Systems and Methods for Multilateral Completions

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/698,836, filed on Apr. 5, 2024, which is a National Stage application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of PCT/US2022/047443, filed on Oct. 21, 2022, which claims priority to US Provisional Application Ser. No.: 63/275,744, filed Nov. 4, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Hydrocarbon fluids such as oil and natural gas are obtained from a subterranean geologic formation, referred to as a reservoir, by drilling a wellbore that penetrates the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. Under certain circumstances, one or more main wellbores are drilled with one or more lateral wellbores branching off from the main wellbores to access various parts in the reservoir. Once the wellbores are drilled, various forms of well completion components may be installed to control and enhance the efficiency of producing the various fluids from the reservoir.

In general, a methodology and system are provided for facilitating production of desired well fluids from a lateral wellbore or wellbores. According to an embodiment, aspects of the methodology comprise drilling and completing the main wellbore which may include a lower lateral wellbore portion. A production deflector may be run downhole into the main wellbore, and then a lateral wellbore section, e.g. an upper lateral wellbore section, may be drilled from the main wellbore. A liner may then be run downhole and out into the lateral wellbore section. The liner comprises a scab portion which ends up disposed across the main wellbore. This scab portion may be oriented at an angle with respect to the direction of the main wellbore. Subsequently, the scab portion is removed, e.g. milled, to enable communication with both the lateral wellbore section and the main wellbore extending below the lateral wellbore section.

However, many modifications are possible without materially departing from the teachings of this disclosure. Accordingly, such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined in the claims.

In the following description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of some embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the system and/or methodology may be practiced without these details and that numerous variations or modifications from the described embodiments may be possible. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but rather for the purpose of describing general principles of the implementations. The scope of the described implementations should be ascertained with reference to the issued claims.

As used herein, the terms “connect”, “connection”, “connected”, “in connection with”, and “connecting” are used to mean “in direct connection with” or “in connection with via one or more elements”; and the term “set” is used to mean “one element” or “more than one element”. Further, the terms “couple”, “coupling”, “coupled”, “coupled together”, and “coupled with” are used to mean “directly coupled together” or “coupled together via one or more elements”. As used herein, the terms “up” and “down”; “upper” and “lower”; “top” and “bottom”; and other like terms indicating relative positions to a given point or element are utilized to more clearly describe some elements. Commonly, these terms relate to a reference point at the surface from which drilling operations are initiated as being the top point and the total depth being the lowest point, wherein the well (e.g., wellbore, borehole) is vertical, horizontal or slanted relative to the surface.

The disclosure herein generally involves a methodology and system to facilitate completing a multilateral well with drill through capability. The system may comprise an anchor, a production deflector, and a liner utilizing a removable scab liner. The scab liner may be used to re-establish the continuity and integrity of the lateral liner during the drill through operation. In embodiments, the through tubing re-entry capability may be added once the junction is set and the anchor and production deflector are set in the well. The system or method of the current disclosure may be implemented in newly drilled wells as well as re-entry wells and is stackable for two or more lateral legs (lateral wellbore sections) to provide accessibility in all the legs where proper completion equipment is used.

Referring generally to, an example of a wellis illustrated as having a main wellborewhich may include a lower lateral section, e.g. a lower lateral wellbore leg. The main wellboreis initially drilled and then a vertical section of the main wellboreis lined with a casing. Subsequently, the main wellboremay be completed by deploying a completioninto the lower lateral section. By way of example, the completionmay comprise a sandface completionconnected with a tubular sectionthat extends to a packerdisposed in sealing engagement with a lower interior surface of the casing.

After deploying the completion, an anchorand a whipstockare run down hole in a single trip and deployed at a desired location along the interior of casing, as illustrated in. In some embodiments, the components may be run downhole in separate trips. According to an example, the anchormay comprise a removable disk, e.g. a ceramic disk, a hanger, a packer, and a tieback receptacle. After positioning the anchorand the whipstock, a lateral windowmay be cut, e.g. milled, through the wall forming casingwith the aid of whipstock. Once the lateral windowis formed, the whipstockmay be pulled out of hole, as illustrated in. The whipstockmay be pulled using a hook and measurement-while-drilling system or via other suitable methods.

According to an embodiment of the methodology, a drilling and production deflector (DPD)is subsequently run downhole and joined with anchor, as illustrated in. In some embodiments, a sand plugmay be deployed downhole above the diskto act as a debris barrier. In other embodiments, viscous fluids or other suitable materials may be used in place of sand plugto serve as the desired debris barrier. Although specific elements of the methodology may vary, one example comprises: circulating fluid to clean an inside diameter of packer; confirming landing and orientation of the DPD; releasing the running tool used to run the DPDdownhole; and deploying the sand plugas illustrated.

The DPDmay be installed to help deflect a drill bit used for drilling a lateral wellbore section through lateral window, as described in greater detail below. It should be noted that in some embodiments, a flapper valve may be positioned in conjunction with the DPDat a location which reduces debris accumulation during drilling operations. Additionally, the DPDmay be used to help deflect a subsequently deployed liner into the lateral wellbore. An example of one type of DPDis illustrated inand shows a variety of curved surfacesselected so as to guide the drill bit and/or liner along a suitable curvature. The DPDmay be formed of a plurality of components which are welded together or otherwise secured together to create the desired length, width, and curvature of surfaces.

As illustrated in, once the DPDis properly located and oriented, a lateral sectionmay be drilled by guiding a suitable drill bit through the lateral windowvia the DPD. In some applications, the inside diameter of DPDmay be protected with sand during drilling activities. It should be noted the size of DPDmay be adjusted according to the diameter of the drill bit used for drilling lateral wellbore section.

Subsequently, a lineris run down through main wellbore, guided out through lateral windowvia DPD, and deployed into lateral wellbore section, as illustrated in. In some embodiments, the main wellboremay have cement and the cement may be overdisplaced. Once the lineris properly deployed in the lateral section, the liner running tool may be released and retrieved. The linermay then be cemented and the lateral windowmay be cleaned out. In the illustrated embodiment, the linercomprises a scab portionwhich may be a separate section of lineror integrally formed with liner. As illustrated, scab portionis disposed across the vertical portion of main wellboreand oriented at an angle with respect to the axial direction of the vertical portion of main wellbore.

As illustrated in, the lateral sectionmay be extended by additional drilling to form an extended portion. For example, a drilling tool may be moved downhole and through an interior of linerto enable drilling of the extended portionof lateral wellbore section. The extended portionmay be sized to receive a suitable lateral completion, e.g. a lateral sandface completion, as illustrated in.

The scab portionof lineris constructed to enable removal so as to ultimately facilitate production from both the lower lateral sectionof main wellboreand from the relatively upper lateral section. By way of example, the scab portionmay be formed as a separable component which may be latched onto and retrieved to the surface by a suitable tool. In other embodiments, the scab portionmay be formed to facilitate cutting away, e.g. milling, of the material for communication with the main wellborelocated below lateral section.

For example, the scab portionmay be formed from a composite material which is readily milled by a suitable milling tool. Additionally, the scab portionmay be formed with internal ridges, as illustrated in. The internal ridgesare sized and oriented to engage, i.e. catch, an edge of a milling bit(or other suitable cutting tool) so as to help prevent the milling bitfrom sliding along the interior of scab portion. In other words, the internal ridgesare oriented to catch the milling bitso that it can immediately begin to cut through the wall of scab portioneven though scab portionis oriented at an angle with respect to the linear direction of movement of milling bit. Once the milling bitengages a corresponding internal ridge, the internal ridgeeffectively establishes a starting point for the milling operation. The ability to “catch” the milling bitto ensure desired cutting through the angled scab portionenables construction of scab portionfrom a variety of materials including steel materials.

In some embodiments, the scab portionmay be constructed with an indicator layerwhich provides a visual indication of the milling bitcutting through the side wall of scab portion. By way of example, the indicator layermay be formed of rubber, epoxy, composite material, aluminum, copper, wood, or other suitable materials which provide an easy visual indication of the desired cutting as the cutting particles are circulated out of the wellbore. The indicator layeralso may be colored or coated with colors which further provide an easy visual indication of the cutting through scab portion.

By removing scab portion, access is provided to the main wellborebelow lateral section, as illustrated in. At this stage, a cleanout procedure may be used to clean linerand lateral window. The cleanout procedure also may be used to clean the main wellboreand to remove the sand plug, as illustrated in. Subsequently, the removable diskmay be removed, e.g. fractured or milled, to enable fluid communication along the main wellboreincluding along lower lateral section.

Following the cleanout procedure, a smart completionmay be deployed down through the main wellboreand into engagement with, for example, tieback receptacle, as illustrated in. The smart completionmay be constructed and operated so as to control access and production with respect to both lower lateral sectionand the lateral section. It should be noted that a single upper lateral sectionis illustrated, but some well designs may utilize additional upper lateral sections. The smart completionmay comprise suitable features to facilitate locating the smart completionand to help land and orient the system with respect to upper lateral section(s).

The smart completionmay comprise a variety of components and constructions. In the example illustrated, however, the smart completionis deployed via a tubing stringand comprises an upper feedthrough packer. Below the feedthrough packer, the completionmay comprise an upper annular flow control valvewhich controls the flow of fluid, e.g. oil, from upper lateral sectionto the interior of tubing string. The smart completionalso may comprise an isolator systemdisposed proximate lateral window. The isolator systemmay be constructed to provide mechanical access to the upper lateral sectionwhile also enabling isolation of upper lateral sectionand the fluid flows from upper lateral section.

In some embodiments, the smart completionextends down through anchorand may comprise additional components, such as an internal packerand a lower flow control valvewhich controls the flow of fluid, e.g. oil, from the lower lateral sectionto the interior of tubing string. A mechanically controlled isolation valvemay be disposed at the lower end of tubing string. However, other flow blocking mechanisms, e.g. a nipple and plug assembly, may be used in place of the mechanically controlled isolation valve. Accordingly, the smart completionmay be used to control flow from lateral sections,into the interior of tubing stringand ultimately to a desired collection location at the surface.

Referring generally to, another embodiment of smart completionis illustrated. In this example, many of the components are similar to those illustrated and described with reference toand have retained the same reference numerals. However, the embodiment illustrated indirects the fluids flowing up through tubing stringto the exterior of tubing stringvia a perforated joint. The fluids flow from perforated jointinto an electric submersible pumping systemwhich is operated to pump the fluids back into the tubing stringvia, for example, a Y-block. The fluids may be pumped up through a pumping system packerand directed through the tubing stringto a suitable collection location at the surface. This type of smart completionalso may be used to control flow from both lateral sections,into tubing stringand ultimately to the desired collection location.

Isolator systemis generally referenced above to refer to the assembly of components which may be disposed proximate lateral windowso as to provide mechanical access and to enable desired fluid flows while providing support at this junction to prevent junction collapse. In, embodiments of components that may be used in conjunction with or as part of the isolator systemare illustrated. According to the example illustrated in, a flow-through junctionis constructed with longitudinal openingswhich allow flow of fluid from upper lateral section. However, the structure of the flow-through junctionprovides support against junction collapse at lateral window.

Similarly, the embodiment illustrated inuses a structure to provide support against junction collapse. In this example, however, the structure is provided by a flow-through shear sleeve. The flow-through shear sleevealso is constructed to allow flow of fluid from upper lateral sectionwhile providing support against junction collapse at lateral window. The flow-through shear sleeveremains in position even when the smart completionis pulled so as to continue preventing junction collapse.

Depending on the parameters of a given operation and the environment in which such operation is conducted, the lateral sections,may be completed with a variety of systems and components. Similarly, the various devices and assemblies utilized in drilling, completing, and operating the well may be adjusted or changed. The smart completionmay comprise various structures, components, and features to achieve desired goals with respect to production from the well and life of the well.

Furthermore, the methodology described herein may be adjusted to accommodate specific parameters and goals or to accommodate equipment and systems utilized. For example, the linermay be released as close as possible to the bottom of lateral windowbefore proceeding with a cementing operation. An open hole anchoring system may be employed just below the top of the linerso the linerdoes not move during the cementing operation. In various operations, excess cement may be cleaned from the interior diameter of the liner; from above the liner top; through the DPD; and through the interior of the liner running tool used to deploy liner. If the linerdoes not bottom out, various techniques may be employed including reaming down with a full bore reaming shoe. If the linerbecomes stuck, a patch mechanism may be run downhole with a polished bore receptacle to enable recovery of the operations. These are just a few examples of alterations to the methodology which may be employed to finish a given well completion/production operation.

Similarly, the scab liner portionmay be a retrievable scab liner or a scab liner which may be cut away, e.g. milled. If the scab liner portionis retrievable, it may comprise lower seals which are protected when running downhole into position. The seals may be oriented for landing into a tieback receptacle. Such a retrievable scab liner may be removed by, for example, a fishing tool. In various embodiments, the scab liner portionmay use a hanger/packer assembly which can be set hydraulically or by some other suitable technique. It should also be noted that in some embodiments, the technique may utilize running a lateral entry module which enables re-entry by latching such system into the DPD. If additional upper lateral sectionsare to be employed in a given operation, the re-entry modules can be run when all the junctions are run or along the way as preferred. Again, these are just a few examples of alterations to the overall methodology described herein.

Although a few embodiments of the disclosure have been described in detail above, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible without materially departing from the teachings of this disclosure. Accordingly, such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined in the claims.