Gravel packing method
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsMehmet Parlar, Liz Morris, Yiyan Chen, Paul A. Price
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Abstract
A method is disclosed for using aqueous VES-based gravel carrier fluids in gravel packing operations using screens and shunt tubes that have been run into a well completed with an oil-based mud. With this method, the previously necessary but undesirable steps of first running in a perforated liner and then displacing the oil-based mud with an aqueous-based fluid in the region to be gravel packed are both avoided while the advantages of gravel packing with an aqueous-based fluid are retained.
Claims23
A method of completing an interval of an open hole wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation comprising the steps of:
- a. drilling the wellbore into the formation with a drill string and an oil-based mud,
- b. pulling out the drill string,
- c. running a sand control string comprising one or more screens and one or more alternate path shunt tubes into the wellbore containing the oil-based mud,
- d. setting a packer at or near the location at which the wellbore penetrates the formation,
- e. gravel packing with an aqueous viscous viscoelastic surfactant based carrier fluid, said viscoelastic surfactant present in an amount effective to provide viscosity sufficient to carry the gravel, said carrier fluid being insensitive to the oil-based mud for a time sufficient to place the gravel and said carrier fluid being capable of being broken by produced fluid, and
- f. producing fluid from the wellbore.
A method of completing an interval of an open hole wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation comprising the steps of:
- a. drilling the wellbore into the formation with a drill string and an oil-based mud,
- b. pulling out the drill string,
- c. running a sand control string comprising one or more screens, one or more alternate path shunt tubes, and a shroud into the wellbore containing the oil-based mud,
- d. setting a packer at or near the location at which the wellbore penetrates the formation,
- e. displacing at least a portion of the oil-based mud with a non-damaging aqueous fluid insensitive to oil-based mud, up to the packer,
- f. gravel packing with an aqueous viscous viscoelastic surfactant based carrier fluid, said viscoelastic surfactant present in an amount effective to provide viscosity sufficient to carry the gravel, said carrier fluid being insensitive to the at least partially displaced oil-based mud for a time sufficient to place the gravel and said carrier fluid capable of being broken by produced fluid, and
- g. producing fluid from the wellbore.
A method of completing an interval of an open hole wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation comprising the steps of:
- a. drilling the wellbore into the formation with a drill string and an oil-based mud,
- b. pulling out the drill string,
- c. running a sand control string comprising one or more screens, one or more alternate path shunt tubes, and a shroud into the wellbore containing the oil-based mud,
- d. setting a packer at or near the location at which the wellbore penetrates the formation,
- e. injecting a non-damaging aqueous fluid insensitive to oil-based mud as a pre-pad,
- f. gravel packing with an aqueous viscous viscoelastic surfactant based carrier fluid, said viscoelastic surfactant present in an amount effective to provide viscosity sufficient to carry the gravel, said carrier fluid being insensitive to the at least partially displaced oil-based mud for a time sufficient to place the gravel and said carrier fluid being capable of breaking in the presence of produced fluid, and
- g. producing fluid from the wellbore.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.