US-12618310-B1 - Interval control valve with modular screens downhole in a wellbore

US12618310B1US 12618310 B1US12618310 B1US 12618310B1US-12618310-B1

Abstract

A system can include a tubing string, a filter screen, and an interval control valve deployed downhole in a wellbore. The tubing string may not have perforations. A first annulus may be formed between an exterior of the tubing string and a subterranean formation. The filter screen can be coupled to the exterior of the tubing string and can form a second annulus between the filter screen and the exterior of the tubing string. The interval control valve can be positioned inline with the exterior of the tubing string. The interval control valve can control flow of fluid between the second annulus and the interior of the tubing string.

Inventors

Rhett Bradford Avant
Andrew Penno
Stephen Michael Greci

Assignees

HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20241105

Claims (20)

1 . A system comprising: a tubing string positionable downhole in a wellbore and forming a first annulus between an exterior of the tubing string and a subterranean formation of the wellbore when positioned downhole; a first filter screen coupleable to the exterior of a first tubing joint of the tubing string and configurable to form a second annulus between the first filter screen and the exterior of the first tubing joint; an interval control valve positionable inline with the exterior of the tubing string and configurable to control flow of fluid between the second annulus and an interior of the tubing string; a second filter screen coupleable to the exterior of a second tubing joint of the tubing string and configurable to form a third annulus between the second filter screen and the exterior of the second tubing joint; and a shroud positionable on the exterior of the tubing string, the shroud comprising: a first end coupleable to the first filter screen; and a second end coupleable to the second filter screen to form a fluidic pathway between the second annulus and the third annulus.
2 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising: a first packer positionable in the first annulus uphole from the first filter screen and the interval control valve; and a second packer positionable in the first annulus downhole from the first filter screen and the interval control valve, wherein the first packer and the second packer are configurable to form a fluid isolation zone for the first annulus.
3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the interval control valve is a first interval control valve, wherein the first interval control valve is configurable to control a first flow path of fluid between the second annulus and the interior of the tubing string, and wherein the system further comprises: a third filter screen coupleable to a same tubing joint of the tubing string as the first filter screen, wherein a fourth annulus is formed between the third filter screen and the exterior of the tubing string, wherein the third filter screen is configurable to filter fluid between the first annulus and the fourth annulus; and a second interval control valve positionable inline with the exterior of the tubing string and configurable to control a second flow path of fluid between the fourth annulus and the interior of the tubing string, wherein the third filter screen and the second interval control valve are positionable within the fluid isolation zone between the first packer and the second packer.
4 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising: one or more control lines extendable from a surface of the wellbore to the interval control valve positionable downhole in the wellbore, wherein the one or more control lines are configurable to control actuation of the interval control valve.
5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the tubing string is a solid tubing string.
6 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising: a gravel pack positionable within the first annulus between the subterranean formation and the first filter screen.
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the shroud is a first shroud and the fluidic pathway is a first fluidic pathway, and wherein the system further comprises: a second shroud positionable on an interior of the tubing string to form a second fluidic pathway between the second annulus and the third annulus.
8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the second shroud further comprises: a first end coupled to the first tubing joint; and a second end coupled to the second tubing joint, wherein the fluidic pathway is formed between the first end and the second end.
9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the shroud comprises a non-perforated material.
10 . A method comprising: deploying a tubing string downhole in a wellbore, the tubing string forming a first annulus between an exterior of the tubing string and a subterranean formation; filtering, by a first filter screen coupled to the exterior of the tubing string, fluid between the first annulus and a second annulus formed between the first filter screen and the exterior of a first tubing joint of the tubing string; filtering, by a second filter screen coupled to the exterior of a second tubing joint of the tubing string, fluid between the first annulus and a third annulus formed between the second filter screen and the exterior of the second tubing joint; forming, by a shroud positioned on the exterior of the tubing string, a fluidic pathway between the second annulus and the third annulus, the shroud being coupled at a first end to the first filter screen and being coupled at a second end to the second filter screen; and controlling, by an interval control valve positioned inline with the exterior of the tubing string, a flow path of the fluid between the second annulus and an interior of the tubing string.
11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising: deploying a first packer in the first annulus uphole from the first filter screen and the interval control valve; deploying a second packer in the first annulus downhole from the first filter screen and the interval control valve; and forming, by the first packer and the second packer, a fluid isolation zone for the first annulus and the second annulus.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the flow path is a first flow path and the interval control valve is a first interval control valve, and wherein the method further comprises: filtering, by a third filter screen coupled to a same tubing joint of the tubing string as the first filter screen, fluid between the first annulus and a fourth annulus formed between the third filter screen and the exterior of the tubing string; and controlling, by a second interval control valve positioned inline with the exterior of the tubing string, a second flow path of the fluid between the fourth annulus and the interior of the tubing string, wherein the third filter screen and the second interval control valve are within the fluid isolation zone between the first packer and the second packer.
13 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising: controlling, by one or more control lines extending from a surface of the wellbore to the interval control valve, actuation of the interval control valve to control flow of fluid into the tubing string.
14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the shroud further comprises filter openings or slots.
15 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising: positioning a gravel pack downhole within the first annulus between the subterranean formation and the first filter screen.
16 . An interval control valve system comprising: a first filter screen coupleable to an exterior of a first tubing joint of a tubing string that is positionable downhole in a wellbore, the tubing string configurable to form a first annulus between the exterior of the tubing string and a subterranean formation when positioned downhole, the first filter screen configurable to form a second annulus between the first filter screen and the exterior of the tubing string; an interval control valve positionable inline with the exterior of the tubing string and configurable to control flow of fluid between the second annulus and an interior of the tubing string; a second filter screen coupleable to the exterior of a second tubing joint of the tubing string and configurable to form a third annulus between the second filter screen and the exterior of the second tubing joint; and a shroud positionable on the exterior of the tubing string, the shroud comprising: a first end coupleable to the first filter screen; and a second end coupleable to the second filter screen to form a fluidic pathway between the second annulus and the third annulus.
17 . The interval control valve system of claim 16 , wherein a first packer and a second packer are configurable to form a fluid isolation zone for the first annulus and the second annulus, wherein the first packer is positionable in the first annulus uphole from the first filter screen and the interval control valve, and wherein the second packer is positionable in the first annulus downhole from the first filter screen and the interval control valve.
18 . The interval control valve system of claim 17 , wherein the interval control valve is a first interval control valve, wherein the first interval control valve is configurable to control a first flow path of fluid between the second annulus and the interior of the tubing string, and wherein the interval control valve system further comprises: a third filter screen coupleable to a same tubing joint of the tubing string as the first filter screen, wherein a fourth annulus is formed between the third filter screen and the exterior of the tubing string, wherein the third filter screen is configurable to filter fluid between the first annulus and the fourth annulus; and a second interval control valve positioned inline with the exterior of the tubing string and configurable to control a second flow path of fluid between the fourth annulus and the interior of the tubing string, wherein the third filter screen and the second interval control valve are positionable within the fluid isolation zone between the first packer and the second packer.
19 . The interval control valve system of claim 16 , further comprising: one or more control lines extendable from a surface of the wellbore to the interval control valve positionable downhole in the wellbore, wherein the one or more control lines are configurable to control actuation of the interval control valve.
20 . The interval control valve system of claim 16 , wherein the shroud further comprises filter openings or slots.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to interval control valves and, more particularly (although not necessarily exclusively), to interval control valves with modular screens downhole in a wellbore. BACKGROUND A wellbore can be formed in a subterranean formation for extracting produced hydrocarbon material and other suitable material. Various wellbore operations can be performed with respect to the wellbore. For instance, the wellbore operations can include drilling (e.g., forming the wellbore), stimulation (e.g., hydraulic fracturing or other similar stimulation operations), production operations, and other suitable wellbore operations. Devices may be deployed within the wellbore on a tubing string, such as downhole control valves. Downhole control valves can be controlled from a surface of the wellbore to control flow of downhole production fluids or gas, injected fluids or gas, fracturing fluids, and the like. For instance, downhole control valves can be used to open, close, or restrict one or more flow paths downhole in the wellbore to help manage or equalize downhole fluid flow. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic of a well system including an inline interval control valve system according to one example of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram of an inline interval control valve system downhole in a wellbore according to one example of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram of another inline interval control valve system downhole in a wellbore according to one example of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a process for using an inline interval control valve and modular filter screens downhole in a wellbore according to one example of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Certain aspects and examples of the present disclosure relate to an interval control valve that is installed inline with a tubing string downhole in a wellbore. An installation of the interval control valve inline with a wall of the tubing string can mean that the interval control valve does not extend into the inner diameter of the tubing string and thus does not restrict the inner diameter at all, or that the interval control valve is not positioned within the tubing string as a separate device. The interval control valve can control fluid flow (e.g., of production fluid or other downhole fluids) from an annulus formed between an exterior of the tubing string and a filter screen that is coupled to the exterior of the tubing string. For example, a valve of the interval control valve can be actuated to prevent or allow fluid flowing through the annulus to enter the interior of the tubing string via an opening of the tubing string. Packers positioned uphole and downhole of the filter screen and interval control valve can form a fluid barrier or isolation zone. The tubing string may not have any perforations, and thus the only flow path into the tubing string (e.g., beneath the filter screen) may be through the interval control valve. Positioning interval control valves inline with the tubing string can allow for any number of flow paths (e.g., one per interval control valve) to be created downhole. Conventional setups for wellsite systems with interval control valves that are not positioned inline with a tubing string may be limited to only two flow paths (e.g., annular flow and tubing flow). For instance, interval control valves may typically be installed inside of screened, perforated tubulars (e.g., extending into the inner diameter of the tubular). This configuration can limit the inner diameter of the system and therefore the flow area for produced or injected fluids or gas, as well as added complexity of the inner string while tubulars are run downhole. Other conventional techniques for increasing flow paths downhole may involve including a tubing string within an outer string, which additionally reduces inner diameter and increases complexity of inner string and difficulty (e.g., increased risk of damage, and rig time) in running the tubing strings downhole. By increasing the number of flow paths downhole using techniques described herein, greater control of fluid flow downhole and the reservoir can result in improved production metrics such as efficiency and increased flow area for the produced fluids. Additionally, by positioning the interval control valve inline with the exterior of the tubing string such that the components of the interval control valve are not positioned within the interior of the tubing string (e.g. in an inner region defined by an inner surface of the wall of the tubing string), techniques described herein can enable full bore inner diameter and increased simplicity of the inner string compared to conventional techniques. In a particular example, an interval control device can be installed inline with an exterior of a tubing string that is deployed downhole. The tubing string may not be perforated. Instead, the tubing string may be m