In the drilling and completion industry, the formation of boreholes for the purpose of production or injection of fluid is common. The boreholes are used for exploration or extraction of natural resources such as hydrocarbons, oil, gas, water, and alternatively for CO2 sequestration.
To balance inflow of fluids into a completion string along the length of the borehole, controlling fluid flow into the completion string can be accomplished through the use of one or more inflow control devices (“ICDs”). Different zones of a formation accessed by a borehole may produce at different rates, particularly in horizontal wells that have issues with the heel-toe effect. The pressure within the completion string increases in the upstream direction, and therefore the differential pressure between an exterior and an interior of the completion string will vary along the length of the completion string unless controlled or otherwise adjusted. ICDs can be used with a completion string to reduce production from high producing zones, such as near the heel, thus stimulating production from low or non-producing zones, such as near the toe. When an evenly distributed flow profile is realized, water or gas coning can be reduced.
The structure and function of ICDs generally feature a dual-walled tubular housing surrounding a production tubing with one or more inflow passages laterally disposed through the inner wall of the housing. A sand screen surrounds a portion of the tubular housing. Production fluid will enter the sand screen and then must negotiate a tortuous pathway (such as a spiral pathway) between the dual walls to reach the inflow passage. The tortuous pathway slows the rate of flow and maintains it in an even manner. Some inflow control devices further provide means for selectively or automatically closing off flow into the production tubing in the event that water and/or gas invades the production layer.
The art would be receptive to alternative devices and methods for inflow control.