Filter plug to prevent proppant flowback
AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.
InventorsMichael Linley Fripp, Richard Decena Ornelaz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Provided is a filter plug, a well system, and a method for fracturing a well system. The filter plug, in one aspect, includes a filtration skeleton. The filter plug according to this aspect further includes a degradable material in contact with the filtration skeleton, the filtration skeleton and degradable material configured to lodge within a port in a wellbore, and thus substantially plug the port when the degradable material remains intact with the filtration skeleton and allow the filtration skeleton to filter particulate matter as fluid passes there through when the degradable material no longer remains intact with the filtration skeleton.
Claims21
A filter plug, comprising:
- a filtration skeleton;
- and
- a degradable material in contact with the filtration skeleton, the filtration skeleton and degradable material configured to lodge within a port in a wellbore, and thus substantially plug the port when the degradable material remains intact with the filtration skeleton and allow the filtration skeleton to filter particulate matter as fluid passes there through when the degradable material no longer remains intact with the filtration skeleton.
A well system, comprising:
- a wellbore extending through one or more subterranean formations;
- wellbore tubing located within the wellbore, the wellbore tubing having one or more ports located at one or more different zones of interest;
- and
- one or more filter plugs lodged within associated ones of the one or more ports, each of the one or more filter plugs including:
- a filtration skeleton;
- and
- a degradable material in contact with the filtration skeleton, the filtration skeleton and degradable material configured to lodge within a port in a wellbore, and thus substantially plug the port when the degradable material remains intact with the filtration skeleton and allow the filtration skeleton to filter particulate matter as fluid passes there through when the degradable material no longer remains intact with the filtration skeleton.
A method for fracturing a well system, comprising:
- dropping a fracturing ball within wellbore tubing located within a wellbore extending through one or more subterranean formations, the fracturing ball engaging with and moving a sliding sleeve associated with the wellbore tubing to expose a port located in the wellbore tubing at a fracturing zone of interest;
- subjecting the exposed port to high pressure fluid in the presence of particulate matter to form one or more fractures in the subterranean formation surrounding the exposed port;
- and
- dropping a filter plug within the wellbore tubing, the filter plug lodging within the port and proximate the one or more fractures, the filter plug including:
- a filtration skeleton;
- and
- a degradable material in contact with the filtration skeleton, the filtration skeleton and degradable material substantially plugging the port when the degradable material remains intact with the filtration skeleton.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.