the inserts disposed towards one of the proximal and distal ends eroding at at least one of the different rates before at least another of the inserts disposed towards the other of the proximal and distal ends eroding at at least another of the different rates.