Shunt tube system for gravel packing operations
AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.
InventorsMaxime Philippe Coffin, Andrew David Penno, Patrick Patchi Bourgneuf
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Abstract
A shunt system for a wellbore includes a first set of tubes defining a first plurality of fluid paths and a second set of tubes defining a second plurality of fluid paths. The shunt system also includes a mixing chamber positioned between the first set of tubes and the second set of tubes to allow slurry from the first plurality of fluid paths to mix together prior to outputting the slurry to the second set of tubes. Further, the shunt system is positionable external to one or more sand screens.
Claims18
A shunt system for a wellbore, the shunt system comprising:
- a first set of tubes defining a first plurality of fluid paths;
- a second set of tubes defining a second plurality of fluid paths, the second set of tubes comprising:
- at least one transport tube to receive a mixed slurry from a mixing chamber;
- and
- at least one packing tube directly coupled to the at least one transport tube to transport the mixed slurry from the at least one transport tube to an annulus between one or more sand screens and a wall of the wellbore;
- and
- the mixing chamber positioned between the first set of tubes and the second set of tubes to allow slurry from the first plurality of fluid paths to mix together prior to outputting the slurry to the second set of tubes,
- the shunt system being positionable external to the one or more sand screens.
A mixing chamber for a shunt system for delivering slurry to sand screens, the mixing chamber comprising:
- a first inlet port for a first tube defining a first inlet fluid path;
- a second inlet port for a second tube defining a second inlet fluid path;
- a first outlet port for a third tube defining a first outlet fluid path;
- a second outlet port for a fourth tube defining a second outlet fluid path;
- and
- a housing defining an area in which fluid from the first inlet fluid path and the second inlet fluid path is mixable prior to flowing through the first outlet port or the second outlet port to an annulus between one or more sand screens and a wall of a wellbore via one or more packing tubes directly couplable to a first transport tube or a second transport tube, the first transport tube couplable to the first outlet port for transporting the fluid from the housing to the one or more packing tubes, the second transport tube couplable to the second outlet port for transporting the fluid from the housing to the one or more packing tubes,
- wherein the mixing chamber is positionable external to the one or more sand screens.
A method comprising:
- pumping slurry through separate tubes to a mixing chamber;
- allowing the slurry from the separate tubes to mix in the mixing chamber that is external to one or more screens;
- outputting mixed slurry to one or more output tubes through outlet ports of the mixing chamber;
- receiving the mixed slurry from the mixing chamber by one or more transport tubes, that are coupled to mixing chamber, of the one or more output tubes;
- and
- transporting the mixed slurry by one or more packing tubes of the one or more output tubes to an annulus between the one or more screens and a wall of a wellbore, the one or more packing tubes directly coupled to the one or more transport tubes for transporting the mixed slurry from the mixing chamber to the annulus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.