Inflow Control System for Use in a Wellbore
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorMohamed Nabil Noui-Mehidi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A well system for producing fluids from a well that intersects a subterranean formation where the well system includes an inflow control device for providing a continuous rate of fluid flow. The inflow control device is formed so that the pressure drop of the fluid per unit length remains substantially constant along the length of the well. The inflow control device has an inner diameter that increases at a constant rate with distance from the bottom of the well. Multiple inflow control devices are coupled together in series to form an inflow control system in the well, and wherein the inner diameter of the inflow control system uniformly increases with distance from the bottom of the well.
Claims18
A well system for use in a wellbore comprising:
- an elongated tapered body;
- an inlet on an end of the body proximate to a lower end of the wellbore;
- an outlet on an end of the body distal from the inlet;
- openings formed through a sidewall of the tapered body;
- and
- an inner diameter of the body that widens a uniform amount per linear distance from the inlet to the outlet.
A well system in a wellbore comprising:
- an elongate tapered member disposed in a horizontal portion of the wellbore and having an inner diameter that increases linearly with distance away from a bottom end of the wellbore;
- an inlet on an end of the tapered member that is proximate the bottom end of the wellbore;
- and
- an outlet on an end of the tapered member distal from the inlet and that has a diameter greater than a diameter of the inlet.
A well system for use in a wellbore comprising:
- a series of tapered inflow control devices joined in series to form an elongated tapered member;
- an inlet end on the tapered member proximate a bottom of the wellbore;
- an exit end on the tapered member distal from the inlet end;
- joints defined where each of the inflow control devices are joined;
- and
- an inner diameter of the tapered member that increases linearly from the inlet end to the exit end and along each of the joints, so that when fluid flows through the tapered member, a constant pressure drop is attained in the fluid flow.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.