Systems and methods for preventing sand accumulation in inverted electric submersible pump

A method for providing artificial lift to wellbore fluids, the method including:

• locating a pump within a wellbore, the pump oriented to selectively boost a pressure of the wellbore fluids traveling from the wellbore towards an earth's surface through a production tubular;
• locating a motor within the wellbore uphole of the pump and providing power to the pump with the motor;
• locating a protector assembly between the pump and the motor, where the pump, the motor, and the protector assembly form an electric submersible pump system;
• locating a downhole packer within the wellbore downhole of the pump;
• locating a sand skirt uphole of the downhole packer, the sand skirt having a sloped inner diameter surface with an uphole end of the sand skirt having a larger inner diameter than an inner diameter of a downhole end of the sand skirt;
• and
• locating a sand diverter downhole of the pump such that a flow port assembly of the sand diverter is located uphole of the downhole packer, the sand diverter having a diverter inner bore open to the wellbore downhole of the downhole packer, where the flow port assembly has an inner sleeve that is moveable between an open position where an inner sleeve port assembly is aligned with an outer sleeve port assembly of an outer sleeve, and a closed position where the inner sleeve port assembly is unaligned with the outer sleeve port assembly, and where the diverter inner bore is open to the wellbore downhole of the downhole packer both when the inner sleeve is in the open position and when the inner sleeve is in the closed position, the sand diverter further including:
• a base member located at a downhole end of the outer sleeve;
• a base member outer seal extending radially outward from the base member and sealing between an outer diameter of the base member and an inner diameter of the outer sleeve;
• a base member inner seal extending radially outward from the base member and sealing between the outer diameter of the base member and an inner diameter of the inner sleeve;
• and
• a biasing member positioned radially outward of the inner sleeve and radially inward of the outers sleeve;
• where
• the sand diverter further includes a plurality of port seals, each of the plurality of port seals forming a seal between the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve and where one of the plurality of port seals is located uphole of an uphole-most row of inner sleeve openings, one of the plurality of port seals is located downhole of a downhole-most row of inner sleeve openings, and other of the plurality of port seals are located between each adjacent row of inner sleeve openings.

A system for providing artificial lift to wellbore fluids, the system having:

• a pump located within a wellbore, the pump oriented to selectively boost a pressure of the wellbore fluids traveling from the wellbore towards an earth's surface through a production tubular;
• a motor located within the wellbore uphole of the pump and providing power to the pump;
• a protector assembly located between the pump and the motor, where the pump, the motor, and the protector assembly form an electric submersible pump system;
• a downhole packer located within the wellbore downhole of the pump;
• a sand diverter located downhole of the pump and having a flow port assembly located uphole of the downhole packer, the sand diverter having a diverter inner bore open to the wellbore downhole of the downhole packer, where the flow port assembly has an inner sleeve that is moveable between an open position where an inner sleeve port assembly is aligned with an outer sleeve port assembly of an outer sleeve, and a closed position where the inner sleeve port assembly is unaligned with the outer sleeve port assembly, and where the diverter inner bore is open to the wellbore downhole of the downhole packer both when the inner sleeve is in the open position and when the inner sleeve is in the closed position, the sand diverter further including:
• a head member located at an uphole end of the outer sleeve;
• a head member outer seal extending radially outward from the head member and sealing between an outer diameter of the head member and an inner diameter of the outer sleeve;
• a head member inner seal extending radially outward from the head member and sealing between the outer diameter of the head member and an inner diameter of the inner sleeve;
• a biasing member positioned radially inward of the outers sleeve;
• and
• a sand skirt located uphole of the downhole packer, the sand skirt having a sloped inner diameter surface with an uphole end of the sand skirt having a larger inner diameter than an inner diameter of a downhole end of the sand skirt;
• where
• the sand diverter further includes a plurality of port seals, each of the plurality of port seals forming a seal between the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve and where one of the plurality of port seals is located uphole of an uphole-most row of inner sleeve openings, one of the plurality of port seals is located downhole of a downhole-most row of inner sleeve openings, and other of the plurality of port seals are located between each adjacent row of inner sleeve openings.

A method for providing artificial lift to wellbore fluids, the method including:

• locating a pump within a wellbore, the pump oriented to selectively boost a pressure of the wellbore fluids traveling from the wellbore towards an earth's surface through a production tubular;
• locating a motor within the wellbore uphole of the pump and providing power to the pump with the motor;
• locating a protector assembly between the pump and the motor, where the pump, the motor, and the protector assembly form an electric submersible pump system;
• locating a downhole packer within the wellbore downhole of the pump;
• locating a sand skirt uphole of the downhole packer, the sand skirt having a sloped inner diameter surface with an uphole end of the sand skirt having a larger inner diameter than an inner diameter of a downhole end of the sand skirt;
• and
• locating a sand diverter downhole of the pump such that a flow port assembly of the sand diverter is located uphole of the downhole packer, the sand diverter having a diverter inner bore open to the wellbore downhole of the downhole packer, where the flow port assembly has an inner sleeve that is moveable between an open position where an inner sleeve port assembly is aligned with an outer sleeve port assembly of an outer sleeve, and a closed position where the inner sleeve port assembly is unaligned with the outer sleeve port assembly, and where the diverter inner bore is open to the wellbore downhole of the downhole packer both when the inner sleeve is in the open position and when the inner sleeve is in the closed position, the sand diverter further including:
• a head member located at an uphole end of the outer sleeve;
• a head member outer seal extending radially outward from the head member and sealing between an outer diameter of the head member and an inner diameter of the outer sleeve;
• a head member inner seal extending radially outward from the head member and sealing between the outer diameter of the head member and an inner diameter of the inner sleeve;
• a biasing member positioned radially inward of the outers sleeve;
• where
• the sand diverter further includes a plurality of port seals, each of the plurality of port seals forming a seal between the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve and where one of the plurality of port seals is located uphole of an uphole-most row of inner sleeve openings, one of the plurality of port seals is located downhole of a downhole-most row of inner sleeve openings, and other of the plurality of port seals are located between each adjacent row of inner sleeve openings.