Patent Grant
12024994
In the oil and gas industry, hydrocarbons are located in porous rock formations beneath the Earth's surface. Hydrocarbons are accessed by drilling wells into the formation(s). A well is a series of concentric holes drilled into the surface of the Earth where each hole is supported by a casing string cemented in place. In order to produce the hydrocarbons, a production string is often run and set within the inner-most casing string. A production string is a series of tubulars connected to one another. The production string is used to provide a conduit for hydrocarbon migration to the surface. Often, other production equipment, such as pumps and separators, are included in the production string to aid production of the hydrocarbons.
During the life of a well, the well may require one or more wellbore interventions to maintain the well, secondarily complete the well, or replace downhole equipment. Most wellbore interventions require through-tubing access to the well. Through-tubing access is a method that includes running tools through the inside of the production tubing to perform operations downhole. Prior to running through-tubing tools, it is important to drift the production tubing. Drifting conventionally consists of running a tool, having a diameter assumed to be the accessible inner diameter of the production tubing, through the inside of the production tubing to determine the wellbore accessibility, i.e., the maximum size tool that may be run through the production tubing. Often, the drifting tool is unable to be run through the entirety of the production tubing due to obstructions.
An obstruction may be a signal of a potential tubular collapse, broken off tools, debris, or built up scale. Analyzation of an obstruction is very difficult due to the decreased visibility, harshness, and depth of the downhole environment. Once an obstruction is identified, multiple runs of progressively smaller drift tools are necessary to determine the extent of the obstruction. Multiple runs of drift tools are costly, time consuming, and invite more time for well control incidents to occur.
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 accordance with one or more embodiments methods, apparatuses, and systems for evaluating an obstruction in a conduit of a tubular. Embodiments of the apparatus include a first cylindrical rod connected to a deployment device configured to deploy the first cylindrical rod into the conduit of the tubular; a second cylindrical rod connected to the first cylindrical rod, wherein the second cylindrical rod has a diameter larger than a diameter of the first cylindrical rod; an outer sleeve movable between a first position and a second position; and an impression block connected to the second cylindrical rod, wherein the impression block is configured to obtain an impression of the obstruction. The outer sleeve is concentrically disposed around the second cylindrical rod in the first position and concentrically disposed around the first cylindrical rod after an interaction between the outer sleeve and the obstruction. The outer sleeve includes a plurality of panels connected to one another by a plurality of stretchable elements.
Embodiments of the method include running a deployment device connected to a first cylindrical rod and a second cylindrical rod into the conduit of the tubular, wherein the second cylindrical rod has a diameter larger than a diameter of the first cylindrical rod; positioning an outer sleeve, comprising a plurality of stretchable elements connecting a plurality of panels to one another, in a first position, wherein the first position comprises the outer sleeve disposed concentrically around the second cylindrical rod; detecting the obstruction by shifting the outer sleeve from the first position to a second position due to an interaction between the obstruction and the outer sleeve, wherein the second position comprises the outer sleeve concentrically disposed around the first cylindrical rod; and obtaining an impression of the obstruction using an impression block connected to the second cylindrical rod.
Embodiments of the system include a deployment device connected to a first cylindrical rod and a second cylindrical rod. The second cylindrical rod has a diameter larger than a diameter of the first cylindrical rod. The system further includes a first cylindrical sleeve stretchable to be disposed concentrically around the second cylindrical rod. The first cylindrical sleeve is configured to disconnect from a first underlay due to a force of impact created by an interaction with the obstruction and contract and shift around the first cylindrical rod. The system detects the obstruction by a contraction of the first cylindrical sleeve. The system further includes an impression block connected to the second cylindrical rod.
Other aspects and advantages of the claimed subject matter 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.
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.
Herein, the term “cylindrical” is not meant to be limiting and may be used to not only mean a form or a shape of a cylinder, but also a form or a shape of a truncated cone.
When obstructions are faced while drifting tubing, multiple runs of progressively smaller drift tools are necessary to determine the extent of the obstruction. Multiple runs of drift tools are costly, time consuming, and invite more time for well control incidents to occur. Accordingly, a tool that is able to reduce the number of drifting runs to determine the accessible inner diameter of the tubular is beneficial.
As such, embodiments disclosed herein include apparatuses, systems, and methods for evaluating an obstruction in a conduit of a tubular and determining the accessible inner diameter of the tubular using an apparatus. The apparatus has the ability to change in size until the apparatus is small enough to bypass the obstruction. When the apparatus is pulled to the surface, the accessible inner diameter of the tubular is determined by the reduced size of the apparatus.
In accordance with one or more embodiments, the well 104 includes a wellbore 106 drilled into the surface of the Earth. A casing string 108 is cemented in place in the wellbore 106. A tubular 170 is disposed within the casing string 108. The tubular 170 may be a production string in accordance with one or more embodiments. The well 104 further includes a production tree 112 housing the surface-extending portion of the casing string 108 and the surface-extending portion of the tubular 170. The production tree 112 is a series of spools and valves that are used to enable production of fluids from the well 104 and enable downhole access to the well 104. Herein, the term “production tree 112” may encompass the wellhead and the tubing head without departing from the scope of the disclosure herein.
The system 100 includes a deployment device 180 connected to an apparatus 110. The deployment device 180 is used to raise and lower the apparatus 110 inside of the tubular 170. The deployment device 180 may be any type of deployment device known in the art, such as coiled tubing, slickline, or wireline. An input may direct the deployment device 180 to extend the apparatus 110 further into the tubular 170.
The system 100 detects the presence of the obstruction 160 in the tubular when the apparatus 110 hits the obstruction 160, and a force of impact, created by the interaction between the obstruction 160 and the apparatus 110, reduces the size of the apparatus 110. The apparatus 110 is further outlined in
In accordance with one or more embodiments, the first cylindrical rod 130 and the second cylindrical rod 120 are formed in the shape of a cylinder and may have a solid body or a hollow body without departing from the scope of the disclosure herein. Furthermore, the first cylindrical rod 130 and the second cylindrical rod 120 may be made of any durable material that can withstand downhole conditions, such as a metal alloy. In further embodiments, the first cylindrical rod 130 has a smaller outer diameter than the second cylindrical rod 120. The first cylindrical rod 130 and the second cylindrical rod 120 may be connected to one another using any connection known in the art, such as a welded connection, a threaded connection, etc. In other embodiments, the first cylindrical rod 130 and the second cylindrical rod 120 may be machined as one component.
In accordance with one or more embodiments, the outer sleeve 140 and the inner sleeve 145 are extendable/stretchable and are concentrically disposed around the second cylindrical rod 120. In accordance with one or more embodiments, the inner sleeve 145 is located between the outer sleeve 140 and the second cylindrical rod 120. That is, the outer sleeve 140 has a larger diameter than the inner sleeve 145 when the outer sleeve 140 and the inner sleeve 145 are concentrically disposed around the second cylindrical rod 120.
The make-up of the outer sleeve 140 and the inner sleeve 145 and how the outer sleeve 140 and the inner sleeve 145 are connected to one another/disposed around the second cylindrical rod 120 is outlined below in
In accordance with one or more embodiments, the outer sleeve 140 is movable between a first position and a second position. The first position of the outer sleeve 140 is shown in
In further embodiments, there may be more than two cylindrical sleeves (a second to the n-th cylindrical sleeves) wrapped concentrically around one another and around the second cylindrical rod 120 without departing from the scope of the disclosure herein. N is an integer greater than two, and the second to n-th cylindrical sleeves are able to disconnect from a second to an n-th underlays due to a force of impact created by the interaction with the obstruction 160 and contract and shift around the first cylindrical rod 130.
In further embodiments, an impression block 150 is connected to the inner surface of the second cylindrical rod 120. The impression block 150 and the second cylindrical rod 120 may be connected to one another using any connection known in the art, such as a welded connection, a threaded connection, etc. In other embodiments, the impression block 150 and the second cylindrical rod 120 may be machined as one component.
The impression block 150 may be made of a solid material formed in a shape that may fit within the conduit 102 of the tubular 170, such as a cylinder. In accordance with one or more embodiments the impression block 150 may be made out of a relatively soft metal, such as lead, so that the impression block 150 may be easily deformed when interacting with the obstruction 160.
The apparatus 110 may obtain an impression of the obstruction 160 with the impression block 150 and use the impression to identify the nature of the obstruction 160. In some embodiments, the impression block 150 may provide a clue as to the cause of the obstruction 160 by identifying the shape of the obstruction 160, for instance, an emerged deformation in the tubular 170, which may suggest the presence of collapsed rock wall in the wellbore 106.
In accordance with one or more embodiments, the impression block 150 has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the inner sleeve 145 such that the impression block 150 will only interact with obstructions 160 that are large enough to interact with the outer sleeve 140 and the inner sleeve 145.
However, without departing from the scope of the disclosure herein, the impression block 150 may extend past the downhole end of the sleeves 140, 145 and the sleeves 140, 145 may not be disposed around the impression block 150. Rather, the second cylindrical rod 120 may extend past the downhole end of the sleeves 140, 145 and the impression block 150 may be connected to the extended end of the second cylindrical rod 120 in accordance with one or more embodiments.
Particularly,
Specifically,
In accordance with one or more embodiments, the apparatus 110 includes the first cylindrical rod 130, the second cylindrical rod 120, the outer sleeve 140, and the inner sleeve 145. The inner sleeve 145 is stretched to encircle the second cylindrical rod 120. In further embodiments, the outer sleeve 140 may also be stretched to encircle the inner sleeve 145. Herein, the term stretching may refer to extending, or enlarging, the circumference and diameter of the inner sleeve 145 and the outer sleeve 140.
The inner sleeve 145 and the outer sleeve 140 may be stretched using stretchable elements. The stretchable elements may be any element that allows the circumference and diameter of the inner sleeve 145 and the outer sleeve 140 to expand. For example, the stretchable elements may include coils or elastic bands embedded in the surface of the sleeves, a foldable sheet, or stackable panels. In accordance with one or more embodiments, the inner sleeve 145 and the outer sleeve 140 may be both stretchable and retractable.
To realize sufficient stretchability but also reversibility of the expansion of the inner sleeve 145 and the outer sleeve 140, the extensible components may be made of shear-resistant infrangible materials. Further, a suitable element (mechanical pins, hooks, adhesive agents, electromagnetic propensities, etc.) may be incorporated to allow attachment of the stretched outer sleeve 140 and inner sleeve 145 to their underlays (the inner sleeve 145 and the second cylindrical rod 120, respectively).
When the outer sleeve 140 hits the obstruction 160 while the apparatus 110 is being lowered into the tubular 170 using the deployment device 180, a force of the impact created by the interaction breaks the attachment of the outer sleeve 140 to the inner sleeve 145. Furthermore, the force of impact may drive the outer sleeve 140 up-hole and away from the inner sleeve 145, as shown in
In accordance with one or more embodiments and depending on the size of the obstruction 160, the force of impact from the interaction between the outer sleeve 140 and the obstruction 160 disconnects only the outer sleeve 140 from the inner sleeve 145, without causing detachment of inner sleeve 145 from the second cylindrical rod 120. That is, the suitable mode of attachment that connects the inner sleeve 145 to the second cylindrical rod 120 is not disturbed by the obstruction 160.
In accordance with one or more embodiments, the outer sleeve 140 begins to move from the second cylindrical rod 120 towards the first cylindrical rod 130 due to the force of the impact from the collision. Due to the first cylindrical rod 130 having a smaller diameter than the second cylindrical rod 120 and the nature of the stretchable elements, the outer sleeve 140 begins to shrink after the attachment to the inner sleeve 145 is broken.
The system 100 may detect the presence and/or approximate location of the obstruction 160 by any means known in the art. For example, the deployment device 180 may have a depth chart at the surface tracking the depth of the apparatus 110 as it is lowered or raised in the tubular 170. Furthermore, the deployment device 180 may have a sensor at the surface that tracks the amount of tension and slack that is seen in the deployment device 180. Thus, when the apparatus 110 interacts with the obstruction 160, an amount of slack may be seen at the surface. The tension/slack sensor and the depth tracker may be calibrated in a computer. Thus, an operator may compare the depth to the time slack was seen across the deployment device 180 in order to note at what depth the obstruction is located.
After the apparatus 110 has completed the drift of the tubular 170 and is retrieved at the surface, the size of the apparatus 110 may indicate the accessible inner diameter of the tubular 170. That is, an operator may note how many sleeves were broken away from their underlays which indicates the extend of the obstruction's 160 size within the tubular 170.
In accordance with one or more embodiments, the apparatus 110 is controlled by the deployment device 180 and advances in the tubular 170. The circumferences of the inner sleeve 145 and the outer sleeve 140 are extendable when springs embedded into the inner sleeve 145 and outer sleeve 140 are stretched. In other embodiments, if folded sheets or panels that make up the inner sleeve 145 and outer sleeve 140 are pulled out, the circumferences and the diameters of the inner sleeve 145 and outer sleeve 140 may be lengthened. Components constituting the surface of the outer sleeve 140 and the inner sleeve 145 may be made of shear-resistant infrangible materials.
The third position includes the inner sleeve 145 concentrically disposed around the second cylindrical rod 120 as shown in
In the third position, the inner sleeve 145 is stretched to encircle the second cylindrical rod 120, and in some embodiments, the outer sleeve 140 is stretched to encircle the inner sleeve 145, as shown in
When the outer sleeves 140 collides with the obstruction 160, a force of the impact created by the interaction breaks the attachment of the outer sleeve 140 to the inner sleeve 145, and the outer sleeve 140 is pushed away from the inner sleeve 145.
Accordingly, the outer sleeve 140 moves away from the obstruction 160 due to the force of the impact from the collision. Simultaneously, the outer sleeve 140 starts shrinking after the attachment to the inner sleeve 145 is lost. Thus, the released portion of the outer sleeve 140 (the upper portion of the outer sleeve 140 in
The inner sleeve 145 moves away from the obstruction 160 due to the force of the impact from the collision. At the same time, the inner sleeve 145 starts contracting once the inner sleeve 145 is allowed to contract around a smaller object, i.e., the first cylindrical rod 130. In accordance with one or more embodiments, the released portion of the inner sleeve 145 (the upper portion in
In other embodiments, the inner sleeve 145 may continue shifting away from the second cylindrical rod 120 if there is ample force applied to the inner sleeve 145 from the collision. As such, the inner sleeve 145 may move past the outer sleeve 140, located in the second position, after the interaction with the obstruction 160.
As described previously, the system 100 may detect the presence and/or approximate location of the obstruction 160 using various methods. In addition, the system 100 may estimate the size of the obstruction 160 by identifying the number of shifted sleeves. The size of the obstruction 160 determines how many sleeves collide with the obstruction 160 and move from the second cylindrical rod 120 to the first cylindrical rod 130, in accordance with one or more embodiments.
The sequence of events discussed in detail in relation to
As a result, the outer sleeve 140 is released from the inner sleeve 145 and shifts away from the second cylindrical rod 120. The outer sleeve 140 shifts and contracts to be disposed around the first cylindrical rod 130 in accordance with one or more embodiments. As shown in
The sequence of events discussed in detail in relation to
Accordingly, the obstruction 160 collides with the outer sleeve 140, resulting in the displacement of the outer sleeve 140, as shown in
In accordance with one or more embodiments, the obstruction 160 also hits the inner sleeve 145. The inner sleeve 145 receives the force of the impact. The force of impact releases the inner sleeve 145 from the second cylindrical rod 120. The force of impact also causes the inner sleeve 145 to move away from the second cylindrical rod 120, as shown in
As is clear from
The previous discussions about the sequence of events shown in
As such, the obstruction 160 interacts with the outer sleeve 140, the inner sleeve 45, and the impression block 150, resulting in the displacement of both the outer sleeve 140, as shown in
As illustrated in
In accordance with one or more embodiments, the obstruction 160 also hits the inner sleeve 145. The force of impact also causes the inner sleeve 145 to move away from the second cylindrical rod 120, as shown in
In accordance with one or more embodiments and as shown in
In accordance with one or more embodiments, as illustrated in
In accordance with one or more embodiments, the outer sleeve 140 and the inner sleeve 145 are connected to one another by one or more pins 810a. In further embodiments, the inner sleeve 145 is connected to the second cylindrical rod 120 by one or more pins 810b. The pins 810a, 810b may be shear pins 810a, 810b that are designed to break, or shear, when a predetermined pressure is seen across the pins 810a, 810b. The predetermined pressure may be applied by the interaction between the apparatus 110 and the obstruction 160. In addition to, or in alternative to the plurality of pins 810a, 810b, other types of instruments that have the ability to break off may be used for the connection of the outer sleeve 140 to the inner sleeve 145 and the connection of the inner sleeve 145 to the second cylindrical rod 120.
The stretchable elements 820 shown in
Turning to
In S1000, a deployment device 180 connected to a first cylindrical rod 130 and a second cylindrical rod 120 is run into the conduit 102 of the tubular 170. The second cylindrical rod 120 has a diameter larger than a diameter of the first cylindrical rod 130. In accordance with one or more embodiments, one end of the first cylindrical rod 130 is connected to the deployment device 180 and the other end of the first cylindrical rod 130 is connected to the second cylindrical rod 120.
In accordance with one or more embodiments, the deployment device 180 is wireline or slickline. The tubular 170 may be disposed in a well 104. The tubular 170 may have an obstruction 160 that reduces the accessible inner diameter of the tubular 170. In further embodiments, the deployment device 180 is running the first cylindrical rod 130 and a second cylindrical rod 120 through the conduit 102 of the tubular 170 to determine the accessible inner diameter of the tubular 170.
In S1002, an outer sleeve 140, comprising a plurality of stretchable elements 820 connecting a plurality of panels 930a-930e to one another, is positioned in a first position. The first position includes the outer sleeve 140 disposed concentrically around the second cylindrical rod 120.
In accordance with one or more embodiments, an inner sleeve 145, comprising a plurality of stretchable elements 820 connecting a plurality of panels 930a-930e to one another, is positioned in a third position. The third position includes the inner sleeve 145 disposed concentrically around the second cylindrical rod 120 between the outer sleeve 140 and the second cylindrical rod 120.
In further embodiments, the inner sleeve 145 is movably connected to the second cylindrical rod 120 using one or more pins 810a, 810b, and the outer sleeve 140 is movably connected to the inner sleeve 145 also using one or more pins 810a, 810b. The pins 810a, 810b may be shear pins 810a, 810b in accordance with one or more embodiments. Further, the stretchable elements 820 connecting the panels 930a-930e are used to change the diameter and circumference of the inner sleeve 145 and the outer sleeve 140 based on the size of the underlay.
In S1004, the obstruction 160 is detected by shifting the outer sleeve 140 from the first position to a second position due to an interaction between the obstruction 160 and the outer sleeve 140. The second position includes the outer sleeve 140 concentrically disposed around the first cylindrical rod 130.
In accordance with one or more embodiments, the obstruction 160 is also detected by shifting the inner sleeve 145 from the third position to a fourth position due to an interaction between the inner sleeve 145 and the obstruction 160. The fourth position includes the inner sleeve 145 concentrically disposed around the first cylindrical rod (130). In the fourth position, the inner sleeve 145 may be directly disposed around the first cylindrical rod 130, or the inner sleeve 145 may be disposed around the first cylindrical rod 130 and the outer sleeve 140.
In further embodiments, a size of the obstruction 160 is determined based on the outer sleeve 140 shifting from the first position to the second position. In other embodiments, the size of the obstruction 160 is determined based on the outer sleeve 140 shifting from the first position to the second position and the inner sleeve 145 being retained in the third position. Alternatively, the size of the obstruction 160 is determined based on the outer sleeve 140 shifting from the first position to the second position and the inner sleeve 145 shifting form the third position to the fourth position. In other words, the accessible inner diameter of the tubular 170 may be determined based on the number of sleeves moved off of the second cylindrical rod 120 after the drifting operation is completed.
In accordance with one or more embodiments, the outer sleeve 140 may be shifted from the first position to the second position by shearing the pins 810a, 810b that connect the outer sleeve 140 to the inner sleeve 145. The pins 810a, 810b may be sheared using a force of impact created by the interaction between the outer sleeve 140 and the obstruction 160. Further, the inner sleeve 145 may be shifted from the third position to the fourth position by shearing the pins 810a, 810b that connect the inner sleeve 145 to the second cylindrical rod 120. The pins 810a, 810b may be sheared using a force of impact created by the interaction between the inner sleeve 145 and the obstruction 160.
In further embodiments, the inner sleeve 145 and the outer sleeve 140 are equipped with sharp edges, or cutters 910a-910e, located on the downhole portion of the sleeve. When the apparatus 110 is being run inside the conduit 102 for the tubular 170 and the obstruction 160 is encountered, the cutters 910a-10e may be used to remove the obstruction 160 from an inner wall of the tubular 170.
In this scenario, the obstruction 160 may be a weaker obstruction, such as scale, and only a small force is required to remove the obstruction 160 from the wall of the tubular 170. In particular, the force required to remove the obstruction 160 may be less than the force required to shear the pins 810a, 810b connecting the sleeves to their underlays. Thus, the obstruction 160 may be removed while retaining the size of the apparatus 110.
In S1006, an impression of the obstruction 160 is obtained using an impression block 150 connected to the second cylindrical rod 120. The impression block 150 may be a lead impression block 150 and may be connected to an inner surface of the second cylindrical rod 120. The impression block 150 and the second cylindrical rod 120 may be connected to one another using any connection known in the art, such as a welded connection, a threaded connection, etc. In other embodiments, the impression block 150 and the second cylindrical rod 120 may be machined as one component.
The apparatus 110 may obtain an impression of the obstruction 160 with the impression block 150 and use the impression to identify the nature of the obstruction 160. In accordance with one or more embodiments, the impression block 150 may interact with the obstruction 160 when or after the outer sleeve 140 shifts from the first position to the second position and/or the inner sleeve 145 shifts from the third position to a fourth position.
In accordance with one or more embodiments, the impression block 150 may provide evidence as to the cause of the obstruction 160 by identifying the shape of the obstruction 160. For example, an emerged deformation in the tubular 170 may suggest the presence of collapsed rock wall in the wellbore 106. In further embodiments, the impression block 150 may provide a visual of the obstruction 160 which allows an operator to determine what tool is required to remove the obstruction 160 from the tubular 170.
Although only a few example embodiments have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the example embodiments without materially departing from this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined in the following claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures. Thus, although a nail and a screw may not be structural equivalents in that a nail employs a cylindrical surface to secure wooden parts together, whereas a screw employs a helical surface, in the environment of fastening wooden parts, a nail and a screw may be equivalent structures. It is the express intention of the applicant not to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) for any limitations of any of the claims herein, except for those in which the claim expressly uses the words ‘means for’ together with an associated function.
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