System, Method and Apparatus for Enhanced Friction Reduction In Gravel Pack Operations

Abstract

A system includes a wellbore intersecting a subterranean formation and a treatment flowpath disposed in the wellbore including a fluid path from a surface location to the subterranean formation and returning to the surface location. The treatment flowpath has a delivery flowpath upstream of the subterranean formation and a pertinent flowpath at and downstream of the subterranean formation. The system further includes a gravel pack assembly having a first crossover port fluidly coupling the delivery flowpath to the pertinent flowpath, a screen, a washpipe, and a second crossover port fluidly coupling the washpipe to a return portion of the pertinent flowpath. The system further includes a friction reducing agent that is effective in at least part of the pertinent flowpath, but that is not a friction reducer in solution in the treatment fluid at the surface location.

1 . A method, comprising:
 providing a treatment fluid comprising an amount of particulates;   providing a pertinent flowpath, wherein fluid friction pressure in the pertinent flowpath is at least partially transferred to a formation face in a wellbore;   providing a delivery flowpath comprising a fluid conduit connecting a surface location to the pertinent flowpath, wherein the delivery flowpath is disposed in a wellbore;   providing a friction reducing agent effective in at least a portion of the pertinent flowpath;   wherein the friction reducing agent is not effective in at least a portion of the delivery flowpath; and   performing a gravel pack treatment utilizing the treatment fluid.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the delivery flowpath comprises at least one flowpath portion selected from the flowpath portions consisting of a treatment tubing, a coiled tubing, and a first cross-over port fluidly coupling an upstream portion of the delivery flowpath to the pertinent flowpath. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pertinent flowpath comprises at least one flowpath portion selected from the flowpath portions comprising a first annulus between a screen and the formation face, a second annulus between the screen and a washpipe external surface, a washpipe interior surface, and a second cross-over port fluidly coupling a washpipe to a return portion of the pertinent flowpath. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the providing a friction reducing agent comprises at least one operation selected from the operations consisting of:
 releasing a friction reducer included in the amount of particulates into solution in the treatment fluid;   providing a surface pattern on at least one surface selected from the surfaces consisting of a screen surface, a washpipe outer surface, a washpipe inner surface, a casing inner surface, a treatment tubing outer surface, and a coiled tubing outer surface;   providing a friction reducing coating on at least one surface selected from the surfaces consisting of a screen surface, a washpipe outer surface, a washpipe inner surface, a casing inner surface, and a treatment tubing outer surface;   including a friction reducer as a coating on one of a screen and a washpipe, wherein the friction reducer dissolves into the treatment fluid;   including an amount of magnetic particles comprising at least a portion of the amount of particles, and exposing at least a portion of the delivery flowpath to a field selected from an electric field, a magnetic field, and an electromagnetic field; and   releasing a friction reducer included in a downhole container into the treatment fluid during the performing a gravel pack treatment.   
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the providing a friction reducing agent comprises releasing a friction reducer included in a downhole container into the treatment fluid during the performing a gravel pack treatment, the friction reducer comprising at least one friction reducer selected from the friction reducers consisting of a surfactant, a polymer, an amount of assembled low molecular weight organic molecules, and an amount of fibers. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the providing a friction reducing feature comprises providing an encapsulated friction reducer in the treatment fluid, the encapsulated friction reducer structured to release the encapsulated friction reducer in response to at least one treatment condition selected from the treatment conditions comprising a downhole temperature during the gravel pack treatment, an amount of shear experienced by the treatment fluid during the gravel pack treatment, a downhole pressure during the gravel pack treatment, a pH of the treatment fluid during the gravel pack treatment. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the friction reducing agent is not effective at the surface location. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the providing the friction reducing agent comprises providing a surface pattern at least one surface selected from the surfaces consisting of a screen surface, a washpipe outer surface, and a washpipe inner surface. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the providing a friction reducing agent comprises:
 providing a friction reducer contained within individual particles of the amount of particles; and   releasing the friction reducer from the individual particles when the treatment fluid is downhole.   
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the releasing the friction reducer comprising a releasing operation selected from the releasing operations consisting of: eroding the individual particles, activating a chemical reaction of the individual particles by temperature, performing dissolution of at least a portion of the individual particles, performing a hydrolysis of at least a portion of the individual particles, performing a redox reaction of at least a portion of the particle. 
   
   
       11 . A system, comprising:
 a wellbore intersecting a subterranean formation;   a treatment flowpath disposed in the wellbore comprising a fluid path from a surface location to the subterranean formation and returning to the surface location, the treatment flowpath comprising a delivery flowpath and a pertinent flowpath;   the delivery flowpath comprising the treatment flowpath upstream of the subterranean formation;   the pertinent flowpath comprising the treatment flowpath at the subterranean formation and downstream of the subterranean formation;   a gravel pack assembly comprising a first crossover port fluidly coupling the delivery flowpath to the pertinent flowpath, a screen, a washpipe, and a second crossover port fluidly coupling the washpipe to a return portion of the pertinent flowpath; and   a friction reducing agent that is effective in at least a portion of the pertinent flowpath, wherein the friction reducing agent is not effective at the surface location.   
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the friction reducing agent comprises a surface pattern on at least one surface selected from the surfaces consisting of a surface of the screen, an outer surface of the washpipe, and an inner surface of the washpipe. 
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising a treatment fluid comprising an amount of particulates, wherein the friction reducing agent comprises a friction reducer incorporated within individual particles of the amount of particulates, wherein the friction reducer is incorporated in a configuration selected from the configurations consisting of an encapsulated friction reducer, an absorbed friction reducer, an adsorbed friction reducer, and a chemical friction reducer precursor. 
   
   
       14 . The system of claim of  13 , wherein the friction reducer is incorporated in the configuration consisting of a chemical friction reducer precursor, wherein the system further includes a downhole activation condition comprising one of a downhole temperature and a downhole pH value; wherein the downhole activation condition is structured to convert at least a portion of the chemical friction reducer precursor to a friction reducer amount in solution in the treatment fluid. 
   
   
       15 . The system of claim of  13 , wherein the system further includes a downhole activation condition selected from the activation conditions consisting of a treatment fluid shear amount, a treatment fluid residence time, and a treatment pressure; wherein the downhole activation condition is structured to convert the incorporated friction reducer to a friction reducer amount in solution in the treatment fluid. 
   
   
       16 . A method, comprising:
 providing a gravel pack assembly comprising a screen and a washpipe;   preparing a low friction surface of the gravel pack, the low friction surface of the gravel pack assembly comprising at least one surface selected from a surface of the screen, an inner surface of the washpipe, and an outer surface of the washpipe;   positioning the gravel pack assembly at a position in a wellbore intersecting a subterranean formation of interest; and   performing an alpha-beta wave gravel pack treatment in the wellbore across at least a portion of the subterranean formation of interest.   
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the preparing comprises at least one operation selected from the operations consisting of:
 providing a surface pattern on the surface of the gravel pack assembly; and   providing a low friction coating on the surface of the gravel pack assembly.   
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the preparing comprises wherein providing a surface pattern on the surface of the gravel pack assembly, the pattern having features sized at about 10 −6  meters. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the preparing comprises wherein providing a surface pattern on the surface of the gravel pack assembly, the pattern having features sized at about 10 −9  meters. 
   
   
       20 . A method for gravel pack treatment of a subterranean formation of interest intersected by a wellbore, the method comprising:
 interpreting a treatment schedule comprising a pump schedule for an alpha-beta wave gravel pack treatment;   determining a treatment condition in response to the treatment schedule;   providing a treatment flowpath disposed in the wellbore comprising a fluid path from a surface location to the subterranean formation and returning to the surface location, the treatment flowpath comprising a delivery flowpath and a pertinent flowpath, the delivery flowpath comprising the treatment flowpath upstream of the subterranean formation, and the pertinent flowpath comprising the treatment flowpath at the subterranean formation and downstream of the subterranean formation;   positioning the gravel pack assembly at a position in a wellbore intersecting a subterranean formation of interest;   determining a friction reducing agent that is effective in at least a portion of the pertinent flowpath and that is not effective at the surface location in response to the treatment condition;   providing a treatment fluid comprising an amount of particulates, the treatment fluid further comprising the friction reducing agent; and   performing a gravel pack treatment utilizing the treatment fluid in response to the treatment schedule.   
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the treatment condition comprises one of a downhole temperature and a downhole pressure, and wherein the friction reducing agent comprises an encapsulated friction reducer structured to release friction reducer into solution in the treatment fluid in response to exposure of the treatment fluid to the treatment condition.