Method for providing a temporary barrier in a flow pathway
AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated
InventorsBennett M. Richard, Paul McElfresh, Chad Williams
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flow conduit may have at least one orifice is in the vicinity of a flow source. The source is at least partially covered (and flow blocked by) an optional temporary coating or barrier. The flow pathway between the orifice and the source is temporarily blocked with a degradable material or barrier. The material disintegrates (e.g. under the influence of time or temperature) to optionally produce a product that removes the temporary coating in the area adjacent the barrier. The method is useful in one non-limiting context of recovering hydrocarbons where the flow conduit is the casing or liner of the well and the flow source is a subterranean reservoir where the temporary coating is a filter cake.
Claims38
A method for temporarily blocking a flow pathway comprising:
- providing a flow conduit in the vicinity of a flow source or target, where the flow conduit has at least one orifice therein;
- providing a degradable barrier between the orifice and the flow source or target;
- causing the degradable barrier to degrade thereby forming a pathway between the orifice and the flow source or target, where the degradable barrier degrades into at least one product selected from the group consisting of acids, bases, alcohols, carbon dioxide and combinations thereof;
- and
- removing a temporary coating by action of the product.
A method for temporarily blocking a flow pathway comprising:
- providing a flow conduit in the vicinity of a flow source or target, where the flow conduit has at least one orifice therein;
- placing a temporary coating over at least a portion of the flow source or target;
- providing a degradable barrier between the orifice and the temporary coating over the flow source or target;
- forming a pathway around the barrier between the orifice and the flow source or target;
- causing the degradable barrier to degrade into at least one product selected from the group consisting of acids, bases, alcohols, carbon dioxide and combinations thereof;
- and
- removing the temporary coating adjacent the former location of the degradable barrier by action of the product.
A method for temporarily blocking a flow pathway comprising:
- providing a flow conduit in the vicinity of a flow source or target, where the flow conduit has at least one orifice therein;
- placing a temporary coating over at least a portion of the flow source or target;
- providing a degradable barrier between the orifice and the temporary coating over the flow source or target;
- forming a pathway around the barrier between the orifice and the flow source or target;
- heating the degradable barrier to a temperature in the range between about 50 and about 200° C. to degrade the barrier to an acid;
- and
- removing the temporary coating adjacent the former location of the degradable barrier by action of the acid.
A method for temporarily blocking a mechanism comprising:
- forming a degradable barrier over at least part of a mechanism;
- placing the blocked mechanism at a remote location;
- causing the barrier to degrade into at least one product selected from the group consisting of acids, bases, alcohols, carbon dioxide and combinations thereof;
- and
- removing a temporary coating by action of the product.
A method for temporarily blocking a mechanism comprising:
- forming a degradable barrier over at least part of a mechanism;
- placing the blocked mechanism at a downhole in a wellbore;
- causing the barrier to degrade into at least one product selected from the group consisting of acids, bases, alcohols, carbon dioxide and combinations thereof;
- and
- removing a temporary coating by action of the product,
- where the method is selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon recovery from a subterranean reservoir and injecting a fluid into a subterranean reservoir.
A method for temporarily protecting a sub-surface filtration device comprising:
- forming a degradable barrier over at least part of a filtration device,
- placing the device in a sub-surface wellbore,
- causing the barrier to degrade into at least one product selected from the group consisting of acids, bases, alcohols, carbon dioxide and combinations thereof, and
- removing a temporary coating by action of the product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.