Commingling flow between transport tubes of a multi-transport tube shunt system

Abstract

A technique facilitates gravel packing along a borehole. According to an embodiment, a shunt system is positioned along a sand screen system. The shunt system comprises a plurality of transport tubes and a plurality of packing tubes. A manifold is coupled to the plurality of transport tubes and to the plurality of packing tubes at a corresponding sand screen joint of the sand screen system. The manifold serves to separate a portion of the gravel slurry flowing through the plurality of transport tubes and to direct the portion into the corresponding packing tubes. Additionally, a commingler is positioned along the plurality of transport tubes at a location separate from the manifold. The commingler has an internal chamber where gravel slurry is received from uphole transport tube sections and is commingled before flowing into downhole transport tube sections.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for use in a well, comprising:
 a sand screen system having a plurality of sand screen joints; and   a shunt system positioned along the sand screen system, the shunt system comprising:
 a plurality of transport tubes; 
 a plurality of packing tubes; 
 a plurality of jumper tubes, which fluidly couple transport tubes of sequential sand screen joints of the plurality of sand screen joints together; 
 a manifold coupled to the plurality of transport tubes and to the plurality of packing tubes to separate a portion of a gravel slurry flowing through the plurality of transport tubes into the plurality of packing tubes; and 
 a commingler positioned along the plurality of transport tubes or the plurality of jumper tubes at a location separate from the manifold, the commingler having an internal chamber where gravel slurry, received from uphole transport tubes sections of the plurality of transport tubes, is commingled before flowing into downhole transport tubes sections of the plurality of transport tubes. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the commingler is located uphole relative to the manifold. 
     
     
         3 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the manifold is located uphole relative to the commingler. 
     
     
         4 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the commingler is positioned along the plurality of transport tubes, and is located on a first sand screen joint of the plurality of sand screen joints, and the manifold is located on a second sand screen joint of the plurality of sand screen joints. 
     
     
         5 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the manifold comprises a plurality of manifolds with at least one manifold positioned on each sand screen joint. 
     
     
         6 . The system as recited in  claim 5 , wherein the commingler comprises a plurality of comminglers with at least one commingler positioned on at least one sand screen joint. 
     
     
         7 . The system as recited in  claim 6 , wherein a dual commingler is positioned along at least one sand screen joint. 
     
     
         8 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the shunt system further comprises a secondary transport tube which passes through the manifold. 
     
     
         9 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the shunt system further comprises a plurality of secondary transport tubes which pass through the manifold. 
     
     
         10 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the commingler is positioned along the plurality of jumper tubes in a conjoined commingled jumper. 
     
     
         11 . A method, comprising:
 positioning a shunt system along a sand screen system;   deploying the shunt system and the sand screen system into a borehole;   depositing a gravel slurry along the sand screen system via a plurality of packing tubes coupled with a plurality of gravel slurry transport tubes via a manifold; and   commingling gravel slurry, flowing through the plurality of gravel slurry transport tubes, within a commingler located along the sand screen system at a position separated from the manifold.   
     
     
         12 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , wherein commingling comprises commingling gravel slurry received from two gravel slurry transport tubes. 
     
     
         13 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , further comprising providing the sand screen system with a plurality of sand screen joints connected sequentially. 
     
     
         14 . The method as recited in  claim 13 , wherein positioning comprises positioning at least one manifold along each sand screen joint, and at least one commingler along at least one sand screen joint. 
     
     
         15 . The method as recited in  claim 14 , further comprising: providing the shunt system with additional transport tubes at each sand screen joint; and passing the additional transport tubes through the manifold at each sand screen joint without placing the additional transport tubes in fluid communication with the packing tubes. 
     
     
         16 . The method as recited in  claim 15 , wherein positioning comprises positioning two comminglers at each sand screen joint and connecting at least one gravel slurry transport tube and at least one additional transport tube to each commingler of the two comminglers. 
     
     
         17 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , further comprising arranging the shunt system as a 2×2 shunt system. 
     
     
         18 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , further comprising arranging the shunt system as a 3×2 shunt system. 
     
     
         19 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , further comprising arranging the shunt system as a 4×2 shunt system. 
     
     
         20 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , further comprising: providing the sand screen system with a plurality of sand screen joints connected sequentially; and
 providing the sand screen system with a plurality of jumper tubes, which fluidly couple the transport tubes of sequential sand screen joints together,   wherein positioning comprises positioning at least one commingler along the plurality of jumper tubes in a conjoined commingled jumper.   
     
     
         21 . A system, comprising:
 a shunt system for use in facilitating gravel packing of a wellbore, the shunt system comprising:
 a plurality of transport tubes; 
 a plurality of packing tubes; 
 a manifold coupled to the plurality of transport tubes and to the plurality of packing tubes to provide an interface for separating a portion of a gravel slurry flowing through the plurality of transport tubes into the plurality of packing tubes; and 
 a commingler separated from the manifold and coupled with the plurality of transport tubes to provide commingling of gravel slurry, flowing along the plurality of transport tubes, independently of the interface for separating the portion of gravel slurry into the plurality of packing tubes.