Delayed opening port assembly

A method for delaying opening of a flow port of a port sub, the flow port being blocked by a rupture disk and a dissolvable barrier, the method comprising:

• increasing a pressure of a fluid inside the port sub to rupture the first burst disk;
• exposing, by rupturing the first burst disk, the dissolvable barrier to the fluid;
• and
• dissolving, by exposure to the fluid, at least a portion of the dissolvable barrier to open a flow passage through the dissolvable barrier,
• wherein the port sub is connected to a downhole tubular and the first burst disk has a rupture pressure of about 80% to about 100% of a yield pressure of the downhole tubular.

A port sub, comprising:

• a housing;
• a flow passage, defined within the housing;
• a port, extending through the housing, from the flow passage to an environment external to the housing;
• and
• a sealing configuration, including;
• a burst disk;
• a dissolvable barrier;
• a protective outer barrier;
• wherein:
• the dissolvable barrier is disposed between the burst disk and the protective outer barrier;
• the port and the sealing configuration co-operate to establish a flow controller configuration that is characterized by a sealing-effective state and a sealing-ineffective state, wherein:
• in the sealing-effective state, the port is sealed by the sealing configuration such that fluid communication, between the flow passage and the external environment, via the port, is prevented;
• and
• in the sealing-ineffective state, fluid communication, between the flow passage and the external environment, via the port, is established;
• the flow controller configuration is configured in a first sealing-effective configuration, wherein, in the first sealing-effective configuration:
• the burst disk establishes a first sealing interface between the flow passage and the external environment, such that the first sealing interface seals the port and prevents fluid communication, via the port, between the flow passage and the dissolvable barrier, the dissolvable barrier establishes a second sealing interface between the flow passage and the external environment such that the second sealing interface also seals the port, and the protective outer barrier establishes a third sealing interface between the flow passage and the external environment, such that the third sealing interface also seals the port and prevents fluid communication, via the port, between the external environment and the dissolvable barrier, such that the flow controller configuration is disposed in the sealing-effective state;
• while the flow controller configuration is configured in the first sealing-effective configuration, the flow controller configuration is configurable in a second sealing-effective configuration, wherein, in the second sealing-effective configuration, the first sealing interface, established by the burst disk, is absent, such that the dissolvable barrier is disposed in fluid communication, via the port, with the flow passage, the second sealing interface, established by the dissolvable barrier, is effective, and the third sealing interface, established by the protective outer barrier, is effective, such that the flow controller configuration is disposed in the sealing-effective state;
• the first sealing interface, established by the burst disk, is defeatable in response to application of a respective seal-defeating fluid pressure and only if the seal-defeating fluid pressure is equal to, or greater than, a seal-defeating minimum predetermined pressure that is respective to the burst disk, wherein the defeating is with effect that the flow controller configuration transitions from the first sealing-effective configuration to the second sealing-effective configuration;
• the fluid communication, in which the dissolvable barrier is disposed with the flow passage while the second sealing-effective state is established, is effective for emplacing a dissolution-stimulating material in a dissolution-effective communication with the dissolution-stimulating material-responsive for stimulating dissolution of the dissolvable barrier, with effect that the second sealing interface, established by the dissolvable barrier, is defeated, such that the flow controller configuration transitions from the second sealing-effective configuration to a third sealing-effective configuration, and while the flow controller configuration is configured in the third sealing-effective configuration:
• the first sealing interface, established by the burst disk, is absent, and the second sealing interface, established by the dissolvable barrier, is absent, such that protective outer barrier is disposed in fluid communication with the flow passage;
• and
• the third sealing interface, established by the protective outer barrier, is effective,
• such that the sealing-effective state, of the flow controller configuration, is effective;
• and
• the third sealing interface, established by the protective outer barrier, is defeatable in response to application of a respective seal-defeating fluid pressure and only if the applied seal-defeating fluid pressure, that is respective to the third sealing interface that is established by the protective outer barrier, is equal to, or greater than, a respective seal-defeating minimum predetermined pressure, wherein the defeating is with effect that the flow controller configuration transitions from the third sealing-effective configuration to the sealing-ineffective configuration;
• and
• the burst disk is a first burst disk and the pressure-responsive outer barrier is a second burst disk and the seal-defeating minimum predetermined pressure, that is respective to the first burst disk, is greater than the seal-defeating minimum predetermined pressure, that is respective to the second burst disk.

A port sub comprising:

• a housing;
• a flow passage, defined within the housing;
• a port, extending through the housing, from the flow passage to an environment external to the housing;
• a sealing configuration, including;
• a burst disk;
• and
• a dissolvable barrier;
• and
• a dissolution-stimulating material precursor configured for stimulation by a downhole fluid to produce a dissolution-stimulating material;
• wherein:
• the burst disk is disposed between the dissolvable barrier and the flow passage;
• the dissolvable barrier is disposed between the burst disk and the external environment;
• the dissolution-stimulating material precursor is disposed within the port;
• the port and the sealing configuration co-operate to establish a flow controller configuration that is characterized by a sealing-effective state and a sealing-ineffective state, wherein:
• in the sealing-effective state, the port is sealed such that fluid communication, between the flow passage and the external environment, via the port, is prevented;
• and
• in the sealing-ineffective state, fluid communication, between the flow passage and the external environment, via the port, is established;
• the flow controller configuration is configured in a first sealing-effective configuration, wherein, in the first sealing-effective configuration:
• the burst disk establishes a first sealing interface between the flow passage and the external environment, such that the first sealing interface seals the port and prevents fluid communication, via the port, between the flow passage and the dissolvable barrier, and the dissolvable barrier establishes a second sealing interface between the flow passage and the external environment such that the second sealing interface also seals the port and prevents fluid communication, via the port, between the external environment and the burst disk, such that the flow controller configuration is disposed in the sealing-effective state;
• fluid communication between the flow passage and the dissolution-stimulating material precursor is prevented by the burst disk, and fluid communication between the external environment and the dissolution-stimulating material precursor is prevented by the dissolvable barrier;
• while the flow controller configuration is configured in the first sealing-effective configuration:
• the flow controller configuration is configurable in a second sealing-effective configuration, wherein, in the second sealing-effective configuration, the first sealing interface, established by the burst disk, is absent, such that the dissolution-stimulating material precursor is disposed in fluid communication with the flow passage, and the second sealing interface, established by the dissolvable barrier, is effective, such that the flow controller configuration, is disposed in the sealing-effective state;
• the first sealing interface, established by the burst disk, is defeatable in response to application of a respective seal-defeating fluid pressure and only if the seal-defeating fluid pressure is equal to, or greater than, a seal-defeating minimum predetermined pressure that is respective to the burst disk, wherein the defeating is with effect that the flow controller configuration transitions from the first sealing-effective configuration to the second sealing-effective configuration;
• and
• the dissolution-stimulating material precursor, the flow passage, and the dissolvable barrier are co-operatively configured such that, while the flow controller configuration is configured in the second sealing-effective configuration, and downhole fluid is disposed in the flow passage, the dissolution-stimulating material precursor is stimulated by the downhole fluid, with effect that the dissolution-stimulating material is produced and becomes emplaced in a dissolution-effective communication with the dissolvable barrier for stimulating dissolution of the dissolvable barrier, with effect that the second sealing interface, established by the dissolvable barrier, is defeated.

A method for delaying opening of a flow port of a port sub, the flow port being blocked by a rupture disk, a dissolvable barrier and a protective layer, the method comprising:

• increasing a pressure of a fluid inside the port sub to rupture the first burst disk;
• exposing, by rupturing the first burst disk, the dissolvable barrier to the fluid;
• dissolving, by exposure to the fluid, at least one of a plurality of thinner areas of the dissolvable barrier to open a flow passage through the dissolvable barrier;
• dissolving or rupturing the protective layer adjacent to the dissolvable barrier;
• wherein:
• the protective layer is a second burst disk;
• and
• the second burst disk has a rupture pressure less than that of the first burst disk.

A port assembly usable in a port sub, the port sub including a housing, a flow passage defined within the housing, and a flow port extending through the housing from the flow passage to an environment external to the housing, wherein at least a portion of the port assembly is emplaced within the flow port for controlling fluid communication between the flow passage and the environment external to the housing, the port assembly comprising:

• a first burst disk for placement proximal to the flow passage, the first burst disk having a first burst disk outer surface facing away from the flow passage;
• a dissolvable barrier adjacent to the first burst disk outer surface, and
• a second burst disk arranged adjacent to an outer surface of the dissolvable barrier
• wherein:
• the port assembly is configurable in at least a closed configuration, a dissolve-ready configuration and an open configuration;
• in the closed configuration, the first burst disk, the dissolvable barrier and the second burst disk are intact such that there is an absence of flow communication between the flow passage and an environment external to the port sub housing via the flow port;
• in the dissolve-ready configuration, the first burst disk is defeated, while the dissolvable barrier remain and the second burst disk remain intact such that the dissolvable barrier is in flow communication with the flow passage while flow communication from the flow passage to the environment external to the port sub wall is prevented by at least the dissolvable barrier;
• and
• in the open configuration, the dissolvable barrier and the second burst disk are defeated such that flow communication from the flow passage to the external environment external via the flow port is established;
• and
• transitioning of the port assembly from the dissolve-ready configuration to the open configuration is via an opening-ready configuration, wherein the opening-ready configuration is established after a predetermined breakthrough time effective for defeating at least a portion of the dissolvable barrier such that the second burst disk is disposed in flow communication with the flow passage;
• and
• transitioning from the opening-ready configuration to the open configuration is in response to rupturing of the second burst disk, the second burst disk configured to rupture at a rupture pressure that is less than the rupture pressure of the first burst disk.