Open-hole stimulation system
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsRicardo Gomez Simancas, Bryan Stamm, Graham M. Watson, Tom Saunders
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stimulation system configured for use in open-hole wells. The system may alternatively or additionally be configured for multi-zone stimulation applications. The system includes assemblies which employ techniques and configurations for isolating recovery screens downhole even without the presence of well casing. In this manner protection may be provided from dowhnole contaminants such as water which might otherwise leak in from adjacent formation layers.
Claims23
A stimulation assembly for an open-hole well, the assembly comprising:
- a pair of setting packers expandable into engagement with a surrounding open-hole wellbore wall of the open-hole well;
- an isolation packer of sufficient expansion variability for substantial isolation of an uphole region of the open-hole well from a downhole region thereof, the isolation packer being disposed between the setting packers;
- a recovery screen disposed between the setting packers in the downhole region at a production location and configured for hydrocarbon recovery therefrom;
- and
- a slurry release mechanism disposed between the setting packers in the uphole region and configured for delivering a slurry to the downhole region through a protection mechanism to support the recovery.
A multi-zone stimulation system for a hydrocarbon well, the system comprising:
- an uphole stimulation assembly disposed in an open-hole section of the well with an uphole recovery screen for hydrocarbon recovery positioned below an uphole slurry release mechanism with an uphole isolation packer located therebetween and an uphole protection mechanism to guide stimulation material through the uphole isolation packer without contacting an open-hole wellbore wall of the open-hole section;
- and
- a downhole stimulation assembly disposed in the open-hole section of in the well with a downhole recovery screen for hydrocarbon recovery positioned below a downhole slurry release mechanism with a downhole isolation packer located therebetween and a downhole protection mechanism to guide stimulation material through the downhole isolation packer without contacting the open-hole wellbore wall of the open-hole section.
A method of performing a stimulation application in an open-hole well, the method comprising
- deploying a stimulation assembly to a location in the well adjacent a given formation layer defining the well;
- expanding setting packers against an open-hole wellbore wall of the open-hole well;
- isolating a recovery screen of the assembly at a location adjacent a production region of the given formation layer and between the setting packers;
- and
- circulating a slurry from a slurry release mechanism at a location between the setting packers and uphole of said recovery screen thereto for the application.
A method of performing a stimulation application at multiple production regions downhole in a well, the method comprising:
- deploying a multi-zone stimulation system in the well with multiple assemblies each having a dedicated and independently actuated slurry release mechanism located in a region between setting packers;
- expanding an isolating packer at each assembly to isolate a recovery screen of each assembly at one of the production regions within the region between setting packers;
- and
- directing an application slurry from each slurry release mechanism across each adjacent isolating packer toward each recovery screen for the stimulation application thereat.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.