Patent ID: 7178595

Claim:
A well tool comprising: a base pipe adapted to be disposed within a wellbore and having a plurality of apertures disposed along at least a portion of its length; a screen system coaxially secured about the base pipe adjacent the apertures and substantially permeable to fluids and substantially impermeable to sand, the screen system comprising multiple sections, with each section having at least two radially-spaced apart screens defining an inner screen, an outer screen and a screen system section flow path there between, wherein the screen system has multiple sections arranged substantially end-to-end with a transition between adjacent sections, each transition having at least one flow port that establishes communication between an annulus and an associated screen system section flow path, and wherein the at least one port on each transition is disposed angularly out of alignment from the at least one flow port of an adjacent transition; and an end cap adjacent each end of the screen system and coupling the screen system to the base pipe to substantially prevent sand from bypassing the screen system and entering the apertures.