Downhole sub with hydraulically actuable sleeve valve
AssigneePackers Plus Energy Services Inc.
InventorsDaniel Jon Themig, Kevin O. Trahan, Christopher Denis Desranleau, Frank DeLucia
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for opening a port through the wall of a ported sub includes providing a sub with a port through its tubular side wall and providing a hydraulically actuable valve to cover the port. The valve can be actuable to move away from a position covering the port to thereby open the port. The method also includes increasing pressure within the sub to create a pressure differential across the valve to move the valve toward the low pressure side, while the port remains closed by the valve, and thereafter, reducing pressure within the sub to reduce the pressure differential to move valve away from a position covering the port.
Claims16
A hydraulically actuable sleeve valve comprising:
- a tubular segment including a wall defining therein an inner bore;
- a port through the wall of the tubular segment;
- a sleeve supported by the tubular segment and installed to be axially moveable relative to the tubular segment from a first position covering the port to a second position and to a third position away from a covering position over the port, the sleeve including a first piston face open to tubing pressure and a second piston face open to annular pressure, such that a pressure differential can be set up between the first piston face and the second piston face to drive the sleeve toward a low pressure side from the first position into the second position with the sleeve continuing to cover the port;
- and
- a driver configured to apply a driver force to the sleeve to move the sleeve from the second position into the third position, the driver being unable to move the sleeve until the pressure differential is substantially dissipated such that the driver force is greater than a force applied to the sleeve by the pressure differential between the first piston face and the second piston face.
A method of accessing a hydrocarbon laden formation, comprising:
- running a tubing string into a wellbore extending into the hydrocarbon laden formation, the tubing string comprising a plurality of fluid flow regulating mechanisms grouped into a plurality of areas including a first area including one or more of the plurality of fluid flow regulating mechanisms and a second area including one or more of the plurality of fluid flow regulating mechanisms;
- actuating substantially simultaneously all of the fluid flow regulating mechanisms of the first area to access the hydrocarbon laden formation along the first area;
- and
- actuating substantially simultaneously all of the fluid flow regulating mechanisms of the second area to access the hydrocarbon laden formation along the second area.
A sleeve valve sub comprising:
- a tubular segment including a wall defining therein an inner bore;
- a first port through the wall of the tubular segment;
- a second port through the wall of the tubular segment;
- and
- a sleeve supported by the tubular segment and installed to be axially moveable relative to the tubular segment from a first position covering the first port to a second position away from a covering position over the first port, the sleeve covering the second port in the first position and the second position, the sleeve including an inner facing surface defining a full bore diameter, an inner diameter constriction on the inner diameter of the sleeve having a diameter less than the full bore diameter;
- an outer facing surface, an indentation on the outer facing surface radially aligned with the inner diameter constriction, the indentation defined by an extension of the outer facing surface protruding inwardly of the full bore diameter, the indentation being positionable over the second port when the sleeve is in the second position such that the second port is openable to fluid flow therethrough by removal of the inner diameter constriction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.