Abstract:
To tackle the challenge of sand bridge-induced blockages during gravel packing in horizontal wells and to boost packing efficiency, a novel high-flow-rate shunt screen has been devised. Grounded in the principles of shunt gravel packing technology, this screen innovatively replaces the traditional packing tube with a nozzle ring within the shunt channel, establishing a "nozzle ring–transport tube" configuration. This structural modification markedly enhances the utilization rate and reliability of the shunt channel's flow cross-section. Relative to conventional shunt screens, the high-flow-rate shunt screen achieves a 47.1% increase in the transport tube's flow cross-section and a 53.8% reduction in the channel's frictional pressure drop. Laboratory modeling tests and field trials have confirmed that the high-flow-rate shunt screen delivers an 180% improvement in packing rate and a 31.2% boost in cumulative oil production over the initial 360 days of well production. These findings highlight the screen's superior slurry transport capabilities, which facilitate rapid circulation and packing, effectively minimize reservoir contamination and gravel–formation sand mixing, and ultimately lead to a substantial increase in single-well productivity.