Downhole sub with hydraulically actuable sleeve valve

A method for opening a port through a wall of a ported sub, the method comprising:

• providing a sub with a port through its tubular side wall;
• providing a hydraulically actuatable valve to cover the port, the valve being actuable to move away from a position covering the port to thereby open the port;
• increasing pressure within the sub to create a pressure differential across the valve to move the valve toward the low pressure side, while the port remains closed by the valve;
• thereafter, reducing pressure within the sub to reduce the pressure differential;
• and
• driving the valve to move it away from a position covering the port,
• wherein moving the valve to the low pressure side moves the valve in a first axial direction and driving the valve moves the valve in a direction opposite the first axial direction.

A method of accessing a hydrocarbon laden formation comprising:

• running into a wellbore with a tubing string including a plurality of hydraulically actuated packers and a plurality of fluid flow regulating mechanisms grouped into a plurality of areas including a first area including one or more of the plurality of fluid flow regulating mechanisms and a second area including one or more of the plurality of fluid flow regulating mechanisms;
• positioning the tubing string into a wellbore extending into the hydrocarbon laden formation;
• actuating substantially simultaneously all of the fluid flow regulating mechanisms comprising the first area to access the hydrocarbon laden formation along the first area;
• and
• actuating substantially simultaneously all of the fluid flow regulating mechanisms comprising the second area to access the hydrocarbon laden formation along the second area,
• wherein the plurality of hydraulically actuated packers are actuated to seal the annulus by a first increase of a tubing pressure in the tubing string relative to an annulus pressure in the annulus, the fluid flow regulating mechanisms of the first area are actuated to open fluid flow ports thereof after the first increase in the tubing pressure relative to the annulus pressure is allowed to dissipate towards equalization and the fluid flow regulating mechanisms of the second area are actuated to open fluid flow ports thereof after a subsequent increase in the tubing pressure relative to the annulus pressure.

A hydraulically actuatable sleeve valve comprising:

• a tubular segment including a wall defining therein an inner bore;
• a port through the wall of the tubular segment;
• a sleeve supported by the tubular segment and installed to be axially moveable relative to the tubular segment from a first position covering the port to a second position and to a third position away from a covering position over the port, the sleeve including a first piston face open to tubing pressure and a second piston face open to annular pressure, such that a pressure differential can be set up between the first piston face and the second piston face to drive the sleeve toward a low pressure side from the first position into the second position with the sleeve continuing to cover the port;
• a driver to move the sleeve from the second position into the third position, the driver being unable to move the sleeve until the pressure differential is substantially dissipated;
• and
• a lock to resist movement of the sleeve from the first position to the third position before it has reached the second position.