This invention relates generally to downhole equipment for production wells and, in particular, to a resettable clutch swivel.
Tubing swivels are used in production wells to reduce the effects of erosion at a point of contact between a sucker rod string and an inside surface of a production tubing string. A tubing rotator that is installed at the surface, as part of a wellhead, slowly turns the tubing string from the surface all the way to the tubing swivel installed above the downhole pump. Tubing rotators typically turn the tubing string to the right (right hand rotation).
Depending on the pump being used, the anchoring system that is required, and the specific completion requirements of a particular well, there are three kinds of swivels that can be used: a two way swivel, a one way swivel, and a clutch swivel. The two way swivel is used in applications where Progressive Cavity (PC) pumps are anchored with torque anchors that do not require left hand rotation to be released. The one way swivel is used in applications where PC pumps or piston pumps are used, and they are anchored with torque anchors or right hand set tension and require left hand rotation to be released. The clutch swivel is used in applications where piston pumps are used, and they are anchored with left hand set tension anchors that require right hand rotation to be released.
One common type of clutch swivel is the shear type clutch swivel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,782 describes a shear type clutch swivel and U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,396 describes a method of operating a downhole shear type swivel. A disadvantage of shear type clutch swivels is that if the anchor is set in the wrong place or not enough tension can be pulled in the tubing string and the anchor has to be moved, the whole downhole assembly has to be pulled back to surface. The shear clutch swivel has to be re-dressed (the shear pins have to be replaced with new ones), and then the whole assembly is run back into position.
Another disadvantage of existing tubing swivels relates to sealing of swivel components from the production well. In some tubing swivels, components of the swivel are not sealed from the production well, allowing well fluids, sand, etc., to contact the swivel components. Movement of swivel components relative to each other in a sealed swivel tends to create suction, which can similarly pull well fluids and other contaminants into a sealed area of the swivel. Such contaminants can affect operation of tubing swivels.
Embodiments of the present invention address one or more of the disadvantages noted above. Some embodiments allow a clutch swivel to be reset and an anchor to be moved to a different position without having to pull the swivel to the surface. An improved sealing arrangement is also provided.
According to one aspect of the invention, a downhole resettable clutch swivel includes a top sub for connection to a tubing string of a production well, the top sub comprising a clutch mechanism; a mandrel; and a retaining arrangement that: releasably retains the top sub in an engaged position in which the clutch mechanism engages the mandrel to rotate the mandrel with the tubing string for setting or releasing a downhole anchor, and allows the top sub to be moved between the engaged position and a disengaged position in which the clutch mechanism disengages the mandrel to enable the tubing string to be rotated relative to the mandrel.
The clutch mechanism may include a lug for engaging a complementary lug of the mandrel.
In some embodiments, the retaining arrangement includes a collet, which includes fingers for releasably engaging a shoulder on the mandrel to retain the top sub in the engaged position.
The retaining arrangement may include a housing for sealing an internal space of the clutch swivel from the production well between the housing, the top sub, and the mandrel. A volume of the sealed internal space remains constant in the engaged position, the disengaged position, and during movement of the top sub therebetween in some embodiments.
Such a housing may include a protrusion for releasably holding the fingers in a groove defined by the shoulder.
In some embodiments, the housing includes a bottom cap, which includes the protrusion.
The clutch swivel may also include a first spring that moves the retaining arrangement from a first position in which the top sub is retained in the engaged position to a second position in which the top sub is in the disengaged position.
The first spring may be disposed between a first shoulder of the housing and a first shoulder of the collet, and move the collet from the first position in which the top sub is retained in the engaged position to the second position in which the top sub is in the disengaged position. The first shoulder may be provided on a bottom cap of the housing, for example.
A second spring may be used to move the retaining arrangement from the second position to the first position. In one embodiment, the second spring is disposed between a second shoulder of the housing and a second shoulder of the collet, and moves the collet from the second position to the first position.
The clutch swivel may be implemented, for example, in a production well completion system that also includes the tubing string connected to the top sub; and downhole equipment comprising the anchor connected to the mandrel.
A method is also provided, and involves connecting a clutch swivel assembly to a tubing string of a production well, the clutch swivel assembly comprising a top sub for connection to the tubing string of a production well, a mandrel, and a retaining arrangement that releasably retains the top sub on the mandrel in an engaged position in which a clutch mechanism of the top sub engages the mandrel and allows the top sub to be moved between the engaged position and a disengaged position in which the clutch mechanism disengages the mandrel; connecting an anchor to the mandrel; rotating the tubing string in a first direction with the top sub in the engaged position to set the anchor at a first downhole position in a production well; applying tension to the tubing string to move the top sub from the engaged position to the disengaged position; removing tension from the tubing string to move the top sub from the disengaged position to the engaged position; rotating the tubing string in a second direction opposite to the first direction with the top sub in the engaged position to release the anchor; moving the anchor from the first downhole position to a second downhole position, with the clutch assembly and the anchor remaining downhole during the moving; and rotating the tubing string in the first direction with the top sub in the engaged position to reset the anchor at the second downhole position.
The method may also include rotating the tubing string with the top sub in the disengaged position.
Another aspect of the invention provides a downhole clutch swivel that includes: a mandrel; a top sub for connection to a tubing string of a production well, the top sub comprising a clutch mechanism that engages the mandrel to rotate the mandrel with the tubing string, and disengages the mandrel to enable the tubing string to be rotated relative to the mandrel; and a housing for sealing an internal volume from the production well between the housing, the top sub, and the mandrel, the internal volume remaining constant when the top sub engages the mandrel, disengages the mandrel, and is moved between engaging and disengaging the mandrel.
The housing may include respective seals for sealing the housing against the top sub and against the mandrel.
In some embodiments, the housing includes a main body comprising a seal for sealing the housing against the top sub; and a bottom cap comprising a first seal for sealing the bottom cap against the mandrel and a second seal for sealing the main body against the bottom cap, and the top sub includes a seal for sealing the top sub against the mandrel.
The clutch swivel may also include first set screws for securing a first threaded connection between the main body and the top sub; and second set screws for securing a second threaded connection between the main body and the bottom cap. The first seal of the bottom cap for sealing the bottom cap against the mandrel and the seal of the top sub for sealing the top sub against the mandrel have a common inside diameter in some embodiments.
Other aspects and features of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description.
Examples of embodiments of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
It will be apparent that the Figures and the description below concentrate primarily on components of a clutch swivel. Those skilled in the art will be familiar with production wells, tubing strings, and anchors, as well as surface and downhole equipment in conjunction with which a clutch swivel may be used.
As shown in
A housing having a main body 24 and a bottom cap 36 seals an internal space of the clutch swivel against the top sub 12 and the mandrel 40 and protects components of the swivel 10 from contaminants in the production well. The housing also has an inside shoulder 49 that supports the weight of a production pump and/or other equipment that hangs underneath, and is involved in moving components of the clutch swivel 10 between different positions as described below.
The mandrel 40 might be connected to a production pump and a left hand set tension anchor, for example. A bearing or bushing 22 that in a working position sits between an inside shoulder 41 of the housing main body 24 and the outside shoulder 21 of the mandrel 40 allows easy rotation of the mandrel inside the housing.
Upper disc springs 26 have a function of resetting the collet 30 into its working position, as described below. The collet 30 has fingers 31 for engaging shoulders that define the grooves 42, 44, to thereby releasably hold the collet in either of two positions. The weight of the pump and/or other equipment hanging underneath the swivel 10 is supported in part by the collet 30. To allow movement of the top sub 12 so that its lugs 46 disengage the lugs 48 on the mandrel 40, the collet 30 releases the mandrel when a certain tension is applied to the tubing string connected to the top sub.
The lower disc springs 28 are also involved in supporting the weight of equipment hanging underneath the swivel 10, but compress enough under a certain load to allow the collet 30 to release the mandrel 40. The bottom cap 36 supports and compresses the lower spring 28 under load and also supports the weight hanging underneath the swivel 10.
Various other components are also provided in the example swivel 10 shown in
Set screws 14, 34 are provided in the example shown to respectively secure the connection between the top sub 12 and the main body 24 of the housing, and the connection between the main body of the housing and the bottom cap 36 against accidental disconnection. In one embodiment, the connections between the top sub 12, main body 24 and the bottom cap 36 are threaded connections, designated generally at 15, 35 in
The shoulder 43 of the housing main body 24, the shoulders 45, 47 of the collet 30, and the shoulder 49 of the bottom cap 36 are involved in both supporting the weight of downhole equipment and moving components of the swivel 10 between different positions. Movement of the top sub 12, and thus the housing main body 24 and the bottom cap 36, is limited by the shoulders 19, 21 of the mandrel 40 and the shoulder 17 of the top sub. These features are described in further detail below with reference to
The clutch swivel 10 would be run into a well attached to a tubing string, with pumps and/or other equipment hanging underneath. The fingers 31 of the collet 30 sit in a groove 44 in the mandrel 40 and are locked in place by the inside shoulder or protrusion 51 of the bottom cap 36, as shown in
At this point, the lugs 46 milled in the top sub 12 are engaging the lugs 48 milled in the outside shoulder 21 of the mandrel 40, such that rotation of the tubing string will rotate the top sub and the mandrel. This position of the clutch swivel, which in some embodiments is its locked position for running in or pulling out, is also shown in the cut-away view of
After the anchor is set by rotation and thus locked in place, tension can be pulled into the tubing string. When tension is pulled in the tubing string, the collet 30 is held in place by the mandrel 40 while the tubing is pulled upwards, and the lower spring 28 is compressed between the shoulders 47, 49 of the collet and the bottom cap 36. The bottom cap 36 and thus its shoulder 51 move upward (to the left in
The fingers 31 of the collet 30 have completely released the shoulder of the groove 44 on the mandrel 40 in
In
If the anchor is to be released, the tubing string is moved downward (to the right in
In
The fingers 31 of the collet 30 close into the locking groove 44, and by pulling upward with the tubing string, the top sub 12, the housing main body 24, and the bottom cap 36 are moved upward to the position in
If the anchor is to be set again in a different location, the tubing string does not have to be pulled all the way to surface to reset the clutch swivel, as would be the case with currently known swivels. The process outlined above can be followed as many times as needed to set, release, and reset an anchor.
It should be appreciated that
More generally, an embodiment of the invention may provide a downhole resettable clutch swivel that includes a top sub for connection to a tubing string of a production well. The top sub includes a clutch mechanism, which is in the form of the lugs 46 in the example shown in
The foregoing description relates primarily to the structure of the swivel 10 and its operation for the purposes of setting, releasing, and resetting an anchor without pulling the swivel out to the surface, and allowing a tubing string to be rotated so as to reduce wear. Another aspect of the invention relates to an internal space of the clutch swivel 10 that is sealed from the production well between the housing, the top sub 12, and the mandrel 40.
As shown most clearly in
When the anchor is to be moved to a second downhole position, tension is removed from the tubing string at 60 to move the top sub from the disengaged position to the engaged position. The tubing string is rotated in a second direction opposite to the first direction with the top sub in the engaged position, to release the anchor as shown at 62. With the anchor released, the swivel and anchor, as well as any equipment connected to the anchor, is moved from the first downhole position to the second downhole position at 64. The clutch swivel, the mandrel, and the anchor remain downhole during this moving operation. The anchor is reset at the second downhole position at 66 by rotating the tubing string in the first direction with the top sub in the engaged position.
As indicated by the arrow from 66 to 56 in
Variations of the example method 50 may be or become apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the clutch swivel might be first connected to the mandrel and then to the tubing string, with the mandrel then being connected to an anchor and other components. In some embodiments, a clutch assembly including the mandrel is connected to a tubing string and to an anchor, in this order or in a different order.
What has been described is merely illustrative of the application of principles of embodiments of the invention. Other arrangements and methods can be implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.