Patent Application
20250122777
The present invention relates to a running tool for a mechanical bridge plug in a petroleum well. More specifically, it relates to a running tool also arranged for working as a cementing tool, while further also arranged for working as a dressing and tagging tool.
A petroleum well section may be cement plugged in the casing at a given depth for several reasons. The plug may be formed either for permanent plug and abandon (PPA), temporary plug and abandoning (TPA) or for drilling a side-track or removing and replacing or otherwise remedying the casing above the plug. The cement plugging process is usually conducted by the following steps:
It is possible, but not desirable from a cement plug quality point of view, to shorten the above sequence by replacing, after disconnecting the J-slot running tool from the J-slot stinger, by circulating in the cement through the J-slot running tool′ connector sleeve and imperfectly dress and tag, if at all possible, the so formed cement plug. However, a J-slot connector sleeve has a rather broad inner Ø and large outer Ø and is poorly designed for cementing, and would dress and tag the cement plug only peripherally thus imperfectly.
A petroleum oil tool provider usually has a repository of drill pipe conveyed J-slot running tools adapted for being connected to a J-slot stinger on top of a wide variety of diameters and types of casing plugs. The plugs may be of various types such as
It is desirable to have a common J-slot stinger interface on top of most or all of such casing plugs in order to keep the logistics' number of tools low, both to reduce required on-board storage space on the drilling or intervention platform, and offshore or land transport costs.
US2019/0390527A1, Telfer, Ardyne Holdings Ltd, UK, “Improvements in or relating to well abandonment and slot recovery”, describes a method and apparatus for single-trip cementing and casing cutting for well abandonment and slot recovery. Using a tool string including a casing cutter and a stinger, where the casing cutter has a central through bore including a wall to isolate the cutting assembly from the cement, cement can be passed through the cuter and deposited using the stinger to form a plug. The method preferably includes the additional steps of including a bridge plug on the tool string and setting the bridge plug in the well before passing fluidised plugging material through the stinger to deposit a quantity of fluidised plugging material into the well bore to form a cement plug.
NO20151699A1, Sørhus, Archer Oiltools AS, NO, “Drill pipe string conveyed pressure integrity test tool and method for testing the pressure integrity of a casing”, describes a method of testing the pressure integrity of a casing, comprising: —providing a drill pipe string conveyed pressure integrity tool section for a casing, comprising: —a cylindrical tool stem having an axial bore and upper and lower tool joints to said drill pipe string and a drilling or milling bit; —a relative downward annulus flow closing check valve comprising a check valve body on said tool stem, —running said testing tool section to a target depth in the casing with the check valve open, —halting the test tool section at target depth, —increasing pressure in the casing bore to displace the check valve to its lower, closing position, —verifying integrity of the casing above the swab cup.
NO 20201359A1, Herabakka Glinda, Archer Oiltools AS, NO, “A drill pipe string conveyed bridge plug running tool and a method for forming and verifying a cement plug” relates to a method of forming and verifying a cement plug in a single run in a casing bore, comprising the steps of: —assembling a bridge plug on a drill-pipe string conveyed through-bore bridge plug running tool, —said bridge plug running tool comprising a cementing stinger portion releasably connected to an upper part of said bridge plug, —said bridge plug running tool further comprising dress-cutting wings arranged above a base of said cementing stinger portion, —running into a well said bridge plug on said running tool to a target depth, —setting said bridge plug in the casing, —pulling up on said drill pipe string to disconnect said stinger portion from said bridge plug, —using said stinger portion, circulating in cement slurry on top of said bridge plug to form a cement plug in said casing, —allowing said cement plug to set and harden, —using said running tool dressing a top of said cement plug, —using said running tool tagging said dressed cement plug to verify its quality.
The present invention provides a solution to the problems which may arise when one wants to take into account this overall goal of having a common J-slot stinger interface on top of the variety of plugs on board a drilling or intervention platform. The invention further facilitates the onshore preparation of plugs so as for all or most DP conveyed plugs, also those for permanent plug and cementing, to have a common J-slot stinger type top interface.
The invention is a drill pipe string conveyed bridge plug running tool (100) comprising
The invention is defined in the attached independent claims 1 and 13. Embodiments of the invention are defined in the claims depending on those independent claims.
The invention provides a drill pipe string conveyed bridge plug running tool (100) comprising, please see
The cylindrical sleeve-shaped stinger portion (103) may cut its way into the central, smaller area portion in the center of the deposited, hardened cement without further cutting elements, but in a further embodiment it may be provided with cutter elements, particularly in an embodiment a front cutter element (162) arranged transversely on the lower end of the cylindrical sleeve-shaped stinger portion (103), and arranged for efficiently dress-cutting and tagging into the central area of the deposited, hardened cement. It will still work as a cement stinger. The cylindrical sleeve-shaped stinger portion (103) further contributes to laterally stabilizing the dress-cutting blades (108) from lateral wobbling in the casing.
An advantage of having the outer diameter of the cementing cylindrical sleeve-shaped stinger portion (103) adapted to fit inside the inner diameter of the J-slot top stinger (224) is that the diameter of the cementing cylindrical sleeve-shaped stinger portion (103) becomes significantly smaller than the diameter of the dress-cuter blades (108) which will allowed to make a plane, wide dressed surface of a top of the cement plug with only a comparatively small hole in the middle, thus providing a large plane surface available for tagging and mechanical pressure testing.
In other words, the bridge plug running tool (100) according to the invention is arranged for drill pipe string conveyed running in a bridge plug (200) into a well casing, the bridge plug running tool (100) comprising a cylindrical sleeve-shaped stinger portion (103) arranged for cementing, at its lower end, the cylindrical sleeve-shaped stinger portion (103) also arranged for being releasably connected into a central bore of the bridge plug (200), and dress-cutter blades (108) arranged about the base of the cylindrical sleeve-shaped stinger portion (103), the dress cutter-blades (108) also used for tagging after dressing. In this way a bridge plug (200) may be set in the casing, disconnected by pulling up, cementing on top of the bridge plug (200), allowing the cement plug to set and harden, dress the top of the cement plug, and tag the dressed top to verify cement quality, all in one run.
In an embodiment of the invention said cylindrical sleeve-shaped stinger portion (103) is arranged for being connected into a main bore (224) of a J-slot top stinger (226) of said bridge plug (200).
The J-slot top stinger (226) is otherwise arranged for fitting into a J-slot sleeve of an ordinary DP conveyed J-slot plug running tool not used in this invention. A great advantage of this feature of being connectable to an ordinary J-slot top stinger (226) is the fact that one may use bridge plugs having a common type of J-slot top stinger which are usually and otherwise run in hole using a J-slot cylinder running tool. In an embodiment only a simple slotting of the J-slot top stinger (226) is required, a modification which is easily made by the on-site personnel or workshop personnel.
In an embodiment according to the invention said cutting edges (182) are generally axial-transverse to the tool axis so as for when dressing axially into said deposited cement plug forming a transverse, plane surface to be tagged, please see
In an embodiment according to the invention the dress-cutter blades (108) are arranged for spanning a significant portion of an interior diameter of said casing, such as illustrated in
In an embodiment according to the invention said cylindrical sleeve-shaped stinger portion (103) is provided with a transversely arranged front cutter blade (162) having a cutting width corresponding to an outside diameter of said cylindrical sleeve-shaped stinger portion (103).
In an embodiment according to the invention said dress-cutter blades (108) have a part-helical shape about said mandrel (100). This may be done in order to increase rotational force bending resistance and to stabilize the rotation in the casing bore.
In an embodiment according to the invention said dress-cutter blades (108) have an axial-parallel directed, radial straight shape about said mandrel (1). This is shown in the attached drawings.
The dress-cutter blades (108) may in an embodiment be screwed onto the mandrel (1) as shown in the drawings. The dress-cutter blades (108) may in an embodiment be welded onto the mandrel (1) for providing ruggedness against rotational impact forces.
In an embodiment according to the invention, a slot (208) is formed for each of said dress-cutter blades (108), said slots (208) cut into the top of said J-slot top stinger. An advantage of this embodiment is that the slot edges transfer torque from the blades to the plug stinger and generally stabilize the plug during run-in.
In an embodiment according to the invention illustrated in
In an embodiment as shown in
However, in an alternative embodiment there is no blind circulation sub on top of the bridge plug (200, 201). In an embodiment there is communication via the drill pipe string bore (102) and through the main bore (224) of the J-slot top stinger (226) and through the bridge plug (201), and a valve (227) in the J-slot top stinger (226) or a valve (203) in the bridge plug (201). The valve (203) may be in the top stinger (226), see
In the embodiment wherein the valve (227) is part of the J-slot top stinger, please see
The bridge plug (200, 201) is provided with packer (212) for sealing the bridge plug annulus to the surrounding casing, and slips (211) for setting the bridge plug (200, 201) in the casing.
In another embodiment according to the invention the J-slot top stinger (226) has no valve, and the bridge plug (201) has a through bore (202) and a valve (203) in the through bore (202).
Bridge Plug with Ball Valve
In an embodiment there is no circulation sub arranged below said J-slot top stinger (226), and said J-slot top stinger (226) is further connected to a bridge plug (201) with a valve (203) in a through bore (202), said valve (203), such as a ball valve, is arranged for being open after said bridge plug (201) has been set, pressure test from below is conducted, and said valve (203) arranged for being closed before disconnecting said stinger (103) from said J-slot top stinger (226), and before cementing starts.
J-Slot Top Stinger with Valve, Inexpensive Plug
In an embodiment of the invention wherein no circulation sub is arranged below said J-slot top stinger (226), and said J-slot top stinger (226) is further connected to a bridge plug (201) with a through bore (202), said J-slot top stinger (226) provided with a with a valve (227) in its through bore (224), said valve (227) arranged for being open after said bridge plug (201) has been set, pressure test from below is conducted, and said valve (227) arranged for being closed before disconnecting said stinger (103) from said J-slot top stinger (226), and before cementing starts.
In an embodiment of the invention there is arranged circulation ports (119) are arranged in said cementing stinger (103), said circulation ports (119) arranged for being covered by said J-slot top stinger (226) before said shear screws (118) are sheared, and for being uncovered when said shear screws (118) are sheared out by pulling off from the J-slot top stinger (226).
In an embodiment there are seal rings (120) on the cementing stinger (103) arranged above the circulation ports (119) The advantage is that the circulation ports (119) are closed when the running tool (100) is connected to the through-bore bridge plug (201) when setting and pressure testing, and opened after disconnection in order to allow lateral flushing while washing out or dressing or washing out after dressing.
In an embodiment according to the invention the bridge plug running tool (100) comprises one or more burst discs (140) arranged in a passage from said central bore (102) radially to an outside face of the tool mandrel.
The burst disc (140) is arranged to break in order to avoid exceeding an unintentional high pressure in the drill pipe string during pressure testing of a set bridge plug (201) before disconnecting from the bridge plug (201) or during circulating in fluids during cementing, washing out, dressing.
In another aspect according to the invention it is a method of forming and verifying a cement plug in a single run in a casing bore, the method comprising the steps of:
In a further embodiment according to the invention, after setting said bridge plug (201), wherein said bridge plug (201) has a through bore (202) and is provided with a valve (203), with said valve (203) held open and setting pressure in said drill pipe string to pressure test said set bridge plug (201) from below,
There may be arranged flushing ports (109) from the axial bore and having their mouths between the dress-cutter blades, please see
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20211150 | Sep 2021 | NO | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/NO2022/050220 | 9/26/2022 | WO |
