Patent Application
20230117044
Drilling, exploring, or locating an oil or gas well includes using a drill string to break down a subterranean formation to create and extend the depth of a wellbore. Drilling operations that involve rotary drilling often utilize specially formulated drilling fluids, called drilling mud, to ensure proper lubrication, removal of drilled cuttings, and other waste created during the drilling process. Drilling mud also provides sufficient pressure to ensure that fluids located in subterranean reservoirs do not enter the borehole, or wellbore, thereby controlling formation pressures and maintaining wellbore stability.
In order to further control formation pressures, pressure control equipment may include a blowout preventer (BOP) that aids in regaining lost well control. BOPs are specialized valves, series of valves, or similar mechanical devices that are used to seal, control, and monitor oil and gas wells. During a blowout, in which crude oil or natural gas is uncontrollably released from a well, one or more BOP(s) are used to seal the wellbore. Therefore, because BOPs are considered safety critical equipment, BOPs must be routinely tested at regular intervals to ensure functionality and compliance with associated metrics. However, repetitive or inefficient drilling operations may occur throughout the testing period of the BOP.
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.
This disclosure presents, in one or more embodiments, a test joint device installed in a well site. The test joint device includes a test joint with an outer diameter, a test plug disposed at a lower axial end of the test joint, a plurality of clamps configured to enlarge the outer diameter of the test joint; and a plurality of stop collars configured to retain the plurality of clamps in a vertical direction. A first clamp and a second clamp of the plurality of clamps are each attached to the test joint. The first clamp is configured to enlarge the outer diameter of the test joint to a first outer diameter and the second clamp is configured to enlarge the outer diameter of the test joint to a second outer diameter.
This disclosure further presents a system. The system includes a wellhead disposed at an upper axial end of a well that is configured to interface with drilling and production equipment, and a test joint device. The test joint device includes a test joint with an outer diameter, a test plug disposed at a lower axial end of the test joint, a central housing comprising a vertical cavity that extends along a vertical axis thereof, at least four piping arms that extend radially from the vertical cavity along directions that are orthogonal to the vertical axis, at least four ram blocks, each ram block of the at least four ram blocks being attached to a separate piping arm such that each ram block extends into the vertical cavity, a plurality of clamps configured to enlarge an outer pipe diameter of the test joint, and a plurality of stop collars configured to retain the plurality of clamps in a vertical direction. A first clamp and a second clamp of the plurality of clamps are each attached to the test joint. The first clamp is configured to enlarge the outer diameter of the test joint to a first outer diameter and the second clamp is configured to enlarge the outer diameter of the test joint to a second outer diameter. The test joint is inserted into the vertical cavity of the central housing. The test joint device is configured to test a pressure applied to the test joint. The test plug is configured to seal the wellhead such that pressure develops inside the test joint device when the test joint device is filled with fluid.
This disclosure also presents a method for using a test joint device. The method includes installing a test joint device in a well site. The test joint device includes a test joint with an outer diameter, a test plug disposed at a lower axial end of the test joint, a central housing comprising a vertical cavity that extends along a vertical axis thereof, at least four piping arms that extend radially from the vertical cavity along directions that are orthogonal to the vertical axis, at least four ram blocks, each ram block of the at least four ram blocks being attached to a separate piping arm such that each ram block extends into the vertical cavity, a plurality of clamps configured to enlarge an outer pipe diameter of the test joint, and a plurality of stop collars configured to retain the plurality of clamps in a vertical direction. The method further includes attaching a first clamp and a second clamp of the plurality of clamps to the test joint, the first clamp including a first outer diameter and the second clamp including a second outer diameter. The test joint is then inserted into the vertical cavity of the central housing, and a pressure is tested on the test joint by the test joint device.
Other aspects of the disclosure 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. The sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the shapes of various elements and angles are not necessarily drawn to scale, and some of these elements may be arbitrarily enlarged and positioned to improve drawing legibility. Further, the particular shapes of the elements as drawn are not necessarily intended to convey any information regarding the actual shape of the particular elements and have been solely selected for ease of recognition in the drawing.
Specific embodiments of the disclosure 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.
In addition, throughout the application, the terms “upper” and “lower” may be used to describe the position of an element in a well. In this respect, the term “upper” denotes an element disposed closer to the surface of the Earth than a corresponding “lower” element when in a downhole position, while the term “lower” conversely describes an element disposed further away from the surface of the well than a corresponding “upper” element. Likewise, the term “axial” refers to an orientation substantially parallel to the well, while the term “radial” refers to an orientation orthogonal to the well. Similarly, the term “inner” refers to an orientation closer to a center of an object than a corresponding “outer” orientation.
In general, embodiments of the disclosure include a blowout preventer (BOP) multi-test joint device used to test different pipe ram sizes in a BOP by utilizing a drill pipe with a small outer diameter as a test joint, and enlarging the test joint diameter via one or more additional clamps. By way of example, a BOP may include three rams: a larger diameter top ram, a smaller diameter middle ram, and a larger diameter bottom ram. Clamps are installed on the test joint that match the larger diameter of the top and bottom rams, enlarging the effective outer pipe diameter of the test joint. In order to prevent the upward movement of the clamps away from the rams, one or more stop collars are fixed to the test joint above each clamp. Once the stop collars are installed, the BOP is tested to ensure proper sealing between the BOP, the clamps, and the test joint.
Current BOP test practices involve running at least two separate test joint sizes to pressure test each blowout preventer ram separately. Each test joint size is pressure tested by closing rams of the BOP around the test joint, confirming a requisite pressure has been reached, and replacing the test joint with a test joint of a separate size, which is then tested as well.
However, BOP multi-test joint devices according to one or more embodiments can seal around multiple test joint sizes in order to withstand the compression pressure developed during drilling and seal off the well from the surface in case of a blowout. Consequently, the increased efficiency of the BOP aids drilling operations by saving time and money during BOP testing procedures involving multiple test joint sizes. Moreover, some embodiments may eliminate the need to run multiple test joints to perform blowout preventer rams pressure testing by containing all necessary test joint diameters to be tested, which reduces the time needed to swap the tested test joint thereof.
A drilling operation at the well site 11 may include drilling a borehole into a subterranean formation 21 of the Earth. During the drilling and completion stages of a drilling operation a blowout preventer (BOP) 17 is lowered via a drill string 15 to a well 23, where the BOP 17 is installed on a wellhead 19 of the well 23. The BOP 17 is configured to seal and isolate fluid inside of the well 23 from the surface and surrounding environment by actuating a series of ram blocks (e.g., shown in
The drill string 15 includes a columnar series of connected drill pipes configured to transmit drilling mud from mud pumps disposed on the marine riser 13 to the well 23. The drilling mud is continuously circulated through the drill string 15 into the well 23 to aid in drilling operations and lubricate downhole tools (not shown). In addition, the wellhead 19 provides a structural and pressure containing interface for the drilling and production equipment. Specifically, the wellhead 19 provides a suspension point and pressure seals for a drill string 15 disposed within the well 23. As such, during the formation of the well 23 a wellhead 19 is typically welded onto the first or second string of the casing 25, which is cemented in place subsequent to drilling a section to form an integral structure of the well 23.
After the wellhead 19 is welded to the casing 25, the BOP 17 is attached to the wellhead 19 and is pressure tested to confirm functionality. To pressure test the BOP 17, drilling rams (e.g., shown in
At a lower axial end, the test joint 16 also includes a test plug 22. As seen in
By way of example, the test fluid may be water used to pressure test the BOP 17 throughout the pressurized testing procedure. As seen in
In order to achieve the purpose of sealing said annular space, the BOP multi-test joint device 27 includes a central housing 35, formed as a tubular body, that houses a plurality of piping arms 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47 configured to actuate in and out of a vertical cavity 33 of the central housing 35 to surround the test joint 16. The piping arms 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47 are rigidly fixed to the central housing 35 and extend radially outwards such that the piping arms 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47 extend orthogonal to a vertical axis 29 of the central housing 35. As shown in
The piping arms 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47 are hydraulic actuators configured to extend and withdraw from the central housing 35. To achieve this purpose, the piping arms 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47 are actuated by a remote accumulator (not shown) such as a hydro-pneumatic or spring accumulator that pressurizes and extends the piping arms 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47. The piping arms 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47 may alternatively be extended by electromagnetic means or pneumatically actuated. The piping arms 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47 are formed of one or more of the following: steel, stainless steel, manganese bronze, aluminum, iron, alloys, or equivalents known to one of ordinary skill in the art.
At the inner radial end of the piping arms 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47 a ram block 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 is fixed to the piping arms 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47 such that the ram block 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 extends into the central housing 35, while the piping arms 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47 are rigidly fixed to the exterior of the central housing 35. As depicted in
To form a complete seal around the test joint 16, the piping arms 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47 and ram blocks 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 are disposed radially opposite to each other, such that each ram block 49, 53, 57 cooperates with another ram block 51, 55, 59 to form a pipe ram. To this end, the uppermost ram blocks are referenced herein as the upper ram blocks 49, 51, while the central pair of ram blocks are referenced as the middle ram blocks 53, 55 and the lowermost pair of ram blocks are referenced as the lower ram blocks 57, 59.
During a testing operation, the test joint 16 may be interchanged with a second test joint (not shown). This second test joint (not shown) may be formed of piping with an outer pipe diameter that is larger or smaller than the outer pipe diameter 31 of the test joint 16. In order to accommodate the second test joint (not shown), the opening created by the upper ram blocks 49, 51 and the opening created by the lower ram blocks 57, 59 each correspond to the size of the second test joint (not shown). Conversely, the opening created by the middle ram blocks 53, 55, matches the outer pipe diameter 31 of the test joint 16.
Due to this orientation, the second test joint (not shown) is supported within the BOP multi-test joint device 27 at corresponding upper and lower axial ends. However, depending on the outer pipe diameter 31 of the test joint 16, the ram blocks 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 may not seal properly around the test joint 16 during pressurized testing of the BOP 17. To this end, if the ram blocks 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 form an opening that is larger than the outer pipe diameter 31 the pressurized fluid used during testing will bypass the upper ram blocks 49, 51 and the lower ram blocks 57, 59.
To remedy the above situation, a first clamp 61 and a second clamp 63 are fixed to the test joint 16. The first clamp 61 and second clamp 63 are formed as two half-annulus shaped pieces that are attached with a screw or bolt to form a piping clamp. The clamps 61, 63, and may be formed of steel, aluminum, iron, an alloy, or equivalent material, and are lined with rubber on the interior faces to facilitate sealing inside of the BOP multi-test joint device 27. Finally, the clamps 61, 63 extend in a vertical direction above and below the ram blocks 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 to ease sealing the BOP multi-test joint device 27 around the test joint 16.
The first clamp 61 and second clamp 63 are configured to enlarge the outer pipe diameter 31 to the dimensions of the opening created between the upper ram blocks 49, 51 and the opening created by the lower ram blocks 57, 59 when the ram blocks 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 are in an extended position. Therefore, the BOP multi-test joint device 27 is sealed when the upper ram blocks 49, 51 and the lower ram blocks 57, 59 are extended such that fluid cannot pass through the vertical cavity 33 of the central housing 35.
In order to ensure that the upper ram blocks 49, 51 and lower ram blocks 57, 59 contact the clamps 61, 63, the first clamp 61 and the second clamp 63 are separated by a fixed axial distance that corresponds to the axial distance between the upper ram blocks 49, 51 and the lower ram blocks 57, 59. Specifically, the first clamp 61 is fixed to the test joint 16 at first location that is higher than a second location at which the second clamp 63 is installed, the first location and second location being spaced apart the same distance that the upper ram blocks 49, 51 are spaced apart from the lower ram blocks 57, 59.
In addition, this fixed distance is also maintained via stop collars 65, 67 that are attached to the test joint 16 at the upper axial end of the clamps 61, 63 to prevent upward movement of the clamps 61, 63. The stop collars 65, 67 are attached to the test joint 16 prior to inserting the test joint 16 into the central housing 35 such that the stop collars 65, 67 abut against the uppermost axial surface of the clamps 61, 63 when in the BOP multi-test joint device 27. The stop collars 65, 67 may be embodied as hinged spiral nail collars, slip on set screw collars, hinged bolted collars, or equivalents, and may be formed of steel, aluminum, or equivalent.
Table 1, below, summarizes one example of potential sizes of the test joint 16, the ram blocks 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59, the clamps 61, 63, and the stop collars 65, 67. The values depicted in Table 1 are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any regard. Rather, these values are provided in order to further enhance the description of one embodiment of the claimed invention.
As shown in Table 1, for a test joint 16 with an outer pipe diameter 31 of four inches and a BOP multi-test joint device 27 with five and a half inch openings created by the upper ram blocks 49, 51 and the lower ram blocks 57, 59, the clamps 61, 63 will each have a four inch inner diameter and a five and a half inch outer diameter, while the stop collars 65, 67 each have a four inch inner diameter as well. Accordingly, the clamps 61, 63 are sized according to the respective sizes of the upper ram blocks 49, 51 and the lower ram blocks 57, 59. To this end, the first clamp 61 may have a larger, smaller, or equivalent diameter to the second clamp 63 depending on the opening created by the upper ram blocks 49, 51 and the lower ram blocks 57, 59.
During situations where the second test joint (not shown) is lowered through the BOP multi-test joint device 27 and has an outer diameter larger than the diameter of the opening created by the middle ram blocks 53, 55, the middle ram blocks 53, 55 remain fully retracted within the central housing 35. The second test joint (not shown) is then sealed using the upper ram blocks 49, 51 and the lower ram blocks 57, 59. In such instances, the upper ram blocks 49, 51 and the lower ram blocks 57, 59 are sized according to the size of the second test joint (not shown) such that the second test joint (not shown) is sealed without the use of clamps 61, 63 and the stop collars 65, 67.
Once the test joint 16, test plug 22, and the clamps 61, 63 are installed, the BOP multi-test joint device 27 is pressure tested. To pressure test the BOP multi-test joint device 27, pressurized fluid, such as drilling mud or water, is circulated through the BOP multi-test joint device 27 until the vertical cavity 33, and, thus, the central housing 35, are filled with the pressurized fluid. The hydrostatic pressure from the pressurized fluid is exerted on the ram blocks 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59, test joint 16, and test plug 18, and continues to build until a requisite pressure is reached. Because the central housing 35 is configured to handle a plurality of test pressures, once the requisite pressure is reached the BOP multi-test joint device 27 and BOP 17 are considered successfully tested and drilling operations may resume. By way of example, the requisite pressure reached may be the lesser of the rated test pressure of the wellhead 19 or the rated test pressure of the BOP 17.
Advantageously, this arrangement allows different sizes of drill pipe and casing to be used with the BOP multi-test joint device 27 during BOP 17 testing procedures. In order to accommodate the multiple sizes of pipes, the middle ram blocks 53, 55 are sized according to the size of the test joint 16, the upper ram blocks 49, 51 are sized according to the outer diameter of a casing 25, and the lower ram blocks 57, 59 are sized according to the outer diameter of a second test joint (not shown).
As seen in
In block 510, a BOP multi-test joint device 27 is installed at the well site 11. The BOP multi-test joint device 27 includes, but is not limited to, the central housing 35, clamps 61, 63, stop collars 65, 67, a piping arm 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47, and a ram block 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 attached at the end of a piping arm 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47. The central housing 35 extends along a vertical axis 29 with a vertical cavity 33 running axially therethrough. The piping arms 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47 extends from the central housing 35 in a radial direction, orthogonal to the vertical axis 29.
In block 520, the clamps 61, 63 are fixed to the test joint 16 by installing the clamps 61, 63 to the test joint 16. The clamps 61, 63 each enlarge the size of the test joint 16 to the size of the ram block 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 corresponding thereto. Therefore, each clamp 61, 63 has a respective outer diameter that matches the respective diameter of the opening created by the ram blocks 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59.
Stop collars 65, 67 are also attached to the test joint 16, and the stop collars 65, 67 may be attached by clamping, with or without a set screw, the stop collars 65, 67 to the test joint 16. The stop collars 65, 67 serve to retain the clamps 61, 63 in a vertical direction when pressure is applied to the clamps 61, 63. As such, the stop collars 65, 67 are disposed above the clamps 61, 63 such that the stop collars 65, 67 abut against the upper axial end of the clamps 61, 63.
In block 530, the test joint 16 is inserted into the vertical cavity 33 of the central housing 35. Specifically, the test joint 16 is run through the entirety of the BOP multi-test joint device 27 such that the test joint 16 extends above the BOP multi-test joint device 27 while the test plug 22 is landed in the wellhead 19. Concurrently, the first clamp 61 and the second clamp 63, which are attached to the test joint 16, are axially aligned with the ram blocks 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59.
In block 540, the BOP multi-test joint device 27 is used to test a pressure on the test joint 16 and test plug 22. Testing the pressure includes actuating the piping arms 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47 and ram blocks 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 in a radial direction such that the ram blocks 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 securely abut against the first clamp 61, the second clamp 63, and the test joint 16. Subsequently, pressurized fluid is pumped through the test joint 16 into the vertical cavity 33. The hydrostatic pressure from the pressurized fluid exerts a resultant pressure on the ram blocks 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59. Once a predetermined test pressure has been reached without failure, the testing is complete and a drilling operation may resume.
While
As discussed above, current blowout preventer (BOP) test practices involve running two separate test joint sizes to pressure test each blowout preventer ram separately. Accordingly, BOPs equipped with a BOP multi-test joint device may eliminate the need to run multiple test joints to perform blowout preventer ram blocks pressure testing by containing all necessary test joint diameters to be tested, which reduces the time needed to swap the test joints. In turn, the increased safety of the BOP aids drilling operations by saving time and money during BOP pressure testing procedures involving multiple test joint sizes.
While the disclosure has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised which do not depart from the scope of the disclosure as disclosed herein. Accordingly, the scope of the disclosure should be limited only by the attached claims.
