Method and apparatus for reducing liner slot plugging tendencies
OwnerSubodh Gupta, Arnoud Struyk +2inventors
InventorsSubodh Gupta, Arnoud Struyk, Denis Gilbert, Simon D. Gittins
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A slotted liner having straight-cut liner slots with a wall roughness which does not exceed 1 μm. A slot cutting method to produce smooth slots using a specified blade configuration, rotational speed, and feed rate.
Claims25
A process for mechanically creating a slot in and through a metal material in such a way as to ensure that the maximum roughness of the two long sides of the slot wall thus created, hereinafter referred to as the wall roughness, is 2 μm (micrometers), the process comprising:
- employing a hard-surface circular cutting blade with a sufficient number of teeth to permit the creation of a slot wall, the roughness of whose long sides do not exceed 2 μm, but with the number of cutting blade teeth limited so as to avoid tooth failure due to elevated stresses in the blade periphery between teeth;
- operating the circular blade at a rate of 165 to 1600 RPM;
- maintaining the feed rate in the range of 0.25 to 0.7 inches per minute;
- and
- using a circular cutting blade with the number of teeth ranging between 72 and 160.
A method of cutting a plurality of slots into a tubular member, each slot having two long sides with a maximum roughness of substantially 2 μm, the method comprising:
- providing a circular blade having between about 72 and about 160 teeth;
- operating the circular blade at a rate of between about 165 and about 1600 RPM;
- and
- feeding the tubular into the blade at a feed rate of between about 0.25 and about 0.7 inches per minute.
A metal tubular comprising:
- an exterior surface;
- an interior surface disposed internally relative to the exterior surface;
- and
- a plurality of slots extending between the exterior surface and the interior surface, the plurality of slots having long sides, the long sides having a maximum surface roughness of 2 μm.
A slotted liner for production of petroleum fluids from a bitumen formation, the slotted liner comprising:
- an exterior surface;
- an interior surface disposed internally relative to the exterior surface;
- and
- a plurality of slots extending between the exterior surface and the interior surface, the plurality of slots having long sides, the long sides having a maximum surface roughness of 2 μm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.