Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.

Wavefront Energy and Environmental Services Inc.

Pete Clement Dagenais

Michael Linley Fripp

Donald Kyle

Syed Hamid

Roger Lynn Schultz

Stephen Michael Greci

Orlando De Jesus

Juanita M Cassidy

John C Gano

Neal Gregory Skinner

Ashok K Santra

Zachary William Walton

Robert Lee Pipkin

James C Tucker

Robert K Michael

Todd Blaine Miller

Liping Li

Christopher Lane Edwards

Ken Michael

Swell packers comprising swellable metal sealing elements and methods for forming a seal in a wellbore are provided. An example method includes providing a swell packer comprising a swellable metal sealing element; wherein the swell packer is disposed on a conduit in the wellbore, exposing the swellable metal sealing element to a brine, and allowing or causing to allow the swellable metal sealing element to swell.

Swellable metal for swell packer

An inflow control device for controlling a production flow can include an inlet, a vortex chamber, and a flow control chamber. The inlet can extend obliquely relative to the central axis of the device. The vortex chamber can induce a vortical inflow from the inlet. The flow chamber can receive vortical inflow from the vortex chamber. A movable restriction disk within the flow control chamber can restrict the vortical inflow therein.

Method and apparatus for inflow control with vortex generation

Included are wellbore sealing systems and methods of use. An example wellbore sealing system comprises a rigid sealing device capable of expansion and having an exterior having holes disposed therethrough; and an expandable sealing layer disposed around the rigid sealing device. The expandable sealing layer comprises an elastomeric layer and a reinforcing layer.

Expandable elastomeric sealing layer for a rigid sealing device

An apparatus and related method of assembling a degradable plug adapted to selectively permit fluid communication through a flow path of a downhole tubular. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes providing a housing defining an internal flow passage and one or more internal annular grooves adjoining the internal flow passage; positioning a generally cylindrical core within the internal flow passage; applying a first axially compressive force against the core so that respective exterior portions of the core expand or flow into the one or more internal annular grooves of the housing and the housing elastically deforms in a radially outward direction; and removing the first axially compressive force from the core so that the housing recoils in a radially inward direction, which is opposite the radially outward direction, thus placing a first stress on the core.

Degradable plug for a downhole tubular

A wellbore isolation device comprises: a first composition, wherein the first composition comprises: (A) a first substance; and (B) a second substance, wherein the first composition has a solid-liquid phase transformation temperature less than the solid-liquid phase transformation temperatures of at least the first substance or the second substance at a specific pressure. A method of removing a wellbore isolation device comprises: increasing the temperature surrounding the wellbore isolation device; and allowing at least a portion of the first composition to undergo a phase transformation from a solid to a liquid. A method of inhibiting or preventing fluid flow in a wellbore comprises: decreasing the temperature of at least a portion of the wellbore; positioning the wellbore isolation device in the at least a portion of the wellbore; and increasing the temperature of the at least a portion of the wellbore.

Methods of removing a wellbore isolation device using a eutectic composition

Testing scale buildup in a well tool can include pressurizing separate cationic and anionic solutions, then heating the separate solutions, mixing together the solutions, and exposing the well tool to the mixed solutions. A well tool can be constructed by a) determining velocities of flow at a predetermined offset from surfaces of a geometric model representative of the well tool, b) calculating scale buildup on the surfaces based at least in part on the velocities, c) reducing pressure change per unit distance along selected ones of the surfaces having greater than a predetermined level of scale buildup, and d) repeating steps a-c until all scale buildup is no greater than the predetermined level. A method of predicting scale buildup can include inputting a parameter indicative of flow through a well tool to a mathematical model, which determines a rate of scale buildup on a surface of the well tool.

Well tool scale buildup test, model and mitigation

A method of servicing a wellbore extending from a surface and penetrating a subterranean formation is provided. The method comprises placing an assembly in the wellbore, wherein the assembly comprises at least a first downhole tool, a signal receiver subassembly, and a conveyance between the first downhole tool and the surface. The method further comprises the signal receiver subassembly receiving a first signal generated by contact between the wellbore and the assembly and initiating a first function of the first downhole tool based on the first signal.

System and method for downhole communication

A wellbore isolation device comprises: at least a first material, wherein the first material: (A) is a metal or a metal alloy; and (B) is capable of at least partially dissolving when an electrically conductive path exists between the first material and a second material and at least a portion of the first and second materials are in contact with an electrolyte, wherein the second material: (i) is a metal or metal alloy; and (ii) has a greater anodic index than the first material. A method of removing the wellbore isolation device comprises: contacting or allowing the wellbore isolation device to come in contact with an electrolyte; and allowing at least a portion of the first material to dissolve.

Methods of removing a wellbore isolation device using galvanic corrosion

A perforating assembly includes a material that can respond to a magnetic field by changing shape multiple times and causing a fire control circuit to activate and deactivate. The material may be a magnetic shape-memory alloy and can change shape when the magnetic field is removed or inverted. When the material changes shape, the material can cause another component of the perforating assembly to change position to activate or deactivate the fire control circuit, as desired.

Perforating assembly control

A method of servicing a wellbore extending from a surface and penetrating a subterranean formation is provided. The method comprises placing a assembly in the wellbore, wherein the assembly comprises at least a first downhole tool, a signal receiver subassembly, and a conveyance between the first downhole tool and the surface. The method further comprises the signal receiver subassembly receiving a first signal generated by contact between the wellbore and the assembly and initiating a first function of the first downhole tool based on the first signal.

A method of servicing a wellbore extending from a surface and penetrating a subterranean formation is provided. The method comprises placing a workstring in the wellbore, wherein the workstring comprises at least a first downhole tool, a signal receiver subassembly, and a conveyance between the first downhole tool and the surface. The method further comprises the signal receiver subassembly receiving a first signal generated by contact between the wellbore and the workstring and initiating a first function of the first downhole tool based on the first signal.

Structures can be formed downhole by accumulating already existing materials and/or materials introduced into a well to perform a specified function. The formed structures may be used to obstruct fluid flow of production or injection fluids, carry mechanical loads, control electrical or magnetic properties of components, mechanically actuate a component, as well as others. The materials may be induced to form the specified structure, such as by application of a potential downhole. For example, electrical, magnetic, sonic, biological potentials, or a combination thereof may be established downhole to form specified structures in specified locations to perform specified functions.

Forming structures in a well in-situ

A well tool is operable to receive a flow of fluid. The well tool includes a first hydraulic area on which the fluid acts tending to move a first body to substantially seal against passage of fluid through an aperture. A second, larger hydraulic area is provided on which the fluid acts tending to move a second body. The second body is movable by the fluid acting on the second hydraulic to displace the first body from substantially sealing against passage of fluid through the aperture. An energy storing device is provided that is configured to store energy from movement of the second body until at least a specified amount of energy is stored and release the energy when the second body is moved to displace the first body from substantially sealing against passage of fluid through the aperture.

Fluid operated well tool

An apparatus for detecting movement downhole includes a first downhole component () having a sensor () coupled thereto and a second downhole component () positioned relative to the first downhole component (). The sensor () generates a primary magnetic field that is imposed on the second downhole component () thereby generating an induced magnetic field that interacts with the primary magnetic field. Movement of the first downhole component () relative to the second downhole component () is detected by the sensor () by sensing a change in the induced magnetic field.

Apparatus and method for measuring movement of a downhole tool

A downhole tool system includes a downhole tool operably positionable within a wellbore and a sensor positioned within the downhole tool. The sensor has a first mode and a second mode. In the first mode, the sensor is responsive to RF interrogation. In the second mode, the sensor is not responsive to RF interrogation. The sensor is operable to transition from the first mode to the second mode upon the occurrence of a predetermined level of erosion of the downhole tool proximate the sensor. A detector is operably positionable relative to the downhole tool and in communicative proximity to the sensor. The detector interrogates the sensor to determine whether the predetermined level of erosion has occurred.

Growing community of inventors

The Colony, TX, United States of America

Pete Clement Dagenais