WELL TOOLS UTILIZING SWELLABLE MATERIALS ACTIVATED ON DEMAND

摘要

A WELL TOOL INCLUDES A GENERALLY TUBULAR MANDREL (32) WITH A FLOW PASSAGE EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH THE MANDREL, AND A FLOW CONTROLLER (40) WHICH INITIALLY PREVENTS A FLUID (38) FROM CONTACTING A SWELLABLE MATERIAL (24), BUT WHICH PERMITS THE FLUID TO CONTACT THE MATERIAL IN RESPONSE TO MANIPULATION OF PRESSURE IN THE FLOW PASSAGE. ANOTHER WELL TOOL INCLUDES A SWELLABLE MATERIAL, A GENERALLY TUBULAR MANDREL, AND A CONDUIT WRAPPED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ABOUT THE MANDREL, THE CONDUIT CONTAINING A FLUID WHICH, UPON CONTACT WITH THE SWELLABLE MATERIAL, CAUSES THE MATERIAL TO SWELL. A METHOD OF ACTUATING A WELL TOOL IN A WELL INCLUDES MANIPULATING PRESSURE IN A FLOW PASSAGE EXTENDING THROUGH A TUBULAR STRING (12), THEREBY OPENING AT LEAST ONE FLOW CONTROL DEVICE OF THE WELL TOOL WHICH SELECTIVELY PERMITS FLUID COMMUNICATION BETWEEN A RESERVOIR (36) OF THE WELL TOOL AND A SWELLABLE MATERIAL OF THE WELL TOOL, WHEREBY A FLUID IN THE RESERVOIR CONTACTS THE SWELLABLE MATERIAL.