US 8,893,810 B2 · Arrangement of isolation sleeve and cluster sleeves having pressure chambers

Abstract

For wellbore fluid treatment, sliding sleeves deploy on tubing in a wellbore annulus. Operators deploy a plug down the tubing to a first sleeve. The plug seats in this first sleeve, and pumped fluid pressure opens the first sleeve and communicates from the tubing to the wellbore annulus. In the annulus, the fluid pressure creates a pressure differential between the wellbore annulus pressure and a pressure chamber on second sleeves on the tubing. The resulting pressure differential opens the second sleeves so that fluid pressure from the tubing can communicate through the second open sleeves. Using this arrangement, one sleeve can be opened in a cluster of sleeves without opening all of them at the same time. The deployed plug is only required to open the fluid pressure to the annulus by opening the first sleeve. The pressure chambers actuate the second sleeves to open up the tubing to the annulus.

Claims30

Dependent claims

A wellbore fluid treatment method, comprising:

deploying a plurality of sliding sleeves on a tubing string in a wellbore annulus, the sliding sleeves at least including a first sliding sleeve and at least one second sliding sleeve;
opening a first housing outlet associated with the first sliding sleeve to communicate fluid pressure from the tubing string to the wellbore annulus by deploying a first plug down the tubing string and pumping fluid pressure in the tubing string;
communicating fluid pressure from the tubing string to the wellbore annulus by passing fluid through the open first housing outlet associated with the first sliding sleeve;
opening at least one second housing outlet associated with the at least one second sliding sleeve by applying fluid pressure communicated in the wellbore annulus from the first sliding sleeve relative to a pressure chamber on the at least one second sliding sleeve;
and
communicating fluid pressure from the tubing string to the wellbore annulus by passing fluid through the at least one open second housing outlet associated with the at least one second sliding sleeve.

3 more elements

A wellbore fluid treatment apparatus, comprising:

a first sliding sleeve disposing on a tubing string in a wellbore and having a first housing outlet, the first sliding sleeve opening the first housing outlet in response to fluid pressure applied down the tubing string, the open first sliding sleeve passing fluid out the open first housing outlet and communicating fluid pressure from the tubing string to a wellbore annulus through the open first housing outlet associated with the first sliding sleeve;
and
at least one second sliding sleeve disposing on the tubing string in the wellbore, the at least one second sliding sleeve having a second housing outlet associated with and having a pressure chamber, the at least one second sliding sleeve opening the second housing outlet in response to a pressure differential between the pressure chamber and fluid pressure communicated in the wellbore annulus by the first sliding sleeve, the at least one open second sliding sleeve passing fluid out the open second housing outlet and communicating fluid pressure from the tubing string to the wellbore annulus through the open second housing outlet associated with the at least one second sliding sleeve.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Arrangement of isolation sleeve and cluster sleeves having pressure chambers

Life of this patent

Arrangement of isolation sleeve and cluster sleeves having pressure chambers

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims30