Patent Abstract:
A method of completing a well includes, positioning at least one valve within a tubular, closing the at least one valve, pressuring up against the closed at least one valve in a first direction, actuating a tool or treating a formation, opening the at least one valve without intervention, and flowing fluid past the at least one valve in a second direction.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Prior to completion of an earth formation borehole, such as are commonly employed in the hydrocarbon recovery and carbon dioxide sequestration industries, operations typically include running and setting plugs within the borehole. Such operations may include perforating and fracing, for example. After these operations are finished the plugs need to be removed so as not to create an obstruction to flow therepast in one or more directions. Removal often requires drilling or milling out of the plugs. The industry is always interested in systems and methods to avoid or decrease the costs associated with the time, equipment and manpower needed to perform the milling or drilling operation. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
     Disclosed herein is a method of completing a well. The method includes, positioning at least one valve within a tubular, closing the at least one valve, pressuring up against the closed at least one valve in a first direction, actuating a tool or treating a formation, opening the at least one valve without intervention, and flowing fluid past the at least one valve in a second direction. 
     Further disclosed herein is a completion. The completion includes a tubular, and at least one valve in operable communication with the tubular configured to initially provide no restriction to flow or intervention that is subsequently closable to fluid in a first direction sufficiently to allow actuation of a tool or treatment of a formation while allowing fluid therepast in a second direction. The at least one valve is also openable to flow therepast in the first direction without intervention after a period of time. 
     Further disclosed herein is a one trip completion arrangement. The arrangement includes a plurality of valves positioned within a borehole each configured to close to downhole flow once shifted for at least a duration of time and to allow uphole flow regardless of whether shifted, and a multi-tool configured to separately shift each of the plurality of valves and repeatedly perforate a lining of the borehole to allow fracing through the perforated lining with pressure built against one or more of the shifted and closed valves, such that a plurality of separate zones can be fraced and the borehole open to production upon a single trip of the multi-tool. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The following descriptions should not be considered limiting in any way. With reference to the accompanying drawings, like elements are numbered alike: 
         FIG. 1  depicts a schematical cross sectional view of a completion disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 2  depicts a magnified view of a portion of the completion of  FIG. 1  in an alternate position; 
         FIG. 3  depicts a magnified view of a portion of the completion of  FIG. 1  with the valve shown in a closed position; 
         FIG. 4  depicts a magnified view of a portion of the completion of  FIG. 1  after a tubular has been perforated; 
         FIG. 5  depicts a magnified view of a portion of the completion of  FIG. 1  after a formation has been fractured; and 
         FIG. 6  depicts a magnified view of a portion of the completion of  FIG. 1  after the flapper has been removed. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way of exemplification and not limitation with reference to the Figures. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-6 , a completion disclosed herein is generally illustrated at  10 . The completion includes a tubular  14  and at least one valve  18  in operable communication with the tubular  14 . The at least one valve  18  is illustrated in the figures as being just one of the valves  18 ; however any practical number of the valves  18  could be employed in the completion  10 . The tubular  14  as illustrated is a liner or casing in a borehole  20 . The at least one valve  18  is configured to initially allow intervention therepast in a first direction indicated by arrow  22  in the Figure while being subsequently closable to fluid therepast in the first direction. Such intervention, for example, includes running of a wireline, coiled tubing, shifting tool or multi-tool  26  as illustrated herein. The valve  18  is configured to allow pressure to be built against the valve  18  while closed sufficient to actuate another tool  28  or treat a formation  30 . The valve  18  is further configured to be subsequently reopenable immediately to allow flow therepast in a second direction indicated by arrow  34  without further intervention. In this embodiment, as indicated by the arrows  22  and  34 , the second direction is opposite the first direction. The valve  18  is further configured to allow flow therepast in the first direction after a period of time without further intervention. 
     The embodiment of the valve  18  illustrated herein includes a movable portion  38  shown herein is a flapper, however, other embodiments are contemplated. The flapper  38  is biased toward the closed position and as such is reopenable immediately to flow in the second direction by the force of fluid flow in the second direction that overcomes the closing bias on the flapper  38 . In this embodiment the valve  18  is reopenable to flow in the first direction after a period of time has passed after the flapper  38  has been closed. This reopening is due to disintegration or dissolution and removal of the flapper  38  as illustrated in  FIG. 6 . 
     In this embodiment a sleeve  42  maintains the flapper  38  in the open position (as shown in  FIG. 1  only) until the sleeve  42  has shifted. The sleeve  42  is slidably sealably engaged with a housing  46  of the valve  18  by seals  50  prior to being shifted. The sleeve  42  and the seals  50  prevent fluid within the borehole  21  from reaching the flapper  38  until the sleeve  42  has been shifted. The foregoing structure allows an operator to control initiation of dissolution of the portion  38  of the valve  18  by preventing exposure of the portion  38  to a dissolving environment, such as borehole fluid for example, until the sleeve  42  has shifted. Thus, the tubular  14  can be run into a borehole  20  and cemented without dissolution of the flapper  38  having been initiated. 
     Components that define the valve  18 , including the housing  46 , the seals  50 , the sleeve  42  and the flapper  38  in this embodiment are sized and configured to define a minimum radial dimension  58  (shown if  FIG. 2  only) when the valve is open (either before having closed or after having reopened, pre or post dissolution of the flapper  38 ) that is no smaller than a minimum radial dimension  62  of the tubular  14  in either longitudinal direction from the valve  18 . As such the valve  18  creates no impediment to interventions including running tools therepast, nor any restriction to the flow of fluid through the valve  18  that is greater than that of through the tubular  14  itself. 
     The embodiments disclosed herein include a plurality of the valves  18  positioned along the tubular  14  within the borehole  20 . Each of the valves  18  is configured to close to downhole flow once shifted for at least a duration of time while being reopenable to allow uphole flow immediately, regardless of whether the valve  18  has been shifted or not. The multi-tool  26  is configured to separately shift each of the plurality of valves  18  and repeatedly perforate the lining  14  of the borehole  20  and to allow fracing of the formation  30  through the perforated lining  66  ( FIG. 5  only) with pressure built against one or more of the valves  18  that are closed while the multi-tool  26  remains positioned within the borehole  20 . As such, a plurality of zones  70  (with just one zone being illustrated in  FIG. 5 ) can be fraced and the borehole  20  opened to production flow therethrough upon a single trip of the multi-tool  26  through the borehole  20 . The plurality of zones in this embodiment being fraced sequentially in the second direction. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , shows the valve after a disintegrable or dissolvable flapper has been dissolved or disintegrated. 
     While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4