Patent Application
20230383616
In the course of drilling and completing boreholes to produce oil and gas from subterranean reservoirs, or while stimulating and producing hydrocarbons from subterranean reservoirs, it is not uncommon for equipment to be dropped into the borehole from the surface or for downhole tools and equipment to become separated from their conveyor. When this occurs, it is frequently necessary to retrieve the dropped equipment or separated downhole tools from the borehole before normal drilling, completing, stimulating, or producing operations may continue. This process of retrieval is commonly called “fishing” and the equipment or tools to be retrieved are commonly called “fish”.
During fishing operations, several trips may be made downhole because grapple size did not properly fit on top of the fish. Several trips can be a costly and time-consuming procedure. Accordingly, there exists a need for a tool design for an automatically adjustable grapple with a variety of size range.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.
In one aspect, embodiments disclosed herein relate to an apparatus of a borehole fishing tool. The apparatus includes a grapple for fixedly attaching to a fish in a borehole, at least two metal springs mounted in the grapple to generate expansion and contraction for catching the fish in the borehole, and a slip profile attached to each metal spring. The borehole fishing tool further includes a plurality of teeth mounted on the slip profile to engage the fish with the grapple and a connector attached to the borehole fishing tool to connect the borehole fishing tool to a conveyor.
In one aspect, embodiments disclosed herein relate to a method for a borehole fishing tool. The method includes attaching a borehole fishing tool having a grapple to a conveyor, inserting the borehole fishing tool attached to the conveyor into a borehole, and forming a neutral position of at least two metal springs to create space using the grapple. The method further includes receiving a fish in between the at least two metal springs in the neutral position, engaging a plurality of teeth of a slip profile on each of the at least two metal springs in the grapple to the fish in the borehole through a latching position in the grapple, and engaging the borehole fishing tool to the fish guided by the slip profile. The method further includes retracting the conveyor from the borehole and raising the borehole fishing tool and the fish uphole until out of the borehole.
Other aspects and advantages of the claimed subject matter will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims.
Specific embodiments of the disclosed technology will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying figures. Like elements in the various figures are denoted by like reference numerals for consistency.
In the following detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the description.
Throughout the application, ordinal numbers (e.g., first, second, third, etc.) may be used as an adjective for an element (i.e., any noun in the application). The use of ordinal numbers is not to imply or create any particular ordering of the elements nor to limit any element to being only a single element unless expressly disclosed, such as using the terms “before”, “after”, “single”, and other such terminology. Rather, the use of ordinal numbers is to distinguish between the elements. By way of an example, a first element is distinct from a second element, and the first element may encompass more than one element and succeed (or precede) the second element in an ordering of elements.
Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a fishing tool with an adjustable grapple. Utilizing such a fishing tool allows for the grapple to properly fit any size of fish neck. The fish neck may be damaged or not uniformly intact.
A second end of the conveyor (114) may be attached to a means of suspension at the Earth's surface (108). The means of suspension may be a rig (120), or a coiled tubing unit (not illustrated), or a crane and winch (not shown).
The conveyor (114) of the borehole fishing tool (110) shown in
An example of a grapple (112), in accordance with one or more embodiments, is shown in
In accordance with one or more embodiments, several stages of the mechanism layout of the grapple (112) are shown in
In Step 500, a borehole fishing tool (110) with a grapple (112) may be attached to a conveyor (114). The conveyor (114) may be a coiled tubing, a wired coil tubing, a string of drill pipe, a string of wired drill pipe, a wireline, or a slick line. In Step 502, the borehole fishing tool (110) may, in accordance with one or more embodiments, be retractably inserted into the borehole (102) by the conveyor (114). The borehole fishing tool (110) may be inserted to the approximate anticipated location of the fish (106).
In Step 504, in accordance with one or more embodiments, a neutral position may be formed using the grapple (112) for which the fish (106) may enter the grapple (112). The metal springs (208) attached to the respective slip profiles (204) may be slightly compressed to create more space. The borehole fishing tool (110) may receive the fish (106) in between the metal springs (208) through the neutral position. As the fish (106) enters the grapple (112), the teeth (206) on the slip profiles (204) engage to the fish (106) in the borehole (102). In Step 506, the borehole fishing tool (110) engages to the fish (106) through the latching position. Guided by the slip profiles (204) in the latching position The borehole fishing tool (110) may be fixedly attached to the fish (106). In accordance with one or more embodiments, guiding the borehole fishing tool (110) may further include changing the position or orientation of the borehole fishing tool (110) using the conveyor (114). Changing the position of the borehole fishing tool (110) may include any combination of raising, lowering, pushing, pulling, and rotating the borehole fishing tool (110) using the conveyor (114).
In Step 508, in accordance with one or more embodiments, the conveyor (114) may be retracted form the borehole (102), raising the borehole fishing tool (110), and the fish (106) out of the borehole (102). The fish (106) may be raised to the Earth's surface (108). Raising the borehole fishing tool (110) and the fish (106) out of the borehole (102) may further include
Embodiments disclosed herein provide a device and method for adjustably fitting the left in hole (LIH) junk and fish it in one run. The fish engagement (latching) may be accomplished without the need to size the fish (106) due to having an adjustable grapple (112). Thus, embodiments disclosed herein enhance fishing operations by saving time and improving fishing operation efficiency by increasing the changes of latching the LIH fish (106) using an adjustable fishing grapple tool.
Although only a few example embodiments have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the example embodiments without materially departing from this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined in the following claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures. Thus, although a nail and a screw may not be structural equivalents in that a nail employs a cylindrical surface to secure wooden parts together, whereas a screw employs a helical surface, in the environment of fastening wooden parts, a nail and a screw may be equivalent structures. It is the express intention of the applicant not to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) for any limitations of any of the claims herein, except for those in which the claim expressly uses the words ‘means for’ together with an associated function.
