Patent ID: 6237687
Filing Date: 2001-05-29
Classification: E21B

Abstract:
A method of gravel packing an oil and gas well with a circulating gravel pack, said well having a wellhead at the earth's surface, a well annulus, and a well casing, comprising the steps of:a) lowering a tool body having a packer and a valving member into the well casing on a work string having a fluid conveying work string bore;b) placing the tool body in the well casing and at a selected elevational position of the well casing to be packed with sand;c) activating the packer to form an annular seal against the casing by elevating pressure in the work string bore;d) anchoring the tool body to the casing with slips;e) opening the valving member at a position below the annular seal;f) transmitting sand in a carrying fluid via the work string bore to the opened valving member so that the sand and carrying fluid enters the well annulus below the seal to form a gravel pack with a selected sand out pressure valve;g) opening a return channel by activating a valving member with fluid pressure that is about equal to the sand out pressure;h) circulating the carrying fluid back to the earth's surface via a channel that extends through the tool body from below the packer to a position above the packer;i) wherein in step ""g"" the valving member includes a piston that slides relative to the tool body between closed and open positions.