Downhole flow controller

A flow control apparatus, configurable in at least a closed configuration and a production configuration, comprising:

• a housing including a housing passage and a flow communicator for effecting flow communication between an environment external to the housing and the housing passage;
• a flow controller for controlling flow communication, via the flow communicator, between the housing passage and the external environment, including:
• a filter medium-defining counterpart defining a filter medium;
• and
• a shroud-defining counterpart defining a shroud;
• wherein:
• while the flow control apparatus is disposed in the closed configuration, the flow communicator and the flow controller are co-operatively disposed such that the flow communicator is disposed in a closed condition, and the filter medium-defining counterpart and the shroud-defining counterpart are co-operatively disposed such that the shroud shields the filter medium from material within the housing passage;
• and
• while the flow control apparatus is disposed in the production configuration, the flow communicator and the flow controller are co-operatively disposed such that flow communication, via the filter medium, is effected between the external environment and the housing passage.

A flow control apparatus comprising:

• a housing including a housing passage and a flow communicator for effecting flow communication between an environment external to the housing and the housing passage;
• a flow controller, disposed within the housing passage, for controlling flow communication, via the flow communicator, between the housing passage and the external environment, including:
• a filter medium-defining counterpart;
• a shroud-defining counterpart;
• and
• a coupling effector, extending from the filter medium-defining counterpart, and biased in an outwardly direction;
• wherein:
• the housing defines a coupling-stimulating profile;
• the shroud-defining counterpart defines a coupling profile;
• the housing, the filter medium-defining counterpart, and the shroud-defining counterpart, are co-operatively configured such that, while the coupling-stimulating profile is disposed in alignment with the coupling effector, the coupling-stimulating profile urges the coupling effector in an inwardly direction with effect that the coupling effector interacts with the coupling-profile.

A flow control apparatus, configurable in at least a closed flow communicator configuration and a production configuration, comprising:

• a housing including a housing passage and a flow communicator for effecting flow communication between an environment external to the housing and the housing passage;
• a flow controller for controlling flow communication, via the flow communicator, between the housing passage and the external environment, including:
• a filter medium-defining counterpart defining a filter medium;
• and
• a shroud-defining counterpart defining a shroud;
• wherein:
• while the flow control apparatus is disposed in the closed configuration, the flow communicator and the flow controller are co-operatively disposed such that the flow communicator is disposed in a closed condition, and the filter medium-defining counterpart and the shroud-defining counterpart are co-operatively disposed such that the shroud shields the filter medium from material within the housing and such that the housing shields the filter medium from the external environment;
• and
• while the flow control apparatus is disposed in the production configuration, the flow communicator and the flow controller are co-operatively disposed such that flow communication, via the filter medium, is effected between the external environment and the housing passage.

A flow control apparatus comprising:

• a housing including a housing passage and a flow communicator for effecting flow communication between an environment external to the housing and the housing passage;
• a flow controller, for controlling flow communication, via the flow communicator, between the housing passage and the external environment, including:
• a flow communicator-occluding counterpart including degradable material;
• and
• a filter medium-defining counterpart including a filter medium;
• wherein:
• the flow communicator-occluding counterpart is occluding the flow communicator such that the flow communicator is disposed in a closed condition;
• degradable material is responsive to communication with a degradation promotion agent;
• while the degradable material is disposed in communication with a degradation promotion agent, degradation of the degradable material is effected, such that the flow communicator becomes disposed in the open condition;
• the filter medium counterpart is disposed relative to the flow communicator such that there is an absence of alignment between the filter medium and the flow communicator;
• the filter medium counterpart is displaceable relative to the flow communicator, with effect that the filter medium is aligned with the flow communicator;
• and
• while the flow communicator is disposed in the open condition, and the filter medium is aligned with the flow communicator, the filter medium is disposed for filtering solid material from fluid material that is being conducted, via the flow communicator, from the environment external to the housing to the housing passage.

A flow control apparatus comprising:

• a housing including a housing passage and a flow communicator for effecting flow communication between an environment external to the housing and the housing passage;
• a flow controller, for controlling flow communication, via the flow communicator, between the housing passage and the external environment, including:
• flow communicator occluding counterpart including an occluding portion;
• a filter medium-defining counterpart including a filter medium;
• a driving counterpart;
• wherein:
• the occluding portion is occluding the flow communicator such that the flow communicator is disposed in the closed condition;
• viscous fluid is disposed within a space defined between the flow communicator occluding counterpart and the filter medium-defining counterpart the flow communicator occluding counterpart is displaceable with the driving counterpart in a first direction;
• the flow communicator occluding counterpart includes a viscous-conducting passage effecting flow communication between the space and a housing passage portion disposed remotely relative to the space;
• in response to displacement of the driving counterpart relative to the flow communicator:
• (i) the flow communicator occluding counterpart is displaced with the driving counterpart such that displacement of the viscous fluid is urged remotely from the space via the viscous fluid-conducting passage;
• and
• (ii) the driving counterpart becomes disposed relative to the filter medium-defining counterpart such that the filter medium-defining counterpart is displaceable, relative to the flow communicator, in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction;
• and
• while the displaceability of the filter medium-defining counterpart with the driving counterpart is established, in response to displacement of the driving counterpart, relative to the flow communicator, in the second direction, the filter medium of the filter medium-defining counterpart becomes disposed in alignment with the flow communicator.
• and the shroud-defining counterpart are co-operatively configured for being disposed in a releasably coupled configuration, wherein, in the releasably coupled configuration, the filter medium-defining counterpart is translatable with the shroud-defining counterpart;
• the housing and the flow controller are co-operatively configured such that, while the filter medium-defining counterpart and the shroud-defining counterpart are co-operating to define the releasably coupled configuration, and a force is being applied to the shroud-defining counterpart with effect that the shroud-defining counterpart is being displaced through the housing passage and the filter medium-defining counterpart is being displaced with the filter medium-defining counterpart:
• the filter medium-defining counterpart becomes retained relative to the housing, with effect that:
• the filter medium-defining counterpart is released from the shroud-defining counterpart such that the filter medium-defining counterpart and the shroud-defining counterpart become independently displaceable relative to one another;
• and
• the filter medium-defining counterpart is disposed relative to the flow communicator with effect that a flowpath becomes defined, via the flow communicator, between the external environment and the filter medium.