Method and apparatus for precise control of wellbore fluid flow
AssigneeSmith International, Inc.
InventorsYawan Couturier, Donald G. Reitsma, Ossama R. Sehsah
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Abstract
A method for controlling flow of fluid from an annular space in a wellbore includes changing a flow restriction in a fluid flow discharge line from the wellbore annular space. The flow restriction is changed at a rate related to a difference between at least one of a selected fluid flow rate out of the wellbore and an actual fluid flow rate out of the wellbore, and a selected fluid pressure in the annular space and an actual pressure in the annular space.
Claims19
A method for controlling flow of fluid from an annular space in a wellbore, comprising:
- changing an amount of flow restriction in a fluid flow discharge line from the wellbore annular space, the amount of flow restriction changed at a rate that increases as a difference increases, and decreases as the difference decreases, the difference being one of a first difference and a second difference, the first difference being between a selected fluid flow rate out of the wellbore and a measured fluid flow rate out of the wellbore, and the second difference being between a selected fluid pressure in the annular space and a measured pressure in the annular space.
A method for controlling flow of fluid through a conduit, comprising:
- changing an amount of flow restriction in the conduit, the amount of flow restriction changed at a rate that decreases as a difference decreases and increases as the difference increases between one of a first difference and a second difference, the first difference being between a selected fluid flow rate out of the wellbore and a measured fluid flow rate out of the wellbore, and the second difference being between a selected fluid pressure in the annular space and a measured pressure in the annular space.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.