DOWNHOLE TOOL WITH SELF- ORIENTING SWIVEL AND METHOD OF USING SAME

Abstract

A self-orienting swivel of a downhole tool and method. The swivel includes a top sub, a bottom sub, and a bearing assembly. The bearing assembly includes a bearing housing, bearings, and a lock member. The bearing housing has an uphole end operatively connectable to a second end of the top sub and a passage therethrough shaped to receive a bearing end of the bottom sub. The bearings are rotatably positioned in the passage of the bearing housing between the bottom sub and an inner surface of the bearing housing. The lock member is positioned in the passage of the bearing housing, and is fixedly connectable about the bottom sub. The lock member is receivably positionable in a receptacle of the top sub and rotatably movable therein whereby the bottom sub is rotatably positioned about the top sub.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to oilfield technology. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to techniques for manipulating (e.g., orienting) downhole tools.

Wellsite operations are performed to locate and access subsurface targets, such as valuable hydrocarbons. Drilling equipment is positioned at the surface and downhole drilling tools are advanced into the subsurface formation to form wellbores. Once drilled, casing may be inserted into the wellbore and cemented into place to complete the well. Once the well is completed, production tubing may be deployed through the casing and into the wellbore to produce fluid to the surface for capture.

During the wellsite operations, various downhole tools, may be deployed into the earth to perform various procedures, such as measurement, perforation, injection, plugging, etc. Examples of downhole tools are provided in U.S. Patent/application Ser. Nos. 10200024935; U.S. Pat. No. 10,507,433; 20050067169; 20200277837; 20170576775; 20170530947; 20190242222; 20190234189; U.S. Pat. No. 10,309,199; 20190127290; 20190086189; 20190242209; 180299239; 20180224260; U.S. Pat. No. 9,915,513; 20180038208; U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,822,618; 9,605,937; 20170074078; U.S. Pat. No. 9,581,422; 20170030693; 20160556132; 20160061572; U.S. Pat. No. 8,960,093; 20140033939; U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,267,012; 6,520,089; 20160115753; 20190178045; U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,365,079; 10,844,678; 10,365,079; 10,036,236; 10,365,079; 3,713,393; 3,024,843; 20200072029; 20200048996; 20150345922; 20160115753; WO/2022/256454; and PCT/US22/26055 (WO/2022/226379), the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

Despite advancements in downhole technology, there remains a need for manipulating (e.g., orienting) downhole tools positioned in downhole environments, and to facilitate movement of the downhole tools through the wellbore. The present disclosure is directed at providing such needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In at least one aspect, the disclosure relates to a self-orienting swivel of a downhole tool including a top sub, a bottom sub, and a bearing assembly. The top sub has a first end and a second end with a sub ring therebetween, the second end having a receptacle extending therein. The bearing assembly includes a bearing housing, bearings, and a lock member. The bearing housing has an uphole end operatively connectable to the second end of the top sub and a passage therethrough shaped to receive a bearing end of the bottom sub. The bearings are rotatably positioned in the passage of the bearing housing between the bottom sub and an inner surface of the bearing housing. The lock member is positioned in the passage of the bearing housing. The lock member is fixedly connectable about a bearing end of the bottom sub. The lock member is receivably positionable in the receptacle and rotatably movable therein whereby the bottom sub is rotatably positioned about the top sub.

In another aspect, the disclosure relates to a downhole tool, comprising: a fixed portion; a rotating portion; and a self-orienting swivel. The self-orienting swivel includes a top sub, a bottom sub, and a bearing assembly. The top sub has a first end and a second end with a sub ring therebetween, the second end having a receptacle extending therein. The bearing assembly includes a bearing housing, bearings, and a lock member. The bearing housing has an uphole end operatively connectable to the second end of the top sub and a passage therethrough shaped to receive a bearing end of the bottom sub. The bearings are rotatably positioned in the passage of the bearing housing between the bearing end of the bottom sub and an inner surface of the bearing housing. The lock member is positioned in the passage of the bearing housing. The lock member is fixedly connectable about the bearing end of the bottom sub. The lock member is receivably positionable in the receptacle and rotatably movable therein whereby the bottom sub is rotatably positioned about the top sub. The first end of the top sub is connected to the fixed portion and the bottom sub connected to the rotating portion.

In yet another aspect, the disclosure relates to a method of self-orienting a downhole tool. The method comprises providing a self-orienting swivel; connecting the top sub of the self-orienting swivel to a fixed portion of the downhole tool; connecting the bottom sub of the self-orienting swivel to a rotating portion of the downhole tool; positioning the downhole tool in a wellbore; and allowing the downhole portion of the downhole tool to rotate about the uphole portion with the self-orienting swivel.

In at least one aspect, the disclosure relates to a self-orienting swivel for a downhole tool, comprising: a top sub; a bearing assembly; and a bottom sub.

In another aspect, the disclosure relates to a downhole tool, comprising: at least one downhole component; and the self-orienting swivel.

In yet another aspect, the disclosure relates to a method of a downhole tool, comprising: connecting a self-orienting swivel to an uphole portion of a downhole tool; connecting the self-orienting swivel to a downhole portion of a downhole tool; positioning the downhole tool in a wellbore; and allowing the downhole portion of the downhole tool to rotate about the uphole portion with the self-orienting swivel.

Finally, in another aspect, the disclosure also relates to the self-orienting swivel, downhole tool, and methods as described herein.

This Summary is not intended to be limiting and should be read in light of the entire disclosure including text, claims and figures herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

So that the above recited features and advantages of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the embodiments thereof that are illustrated in the appended drawings. The appended drawings illustrate example embodiments and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope. The figures are not necessarily to scale and certain features, and certain views of the figures may be shown exaggerated in scale or in schematic in the interest of clarity and conciseness.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a wellsite with surface and downhole equipment, the downhole equipment comprising a downhole tool including a self-orienting swivel.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show side and exploded views, respectively, of the self-orienting swivel.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show longitudinal, cross-sectional and exploded, cross-sectional views, respectively, of the self-orienting swivel.

FIGS. 4 is a flow chart depicting a method of orienting a downhole tool.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The description that follows includes exemplary apparatus, methods, techniques, and/or instruction sequences that embody techniques of the present subject matter. However, it is understood that the described embodiments may be practiced without these specific details.

This disclosure relates to a self-orienting swivel for a downhole tool. The self-orienting swivel may be connected between portions of the downhole tool to provide rotation between such portions. The self-orienting swivel may include a top sub, a bearing assembly, and a bottom sub. The top sub may be secured to an uphole portion of the downhole tool and the bottom sub may be secured to a downhole portion of the downhole tool with the bearing assembly allowing rotation therebetween. The bearing assembly includes a bearing housing, lock member and bearings rotatably secured to the bottom sub to facilitation the rotation.

The self-orienting swivel may be used to facilitate manipulation of weight and/or orientation of the downhole tool during operation. The self-orienting swivel may also provide a mechanism for releasing the downhole portion of the downhole tool into the wellbore. The weights and/or the self-orienting swivel may facilitate the orientation and/or release of portions of the downhole tool, thereby manipulating operation of the downhole components and/or the downhole tool. This manipulation may be referred to as ‘self-orienting’ of the downhole tool.

The present disclosure seeks to provide useful features of the self-orienting swivel and/or the downhole tool capable of providing one or more of the following, among others: reliability, operability in harsh downhole conditions, case of manufacture and assembly, compact size, positioning in various locations, ability to couple to or integrate with existing components, operability with components of other tools for use therewith, reduction in cost, increased efficiency, elimination of redundant components, timed operation, ability to facilitate orientation of downhole components, selective release of portions of the downhole tool into the wellbore, selective rotation of portions of the downhole tool, adjustable configurations, flexibility of use, ability to change configurations to match operational needs, ability to provide one or more configurations, ability to maintain position for increased accuracy, time savings, efficient operation, low maintenance costs, compact design, replaceable and/or disposable components, etc.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the wellsite 100 with surface equipment 102a and downhole equipment 102b, the downhole equipment 102b comprising a downhole tool 101 including a self-orienting swivel 105. The surface equipment 102a and the downhole equipment 102b are positioned about a wellbore 104 at the wellsite 100. The wellsite 100 may be any wellsite positioned about a subterranean formation, such as an unconventional formation (e.g., shale) with a reservoir (e.g., oil, gas, water, etc.) therein.

The surface equipment 102a includes a conveyance reel 106, and a surface unit 108. The surface equipment 102a may include a wellhead 107 (and other surface components) positioned about the top of the wellbore 104. The conveyance reel 106 may be a spool rotationally mounted at the surface. The wireline reel 106 supports a conveyance 110 as it is deployed into the wellbore 104. A pulley 112 may optionally be provided to support the conveyance 110 about the wellbore 104 as schematically shown. In the example of FIG. 1, the conveyance 110 is a wireline cable electrically and communicatively coupled between the surface unit 108 and the downhole tool 101 for passing signals therebetween.

The downhole equipment 102b comprises the downhole tool 101 positioned in the wellbore 104 and supported therein by the conveyance 110. In this example, the downhole tool 101 includes several downhole components 116 connected together to form the downhole tool 101. The downhole components 116 in this example include an over the line weight bar 116a, a collar locator 116b, the self-orienting swivel 105, perforating tools 116c, a setting tool 116d, the plugging tool 116e, and orientable weight bars 103. A communication link 118 may extend through one or more of the downhole components for communication between the surface unit 108 and portions of the downhole tool 101. Various arrangements of one or more of the downhole components 116a-e (and/or other downhole components 116, such as a release tool, electronics sub, etc. (not shown)) may be provided. Examples of release tools and/or techniques are provided in PCT patent application no. WO/2022/256454, previously incorporated by reference herein.

The downhole components 116 as shown are used to perform various downhole operations, such as perforating. The over the line weight bar 116a may operatively connect the downhole tool 101 to the conveyance 110. The over the line weight bar 116a may be weighted cylinders shaped to support the downhole tool 101. In this example, the over the line weight bar 116a is provided without electronics. Other weight bars may also be provided, such as the orientable weight bars 103. Examples of weight bars that may be used are provided in PCT Patent/Application No. PCT/US22/026055 (WO/2022/226379), previously incorporated by reference herein.

The collar locator 116b may be used to locate portions of a casing 114, or other items along the wellbore 104. The casing 114 may be a metal tubing lining at least a portion of the wellbore 104. As schematically shown, the perforating tools (guns) 116c may be used to launch shaped charges to form perforations 109 along the wall of the wellbore 104. Examples of perforating tools are provided in U.S. Patent/Application Nos. U.S. Pat. No. 10,036,236; 20200072029; and 20200048996, previously incorporated by reference herein.

The setting tool 116d may be used to activate downhole components 116 in the downhole tool 101. In the example shown, the setting tool 116d is coupled to the plugging tool 116e. The setting tool 116d may be activated from the surface to deploy the plugging tool 116e (as indicated by the double arrow) to anchor the downhole tool 101 along the wellbore 104. Examples of techniques for setting and plugging are described in U.S. Patent/application Ser. Nos. 20/190,242209; U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,365,079; 10,844,678; and 3,024,843, previously incorporated by reference herein.

The self-orienting swivel 105 is positioned between the over the line weight bar 116a and the collar locator 116b to allow rotation therebetween. This may be used to allow rotation between an uphole portion 101a and a downhole portion 101b of the downhole tool 101 as is described further herein.

While FIG. 1 shows a certain configuration of the wellsite 100, the surface equipment 102a, and the downhole equipment 102b with the self-orienting swivel 105. In this version, one of the self-orienting swivels 105 is shown in a specific position along the downhole tool 101. Various configurations of one or more of the self-orienting swivels 105 and/or other downhole components 116 may be used. For example, one or more self-orienting swivels 105 may be located between various portions of the downhole tool 101 to provide rotation therebetween.

FIGS. 2A-2B and 3A-4B show example configurations of the self-orienting swivel 105. FIGS. 2A and 3B show side and exploded views, respectively, of the self-orienting swivel 105. FIGS. 3A and 3B show longitudinal, cross-sectional and exploded, cross-sectional views, respectively, of the self-orienting swivel 105. As shown in these views, the self-orienting swivel 105 may be a cylindrical member including a fixed portion 105a and a rotatable portion 105b. A passage 239 extends through the self-orienting swivel 105. This passage 239 may be used, for example, for the passage of electrical cables that form part of the communication link 118 extending through the downhole tool 101 (FIG. 1).

The self-orienting swivel 105 includes a top (over the line (OTL) tandem) sub 240, a bearing assembly 242, and a bottom sub 244. In the example shown, the top sub 240 is at an uphole end of the self-orienting swivel 105 for connection to the uphole portion 101a of the downhole tool 101 (e.g., the over the line weight bar 116a of FIG. 1). The bottom sub 244 is at a downhole end of the self-orienting swivel 105 for connection to the downhole portion 101b of the downhole tool 101 (e.g., the collar locator 116b of FIG. 1).

The top sub 240 may be a tubular member with first and second ends 240a,b separated by a sub ring 240c. The first end 240a may have external threads threadedly engageable with the over the line weight bar 116a (FIG. 1). The second end 240b may have external threads threadedly engageable with the bearing assembly 242. The second end 240b may be shaped to receive a portion of the bearing assembly 242 for connection thereto. The sub ring 240c may have a larger outer diameter than the first and second ends 240a,b for terminating threaded advancement of the over the line weight bar 116a and/or the bearing assembly 242 onto the top sub 240. The passage 239 may extend through the top sub 240 for passage of the communication link 118 therethrough.

The bearing assembly 242 may include a lock member 242b, bearings 242c, and a bearing housing 242a. The bearing housing 242a may be a tubular member with internal threads matably connectable to the second end 240b of the top sub 240. The bearing housing 242a may be threaded onto the top sub 240 with the lock member 242b and the bearings 242c therein. An uphole end of the bearing housing 242a may be advanced onto the second end 240b of the top sub 240 and positioned against the sub ring 240c. An outer diameter of the bearing housing 242a and the sub ring 240c may be similar to provide a consistent, cylindrical outer surface along the sub ring 240c and the bearing housing 242a when the bearing housing 242a is threaded onto the sub ring 240c.

The passage 239 may extend through the bearing housing 242a to receive the lock member 242b and the bearings 242c therein. The bearing housing 242a may be used, for example, to protect portions of the bearing assembly 242, the top sub 240, and the bottom sub 244. The bearing housing 242a may also be used for allowing movement between the fixed and rotatable portions 105a,b of the self-orienting swivel 105.

The lock member 242b may be, for example, a flex top lock nut engageable with the bottom sub 244. The lock member 242b may be a tubular member shaped for connection to the bottom sub 244, and an outer surface shaped for rotation about the top sub 240. The lock member 242b may be inserted into the second end 240b of the top sub 240. The lock member 242b may be rotatably positionable about the bottom end of the top sub 240 to allow the bottom sub 244 to rotate about the top sub 240 as is described further herein. The lock member 242b may also connect to a portion of the bottom sub 244 as is described further herein.

The bearings 242c are positioned in the passage 239 within the bearing housing 242a. The bearings 242c may be, for example, circular ball bearing assemblies rotatably positioned within bearing housing 242a adjacent to the lock member 242b. In this example, each of the bearings 242c are shown as ring shaped members with holes therethrough. Six of the bearings 242c are shown axially stacked together with the passage 239 extending therethrough, but any number and arrangement may be provided. The bearings 242c may be slidingly positioned along an inner surface of the bearing housing 242a between the lock member 242b and the bottom sub 244 to facilitate rotational movement therebetween.

The bottom sub 244 is rotatably positioned about the bearing assembly 242. The bottom sub 244 includes a swivel housing 244a, a swivel rod 244b, and a wiper 244c. The swivel housing 244a is a tubular member matably connectable (e.g., by threads) at one end to the bearing assembly 242 and at an opposite end to the downhole portion 101b of the downhole tool 101 (FIG. 1). The bottom sub 244 may be fixedly connected (e.g., threaded) to the downhole portion 101b of the downhole tool 101 (e.g., the collar locator 116b of FIG. 1) for movement therewith.

The swivel rod 244b may be an elongate member extending uphole from the swivel housing 244a. The swivel rod 244b may have a smaller diameter than the swivel housing 244a with a step 246 defined therebetween. The swivel rod 244b may be connected to (or formed integrally with) the swivel housing 244a. The swivel rod 244b may be shaped for insertion through the bearing housing 242a and the bearings 242c, and into the lock member 242b. Advancement of the swivel rod 244b into the bearing assembly 242 may be terminated by contact between the bearing housing 242a and the step 246. The swivel rod 244b may be advanced into and secured in the lock member 242b (e.g., by threads). The swivel rod 244b may be secured in the lock member 242b such that the swivel rod 244b is movable with the lock member 242b as it rotates about the top sub 240 and/or the bearing housing 242a.

The wiper 244c may be a ring-shaped member with a hole shaped to receive the swivel rod 244b therethrough. The wiper 244c may be positioned about the step 246 between the bottom sub 244 and the bearing housing 242a to facilitate rotation therebetween. The wiper 244c may have a smooth surface to reduce friction as the bottom sub 244 rotates about the bearing housing 242a.

As shown in greater detail in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the bearing assembly 242 is connected to the fixed portion 105a, and rotationally supports the rotatable portion 105b about the fixed portion 105a. The second end 240b of the top sub 240 may have an internal cavity that defines a receptacle 340d shaped for receiving the lock member 242b of the bearing assembly 242. The lock member 242b may have an outer surface that is rotationally movable within the receptacle 340d.

The lock member 242b may also have an inner surface shaped to receive the swivel rod 244b. The lock member 242b and the swivel rod 244b may have mated threads for threaded engagement therebetween. In this position, the lock member 242b and the bottom sub 244 are rotatably secured about the bearing housing 242a, thereby allowing the bottom sub 244 to rotate with the lock member 242b. Seals, gaskets or other devices, such as wiper 244c, may optionally be provided to prevent fluid leakage or to facilitate rotational movement between the bearing assembly 242 and the bottom sub 244.

The bearings 242c may be positioned to facilitate rotation of the bottom sub 244 about the top sub 240 and/or the bearing housing 242a. The bearings 242c may be positioned within the bearing assembly 242 adjacent to the lock member 242b. When stacked within the bearing housing 242a, the holes of the bearings 242c are aligned and shaped to receive the swivel rod 244b of the bottom sub 244 therethrough. The swivel rod 244b extends through the bearings 242c for connection to the lock member 242b. The bearing 242c encircle the swivel rod 244b to facilitate rotation of the swivel rod 244b about the top sub 240. An outer surface of the stack of bearing 242c may be shaped to engage an inner surface of the bearing housing 242a. An inner surface of the bearings 242c may be shaped to support the swivel rod 244b in the bearing housing 242a.

Once assembled as shown in FIGS. 2A and 3A, the self-orienting swivel 105 may be connected between any of the adjacent downhole components 116 of the downhole tool 101 (FIG. 1) to allow rotation therebetween. The self-orienting swivel 105 may be located along the downhole tool 101 to determine which portions of the downhole tool 101 will be fixed and which will rotate. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3A, the self-orienting swivel 105 may be positioned at various locations along the downhole tool 101 to allow rotation of portions of the downhole tool 101. Uphole portions of the downhole tool 101 (e.g., uphole portion 101a) attached to the fixed (uphole) portion 105a of the self-orienting swivel 105 may be fixed, and downhole portions of the downhole tool 101 (e.g., uphole portion 101a) attached to the rotatable (downhole) portion 105b of the self-orienting swivel 105 may be free to rotate.

The self-orienting swivel 105 may be used to allow select the downhole portion 101b to rotate about the uphole portion 101a of the downhole tool 101. For example, the fixed portion 105a of the self-orienting swivel 105 may be fixedly secured to over the line weight bar 116a and the rotatable portion 105b of the self-orienting swivel 105 may be secured to a collar locator 116b (FIG. 1), thereby allowing the downhole portion 101b and the collar locator 116b (and other parts of the rotatable portion 105b of the downhole tool 101) to rotate about the fixed portion 105a (and the uphole portion 101a).

During operation, the self-orienting swivel 105 may also be used to allow portions of the downhole tool 101 to self-orient during operation. Portions of the downhole tool 101 may be heavier than others, thereby causing eccentricity of weight radially about the downhole tool 101 (i.e., radially offset weight). As the downhole tool 101 advances downhole, the downhole portion 101b may be free to rotate. Due to this eccentricity of weight, a heavier portion of the downhole portion 101b of the downhole tool 101 may rotate and gravitationally fall to a resting position heavy side down along a bottom of the wellbore 104. This rotational and gravitational movement of the self-orienting swivel 105 as described herein may be used to manipulate movement of the downhole tool 101 during operation. For example, this movement may provide independent rotation between portions of the downhole tool 101 thereby reducing the amount of mass that must be kept in a specific orientation.

As shown in the example of FIG. 1, the self-orienting swivel 105 may be installed with one or more weighted downhole components, such as the orientable weight bars 103 and the over the line weight bar 116a. Additional orientable weight bars 103 may be positioned about the downhole tool 101 as needed for weight and/or orientation. The self-orienting swivel 105 may also be used as a part of the downhole tool 101 with the orientable weight bars 103. For example, the downhole tool 101 may include three orientable weight bars 103 along the downhole tool 101. Should additional weight be needed to overcome the well pressure, additional over the line weight bars 116a may also be installed above the self-orienting swivel 105. The self-orienting swivel 105 may also be used to reduce the total amount of weight/mass that needs to swivel freely.

The bottom sub 244 may have one or more orientable weight bars 103. These orientable weight bars 103 each have an offset mass with respect to a longitudinal axis of the downhole tool. This offset mass causes portions of the downhole tool, such as the heavy side of the offset mass of the orientable weight bar 103, to gravitationally fall to the bottom of the wellbore 104 as the bottom sub 244 rotates about the top sub 240.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart depicting a method 400 of self-orienting a downhole tool. The method 400 involves 485 providing a self-orienting swivel weight assembly comprising: a top sub; a bearing assembly; and a bottom sub. The method 400b further involves 486 connecting the self-orienting swivel between an uphole (fixed) portion and a downhole (rotating) portion of the downhole tool; 487 positioning the downhole tool in a wellbore; and 488 allowing the downhole portion of the downhole tool to rotate about the uphole portion with the self-orienting swivel. The method 400 may also involve 489 releasing the downhole portion of the downhole tool from the uphole portion of the downhole tool. The 486 connecting the orientable weight assembly may be done by connecting the top sub to the uphole portion of the downhole tool; and connecting the bottom sub to the downhole portion of the downhole tool.

Part or all of the methods may be performed separately or in combination. One or more portions of the methods may be performed in any order or repeated as desired.

While the embodiments are described with reference to various implementations and exploitations, it will be understood that these embodiments are illustrative and that the scope of the inventive subject matter is not limited to them. Many variations, modifications, additions and improvements are possible. For example, various combinations of one or more of the features and/or methods provided herein may be used.

Plural instances may be provided for components, operations or structures described herein as a single instance. In general, structures and functionality presented as separate components in the exemplary configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements may fall within the scope of the inventive subject matter. For example, while certain tools and components (e.g., switches) are provided herein, it will be appreciated that various configurations (e.g., shape, order, orientation, etc.) of tools may be used. While the figures herein depict a specific configuration or orientation, these may vary. The terms “first” and “second” are not intended to limit the number or order.

Insofar as the description above and the accompanying drawings disclose any additional subject matter that is not within the scope of the claim(s) herein, the inventions are not dedicated to the public and the right to file one or more applications to claim such additional invention is reserved. Although a very narrow claim may be presented herein, it should be recognized the scope of this invention is much broader than presented by the claim(s). Broader claims may be submitted in an application that claims the benefit of priority from this application.

Claims

1. A self-orienting swivel of a downhole tool, comprising: a top sub having a first end and a second end with a sub ring therebetween, the second end having a receptacle extending therein;a bottom sub; anda bearing assembly, comprising: a bearing housing having an uphole end operatively connectable to the second end of the top sub and a passage therethrough shaped to receive a bearing end of the bottom sub;bearings rotatably positioned in the passage of the bearing housing between the bottom sub and an inner surface of the bearing housing; anda lock member positioned in the passage of the bearing housing, the lock member fixedly connectable about a bearing end of the bottom sub, the lock member receivably positionable in the receptacle and rotatably movable therein whereby the bottom sub is rotatably positioned about the top sub.

2. The self-orienting swivel of claim 1, wherein the first end of the top sub is fixedly connectable to a fixed portion of the downhole tool and a downhole end of the bottom sub is fixedly connectable to a rotating portion of the downhole tool.

3. The self-orienting swivel of claim 1, wherein the bottom sub comprises orientable weight bars, each of the orientable weight bars having a mass that is offset with respect to a longitudinal axis of the downhole tool.

4. The self-orienting swivel of claim 1, wherein the bearing housing is threadedly connectable to the second end of the top sub and advanceable thereon until positioned against the sub ring.

5. The self-orienting swivel of claim 1, wherein the sub ring has a larger outer diameter than the first end and the second end.

6. The self-orienting swivel of claim 1, wherein the bearings comprise circular bearings with holes therethrough.

7. The self-orienting swivel of claim 1, wherein the bearings are axially stacked within the bearing housing about the bearing end of the bottom sub.

8. The self-orienting swivel of claim 1, wherein the bottom sub comprises a swivel housing, a swivel rod, and a wiper.

9. The self-orienting swivel of claim 8, wherein the swivel rod extends from the swivel housing, the swivel rod having a tip defining the bearing end of the bottom sub.

10. The self-orienting swivel of claim 9, wherein the swivel rod has a smaller diameter than the swivel housing, a step defined between the swivel rod and the swivel housing.

11. The self-orienting swivel of claim 10, wherein the wiper comprises a ring-shaped member with a hold shaped to receive the swivel rod therethrough, the wiper positioned about the step between the bottom sub and the bearing housing.

12. A downhole tool, comprising: a fixed portion;a rotating portion; andthe self-orienting swivel as in claim 1, the first end of the top sub connected to the fixed portion and the bottom sub connected to the rotating portion.

13. The downhole tool of claim 12, wherein the fixed portion and the rotating portion comprise at least one downhole component.

14. The downhole tool of claim 12, further comprising at least one orientable weight bar.

15. the downhole tool of claim 12, wherein the fixed portion comprises at least one over the line weight bar.

16. The downhole tool of claim 12, wherein the rotating portion comprises a downhole component, the downhole component comprising at least one of an orientable weight bar, a collar locator, a perforating gun, a setting tool, and a plug assembly.

17. A method of self-orienting a downhole tool, comprising: providing a self-orienting swivel as in claim 1;connecting the top sub of the self-orienting swivel to a fixed portion of the downhole tool;connecting the bottom sub of the self-orienting swivel to a rotating portion of the downhole tool;positioning the downhole tool in a wellbore; andallowing the rotating portion of the downhole tool to rotate about the fixed portion with the self-orienting swivel.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising connecting the top sub to an over the line weight bar, the over the line weight bar positioned about the fixed portion of the downhole tool.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising connecting the bottom sub to at least one downhole component, the at least one downhole component comprising at least one of an orientable weight bra, a collar locator, a perforating gun, a setting tool, and a plug assembly, the at least one downhole component positioned about the rotating portion of the downhole tool.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising self-orienting portions of the downhole tool by allowing the downhole tool to rotate such that heavier portions of the downhole tool gravitationally fall to a bottom of the wellbore.