OREANDA-NEWS. Experts of PJSC TATNEFT have designed a cross-sectional expandable single-layer profile filter with tubular thermal elongation compensating joints, preserving the useful cross-section of wells through tight filter pressing against the well’s walls.

The engineering development is applied in drilling horizontal wells in high viscosity oil and natural bitumen fields with thermal treatment of productive strata replacing the used multi-layer filters, which significantly reduce the hole diameter.

The patent for the invention "Expandable Sand Screen and Method for Well Thermal Oil Recovery" has been registered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The patentee is PJSC TATNEFT named after V.D. Shashin and authors of the invention are: G.S Abdrakhmanov, F.F. Akhmadishin, R.R. Ibatullin, N.Kh. Khamityanov, V.P. Philippov, R.Kh. Ilalov, M.A. Ismagilov, M.M. Zalyatov, M.G Sabirov and A.V. Dmitriev.

Application of the filter shuts off the well annulus and reduces the risk of erosion and clogging that can be caused by mixing particles of different fractional composition near the wellbore. The expandable sand filter provides for a larger drift diameter, which reduces the fluid hydrodynamic resistance along the horizontal wellbore length and enhances the wells’ productivity.