Patent Publication Number: US-2022213765-A1

Title: Elevated erosion resistant manifold

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present document is based on and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/830,149, filed Apr. 5, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Gravel packs are used in wells for removing particulates from inflowing hydrocarbon fluids. Generally, a completion having a sand screen assembly or a plurality of sand screen assemblies is deployed downhole in a wellbore and a gravel pack is formed around the completion. To facilitate the gravel pack, the completion may include an alternate path system to help prevent premature slurry dehydration in open hole gravel packs. An alternate path system utilizes transport tubes and packing tubes which provide an alternate path for gravel slurry delivery. The transport tubes deliver gravel slurry to the packing tubes via crossover ports. However, directing the gravel slurry into the packing tubes can cause erosion of the packing tubes which can sometimes lead to holes, fractures, and/or other packing tube damage. 
     Attempts have been made to resist erosion by cladding an exterior of the packing tube at a location downstream of the crossover port. However, the material of the packing tube remains subject to erosive flow internally of the cladding. Once the packing tube material is thinned out sufficiently, the packing tube can lose its pressure bearing capacity and cracks can develop in the relatively brittle cladding material. As a result, the packing tube can burst under the pressures reached during packing of relatively lengthy wellbores. Additionally, some cladding processes involve inserting an end of the packing tube into the structure containing the crossover port and then welding the packing tube to the structure. Subsequently, cladding material is added, but this can result in a time-consuming and expensive manufacturing process. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a system for use in a well includes a completion system having: a screen assembly; and an alternate path system disposed along the screen assembly, the alternate path system including a transport tube and a packing tube placed in fluid communication at a manifold via a contoured crossover port within the manifold, the manifold being disposed along the screen assembly, wherein the contoured crossover port comprises an acute angle. 
     In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a manifold includes a contoured crossover port, wherein the manifold is configured to receive a transport tube extending therethrough, the transport tube configured to be in fluid communication with a packing tube at the manifold via the contoured crossover port. 
     In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a method includes manufacturing at least a portion of a manifold using metal, the manifold including: a contoured crossover port including an acute angle, wherein the manifold is configured to receive a transport tube extending therethrough, the transport tube configured to be in fluid communication with a packing tube at the manifold via the contoured crossover port. 
     In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a method includes transporting a gravel pack slurry in an alternate path system disposed along a screen assembly, the alternate path system including a transport tube and a packing tube placed in fluid communication at a manifold via a contoured crossover port within the manifold, the manifold being disposed along the screen assembly; diverting flow of the gravel pack slurry through the contoured crossover port in the manifold from the transport tube into the packing tube; and delivering the gravel pack slurry to a wellbore annulus via the packing tube. 
     However, many modifications are possible without materially departing from the teachings of this disclosure. Accordingly, such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined in the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Certain embodiments of the disclosure will hereafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements. It should be understood, however, that the accompanying figures illustrate the various implementations described herein and are not meant to limit the scope of various technologies described herein, and: 
         FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b    show a manifold according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIGS. 2 a  and 2 b    show a prior art machined manifold; 
         FIG. 3  shows a comparison of resulting flow velocity contours between a 90 degree crossover port and a contoured crossover port in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 4  shows a comparison of particle tracks between a 90 degree crossover port and a contoured crossover port in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of some embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the apparatus and/or method may be practiced without these details and that numerous variations or modifications from the described embodiments may be possible. 
     In the specification and appended claims: the terms “up” and “down,” “upper” and “lower,” “upwardly” and “downwardly,” “upstream” and “downstream,” “uphole” and “downhole,” “above” and “below,” and other like terms indicating relative positions above or below a given point or element are used in this description to more clearly describe some embodiments of the disclosure. 
     The present disclosure generally involves a system and methodology to facilitate formation of gravel packs in wellbores and thus the subsequent production of well fluids. A well completion is provided with an alternate path system for carrying gravel slurry along an alternate path so as to facilitate improved gravel packing during a gravel packing operation. The system and methodology are very useful for facilitating formation of a gravel pack along relatively lengthy wellbores, such as extended reach open hole wells having wellbore lengths of, for example, 4000-8000 feet. However, the system and methodology may be used with wells having lengths greater or less than this range. 
     In some of these relatively lengthy wellbore applications, pressures in the packing tubes at the heel of the completion can rise above, for example, 4000 psi and even up to 8000 psi or more. It should be noted gravel packing operations for these types of longer wellbores can utilize substantially increased proppant volumes. The increased flow of proppant via gravel slurry as well as the higher pressures can potentially lead to increased erosion of the alternate path system and especially increased erosion of the packing tubes. 
     According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a completion system includes a screen assembly and an alternate path system disposed along the screen assembly. The alternate path system may include a transport tube and a packing tube placed in fluid communication at a manifold via a contoured crossover port within the manifold. The manifold is disposed along the screen assembly. The manifold is about 6 inches in length according to one or more embodiments. Because the manifold includes a contoured crossover port and is about 6 inches in length, the manifold according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure exhibits enhanced erosion resistance when compared to a manifold having a 90 degree crossover port that is only 3.5 inches in length, for example. During a gravel packing operation, for example, the fluid flow is in the form of a gravel slurry carrying proppant through the transport tube and into the packing tube via the contoured crossover port in the manifold. In some embodiments, the completion system may comprise multiple screen assemblies with multiple corresponding manifolds disposed along a wellbore. 
     In various embodiments, the manifold (or manifolds) is responsible for the functionality enabling an alternate path system so as to achieve long distance open hole gravel packs. The manifold delivers slurry (which is a combination of suspension fluid and proppant, e.g. gravel) to the wellbore annulus by diverting flow through a contoured crossover port in the manifold from transport tubes into packing tubes. The packing tubes then deliver the slurry to the annulus. Once the wellbore annulus is packed with proppant, e.g. gravel, at a given well zone, the proppant effectively backs up through the packing tube all the way to the manifold. The packed proppant/gravel in the packing tubes presents a restriction, which inhibits further flow of suspension fluid through those packing tubes. 
     The restriction effectively forces the slurry to flow farther along the wellbore through the transport tubes and out through packing tubes in subsequent well zones to ensure proppant is carried to the toe of the well during lengthy gravel packs. Sometimes a substantial portion of the open hole wellbore may be packed via flow of slurry through a relatively small number of the packing tubes. This means that the relatively small number of packing tubes could potentially be subjected to tens of thousands of pounds of proppant during the packing of extended reach wells. This can further increase the chance of packing tube erosion—at least without utilizing the system and methodology described herein. 
     Referring generally to  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b   , a manifold according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Specifically,  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b    show an alternate path system  100  including a transport tube  102  and a packing tube  104  placed in fluid communication at a manifold  106  via a contoured crossover port  108  within the manifold  106 . As shown in  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b   , in one or more embodiments, the transport tube  102  and the packing tube  104  at least partially extend through the manifold  106 , and a carbide liner  110  of the packing tube  104  may be at least partially inserted into a recess of the manifold  106 . In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the carbide liner  110  may provide additional erosion resistance for the alternate path system  100 . As particularly shown in FIG.  1   a , the contoured crossover port  108  within the manifold  106  provides for a smoothly contoured flow  112  of gravel pack slurry from the transport tube  102  and into the packing tube  104  via the contoured crossover port  108 . As specifically shown in  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b   , the contoured crossover port  108  is an acute angle, partial flow diversion from a main transport tube  102  within the manifold  106  into a secondary parallel flow path, i.e., the packing tube  104 . In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a transition length of the acute angle of the contoured crossover port  108  is curved to gradually “turn” and partially divert the flow from the transport tube  102  within the manifold  106  into a path of the packing tube  104  that is parallel to the path of the transport tube  102 . 
     Still referring to  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b   , according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the manifold  106  measures about 6 inches in length in one or more embodiments. Other lengths of the manifold  106  are feasible and are within the scope of the present disclosure. 
     According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, metal additive manufacturing (metal AM) via laser powder bed fusion is utilized to produce either the entire manifold  106  or just the erosion-critical passages within the manifold  106 . For example, at least one flow path of the manifold  106  (e.g., the flow path corresponding to the transport tube  102 , the contoured crossover port  108 , or packing tube  104  entrance) may be manufactured using metal AM via laser powder bed fusion, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. In this way, either at least one flow path of the manifold  106  or the entire manifold  106  may be made of fused metal powder in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     In other embodiments of the present disclosure, a casting manufacturing process may be used to produce either the entire manifold  106  or just the erosion-critical passages within the manifold  106 . For example, at least one flow path of the manifold  106  (e.g., the flow path corresponding to the transport tube  102 , the contoured crossover port  108 , or packing tube  104  entrance) may be manufactured using a casting process according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. In this way, either the at least one flow path of the manifold  106  or the entire manifold  106  may be made of casted metal in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2 a  and 2 b    for the sake of comparison, a prior art machined manifold is shown. Specifically,  FIG. 2 b    shows an alternate path system  200  including a transport tube  202  and a packing tube  204  placed in fluid communication at a manifold  206  via a crossover port  208  within the manifold  206 .  FIG. 2 b    also shows that the packing tube  204  may include a carbide liner  210 . In contrast to  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b   , the prior art manifold  206  is machined from bar stock and milled with two 90 degree intersecting ports, creating a 90 degree crossover port  208 , as shown in  FIGS. 2 a  and 2 b   . As shown in  FIGS. 2 a  and 2 b   , for example, the 90 degree crossover port  208  within the machined manifold  206  provides for a sharply angled flow  212  of gravel pack slurry from the transport tube  202  and into the packing tube  204  via the 90 degree crossover port  108 . Also in contrast to  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b   , the machined manifold  206  measures about 3.5 inches in length. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , a comparison of resulting flow velocity contours and particle tracks between a 90 degree crossover port ( FIGS. 2 a  and 2 b   ) and a contoured crossover port in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure ( FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b   ) are shown. In view of  FIGS. 3 and 4 , computation fluid dynamics (CFD) shows the 90 degree crossover port  208  results in the highest velocity particle impacts at the crossover port  208  and at the wall of the packing tube  204  after the crossover port  208 . As such, the 90 degree crossover port  208  of  FIGS. 2 a  and 2 b    presents a substantial erosion risk for the alternate path system  200 , especially in extended reach applications. Advantageously, however, the contoured crossover port  108  of  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b    allows for fewer particle impacts at the contoured crossover port  108  and lower velocities overall, and shifts the highest velocities away from the wall of the packing tube  104  downstream of the contoured crossover port  108 . As such, the contoured crossover port  108  of  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b    presents a reduced erosion risk for the alternate path system  100 . 
     The metal AM manifold  106  having the contoured crossover port  108  according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure achieves at least 1.4× the performance of the bar stock machined manifold  206  with respect to erosion resistance. The improved erosion resistance may be attributed to at least one of 316L metal AM via laser powder bed fusion resulting in a material structure having greater erosion resistance than annealed bar stock 316L, and an elongated and contoured crossover port  108  within a manifold  106  having a length increased from 3.5 inches to about 6 inches providing a smooth transition of erosive fluid from the transport tube  102  to the packing tube  204 . Advantageously, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure enhances the erosion resistance of the manifold, thereby increasing the open hole alternate path gravel pack system&#39;s ability to sustain erosive flow for greater amounts of proppant needed to gravel pack extended reach wells. 
     Although a few embodiments of the disclosure have been described in detail above, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible without materially departing from the teachings of this disclosure. Accordingly, such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined in the claims.