Patent Grant
9404335
This application is the U.S. national phase of International Application No. PCT/EP2012/073918 filed 29 Nov. 2012 which designated the U.S. and claims priority to EP 11191287.9 filed 30 Nov. 2011, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to an annular barrier system connected with a well head via a well tubular structure, comprising a first annular barrier and a second annular barrier to be expanded in an annulus between the well tubular structure and an inside wall of a casing or a borehole downhole for providing zone isolation between a first zone and a second zone. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a well completion system and method.
In known annular barrier solutions, the well casing is pressurised in order to expand the annular barriers, but not all components of a completion can withstand such high pressure, and therefore an alternative solution is needed in order to protect these components while expanding the annular barriers.
It is an object of the present invention to wholly or partly overcome the above disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. More specifically, it is an object to provide an improved annular barrier system, wherein the expansion of the expandable sleeve of the annular barrier provides a solution which is safer than known solutions in order to avoid pressurising the casing from within to expand the annular barriers.
The above objects, together with numerous other objects, advantages, and features, which will become evident from the below description, are accomplished by a solution in accordance with the present invention by an annular barrier system connected with a well head via a well tubular structure, comprising:
In another embodiment, the annular barrier system may be connected with a well head via a well tubular structure, and comprises:
In one embodiment, a valve may be arranged in the opening.
Also, the valve may be adapted to close at a predetermined pressure.
In another embodiment, the flow line may extend along an outer face of the well tubular structure.
Moreover, the flow line may extend inside or in a groove in the well tubular structure.
In yet another embodiment, the opening may be arranged in the connection part or in the tubular part.
Furthermore, the flow line may have an overall outer diameter which is substantially smaller than an overall outer diameter of the tubular part.
The outer diameter of the flow line may be less than 50% of the outer diameter of the tubular part, preferably less than 30% of the outer diameter of the tubular part, more preferably less than 15% or less of the outer diameter of the tubular part.
In one embodiment, the well head may comprise a well head valve.
Said well head valve may be connected to a pumping unit.
In another embodiment, the first connection part may have the opening fluidly connected to the well head via the flow line.
The annular barrier system as described above may further comprise a second annular barrier comprising a tubular part extending in a longitudinal direction for mounting as part of the well tubular structure, an expandable sleeve surrounding the tubular part and defining a space, an opening for letting fluid into the space to expand the sleeve, and a first connection part and a second connection part connecting the expandable sleeve with the tubular part, and the first connection part may be arranged nearest to the well head.
Moreover, the second connection part may have a second opening and the second opening of the second connection part may be fluidly connected with an opening arranged in the first connection part of the second annular barrier via a second flow line part for expanding the expandable sleeve of the second annular barrier.
In one embodiment, a second valve may be arranged in the second opening.
Also, the second valve may be adapted to close at a predetermined pressure.
Furthermore, the annular barrier system may comprise a second flow line in order to let fluid into an annular space between the annular barriers in their expanded condition to pressurise the annular space, and the system may comprise a switch valve fluidly connecting the first flow line with the second flow line when the fluid reaches a predetermined pressure.
Moreover, the second flow line may be connected with a fluid channel in the first annular barrier, and the channel extends through the first annular barrier in order to let fluid into the annular space.
In one embodiment, the switch valve may be a hydrostatic switch.
Further, the second valve may be a two-way valve which, at a predetermined pressure, may disconnect communication to the second annular barrier and may open fluid communication to an annular space between the annular barriers in their expanded condition to pressurise the annular space.
In another embodiment, the system may comprise a release device arranged in connection with the opening for disconnecting the flow line after expansion of the sleeve.
In yet another embodiment, a cutting device may be arranged in connection with the well head.
Furthermore, the system may comprise a pressure sensor tool.
Moreover, the tool may comprise a gas detection unit and/or a pressure measuring unit.
Also, the annular barrier system as described above may comprise a third annular barrier comprising:
The annular barrier system as described above may further comprise a second flow line for letting fluid into an annular space between the first and second annular barriers in expanded condition to pressurise the annular space.
In addition, the annular barrier system as described above may further comprise a switch valve fluidly connecting the first flow line with the second flow line when the fluid reaches a predetermined pressure.
In one embodiment, the second flow line may be connected with a fluid channel in the first annular barrier, and the channel may extend through the first annular barrier in order to let fluid into the annular space.
Furthermore, the switch valve may be a hydrostatic switch.
In one embodiment, the opening may be arranged in the tubular part and the flow line may extend in the tubular part.
In another embodiment, the second valve of the second connection part may be fluidly connected with an opening in a first connection part of the second annular barrier.
In yet another embodiment, a plurality of annular barriers may be serially connected via flow lines.
Furthermore, the present invention relates to a well completion system comprising an annular barrier system according to the invention, a well tubular structure and a well head.
Said well head may comprise a well head valve.
Also, the well head valve may be connected to a pumping unit.
In one embodiment, a cutting device may be arranged in connection with the well head for cutting the flow line after expansion of the sleeves.
Moreover, the invention relates to a method for expanding an annular barrier according to the invention in an annulus between a well tubular structure and an inside wall of a casing or a borehole downhole, the method comprising the steps of:
Said method may further comprise the step of leading the fluid through the annular barrier into an expandable space of a second annular barrier for expanding the sleeve of the second annular barrier.
In one embodiment, the flow line may be cut off after the annular barrier(s) has/have been expanded.
Finally the invention relates to a method for arranging an annular barrier system according to the present invention in a well completion system, comprising the steps of:
The invention and its many advantages will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, which for the purpose of illustration show some non-limiting embodiments and in which
All the figures are highly schematic and not necessarily to scale, and they show only those parts which are necessary in order to elucidate the invention, other parts being omitted or merely suggested.
The annular barrier comprises a tubular part 6 extending in a longitudinal direction for mounting as part of the well tubular structure 3. The annular barrier further comprises an expandable sleeve 7 surrounding the tubular part 6 and surrounding a space 13 defined between the tubular part 6 and the expandable sleeve 7. The annular barrier further comprises an opening 11 for letting fluid into the space to expand the sleeve. The expandable sleeve is connected with the tubular part by means of a first connection part 15 and a second connection part 16, wherein the first connection part 15 is arranged nearest to the well head 40. In order to expand the sleeve, the system further comprises a flow line 17 fluidly connecting the well head 40 with the opening 11 for supplying fluid to the opening for expanding the expandable sleeve. In this way, the annular barrier 1 can be expanded from the rig via the well head by pressurising the flow line. In case of a subsea well head, the well head may comprise a pumping unit 35 which can be activated by means of a remote operated vehicle (ROV) (not shown) and thus, indirectly from the rig. In case of an on-shore well head, a pumping unit may be connected with one or more well heads for providing pressurised fluid down through the flow line 17.
By having the flow line 17 connecting the pumping unit 35 and the space 13, openings in the tubular part can be avoided and the well tubular structure does no longer have to be pressurised to a pressure large enough to expand the expandable sleeve 13. In this way, other components forming part of the well tubular part are not exposed to the high expansion pressure, and the components can therefore be selected irrespectively of whether they can withstand such high pressure. Furthermore, expansion of the annular barrier uses less energy as the whole well tubular structure does not have to be pressurised in order to expand the annular barrier but only have a substantially smaller volume being that of the flow line.
As shown in
Firstly, the annular barrier of the annular barrier system shown in
Subsequently, the expandable sleeve of the annular barrier is expanded in the annulus 2 between the well tubular structure 3 and the inside wall 4 of a casing 20 or a borehole 5 downhole by activating the pumping unit 35 and pressurising a fluid and leading the fluid into the space of the annular barrier via the flow line, so that the expandable sleeve is expanding.
As shown in
In
The flow line shown in
In
The second connection part 16 of the first annular barrier 1 comprises the second opening 22 being in fluid connection with an opening 11 arranged in the first connection part 15 of the second annular barrier 21 via a second flow line part 25 for expanding the expandable sleeve of the second annular barrier. A second valve 23 is arranged in the second opening 22 which is adapted to close at a predetermined pressure.
As shown in
In
In another embodiment, the annular barrier system comprises a third flow line 52 for letting fluid into an annular space between the annular barriers in their expanded condition to pressurise the annular space. The third flow line may extend from the pumping unit to the first annular barrier and is connected with a channel in the first barrier, through the first barrier to the second opening in the second connection part. In another embodiment, the channel may extend through the tubular part of the first barrier in order to let fluid into the annular space. In another embodiment, the system comprises a switch valve fluidly connecting the first flow line with the second flow line when the fluid reaches a predetermined pressure. In this way, only the first flow line is connected with the pumping unit and the second flow line is connected with the first flow line further down the annulus. In one embodiment, the switch valve is a hydrostatic switch.
The invention relates to a well completion system comprising the annular barrier system described above, the well tubular structure and the well head as shown in
The present invention is susceptible to embodiments of different forms. Specific embodiments are described in detail and are shown in the drawings with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to that illustrated and described herein. It is to be fully recognised that the different teachings of the different embodiments discussed above may be employed separately or in any suitable combination to produce desired results.
By a flow line is meant a tubular pipe extending from the top of the well down along and on the outside of the casing in the annulus between the intermediate casing surrounding the casing and the intermediate casing. The flow line is supplying pressurised fluid, such as sea water, down to the expandable space of the annular barrier in order to expand the sleeve. The flow line is therefore made in a material, such as metal, capable of withstanding such high pressure, i.e. a pressure difference of up to 10,000 PSI.
An annular barrier may also be a packer or similar expandable means. The well tubular structure can be the production tubing or casing or a similar kind of tubing downhole in a well or a borehole. As mentioned above, the annular barrier can be used both in between the inner production tubing and an outer tubing in the borehole, or between a tubing and the inner wall of the borehole. A well may have several kinds of tubing and the annular barrier of the present invention can be mounted for use in all of them.
The valves that may be utilised to control the flow through the first and second fluid passages may be any kind of valve capable of controlling flow, such as a ball valve, butterfly valve, choke valve, check valve or non-return valve, diaphragm valve, expansion valve, gate valve, globe valve, knife valve, needle valve, piston valve, pinch valve, or plug valve.
The expandable tubular metal sleeve may be a cold-drawn or a hot-drawn tubular structure.
The fluid used for expanding the expandable sleeve may be any kind of well fluid present in the borehole surrounding the tool and/or the well tubular structure. Also, the fluid may be cement, gas, water, polymers, or a two-component compound, such as powder or particles mixing or reacting with a binding or hardening agent. Part of the fluid, such as the hardening agent, may be present in the cavity between the tubular part and the expandable sleeve before injecting a subsequent fluid into the cavity.
By fluid or well fluid is meant any kind of fluid that may be present in oil or gas wells downhole, such as natural gas, oil, oil mud, crude oil, water, etc. By gas is meant any kind of gas composition present in a well, completion, or open hole, and by oil is meant any kind of oil composition, such as crude oil, an oil-containing fluid, etc. Gas, oil, and water fluids may thus all comprise other elements or substances than gas, oil, and/or water, respectively.
By a casing is meant any kind of pipe, tubing, tubular, liner, string, etc., used downhole in relation to oil or natural gas production.
In the event that the tools are not submergible all the way into the casing, a downhole tractor can be used to push the tools all the way into position in the well. A downhole tractor is any kind of driving tool capable of pushing or pulling tools in a well downhole, such as a Well Tractor®.
Although the invention has been described in the above in connection with preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be evident for a person skilled in the art that several modifications are conceivable without departing from the invention as defined by the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11191287 | Nov 2011 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2012/073918 | 11/29/2012 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2013/079575 | 6/6/2013 | WO | A |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20140311759 A1 | Oct 2014 | US |
