Annular choke
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorJason K. Jonas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus that is usable with a well includes a tubular member, an annular body and plugs. The tubular member includes a wall that defines a passageway to communicate a fluid, and an opening extends through the well. The annular body circumscribes the wall, and the annular body includes orifices that are adapted to communicate the fluid with the opening. The plugs are adapted to be moved to controlled positions relative to the orifices to regulate at least one of a flow rate of the fluid through the opening and a pressure differential across the opening.
Claims16
An apparatus usable with a well, comprising:
- a tubular member defining a passageway to communicate a fluid, an opening extending through a wall of the tubular member;
- an annular body to circumscribe the passageway, the annular body comprising orifices adapted to communicate the fluid with the opening;
- plugs disposed at different circumferential positions about the passageway and adapted to be moved to controlled positions relative to the orifices to establish at least one of a flow rate of the fluid through the opening and a pressure differential across the opening;
- and
- wherein longitudinal axes of the orifices are generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the passageway.
A method usable with a well, comprising:
- routing well fluid through separately controllable orifices that are located in an annular region that surrounds a central passageway of a tubing of the well;
- and
- selectively restricting fluid communication through the orifices to establish different flow rates through the orifices, comprising positioning plugs at different axial positions relative to each other to selectively restrict fluid communications through the orifices.
A method usable with a well, comprising:
- routing a well fluid through an orifice that is located in an annular region that surrounds a central passageway of a tubing of the well;
- selectively restricting fluid communication through flow paths that are each elongated along the central passageway and disposed in the annular region to regulate at least one of a flow rate and a pressure differential and
- controlling the restriction in response to a position of a main sleeve of a flow control valve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.