Design and Performance of a Novel Autonomous Inflow Control Device

Abstract

Due to geological complexity and the heel−toe effect, the production profiles of long horizontal wells are usually imbalanced, and as a result, premature water breakthrough is usually encountered. Once water breakthrough occurs, this phenomenon will reduce oil production. To maximize oil recovery, inflow-control devices (ICDs) are widely used to create a uniform inflow profile. To date, known ICDs cannot meet all the ideal requirements throughout the well's life. In this study, based on the combination of a successive restriction mechanism and water swelling rubber, a novel autonomous inflow control device is proposed. Then, the rules of oil−water two-phase flow through the novel design are studied by a numerical simulation based on optimized structural parameters, and the fluid property sensitivities are analyzed. Upon integration of the novel design into the test apparatus, flow tests are conducted. The influences of water content, inflow rate, and injection rate on the pressure drop are further analyzed to provide a guide to completion parameter optimization. The results demonstrate that the novel design has a simple structure. Its flow-resistance rating can be easily adjusted. Additionally, the design provides a significant oil and water resistance difference. The pressure-drop ratio of the water relative to oil can be up to 40. The design has a large crosssectional flow area, providing high plugging resistance and high erosion resistance. Moreover, the design is not sensitive to flow rate or oil properties and has a wide application range. Reservoir heterogeneity should be given more attention than the heel−toe effect when optimizing the completion parameters.

Analysis and Experimental Research on Water Control Performance of Integrated Water Control Fracturing Completion Tools

“…Due to the inability to adjust the structure and size of ICD after being put into the well, its structural design highly relies on predicting the actual situation of the reservoir and is difficult to cope with changes in downhole conditions [12][13] . To this end, an adaptive flow control and water control (AICD) structure has gradually been developed, with representative examples being the use of the principle of material expansion when encountering water to control the flow rate of water in the formation, and the development of a series of self expanding flow control and water control devices [14] ; High thixotropy hydrogel can realize water control in horizontal wells on the basis of precise control of its thixotropy, gel time, plugging performance and degradation performance due to its rapid thickening after shearing [15] ; The disc type flow control water device can achieve the purpose of limiting water by automatically adjusting the overcurrent channel through a movable disc [16] . The active underground flow control device utilizes temperature and pressure sensors, which can change the opening of the device at any time.…”

In-Depth Understanding of ICD Completion Technology Working Principle

“…They studied the hydrodynamics of the ICD assembly for different designs by comparing the pressure and velocity fields. A further use for the design of AICDs was presented by Zeng et al [10] and Zhao et al [11].…”