Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company

Timothy G Benish

Randy C Tolman

Geoffrey Steiner

David C Haeberle

Charles S Yeh

Michael Thomas Hecker

Michael D Barry

Timothy I Morrow

Jon Blacklock

Harry William Deckman

Yibing Zhang

Bruce A Dale

Kris J Nygaard

Peter A Gordon

John W Mohr

Scott R Clingman

Darren F Rosenbaum

Rahul Pakal

Jason A Burdette

Marcus Asmann

Brian W Duffy

Michael Edward McCracken

Michael E Mccracken

Michael E Mc Cracken

A hydrocarbon well includes a wellbore with a surface casing string that couples the wellbore to a wellhead located at the surface and a production casing string that extends through a reservoir within the subsurface. A fluid column is present within the wellbore. The hydrocarbon well also includes a high-frequency tube wave generator that is hydraulically coupled to the wellbore and is configured to generate high-frequency tube waves that propagate within the fluid column. The high-frequency tube waves include a selected waveform containing a specific bandwidth of high-frequency components. The hydrocarbon well further includes a receiver that is hydraulically coupled to the wellbore and is configured to record data corresponding to the generated and reflected high-frequency tube waves propagating within the fluid column, wherein the recorded data relate to characteristics of the wellbore. Moreover, such techniques may also be applied to a pipeline.

Assessing wellbore characteristics using high frequency tube waves

Perforation devices including trajectory-altering structures and methods of utilizing the same. The perforation devices include a magazine, a barrel, a trajectory-altering structure, and an action. The magazine is configured to contain a plurality of cartridges. The barrel extends between a breech, which is configured to receive a selected cartridge of the plurality of cartridges that includes a selected projectile, and a muzzle, which is configured, upon firing of the selected cartridge, to permit the selected projectile to exit the barrel at a muzzle velocity and with a muzzle trajectory. The trajectory-altering structure is configured to act upon the selected projectile such that, upon exiting the trajectory-altering structure, the selected projectile defines a modified trajectory that differs from the muzzle trajectory. The action is configured to transfer the selected cartridge from the magazine to the breech of the barrel and fire the selected cartridge.

Perforation devices including trajectory-altering structures and methods of utilizing the same

Perforation devices including gas supply structures and methods of utilizing the same. The perforation devices include a magazine, a barrel, an action, and the gas supply structure. The magazine is configured to contain a plurality of cartridges. The barrel extends between a breech, which is configured to receive a selected cartridge of the plurality of cartridges that includes a selected projectile, and a muzzle, which is configured, upon firing of the selected cartridge, to permit the selected projectile to exit the barrel at a muzzle velocity and with a muzzle trajectory. The action is configured to transfer the selected cartridge from the magazine to the breech of the barrel and to fire the selected cartridge. The gas supply structure is configured to provide a gas stream to the barrel and includes a surface gas source and a gas supply conduit extending between the surface gas source and the barrel.

Perforation devices including gas supply structures and methods of utilizing the same

Autonomously conveyable and actuatable wellbore completion tool assemblies and methods for using the same, comprising: an onboard controller and location sensing device, a plurality of adaptable perforation sealing devices comprising a primary sealing portion and at least one secondary sealing portion extending radially outward from the primary sealing portion to form a secondary seal in the perforation; an autonomously actuatable transport member for supporting the plurality of adaptable sealing devices during conveyance of the tool assembly within the wellbore, and an on-board controller configured to send an actuation signal to actuate at least release of the plurality of adaptable perforation sealing devices from the transport member, wherein the tool assembly comprises a friable material and self-destructs within the wellbore in response to a signal from the on-board controller that affects self-destruction.

Autonomous downhole conveyance systems and methods using adaptable perforation sealing devices

A method of completing a well involving remediating a condition of screen-out that has taken place along a zone of interest. The method includes forming a wellbore, and lining at least a lower portion of the wellbore with a string of production casing and placing a valve along the production casing, wherein the valve creates a removable barrier to fluid flow within the bore. The barrier is removed by moving the valve in the event of a screen-out. This overcomes the barrier to fluid flow, thereby exposing ports along the production casing to the subsurface formation at or below the valve. Additional pumping takes place to pump the slurry through the exposed ports, thereby remediating the condition of screen-out.

Method for remediating a screen-out during well completion

Fluid plugs as downhole sealing devices and methods include providing a stimulating fluid to a casing conduit that is defined by the production casing to stimulate a portion of a subterranean formation within which the production casing extends. The methods further may include providing a sealing fluid to the casing conduit, providing a sealing device to the casing conduit, and flowing the sealing fluid and the sealing device to a perforated section of the production casing. The methods further may include locating the sealing device on a perforation, generating a fluid plug within the perforated section of the production casing by increasing a viscosity of the sealing fluid, and retaining the sealing device proximate the perforation with the fluid plug.

Fluid plugs as downhole sealing devices and systems and methods including the same

Flow control assemblies for downhole operations and systems and methods including the same are disclosed herein. The systems include a flow control assembly that is configured to control a fluid flow between a casing conduit and a subterranean formation. The flow control assembly includes a housing that includes a housing body that defines at least a portion of the casing conduit. The housing also includes an injection conduit, which extends between the casing conduit and the subterranean formation, and a ball sealer seat, which defines a portion of the injection conduit. The flow control assembly further includes a hydraulically actuated sliding sleeve that controls a fluid flow through the injection conduit. The methods include pressurizing a portion of the casing conduit, transitioning the hydraulically actuated sliding sleeve from a closed configuration to an open configuration, stimulating the subterranean formation, and receiving a ball sealer on the ball sealer seat.

Flow control assemblies for downhole operations and systems and methods including the same

Methods for stimulating a subterranean formation comprising providing a stimulating fluid stream to a casing conduit that is defined by a production casing that extends within the subterranean formation to increase a fluid pressure within the casing conduit. The methods further include locating an isolation device on an isolation sleeve to fluidly isolate a downhole portion of the casing conduit from an uphole portion of the casing conduit and opening an injection port that is associated with the isolation sleeve to permit an injection port fluid flow into the subterranean formation. The methods also include sealing the injection port and creating an uphole perforation in the uphole longitudinal section of the production casing responsive to the fluid pressure exceeding the threshold perforating pressure.

Systems and methods for stimulating a multi-zone subterranean formation

Flow control assemblies comprise a housing that includes a housing body that defines a housing conduit, an injection conduit that extends through the housing body, and a ball sealer seat. The ball sealer seat defines a portion of the injection conduit, is defined on an inner surface of the housing, and is sized to receive a ball sealer to restrict fluid flow from the casing conduit through the injection conduit. The flow control assemblies further include a sliding sleeve that is located within the housing conduit and defines an isolation ball seat. The flow control assemblies also include a retention structure that is configured to retain the sliding sleeve in a first configuration and to selectively permit the sliding sleeve to transition from the first configuration to a second configuration.

Isolation systems for use in a wellbore include two or more tubular segments and at least one coupling assembly. The at least one coupling system is adapted to couple the first and second tubular segments together. The at least one coupling system is further adapted to block at least a portion of the wellbore annulus. The at least one coupling system is further configured as a leaky isolation assembly to separate the wellbore annulus into at least two isolated zones when disposed in the wellbore. At least one isolation zone has at least two outlets including a first outlet through an opening into the tubular and a second outlet past the leaky isolation assembly. The isolation system is configured to provide the isolation with hydraulics during well operation that preferentially drives fluids through the first outlet and at least substantially prevents fluid from passing the isolation assembly.

Systems and methods for regulating flow in a wellbore

Methods and system for incorporating downhole and surface data with models and adjustment algorithms to back allocate flow rates of commingled zones. The models include fluid flow in the reservoir and wellbore, pressure drop across a choke, and fluid flow in the well completion. The models are coupled with an algorithm for comparing the results from the individual commingled zones to the total cumulative commingled volume and adjusting at least one predicted rate so that they match the measured flow rate over a specified time period. One method utilizes a reassignment factor for the adjustment of the predicted rates. These comparisons and allocation adjustments can be accomplished even when the frequency of the commingled flow rate and cumulative measurements, and the frequency of the predicted rates from the model differ from each other and the specified time period.

Method for comparing and back allocating production

A method and apparatus for producing hydrocarbons is described. In the method, a failure mode for a well completion is identified. A numerical engineering model to describe an event that results in the failure mode is constructed. The numerical engineering model is converted into a response surface. Then, the response surface is associated with a user tool configured to provide the response surface for analysis of another well.

Well modeling associated with extraction of hydrocarbons from subsurface formations

Method and apparatus for producing hydrocarbons including a wellbore that accesses a subsurface reservoir; a production tubing string disposed within the wellbore; and sand control devices coupled to the production tubing string. At least one of the sand control devices includes a first tubular member having a permeable section and a non permeable section; a second tubular member disposed within the first tubular member. The second tubular member has a plurality of openings and an inflow control device that provides a flow path to the interior. The sand control devices include a sealing mechanism disposed between the first tubular member and the second tubular member to provide pressure loss during gravel packing operations that is less than the pressure loss during production operations.

Wellbore method and apparatus for sand and inflow control during well operations

A method, system and apparatus associated with the production of hydrocarbons are described. The system includes a wellbore that accesses a subsurface reservoir; a production tubing string disposed within the wellbore; and one or more sand control devices coupled to the production tubing string and disposed within the wellbore. At least one of the sand control devices includes a first tubular member having a permeable section and a non permeable section; a second tubular member disposed within the first tubular member. The second tubular member has a plurality of openings and an inflow control device that each provide a flow path to the interior of the second tubular member. Also, the at least one of the sand control devices includes a sealing mechanism disposed between the first tubular member and the second tubular member. The sealing mechanism is configured to provide a pressure loss during gravel packing operations that is less than the pressure loss during at least some of the production operations.

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Conroe, TX, United States of America

Timothy G Benish