Sand Screen with Check-Valve Inflow Control Devices

Sand control screens are installed with an internal string (wash pipe) as required which, among other functions, provides a circulation path. In long horizontal wells, running a wash pipe consumes considerable rig time and may limit the ability to reach target depth. In cases in which fluid losses are experienced after screen installation, isolating the open hole with a fluid-loss control valve can be prolonged. This paper describes a wash-pipe-free solution for screen installation using a check-valve inflow control device (CV-ICD). ICD screens are commonly used to delay/restrict the influx of unwanted fluids such as gas or water. The wash-pipe-free solution integrates a check valve with the ICD to prevent outflow through the screen during circulation and allows inflow through the screen when placed on production. This solution uses a check ball that seals against the ICD during circulation but falls back on a porous retainer plate during production. The check ball and retainer plate can be dissolved by spotting a reactive fluid inside the screen or made to erode over time with production. Laboratory testing yielded the following results: the ICD with the check ball was shown to seal up to 5,000 psi; the check ball and retainer plate can be dissolved by a reactive fluid, which can be tailored to bottomhole temperature and the required time of dissolution; and the pressure activation test demonstrated that the maximum differential pressure to seat the ball was less than 5 psi. This CV-ICD solution has been applied worldwide in more than 35 wells, most of which were targeted to avoid running a wash pipe. However, in two wells the technology was successfully used to set openhole packers with a 5,000-psi setting pressure. In this paper, we present the wash-pipe-free ICD screen installation with a dissolvable check valve and the capability of setting a hydraulic packer without a wash pipe or intervention in the open hole. The novel contribution presented herein is the ability to integrate a ball and cage to existing nozzle-based ICDs by using dissolvable material to achieve the preceding results in this application.