In wellbore construction and completion operations, a wellbore is initially formed to access hydrocarbon-bearing formations (i.e., crude oil and/or natural gas) by the use of drilling. Drilling is accomplished by utilizing a drill bit that is mounted on the end of a tubular string, commonly known as a drill string. To drill within the wellbore to a predetermined depth, the drill string is often rotated by a top drive or rotary table and Kelly on a surface platform or rig, and/or by a downhole motor mounted towards the lower end of the drill string. A pumping system is used to inject drilling fluid through the top drive or Kelly, down the drill string, through the rotating drill bit, and back to the surface via an annulus formed between the borehole wall and the drill bit. As the drilling fluid exits the bit, the fluid carries cuttings from the bit and the drilling fluid and cuttings are typically referred to as returns. Typically, the drilling fluid is a mud including a base fluid, typically water or oil, and various additives suspended, dissolved, and/or emulsified in the base fluid.
After drilling to a predetermined depth, the drill string and drill bit are removed and another tubular string of casing (or liner) is lowered into the wellbore. An annulus is thus formed between the string of casing and the formation. The casing string is temporarily hung from the surface of the well. A cementing operation is then conducted in order to fill the annular area with cement. The casing string is cemented into the wellbore by circulating cement into the annular area defined between the outer wall of the casing and the borehole. The combination of cement and casing strengthens the wellbore and facilitates the isolation of certain areas of the formation behind the casing for the production of hydrocarbons.
A drilling rig is constructed on the earth's surface to facilitate the insertion and removal of tubular strings (i.e., drill strings or casing strings) into a wellbore. Alternatively, the drilling rig may be disposed on a jack-up platform, semi-submersible platform, or a drillship for drilling a subsea wellbore. The drilling rig includes a platform and power tools, such as a top drive, power tongs, and a spider, to engage, assemble, and lower the tubulars into the wellbore.
In order to drill and case the wellbore, it is necessary deploy tubular strings into the wellbore and may be necessary to remove tubular strings from the wellbore. Further intervention operations, such as fishing a broken or stuck tubular or tool, and workover operations also require deploying and removing tubular strings. When tubular strings are being run into or pulled from the wellbore, it is often necessary to fill the tubular string, take returns from the tubular string, or circulate fluid through the tubular string. This requires that the tubular string be threaded to the top drive (or Kelly hose) or be connected a circulation head. Previous circulation heads are firmly attached to the traveling block or top drive. In either case, precise spacing is required of the seal assembly relative to the tubular and elevators. In the case where slip-type elevators are used, the spacing of the seal could be such that when the elevators were near the upset of the tubular, the seal could be out of the tubular. When required, the slips at the rig floor must be set on the tubular and the traveling block or top drive lowered in order to move the seal into sealing engagement with the tubular. This requires that the running or pulling of the tubular stop until the slips were set at the rig floor and the seal engagement be made. This is not desirable when a well kick occurs or fluid is overflowing from the tubular.
In the case where “side door” or latching elevators are used, the seal must be engaged in the tubular prior to latching the elevators below the upset portion of the tubular. This requires that the seal be engaged in the tubular at all times that the elevators are latched on the tubular. When joints or stands of tubulars are racked back in the derrick, it is difficult to insert the seal into the tubular prior to latching the elevators with the top of the tubular far above the derrick man. Also, with the seal engaged in the tubular at all times, this is a disadvantage when there is a need to access the top of the tubular while the tubulars are in the elevators or when the tubular is being filled with fluid and the air in the tubular begins to be entrained in the fluid column rather than escaping the tubular. For example, if a high-pressure line was to be attached to the tubular and the tubular moved at the same time, all previous devices had to be “laid down” to allow a hard connection to be made to the tubular since they are in the way of the tubular connection.
Mudsaver valves are usually connected to the lower end of the top drive/Kelly or circulation head to prevent spillage of mud when the top drive/Kelly hose or circulation head are disconnected from the tubular. The use of a mudsaver valve is desirable to prevent the loss of mud, to prevent unsafe operating conditions for personnel, and to minimize contamination of the environment.
In one embodiment, a flowback tool for running a tubular string into a wellbore includes a tubular housing having a bore therethrough and a tubular mandrel. The mandrel: has a bore therethrough in communication with the housing bore, is longitudinally movable relative to the housing, is torsionally coupled to the housing, and has a threaded coupling for engaging a threaded coupling of the tubular string. The flowback tool further includes a nose: longitudinally coupled to the mandrel, operable to receive an end of the tubular string, and including a seal operable to engage a surface of the tubular string, thereby providing fluid communication between a bore of the tubular string and the mandrel bore. The flowback tool further includes an actuator operable to move the mandrel and the nose longitudinally relative to the housing for engaging and disengaging the tubular string.
In another embodiment, a method for running a tubular string into a wellbore includes engaging a tubular string with an elevator and operating an actuator of a flowback tool in fluid communication with a Kelly hose. Operation of the actuator: lowers a nose of the flowback tool to an end of the tubular string relative to a housing of the flowback tool, engages a seal of the nose with a surface of the tubular string, and provides fluid communication between a bore of the tubular string and the Kelly hose. The housing is longitudinally coupled to a traveling block of a drilling rig and the mandrel is torsionally coupled to the housing and has a threaded coupling for engaging a threaded coupling of the tubular string. The method further includes lowering the tubular string into the wellbore using the elevator.
So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
An elevator 10 may be longitudinally and torsionally coupled to the top drive frame via bails 15. The elevator 10 may include a gripper, such as slips and a cone, for grabbing and hoisting a tubular joint or stand 20, such as drill pipe (shown) or casing. The elevator and the top drive may deliver the joint/stand 20 to a tubular string 20 where the joint/stand may be made up with the tubular string. The flowback tool 100 may be longitudinally and torsionally connected to a quill of the top drive, such as by a threaded connection.
The actuator may include two or more piston and cylinder assemblies (PCAs) 125, a first swivel 130, and a second swivel 135. Each PCA 125 may be longitudinally coupled to the housing 110 via the first swivel 130 and longitudinally coupled to the nose 120 via the second swivel 135. The swivel 130 may include arms for engaging the bails 15, thereby torsionally coupling the PCAs 125 to the bails 15. Each of the swivels 130, 135 may include one or more bearings, thereby allowing relative rotation between the PCAs 125 and the housing 110. Hydraulic conduits (not shown), such as hoses, may extend from each of the PCAs 125 to the top drive manifold or a separate hydraulic pump added to the top drive frame to provide for extension and retraction of the PCAs. As discussed below, a hydraulic conduit may also extend to the swivel 135 which may be in fluid communication with the nose 120 via port 135p.
The housing 110 may be tubular and have a bore formed therethrough. An outer surface of the housing 110 may be grooved for receiving the bearings, such as ball bearings 131, thereby longitudinally coupling the housing and the swivel 130. A second longitudinal end of the housing 110 may be longitudinally splined for engaging longitudinal splines formed on an outer surface of the mandrel 115, thereby torsionally coupling the housing 110 and the mandrel 115. The second longitudinal end of the housing 110 may form a shoulder 110s for receiving a corresponding shoulder 115s formed at a first longitudinal end of the mandrel 115, thereby longitudinally coupling the housing 110 and the mandrel 115. The PCAs 125 may be capable of supporting weight of the nose 120 and the mandrel 115 and the shoulders 110s, 115s, when engaged, may be capable of supporting weight of the tubular string 20. The shoulders 110s, 115s may engage before the PCAs 125 bottom out, thereby ensuring that string weight is not transferred to the PCAs.
A second longitudinal end of the mandrel 115 may form a threaded coupling, such as a pin 115p, for engaging a threaded coupling, such as a box 20b, formed at a first longitudinal end of the tubular 20. An outer surface of the mandrel 115 near the second longitudinal end may be threaded and form a shoulder for receiving a threaded inner surface and shoulder of the nose 120, thereby longitudinally and torsionally coupling the nose 120 and the mandrel 115. One or more seals, such as O-rings, may be disposed between the mandrel 115 and the nose 120, thereby isolating a seal chamber of the nose 120 (discussed below) from an exterior of the flowback tool 100. A substantial portion of the mandrel bore may be sized to receive a body 205 of a mudsaver valve (MSV) 200. One or more seals, such as O-rings, may be disposed between the body 205 and the mandrel 115 (on mandrel as shown), thereby isolating the first longitudinal end of the mandrel 115 from the housing bore. Isolating the first longitudinal end of the mandrel 115 may prevent the mandrel end from acting as a piston and longitudinally exerting a downward force on the mandrel 115 and the nose 120.
The body 205 may include a first shoulder formed second shoulder formed between the longitudinal ends thereof and a second shoulder formed at a second longitudinal end thereof. The seat spring 225 may be disposed longitudinally against the second shoulder. The seat 210 may be tubular and include a shoulder 210s formed at a first longitudinal end and engaging the seat spring 225, thereby longitudinally biasing the seat toward the poppet 215. A seal, such as an O-ring, may be disposed between the seat shoulder 210s and the body 205, thereby isolating a first face of the seat shoulder 210s from a second face of the seat shoulder. The second face of the seat shoulder 210s and the spring chamber may be in fluid communication with the mandrel bore via leakage between a second longitudinal end of the seat 210 and the body 205 (no seal).
The baffle 235 may be annular and have a recess formed therein partially enclosed by a first longitudinal end thereof. The first longitudinal end may include a central bore and one or more eccentric flow ports formed longitudinally therethrough. The baffle bore may receive the stem 220. A second longitudinal end of the baffle 235 may abut the body second shoulder and the seat shoulder 210s (in the closed position). The stem 220 may be a rod and have a conical first end for minimizing flow disruption and a threaded second end received by a threaded opening formed in the poppet 215, thereby longitudinally coupling the stem 220 and the poppet 215. The poppet spring 230 may be disposed along the stem 220 and abut the baffle 235 and the poppet 215, thereby longitudinally biasing the poppet 215 toward the seat 210.
The poppet 215 may have a first longitudinal flat face for receiving the stem 220 and the poppet spring 230 and a dual tapering outer surface. The first taper in the poppet outer surface may minimize flow disruption and a second taper in the poppet outer surface may mate with a taper formed in an inner surface of the seat 210. The mating tapered surfaces may have a smooth finish for metal-to-metal sealing engagement. The poppet 215 may further have a second longitudinal flat face for receiving fluid pressure. An inner diameter of the baffle recess may be greater than a maximum outer diameter of the poppet 215 to define a flow path therebetween. The sleeve 240 may be tubular and have a bore formed therethrough. A first longitudinal end of the sleeve 240 may abut the cap shoulder and a second longitudinal end of the sleeve 240 may abut the first longitudinal end of the baffle 235, thereby longitudinally coupling the baffle 235 and the cap 105.
The sleeve 240, baffle 235, poppet 215, stem 230, and seat 210 may be hardened, such as by case hardening, or made from a hard metal or alloy, to resist erosion. A stiffness of the seat spring 210 may be selected to exert a closing force greater than or equal to an opening force exerted by hydrostatic pressure of drilling fluid contained in the top drive 1, thereby preventing spillage of the drilling fluid when the flowback tool 100 is disengaged from the tubular 20. A stiffness of the seat spring 210 may also be selected such that the closing force is substantially less than an opening force exerted by discharge pressure of the rig mud pump so that the seat 210 moves longitudinally away from the poppet 215 upon activation of the mud pump (due to the shoulder 210s acting as a piston). A stiffness of the poppet spring 230 may be selected to maintain tight sealing engagement between the poppet 215 and the seat 210 and may be less or substantially less than a stiffness of the seat spring 210.
The piston 255 may include corresponding slots formed therethrough for receiving the dogs 260. Each piston slot may include a lip (not shown) for abutting a respective lip (not shown) formed in each dog, thereby radially retaining the dogs in the slot. Each dog 260 may include a tapered inner surface for engaging an end of the tubular 20 when the tubular is being moved longitudinally relative to the body 250 from the locked position to the well control position, thereby longitudinally moving the piston 255 and radially moving the dogs 260 from the extended position to the retracted position. The body 250 may include a groove 250o formed in an inner surface for receiving a seal, such as an o-ring, for engagement with the mandrel 115 (discussed above). The body 250 may include a keyway (not shown) and the outer surface of the piston 255 may have a key (not shown) formed therein (or vice versa) for ensuring and maintaining torsional alignment of the piston 255 and the body 250.
The body 250 may include a vent 250v formed through a wall thereof and in fluid communication with a seal chamber, defined by a portion of the nose bore between the seal 270 and the mandrel seal, and the valve 180 for safely disposing of residual fluid left in the seal chamber before disengaging the tubular 20. The vent 250v may be threaded for receiving a threaded coupling of the valve 180, thereby longitudinally and torsionally coupling the valve and the body 250. The body 250 may include a recess 250r formed at a second longitudinal end thereof for receiving the seal retainer 265 and the stop 275. One or more holes may be formed through the housing wall for receiving fasteners, such as set screws, thereby longitudinally coupling the seal retainer 265 and the body 250. The body 250 may include a profile 250a formed therein for receiving a corresponding profile formed in an outer surface of the piston 255.
The piston 255 may be annular and have a bore formed therethrough. The piston 255 may be disposed in the body 250 and longitudinally movable relative thereto between a locked position (
The seal retainer 265 may be annular and may have a substantially J-shaped cross section for receiving and retaining the seal 270. The seal 270 may include a base portion having a lip for engaging a corresponding lip of the retainer 265 and a cup portion for engaging the outer surface of the tubular 20. An outer surface of the cup portion may be inclined for receiving fluid pressure to press the cup portion into engagement with the tubular 20. When engaged, the cup portion may be supported by a tapered inner surface of the stop 275 and/or the piston 255. The seal 270 may be molded into the retainer 265 or pressed therein. The stop 275 may abut a shoulder of the recess 250r and a first longitudinal end of the retainer 265, thereby longitudinally coupling the stop 275 and the body 250.
Alternatively, the nose 120 and seal 270 may be arranged so that the seal 270 engages an inner surface of the tubular 20. This alternative may be accomplished simply by removing the seal retainer 265 (and seal 270) from the nose 120 and replacing the seal retainer 265 with an alternative seal retainer (not shown) configured to extend into the tubular string 20 with a seal configured to engage an inner surface of the tubular string 20. The seal 270 engaging the outer surface may be more suitable when the tubular string 20 is smaller drill pipe and the seal engaging the inner surface of the tubular string 20 may be more suitable when the tubular string 20 is larger casing.
The nose 120 and/or the second longitudinal end of the mandrel 115 may be configured so that the nose and the mandrel are biased away (i.e., upward) from the tubular string 20 in the engaged position (
Once the joint/stand 20 has been advanced into the wellbore, the spider (not shown) may be set. The valve 180 may be connected to a disposal line (not shown) and fluid may be bled through the vent 250v by opening the valve 180. Hydraulic pressure to the PCAs may be reversed, thereby raising the nose and the mandrel to the retracted position. Hydraulic pressure may be relieved from the piston (although the piston may not return to the unlocked position). The elevator 10 may then release the joint/stand 20. The top drive 1 may be moved proximate to another joint/stand (not shown) and the elevator 10 operated to grab the joint/stand. The joint/stand may be moved into position over the tubular string 20, engaged with the tubular string 20, and the elevator 10 released. The joint/stand may be made up with the tubular string and the elevator 10 may engage the tubular string 20. The flowback tool 100 may then again be operated by repeating the cycle. Operation of the flowback tool 100 may be similar for removing the tubular string 20 from the wellbore.
Since pressure has been relieved from the piston 255, the tubular 20 may push the piston 255 toward the unlocked position via engagement with the dogs 270. The remaining stroke length of the mandrel/housing may be insufficient to completely move the piston 255 to the unlocked position. If so, then the elevator 10 may be disengaged and the top drive 1 lowered until the tubular 20 completely pushes the piston to the unlocked position, thereby radially pushing the dogs 260 into the recess 250r and engaging the box 20b with the mandrel pin 115p. The top drive backup tong may engage the tubular 20 and the top drive motor may then be operated to rotate the mandrel pin 115p relative to the box 20b, thereby making up the threaded connection. The seal 270 may remain engaged to the tubular 20 while shifting from the engaged position to the well control position.
With the substantial increase in sealing capability afforded by the threaded connection between the box 20b and the pin 115p, remedial action may be taken to regain pressure control over the wellbore, such as circulation of heavy weight mud or kill fluid until the annulus of the wellbore is filled with the kill fluid or circulation of the wellbore with drilling fluid until the kick subsides. Further, if necessary, a well control valve in the top drive may be closed. Once control of the wellbore is regained, advancement of the tubular string 20 may continue. The spider may be disengaged from the tubular string. The elevator may not need to be reengaged as engagement of the housing and mandrel shoulders 110s, 115s may support the weight of the tubular string 20. The tubular string 20 may then be advanced into the wellbore until another joint/stand needs to be added. Further, the tubular string 20 may be rotated while advanced.
In another embodiment, discussed and illustrated in
In another embodiment, discussed and illustrated in
In another embodiment, discussed and illustrated in
In another embodiment, discussed and illustrated in
While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.
This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Pat. App. No. 61/068,892, filed Mar. 11, 2008, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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