Patent ID: 6715544
Filing Date: 2004-04-06
Classification: E21B

Abstract:
A well screen comprising:a cylindrical, perforated, base pipe defining a pipe longitudinal axis and an exterior surface, a woven wire mesh filtering medium substantially surrounding, and in a spaced-apart relationship with, the exterior surface of the base pipe, the filtering medium defining a filtering medium longitudinal axis, which is substantially collinear with the pipe longitudinal axis, thereby forming an annular space between the exterior surface of the base pipe and the filtering medium, an elongated rib coupled to the exterior surface of the base pipe and positioned in the annular space, the elongated rib extending substantially parallel to the pipe longitudinal axis, and a wire having a thickness, the wire positioned within the annular space and spirally extending around the exterior surface of the base pipe and the elongated rib coupled to the exterior surface of the base pipe, thereby creating consecutive revolutions of wire longitudinally spaced along the elongated rib and the exterior surface of the base pipe, the consecutive revolutions of wire creating a corresponding gap between the consecutive revolutions of wire, the gap having a width greater than the thickness of the wire.