Patent Publication Number: US-2023143015-A1

Title: Completion isolation system with tubing movement compensator

Description:
CROSS-REFERECE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present document is based on and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/047,401, filed Jul. 2, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Open hole completions are widely used with various techniques including open hole gravel packing, standalone screens, slotted liners, perforated pipes, or expandable screens. Cased hole completions are also widely used. For reservoir management, isolation packers may be included in completion systems to isolate two or more zones of the wellbore. An effective isolation between zones requires a mechanical bond between the element and the tubular and a bond between the borehole surface and the element. However, movement of the tubular due to temperature or pressure changes downhole may compromise the bond between the borehole surface and the element, and may even cause the element to damage the borehole surface. 
     SUMMARY 
     A system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure includes a tubular disposed within a borehole, a sleeve disposed around the tubular, and an isolation element bonded to an outer diameter of the sleeve. In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, an inner diameter of the sleeve is connected to an outer diameter of the tubular via a plurality of seals. In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the isolation element is configured to conform to a surface of the borehole when the isolation element is in an expanded configuration. According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the sleeve compensates for movement of the tubular by being able to freely move across the tubular. 
     A method according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure includes deploying a completion system into a wellbore, the completion system including: a tubular, a sleeve disposed around the tubular, and an isolation element bonded to an outer diameter of the sleeve. In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, an inner diameter of the sleeve is connected to an outer diameter of the tubular via a plurality of seals. In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the isolation element is in an unexpanded configuration during the deploying step. The method according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure also includes actuating the isolation element such that the isolation element conforms to a surface of the borehole in an expanded configuration, and maintaining an integrity of a first bond between the isolation element and the outer diameter of the sleeve, and a second bond between the isolation element in the expanded configuration and the surface of the borehole by allowing the sleeve to freely move across the tubular. 
     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: 
         FIG.  1    shows a completion isolation system, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG.  2    shows another completion isolation system, according to 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 system and/or methodology 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,” “top” and “bottom,” “left” and “right,” 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 relates to completion isolation applications. More specifically, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure relates to a completion isolation system that includes an isolation element bonded to a movable sleeve that is connected to a tubular for completion isolation applications, which may include, for example, isolating a non-producing zone, controlling the production or injection from each zone, or isolating a zone producing an unwanted fluid (e.g., water or gas for an oil producing well). Advantageously, allowing free movement of the sleeve compensates for undesirable movement of the tubular, due to temperature and pressure fluctuations, for example. Due to this configuration according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the integrity of the seals between the borehole surface and the isolation element (in open hole applications) or between the casing surface and the isolation element (in cased hole applications), and between the tubular and the isolation element via the sleeve, are not compromised, thereby improving the effectiveness of isolation between zones within the completion system. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  1   , a completion isolation system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. As shown in  FIG.  1   , the system  10  may include a tubular  12  disposed within a bore hole  14 , and a sleeve  16  disposed around the tubular  12 . According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the tubular  12  and the sleeve  16  may be arranged so as to create annular spaces  28  between an outer diameter  20  of the tubular  12  and an inner diameter  18  of the sleeve  16 . Further, in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the inner diameter  18  of the sleeve  16  may be connected to the outer diameter  20  of the tubular  12  via a plurality of seals  22   a . As shown in  FIG.  1   , for example, the plurality of seals  22   a  may include a series of bonded seals (or o-rings) fixed to the outer diameter  20  of the tubular  12  and disposed in the annular spaces  28  between the outer diameter  20  of the tubular  12  and the inner diameter  18  of the sleeve  16 . While three bonded seals  22   a  are shown disposed in the annular spaces  28  of  FIG.  1   , the amount of bonded seals in the plurality of seals  22   a  is not limiting, and any amount of bonded seals is contemplated and within the scope of the present disclosure. 
     As further shown in  FIG.  1   , the system  10  may also include an isolation element  24  bonded to an outer diameter  26  of the sleeve  16 , according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The isolation element  24  according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of an elastomeric element, a swellable element, a mechanical packer, and a hydraulically set packer, for example. The isolation element  24 , as a component of the completion system  10  according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, may assume an unexpanded configuration as the system  10  is deployed into a wellbore. In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, ends rings with corresponding shear pins (not shown) may be added to the ends of the sleeve  16  to prevent the sleeve  16  from moving during deployment. Once the shear pins are sheared by achieving the requisite tension on the sleeve  16 , free movement of the sleeve  16 , as further described below, may be achieved. After deployment, and once the system  10  reaches a desired location within the wellbore, the isolation element  24  may be actuated into an expanded configuration such that the isolation element  24  conforms to a surface of the bore hole  14 . Therefore, the completion system  10  according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure includes a first bond  32  between the isolation element  24  and the outer diameter  26  of the sleeve  16 , and a second bond  34  between the isolation element  24  in the expanded configuration and the surface of the bore hole  14 . 
     In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, actuation of the isolation element  24  from the unexpanded configuration to the expanded configuration may occur hydraulically, electrically, remotely, wirelessly, mechanically, chemically, via pressure, or magnetically, for example. Once the isolation element  24  is in the expanded configuration, completion isolation applications, such as controlling the production or injection from a given zone, isolating a non-producing zone, or isolating a zone that is producing an unwanted fluid (e.g., water or gas for an oil producing well), for example, may proceed in the wellbore. 
     During completion isolation operations, and otherwise while the completion system  10  is disposed in the wellbore, the tubular  12  may be exposed to temperature and/or pressure fluctuations that may cause the tubular  12  to undesirably move. Advantageously, in the system  10  according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the sleeve  16  compensates for this movement of the tubular  12  by being able to freely move across the tubular  12 . In this way, the sleeve  16  is able to maintain the integrity of the first bond  32  between the isolation element  24  and the outer diameter  26  of the sleeve  16 , and the second bond  34  between the isolation element  24  in the expanded configuration and the surface of the bore hole  14  by allowing the sleeve  16  to freely move across the tubular  12 . As shown in  FIG.  1   , for example, the inner diameter  18  of the sleeve  16  may be polished, which facilitates free movement of the sleeve  16  across the tubular  12 , according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     As further shown in  FIG.  1   , the system  10  may include at least one debris seal  30  attached to an end of the sleeve  16  and the outer diameter  20  of the tubular  12 . In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, placement of the at least one debris seal  30  in this way minimizes debris from entering the annular spaces  28  between the outer diameter  20  of the tubular  12  and the inner diameter  18  of the sleeve  16 . 
     Referring now to  FIG.  2   , another completion isolation system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Only the key differences between  FIG.  2    and  FIG.  1   , as previously described, will be provided here. Like elements between  FIG.  2    and  FIG.  1    are associated with the same reference numeral to facilitate clarity. As shown in  FIG.  2   , in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the inner diameter  18  of the sleeve  16  may be connected to the outer diameter  20  of the tubular  12  via a plurality of seals  22   b . As shown in  FIG.  2   , for example, the plurality of seals  22   b  may include a series of bonded seals (or o-rings) fixed to the inner diameter  18  of the sleeve  16  and disposed in the annular spaces  28  between the outer diameter  20  of the tubular  12  and the inner diameter  18  of the sleeve  16 . While two bonded seals  22   b  are shown disposed in the annular spaces  28  of  FIG.  2   , the amount of bonded seals in the plurality of seals  22   a  is not limiting, and any amount of bonded seals is contemplated and within the scope of the present disclosure. 
     Similar to the completion system  10  described with respect to  FIG.  1   , the sleeve  16  of the system  10  of  FIG.  2    compensates for undesirable movement of the tubular  12  by being able to move across the tubular  12 . As shown in  FIG.  2   , in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, at least a portion of the outer diameter  20  of the tubular  12  may be polished, which facilitates free movement of the sleeve  16  across the tubular  12 . Specifically, in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the portion of the outer diameter  20  of the tubular  12  that coincides with the annular space  28  may be polished, as shown in  FIG.  2   , for example. 
     While the aforementioned embodiments of the present disclosure in view of  FIGS.  1  and  2    are may describe an open hole completion isolation system, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may also be applicable to cased hole completion isolation systems, where the aforementioned borehole surface is a surface of a casing or other metallic tubular, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     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.