Patent ID: 7866383

Claim:
A sand control screen assembly operably positionable within a wellbore, the sand control screen assembly comprising: a base pipe having a plurality of circumferentially and longitudinally distributed openings in a sidewall portion thereof and an internal flow path; a swellable material layer disposed exteriorly of the base pipe and having a plurality of openings that correspond to the openings of the base pipe; and a plurality of circumferentially and longitudinally distributed, radially extendable filter members, each radially extendable filter member operably associated with at least one of the openings of the base pipe and at least partially disposed within the corresponding opening of the swellable material layer, the radially extendable filter members having a circumferential dimension that is less than a longitudinal dimension thereof; wherein, in response to contact with an activating fluid, radial expansion of the swellable material layer causes the radially extendable filter members to shift from a radially retracted running configuration to a radially extended operating configuration.