Patent ID: 7987909

Claim:
Apparatus for allowing the flow of fluid into a fluid flow system disposed in a well bore during gravel packing operations, the apparatus comprising: a tubular assembly having upper and lower ends and at least one port, said at least one port allowing fluid communication between the interior and exterior of said tubular assembly; a first inflow control device extending at least partially around at least part of said tubular assembly and over at least one said port, said first inflow control device having a length; at least one screen extending around at least part of said tubular assembly and over all of said first inflow control device, said at least one screen forming an annulus around said tubular assembly, said annulus including a gap disposed between said at least one screen and said first inflow control device, said gap extending along the length of said first inflow control device; and at least one inlet formed in said tubular assembly between said at least one screen and the lower end of said tubular assembly, said at least one inlet in fluid communication with said annulus and the interior of said tubular assembly, wherein fluid may flow from the well bore through said at least one screen, into and through said annulus, through said gap and into said tubular assembly through said at least one inlet without the necessity of a wash pipe.