The present application claims priority to Canadian Patent Application No. 3,077,905 filed on Apr. 6, 2020. The entire contents of the above-listed application is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.
The invention relates to oil well servicing, and more particularly to a mobile unit for performing well abandonment operations, including cement mixing and plug setting.
When an oil well is abandoned, it must be sealed and taken out of service. There are numerous steps involved in well abandonment which are guided by the legislation in the area the well is located. Generally, the inside of the wellbore is cleaned to remove any oil and gas that can cause corrosion in the wellbore and any identified issues in the wellbore are repaired. The different formations zones are isolated from one another in the wellbore, such as with bridge plugs covered with cement, and any groundwater zones are isolated from the wellbore to make sure that no oil, gas or water can travel up the wellbore and contaminate soil or groundwater. After these subsurface abandonment procedures are completed, the well is “cut-and-capped”, which involves cutting the well casing to a certain distance below the surface and placing a vented cap on the well casing.
The well abandonment process can be expensive, time-consuming, and require various personnel, tool and vehicles at the wellsite to perform the different steps. For example, toolhands generally need to come to the wellsite with their tools and accompanying equipment to clean the well, set the plugs and test for leaks. Cementing the plugs requires a cement mixer and personnel come to the site to provide the cement. A separate water hauler vehicle is generally needed to bring water to the site for cement mixing and other purposes. All this equipment and personnel adds to the cost and time involved for well abandonment.
A review of the prior art shows various cement mixing systems such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,488,088; 5,538,286; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2019/0048247; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,571,281; 4,792,234; and 10,087,709, which are hereby incorporated by reference. General mobile equipment vehicles are taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,184,300; 4,911,330; 8,276,658; and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2019/0203572, which are hereby incorporated by reference. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,644,844; 5,895,116; CA 2,739,121; and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2018/0258736, incorporated herein by reference, teach mobile blender apparatuses.
In accordance with the embodiments of the invention, there is provided a mobile wellsite service unit for providing equipment and services related to oil and gas well abandonment, the unit comprising a mobile transport containing at least one water storage tank; at least one cement mixing barrel having a first hydraulic motor connected to a movable paddle inside the barrel for mixing a cement slurry, the at least one cement mixing barrel having a drain for draining the cement slurry from the at least one mixing barrel; a trough for receiving the cement slurry from the drain of the at least one cement mixing barrel; a progressive cavity pump (PCP) having a drive system comprising a second hydraulic motor, the PCP connected to the trough for pumping the cement slurry from the trough for placement in the wellbore; and a hydraulic hose connected to the first hydraulic motor of the at least one cement mixing barrel and to the second hydraulic motor of the PCP for providing power to mix and pump the cement slurry, the hydraulic hose having a connector for connecting to a hydraulic power source.
The at least one cement mixing barrel may be an open-top, non-pressurized barrel. The at least one cement mixing barrel may further comprise jetting nozzles for spraying water into the mixing barrel to aid in mixing the cement slurry. In some embodiments, the movable paddle includes a rotatable vertical bar with arms extending away from the vertical bar.
In some embodiments, the PCP is capable of both positive and negative displacement of fluid through the PCP.
The mobile transport may further contain at least one downhole tool for use in well abandonment procedures. The at least one downhole tool may comprise any one of or a combination of the following tools: a cementing tool for placing cement in the wellbore; a well cleaning tool for cleaning the wellbore; a hydraulic setting tool for setting plugs in the wellbore; a casing collar locator; and a shear sub.
The hydraulic power source may be an auxiliary hydraulic system on a coiled tubing unit.
The mobile wellsite service unit may further comprise a hose connected to an end of the PCP for receiving the pumped cement slurry from the trough.
The at least one water storage tank may be connected via water lines to the at least one cement mixing barrel for providing water to the at least one cement mixing barrel.
The mobile transport may further contain any one of or a combination of the following: a tool storage unit; a tool cleaning bin; a workbench; a mechanical vice; and a pressure washer.
In other embodiments, there is provided a method for performing services at an oil and gas wellsite related to well abandonment using the mobile wellsite service unit, comprising the steps: a) connecting the hydraulic hose to the hydraulic power source; b) adding a predetermined amount of water and dry cement to the at least one cement mixing barrel; c) activating the movable paddle to mix the cement slurry in the at least one cement mixing barrel; d) draining the cement slurry from the at least one cement mixing barrel to the trough; and e) activating the PCP to pump the cement slurry from the trough for placement in a wellbore.
Prior to placing the cement slurry in the wellbore, a plug may be set in the wellbore using a hydraulic setting tool and pressure tested, after which the cement slurry is placed on top of the plug. Prior to setting the plug in the wellbore, the wellbore may be cleaned using a downhole cleaning tool.
In some embodiments, a cement spotting tool is used to place the cement slurry at a specific depth in the wellbore.
In some embodiment, the cement slurry is circulated into the wellbore using coil tubing.
Various objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of particular embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of various embodiments of the invention. Similar reference numerals indicate similar components.
The subject invention provides an all-in-one mobile unit that contains all the equipment and tools needed for well abandonment procedures, including cleaning the well, setting and testing plugs in the well to isolate the different zones, mixing cement, pumping the cement into the well, and cleaning and repairing the used tools. The mobile unit only requires one operator to transport the unit to and from the well and carry out the well abandonment procedures. The mobile unit is adaptable and can be operated in conjunction with equipment that is typically already at a well site, which may be a coiled tubing unit, service rig and/or wireline.
The subject invention was designed to reduce the costs and time involved in well abandonment. Well abandonments are costly and only provide a negative return on investment, therefore it is desirable to make well abandonment as efficient as possible. The subject invention does so by eliminating or reducing the need for additional personnel at a wellsite, like toolhands, cementers and fluid haulers. It also eliminates or reduces the need for additional vehicles to come to the wellsite with tools and equipment. By reducing the number of vehicles and operators brought to a wellsite for well abandonment procedures, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced as well as the equipment footprint at the wellsite which is particularly important in areas with sensitive ecosystems.
Various aspects of the invention will now be described with reference to the figures. For the purposes of illustration, components depicted in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Instead, emphasis is placed on highlighting the various contributions of the components to the functionality of various aspects of the invention. A number of possible alternative features are introduced during the course of this description. It is to be understood that, according to the knowledge and judgment of persons skilled in the art, such alternative features may be substituted in various combinations to arrive at different embodiments of the present invention.
There is provided a mobile unit 10 that contains various tools and equipment needed for well abandonment operations. As shown in the plan view of the mobile unit 10 in
The mobile unit 10 is generally run in conjunction with a coil tubing unit that is already present at the wellsite. Alternatively, wells may have a wireline and/or a service rig present, in which case the mobile unit can be run in conjunction with the service rig and/or wireline.
As shown in
At least one of the outlets 12b may be connected to the cement mixing barrel(s) 20 via at least one water line 12d to transfer water from the water tank to the cement mixing barrel(s) as needed. If there is more than one cement mixing barrel, there may be a water line to each cement mixing barrel from a separate outlet in the water tank, or the water line may split into more than one line 12e, 12f as shown in
Another one of the outlets 12c may be used to remove water from the tank for other purposes, such as tool cleaning, or if a user wishes to move water manually from the water tank 12 to the cement mixing barrel(s) 20.
One or more of the outlets in the water tank may also be connected to a water line 12i that flows to a cement trough 70 for cleaning the cement trough, and/or to the pressure washer 62.
The size of the water tank(s) varies depending on the amount needed, but typically one or more tanks that can hold a volume of approximately 1 m3 (1000 L) is sufficient for most well completion operations. If more water is needed, a larger tank and/or an additional tank can be provided, or water can be provided from an outside source.
The mobile unit 10 includes one or more cement mixing barrels 20, as shown in the plan view of the mobile unit in
There can be various configurations for the mixing paddle 22. The embodiment illustrated in
The mixing barrel may include jetting nozzles 28 for agitating the cement to ensue better mixing. The jetting nozzles 28 are connected to the water tank 12 via a water line (not shown), which includes a pump and associated controls to pump water through the jets at high speed. The pump is connected to the hydraulic hose 40 to provide power to the pump.
Referring to
Each mixing barrel includes a drain 20c at or near the bottom of the barrel that can be opened to drain cement slurry from the barrel into a trough 70 via drainpipes 72, shown by the arrows 74. The trough 72 feeds the cement slurry into the progressive cavity pump 30, shown by arrow 76.
The volume and number of cement mixing barrels can vary depending on several factors, including the quantity of cement needed. It is generally desirable to have more than one cement mixing barrel so that a batch of cement can be mixed in one barrel while mixed cement from another barrel is being used. Having more than one mixing barrel also provides a backup barrel in case one mixing barrel needs repairs. In general, a cement mixing barrel capacity of 500 L is sufficient for a typical well abandonment job. This may be divided into multiple mixing barrels that have a combined capacity of at least 500 L, for example two barrels having a 250 L to 300 L capacity, or by using one large mixing barrel with 500 L capacity.
Referring to
The PCP 30 can be used for several purposes, including pumping cement into the well, pressure testing bridge plugs, and cleaning lines through reverse circulation.
When the PCP 30 is used for pumping cement, the stator 30a of the PCP includes an opening 30e at the first end 30c to feed cement from the trough 70 into the PCP. When the PCP is turned on and the rotor is rotating in the direction of positive displacement, cement is pumped from the cement trough 70 to the second end 30d of the PCP, shown by arrow 34 in
Preferably, the PCP can pump at a rate of 150 L/minute or more.
The mobile unit 10 includes several downhole tools that are used in well abandonment procedures. The tools may include a well cleaning tool (e.g. a casing scraper and/or a gauge ring), a casing collar locator, a shear sub and connector, a hydraulic setting tool, a packer (e.g. a J′latch packer), a cement spotting tool, a coil connector, and associated redress kits.
The well cleaning tool is used to clean the inside of the wellbore at the commencement of well abandonment procedures to remove any residual oil and gas that can cause corrosion in the wellbore or cause cement plugs to leak and to remove any obstructions so they won't be tagged when running other tools in hole. The well cleaning tool may be a casing scraper which has blades that are rotated to scrape the inside walls of the well casing clean. The well cleaning tool can also be a gauge ring that is sized just under the outer diameter of the casing inner diameter to push any residue and/or obstructions in its path through the casing. Any major obstructions that cannot be removed by the well cleaning tool can be tagged and dealt with in a different manner.
The casing collar locator is used to mechanically locate casing collars in the wellbore to accurately determine the depth of the tubing string (or drillpipe or wireline) by correlating the located casing collars (with known depth) with the logged depth of the tubing string. The casing collar locator is generally run in hole alongside other tools to accurately determine the depth of the tool.
The safety shear sub is a releasing assembly that allows an operator to disconnect from the tubing string (or drill pipe or wireline) when it is stuck downhole. It is generally used in conjunction with other tools to allow disconnection of the safety shear sub and tool located below it if problems are encountered.
The hydraulic setting tool is a pressure activated setting tool ran on coiled tubing or drill pipe to set plugs, such as bridge plugs, in the wellbore to seal the lower wellbore. It is usually used in conjunction with the casing collar locator and the safety shear sub and connector.
The packer is used to isolate and seal production zones from each other, which is used for pressure testing bridge plugs during well abandonment procedures. The packer may be a J′Latch packer that allows for reseattability without surfacing the tool, making it ideal for pressure testing multi-zone wells.
The cement spotting tool is run in hole to place cement at a specific location in the wellbore, such as on top of a bridge plug that has been set in the wellbore. Generally the cement spotting tool is filled with cement, then run in hole to the desired depth, after which the pressure is increased to shear the shear pins in the cement spotting tool, allowing the cement to be released downhole.
The coil connector is used to connect the various tools to coiled tubing string.
The redress kits are used to redress the tools after use, which may include replacing O-rings, seals and shear screws.
The tools are generally run in hole using a coiled tubing unit, but most tools can also be run in hole with drillpipe and/or a wireline. Alternate tools may be provided depending if a wireline or drillpipe is used. For example, the cement spotting tool may need to be a different tool (e.g. a dump bailer) if it is run in hole with a wireline instead of coiled tubing.
The tools are preferably stored in a tool storage rack in the mobile unit for easy access. The tool storage rack may be a combination tool storage rack with a repair area on top of the rack, as shown by tool storage 50 and workbench 54 in
The mobile unit 10 includes a hydraulic hose 40, preferably on a reel, that connects to an auxiliary hydraulic power system at the wellsite, such as one that is part of a coiled tubing unit or a service rig which is generally driven by an electric motor or combustion engine. Alternatively, or in addition, a hydraulic pump may be an integral part of the mobile unit 10 to provide hydraulic power to the mobile unit 10 instead of or in addition to auxiliary hydraulics at the wellsite.
The hydraulic hose 40 is connected via hydraulic lines 44 to the components of the mobile unit 10 that require hydraulic power, which includes the hydraulic motor 32a of the PCP pump 30 and the hydraulic motor 24 of the cement mixing barrels 20. Various hydraulic controls 42 and gauges are included as needed to run the hydraulic power system.
The mobile unit 10 can be in various forms. In some embodiments, the mobile unit is a closed trailer 14, such as the one shown in
The mobile unit 10 includes wheels 14c to allow mobility of the unit, and a hitch mechanism 14d for attaching to a vehicle to move the mobile unit. Alternatively, the mobile unit may be an integrated part of a vehicle that does not need to be moved by another vehicle. The mobile unit may also be mounted on an open trailer or open truck bed.
The mobile unit can include a tool cleaning and repair area for cleaning and repairing downhole tools. After using a tool, it is generally recommended to disassemble, inspect, and clean all parts and replace all seals, o-rings, and shear screws. The tool cleaning and repair area includes various components to make this easy, such as a cleaning tank 60 containing varsol into which tools or tool components can be placed for cleaning and degreasing. The cleaning tank may have the varsol contained in a manner such that it is only accessed when tools are being cleaned, and then is contained when being transported. There may also be one or more work benches 54, 90 with one or more vises 52 for clamping tools during assembly, disassembly, cleaning and repair. The vise 52 may be a mechanical chain vise for gripping tools.
The mobile unit 10 also provides one or more storage areas for everything that is needed for the well abandonment procedures, including cement, bridge plugs, other required reagents, and tools. This may include a storage unit 80, as shown in
A pressure washer 62 may also be present in the mobile unit to aid in cleaning the various components after use, such as the cement mixing barrels, progressive cavity pump and associated parts. The pressure washer can be connected to the water tank for fluid and include a pump to pressurize the fluid going through the washer, the pump being connected to the hydraulic hose for power.
The mobile unit can also include a heater 64 for heating the trailer and components within the trailer when it is in a cold environment.
When a well is to be abandoned, the mobile unit 10 is transported to the wellsite to perform the well abandonment operations. These procedures generally include:
a. Connecting the hydraulic hose 40 to a hydraulic power system, which may be part of the mobile unit or an auxiliary hydraulic power system that is at the wellsite as part of the coil tubing unit or service rig.
b. Running the well cleaning tool, preferably a casing scraper and/or a gauge ring, downhole to clean the wellbore and ensure no obstructions will be tagged when running in hole with the hydraulic setting tool.
c. Setting a bridge plug in the wellbore above the lowermost formation in the reservoir with the hydraulic setting tool, preferably in conjunction with the casing collar locator to accurately determine the depth the bridge plug is being set at, and the safety shear sub and connector.
d. Pressure testing the bridge plug to ensure it is set properly and meets the requirements, which may vary by jurisdiction. In the province of Alberta in Canada, the bridge plug must withstand a stabilized pressure of 7000 kPa for 10 minutes. One way to pressure test is to run the packer tool (e.g. J′latch packer) downhole and set it above the bridge plug to isolate the lower and upper wellbore sections from each other, then increase the pressure below the packer to conduct the pressure test. The pressure can be increased by pumping fluid downhole using the PCP or other means such as a fluid truck if it is available at the wellsite. Compressed air or nitrogen can also be used for pressure testing in certain circumstances.
e. Calculating the cement volume needed to put on top of the bridge plug, and calculating the water volume and dry cement volume based on the total cement volume needed. It is often required to place 8 linear meters of cement in the wellbore above a bridge plug for well abandonments. The cement volume can be calculated based on the well casing size, the amount of cement required on top of the plug, and any horizontal deviation in the wellbore.
f. Preparing the cement slurry by adding the calculated water and dry cement to the mixing barrel 20, then turning on the hydraulic mixing paddle 22 and optionally the jetting nozzles 28 to mix the cement slurry. The cement slurry can be tested with a densometer to ensure it is of the proper consistency.
g. Feeding the cement slurry into the trough 70 through the drainpipes 72 and the drain 20c in the mixing barrel 20.
h. Placing cement on top of the bridge plug downhole. There are several options for cementing, which include:
i. Using the cement spotting tool with coiled tubing. In this case the PCP 30 is connected to the coiled tubing with hose 36, and when the PCP is turned on to forward circulate, it moves the cement slurry from the trough 70, through the PCP 30, through the hose 36, and through the coiled tubing to the cement spotting tool at the end of the tubing. Once the tubing has been filled with the predetermined cement volume, it is run in hole to above the bridge plug and pressured up until the shear pins shear to release the cement on top of the bridge plug. The PCP is then reverse circulated to move any residual cement slurry in the hose back through the PCP and into the trough.
Although the present invention has been described and illustrated with respect to preferred embodiments and preferred uses thereof, it is not to be so limited since modifications and changes can be made therein which are within the full, intended scope of the invention as understood by those skilled in the art.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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3077905 | Apr 2020 | CA | national |