Patent Application
20230032805
The present invention relates to apparatus for measuring and analyzing the plugging property of sealant fluid in borehole minor defects, particularly for testing liquid sealant for use in oil & gas production, and methods.
Wellbore assembly is a complex system comprised of tubing, tubing head, casing, casing head, cement stone, packers, bottomhole safety components and control pipelines, which is thus important to ensure well integrity for a continuous production. As progress of oil and gas production, wellbore assembly invalidation such as damage, abrasion, and leakage is inevitable, due to a long-term experience in harsh downhole environment, especially large liquid column pressure, friction, and alternate load. Particularly in the later half period of the oil and gas fields, minor leakages of borehole assembly can cause variant production problems, for example, integrity failures of sustained casing pressure (SCP), loss of control and well shut-in with economic losses, and risks to safety and environment. Curing leaks of wellbore assembly should be the most effective to restore the wellbore integrity. Therefore, apparatus of testing seal repairs and leak scale is confirmed to be essential in determining the sealing method and evaluating the final repairing effect.
CN201555697U describes a method and apparatus for testing the leakage of drilling fluids through the permeable formation at high pressure. The test is accomplished by controlling sealant pressure and flow in an autoclave comprised of heater and core samples, wherein the high pressure (up to 2.0 MPa) can be implemented with a pressurization pump. This design is specially intended to simulate the formation leakage within downhole conditions. This limits the test parameters that can be specified to a relatively narrow range. For example, the leakage of wellbore strings such as casing, tubing, packers etc. can not be simulated and tested. Similarly, CN204738806U also describes a method and apparatus for blockage test. This apparatus employs a visual tank combined with a leak sample to stimulate formation filtration. A N2 source is applied to pressurize. Obviously, this device should be very limited in simulating downhole leak environment, due to a lack of heater and effective pressurization unit.
CN206016761U describes a visualized downhole blockage testing machine in which plugging property of sealant fluid or other functional fluids may be tested by a pressure-resistant and transparent cylinder filled with the specially prepared sand bed. The transparent cylinder is installed in a truss type chassis, which can rotate around the fixed point to simulate well deviation. The plugging pressure can be increased up to 7 MPa, and the plugging process at one angle can be implemented by varying the fixed angle of the cylindrical cell around the fixed point. While again limiting the testing apparatus to examining only the formation leakage, this device limits the possible specimen types which might be made up of sand and rock. In addition, a lack of heater can heavily limit its simulation on downhole elevated temperatures.
The fact that development of some novel sealants and appearance of more complex leakage types have a significant impact on the blockage testing apparatus can result in abnormal requirements on plugging tests. The main limits of liquid sealability testing apparatus previously applied are given as follows:
1. The previously developed plugging testers are comprised of the basic cylindrical pressure cell filled with the sand bed sample. While the sealants flow through sand bed sample, the permeable formation will be plugged by the sealant fluids, and then the plugging property of sealant can be tested in the specially prepared formation. Note that, the plugging process probably involves a large volume of sealants and, in this case, plugging tests can not be completely performed due to a limited cell volume. As for the previous plugging tests, a batch supplement of sealants is thus necessary in order to effectively plug sample formation. Undoubtedly, this addition treatment will inevitably interrupt the plugging process, especially for dynamic pressure variation, which can go against the plugging evaluation and analysis.
2. The previously developed plugging testers were developed to test plugging property of sealants in filtrate formation, which thus appear to be relatively limited in testing the plugging property related to leakage of borehole assembly, including dynamic and static seals (e.g., SCSSVs, valve control systems, tubing, casing, valve, packers, hangers and similar components).
3. The previously developed plugging testers control the pressure and temperature by simple gas source and an electric heater. The pressure range is lower than 7 MPa; and the steady temperature condition is very difficult to obtain in a long-term plugging test, both of which can seriously influence the testing accuracy. As for previously developed plugging testers, meanwhile, a deficiency of automation makes plugging tests more complicated and time-consuming.
It is an object of this invention to create a device which can measure plugging property of sealant across micro-leaks of borehole assembly. Using the designed device, a set of elevated temperature(up to 150° C.) and elevated pressure(up to 25 MPa) can be produced to simulate the downhole environment, and a continuous plugging test can be realized by circulating sealants with help of a pressurization pump; dynamic plugging behavior of sealants happened at the leak site can be visualized, and real-time record of differential pressure variation can be provided, to disclose the liquid-solid jamming transition of sealant fluid and examine the final plugging property.
This invention provides a plugging tester for measuring and analyzing the plugging property of sealant fluids in a set of simulated micro-leak assembly, a cylindrical cell assembly, and a cycling pipeline system.
The said minor-leak assemblies contain an upper cap 11 and a bottom cup 8.
The said upper cap 11 has an inlet of sealant fluids and a pressure sensor. The sealant fluids can flow through the inlet under a certain differential pressure.
The said upper cap 11 is screwed to a leak sample 22.
The said leak sample 22 is typically designed with leak pores 28. The leak pores 28 come in a variety of sizes, geometries, and array to simulate leak path of borehole minor-defects.
The bottom cup 8 is a cylindrical and transient component, and is attached to the upper cap 11 via a thread.
The said bottom cup 8 is fixed to the inside end of upper cap 11 via a thread, and the down hole of the bottom cup 8 is axial with leak sample 22 and retainer 23.
The sealant fluids can flow through the cup hole and the sample leakage pore to a cylindrical cell 6.
The said bottom cup 8 is transient and pressure-resistant, and is made of transient quartz glass, which will not only enhance temperature and pressure resistance but also enable the visualization of dynamic plugging process
The said leak sample 22 is screwed onto the lower end of the upper cap 11 by the retainer 23
The said retainer 23 is attached onto the upper cap 11 via a thread.
A flow meter 7 is fixed below the said leak assemblies to provide velocity data of flow across the bottom cup 8.
The said cylindrical cell assembly consists of a cylindrical cell 6, a cover 29, and an electromagnetic heater 15.
The said cylindrical cell 6 has two inlets in the upper, which separately allow overflow fluid and sealant fluid across minor-leak assembly to return.
The said cell 6 has one outlet in the bottom, which is contacted with a pressurization pump 3 by a stop valve 4.
The said cover 29 is screwed onto the cell body 30 via a thread. An O-ring assures against leakage through the thread.
The said electromagnetic heater 15 is positioned radially outside said cell 6.
The said pressurization pump 3 connects to a valve 2, which is further connected to the said minor-leak assemblies by a stop valve 10. As a result, a set of cycling device involving minor-leak assemblies, cylindrical cell, and control elements is effectively constructed, through which a continuous plugging test can be carried out.
Flow velocity of sealant fluid can be adjusted by the pressurization pump 3 and, further, the required pressure in simulating leak sites can be obtained by control of flow velocity.
A check valve 5 is arranged before the cylindrical cell 6 to allow the redundant sealant flow back.
A pressure gauge 1 is arranged at the cycling pipeline between the minor-leak assemblies and the first stop valve 2 to record and adjust the injected pressure.
The third stop valve 10 is arranged before the minor-leak assemblies, and it can cooperatively work with the first stop valve 2 to control the injected pressure of sealant fluids. Once the experimental pressure is arrived, then the third stop valve 10 is opened to allow sealant fluid flow across minor-leak assemblies. Subsequently, sealant plugging process can be recorded and inspected in the panel 19.
The cycling pipeline is arranged with four stop valves to control the flow state.
An electromagnetic heater 15 is positioned radially outside the cell body to provide an efficient temperature control.
To perform a run of the testing apparatus automatically, a temperature sensor 12, a pressure sensor 17, the flow meter 7, and the pressurization pump 3 are all connected to a control panel 19 by a set of data wires such as a temperature data wire 16 and a pressure data wire 19.
The said panel 19 that is basically the combination of a data acquisition system and an operation control software is connected to the apparatus to adjust the pressurization pump, vary temperature and pressure, record the real-time pressure data, and inspect the pressure variation linked with plugging process.
The said minor-leak assembly is connected with the cell body 30 by the cycling pipeline. Sealant fluid is continuously pumped through the minor-leak assemblies and then return to the cell body 30 until the seal succeeds. During the migration of sealant, a special sealing reaction occur and bridge across the leak due to the differential pressure. That is, there is a cross-linking reaction analogous to blood coagulating at a cut. As the reaction proceeds, the polymerized sealant plates out on the edges of the leak site and, simultaneously links across the leak site to seal the leak. The resulting seal is an elastic bond across the leak. The formation of elastic seal that is closely related to the plugging process can be directly observed by the transient quartz cup 8 specially prepared. Meanwhile, the real-time data of pressure variation that can reflect the plugging behavior is collected and recorded on the panel 19.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method for determining the plugging property of sealant fluid in the borehole minor leaks. The process and principle are as follows:
1. Pour sealant fluid into the cell body 30. Screw the cover 29 onto the cell 30 via thread. Adjust the fluid temperature as desired by activating heater 15. Keep the valve 10 and 14 closed and other valves (e.g., valve 2, 4 and 5) open. Use the pressurization pump 3 to make the sealant flow in the cycling pipeline. Adjust the flow rate and control the pressure so that the pressure reaches the predetermined value.
2. Open the valve 10 and 14. Allow the sealant flow through the minor-leak assembly under the predetermined pressure value to return into the cell body 30. Record the flow rate of sealant by flow meter 7.
3. As the sealant fluid circulates, a seal solid will be formed across the leak site and, in this case, the pressure prior to the leak assembly will inevitably increase. The pressure data can be measured and transferred by the pressure sensor 17 to the control panel 19. Once the recorded pressure becomes stable, then an effective plug can be established along the leak path, which means a successful seal repair. If pressure data continuously vary, the test cycle can be properly increased to extend the plugging period until the stale pressure value reaches. In fact, the plugging time in testing process can reflect the plugging capability of sealant.
4. The plugging property of sealant fluids can completely be examined by analyzing the real-time pressure data with a professional software. Besides, the leak sample 22 can be taken out from the minor-leak assembly, so as to directly investigate the characteristic of seal formed in the leak path. Therefore, the plugging process closely related to the liquid-solid transmission of the sealant fluid can be effectively evaluated by the visual cup 8. Note that, the pressure can be further reinforced by adjusting the pressurization pump to measure the pressure-bearing capability of the seal formed across the leaks.
5. While the plugging test is complete, close the temperature power and make the cell temperature decrease to the ambient temperature. Drain the sealant fluid from the cylindrical cell, and then inject the flush into the cell to clean the device by circulating the flush fluid.
The described invention may address several key problems in modeling downhole plugging process which are not addressed by prior devices.
The present invention is tightly closed with test of plugging property of sealant fluids in different borehole seal leaks. Leak sizes and geometries are taken into consideration, so as to simulate the potential minor-leaks that have been observed in dynamic and static seals on-site. The pressurization pump 3 and electromagnetic heater 15 are incorporated into this invention. In combination to the pressure- and temperature-resistant transparent cup 8, the rapid and stable control of temperature and pressure can be realized, together with data acquisition system and control software. Simultaneously, the sealant fluid can be dynamically circulated to enable the continuous plugging test. In addition, the dynamic plugging process of liquid-solid jamming transmission for sealants can be completely visualized. The real-time pressure can be recorded and analyzed, which can be used to accurately describe plugging property of sealant fluid across the leak.
Other objects, features and advantages will be clear from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with accompanying drawings in which:
The primary embodiment of the invention can be best understood by reference to this specification and to the appended drawings.
In
Operation—
To perform a run of the sealability tester, a suitable leak sample 22 that corresponds exactly to actual leak status on-site should be firstly selected. Install retainer 23, and screw leak sample 22 onto the lower end of the upper cap 11. Install the visual bottom cup 8 onto the upper cap 11 via the thread and press against retainer 23. Pour sealant fluid into cylindrical cell 6, and screw cover 29 onto the cell body 30 via the thread. Close check valve 5 and the third stop valve 10. Turn on the electricity power of sealability tester. Adjust temperature as desired by activating heater 15. Open the pressurization pump 3, which is the power of the circulating sealant. Adjust the pressurization rate and make the pressure of the liquid feeding pipeline increase up to the predetermined value. If the pressure exceeds the desired value, then open check valve 5 and relieve the pressure by the overflow pipeline. While the pressure of the liquid feeding pipeline is stable, close the first stop valve 2, and open the third stop valve 10. The sealant fluid will inject through leak sample 22 under the condition of the desired pressure, which simulates virtually real-world circumstance encountered in the downhole leakage. As sealant fluid continuously flow through the leak, a plugging reaction linked with liquid-solid jamming transmission can happen along leak path. The pressure sensor 12 records variation of leak pressure and real-time curve of pressure can be presented in monitoring screen 20. Meanwhile, plugging process can be directly observed by the transient bottom cup 8. Flowmeter 7 records the flow velocity of sealant across minor-leak assembly. The sealant fluid that flows across leak site can return into cylindrical cell 6 by the return pipeline. Once a seal across the leak is formed, then the pressure recorded by pressure sensor 12 will be constant. If the seal is not formed, the first stop valve 2 can be opened to allow sealant fluid to circulate in the tester, through which a dynamic circulated plugging process may be simulated in the present invention. In addition, the pressure can be further increased by adjusting the pressurization pump 3 to examine the pressure-bearing capability of the formed seal.
The specific testing steps of the present invention is as follows:
1. Assembling Minor-Leak Components
Select a suitable leak sample 22 that can simulate the downhole string and borehole leakage. Screw leak sample 22 onto the bottom of upper cap 11. Install retainer 23 and make it press tightly on leak sample 22. Screw visual bottom cup 8 to upper cap 11 via the thread. Pour the sealant into cell body 30. Screw cover 29 onto cell body 30 via the thread.
2. Adjusting Cycling Pipeline System
Open the first stop valve 2 and the second stop valve 4 in the fluid feeding pipeline. Open the fourth stop valve 14 in the fluid return pipeline. Close check valve 5 in the overflow pipeline. Close the third stop valve 10 before the minor-leak assembly.
3. Controlling the Temperature and Pressure
Turn on the electricity power of tester. Set the testing temperature to the desired value and activate heater 15. Make sealant temperature arrive to the predetermined value. Open the pressurization pump 3, and adjust pump rate and make the sealant pressure reach the predetermined value. Pressure can be monitored by pressure gauge 1. In this process, check valve 5 can be used to cooperatively control pressure.
4. Testing Fluid Sealability
Maintain the desired pressure value. Open the third stop valve 10, and allow the sealant continuously flow through minor-leak assembly. Record the pressure variation by pressure sensor 12, which can reflect the plugging process. The sealant that flows across leak sample 22 returns cylindrical cell 6, which may be circulated by pressurization pump 3 to facilitate continuous plugging test. The real-time pressure data can be recorded and transmitted to control panel 19 so that the plugging property can be completely analyzed.
5. Cleaning the Testing Apparatus
Turn off the power of tester. Cool down cylindrical cell 6 to the ambient temperature. Take out the leak sample 22 from minor-leak assembly to further examine characteristic of seal formed in the leak site. Drain the sealant fluid from the cell 6. Pour the flush into the cell body. Open pressurization pump 3 to circulate flush for cleaning the tester.
The present disclosure is described herein using a limited number of embodiments, these specific embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure as otherwise described and claimed herein. Modification and variations from the descried embodiments exist. In minor-leak assembly, for example, the bottom cup may be made of metals rather than visual quartz glass. In addition, in alternative embodiments, the electromagnetic heater positioned radially outside the pressure cell may be changed with an electric heater, and the valves may be electrically or pneumatically completely inverted.
More specifically, the following examples are given as a specific illustration of embodiments of the claimed disclosure. It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details set forth in the example.
A differential pressure sealant A purchased from Jingzhou Jiahua Tech. Co., Ltd was used to measure the plugging property by means of the present invention. To simulate downhole pipe leakage on-site, a leak sample 1 with single pore whose diameter is 0.5 mm was selected. According to the operation steps described above, the test of plugging property of sealant A was conducted at 80° C. The real-time pressure variation is given in
The differential pressure sealant A purchased from Jingzhou Jiahua Tech. Co., Ltd was further used to measure the plugging property by means of the present invention. To simulate downhole pipe leakage on-site, another leak sample 2 with single square hole (length×width×depth=0.5 mm×0.5 mm×10 mm) was specifically selected. According to the operation steps described above, plugging property of sealant A was tested at 80° C., and the real-time pressure variation is shown in
A differential pressure sealant B purchased from Jingzhou Jiahua Tech. Co., Ltd was further employed to evaluate its plugging property using the present invention. Note that, sealant B is added the solid sealing material such as fiber to reinforce its sealalibity. To simulate downhole pipe leakage on-site, another leak sample 3 with a single rectangular hole (length×width×depth=1.0 mm×0.5 mm×10 mm) was comparatively selected. According to the operation steps described above, plugging test was conducted at 80° C. The real-time pressure variation is given in
It is clear in
