Patent Application
20160356114
Tubular systems often employ plugs to at least temporarily plug an opening to allow pressure to be build upstream thereof to facilitate an actuation, for example. Such systems are commonly used in boreholes drilled into earth formations in the carbon dioxide sequestration and hydrocarbon recovery industries. It may be desirable to locate one or more plugs along a tubular so that one does not have to be introduced a new plug to the tubular from an extreme end thereof. Systems and methods that allow for controlling release of intermediately located plugs only when desired and not prematurely is of interest to those who practice in arts concerned with such matters.
Disclosed herein is a plug releaser. The plug releaser includes, a first tubular with at least one first port through a wall thereof, at least two plugs sealingly engaged with the first tubular defining a first chamber between the first tubular and the at least two plugs. The at least two plugs are rupturable or releasable from the first tubular at selected pressure differentials thereacross, and a second tubular is in operable communication with the first tubular at locations beyond the at least two plugs. The at least one first port provides fluidic communication between the first chamber and an outside of both the first tubular and the second tubular and the at least one first port is sized to prevent pressure differential across the at least two plugs from building to a selected pressure differential needed to rupture or release the plugs in either direction for at least a period of time.
Further disclosed is a method of limiting pressure differential across plugs sealing a chamber within a tubular. The method includes, porting fluid to or from the chamber through a port in a wall of the chamber to an outside of the chamber, the porting fluid thereby decreasing pressure differential across the plugs in comparison to a method not including the porting of fluid regardless of a direction of pressure change across the plugs that created the pressure differential across the plugs.
Further disclosed is a plug releaser including a tubular, a housing slidably sealingly engaged with the tubular defining a chamber therebetween, and at least one plug sealingly engaged with at least one of the tubular and the housing configured to rupture or release at a selected pressure differential thereacross. A volume of the chamber is alterable to allow temporal pressure differences across the at least one plug to be reduced by sliding the housing relative to the tubular in comparison to what the pressure differences across the at least one plug would be if the housing were not allowed to move.
The following descriptions should not be considered limiting in any way. With reference to the accompanying drawings, like elements are numbered alike:
A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way of exemplification and not limitation with reference to the Figures.
Referring to
The piston 54 is sealed to both the first tubular 14 and the second tubular 38, and is movable while sealed in response to a pressure differential developed thereacross between the second chamber 58 and the third chamber 62. As such the piston 54 can be moved in either longitudinal direction depending upon which of the two chambers 58 and 62 has greater pressure. A release member 70 fixes the piston 54 to the first tubular 14 until a force to move the piston 54 exceeds a threshold value. Alternatively, the release member 70 could fix the piston 54 to the second tubular 38 instead of or in addition to the first tubular 14. The piston 54 can be configured to move sufficiently far relative to the second tubular 38 to block flow through the second port 42. Once the second port 42 is blocked the piston 54 ceases to move and pressure within the first chamber 18 and second chamber 58 can equalize. In addition to equalizing the pressure within the chambers 18 and 58 can increase. If increased enough pressure within the first chamber 18 can cause the plugs 74A, 74B, 82 at one or both of the locations 22, 26 to rupture or extrude as will be described in more detail below. The flowing of fluid from the first chamber 18 to the second chamber 58 allows for maintaining pressure for a time period within the first chamber 18 at a lower value than would be attained had the fluid not been allowed to flow out from the first chamber 18 and to cause the piston 54 to move.
The flow area through the first port 30 can be set to throttle flow therethrough. Doing so can control a rate of movement of the piston 54 and control a rate of pressure equalization between the two chambers 18 and 58.
The first chamber 18 is plugged at the first location 26 by the plugs 74A, 74B. The first plug 74A is a ball that is extrudable through a seat 78, and is thus releasable from the plug releaser 10, when pressure differential exceeds a threshold value. The second plug 74B is a rupture disc that can rupture at the same or a different threshold value of pressure differential thereacross than that of the first plug 74A. The plug 82, shown herein as a rupture disc, plugs the first chamber at the second location 22. The plug 82 is defeatable when pressure differential thereacross exceeds another threshold value. The threshold values can all be set to different values or the same values. Setting the threshold values at levels greater than values anticipated to be encountered while running the plug releaser 10 into an earth formation 86 borehole 90, for example when employed in a hydrocarbon recovery or carbon dioxide sequestration application, will provides an operator with confidence that the plugs 74A, 74B, 82 will not be released or ruptured prematurely. Increases in pressure within the chamber 18 are likely to occur when temperature of fluids within the chamber 18 increase at the elevated temperatures that exist in a downhole environment. The plug releaser 10 disclosed herein can also be employed to prevent premature rupture of the plugs 74B and 82 due to increases in hydrostatic pressure within a third tubular 94 or outside of the port 42, for example, that could be experienced while running the plug releaser 10 into the borehole 90 in the earth formation 86. It should be noted that the tubulars 14, 38, 94, 102, 232, 314, 338, and 514 disclosed herein, rather than being members that are separate from one another could alternately be formed as bores through one or more pieces of a solid material, for example.
The third tubular 94 is fluidically connected to the first chamber 18 beyond the locations 22, 26. As such, the plug 74A upon release from the first chamber 18 can flow into the third tubular 94. Once within the third tubular 94 the plug 74A is able to be used in the actuation of tools or treatment of earth formations by plugging seats (not shown) within the third tubular 94, for example. A blockage 96 within the third tubular (whether originally present or generated when desired) in a portion 98 of the third tubular 94 that is parallel with the first chamber 18, whether temporary or permanent, can allow pressure within the third tubular 94 to first cause the plug 82 to rupture or release and subsequently to cause the other plugs 74A, 74B to rupture or release.
Optionally, a fourth tubular 102 is sealingly slidably engaged with the second tubular 38 defining a fourth chamber 106 in a second annular space 110 defined therebetween. In an embodiment with the fourth tubular 102 a fourth port 116 in a wall 120 of the second tubular 38 fluidically connects the second chamber 58 to the fourth chamber 106. The foregoing structure allows the fourth chamber 106 to increase in volume upon movement of the fourth tubular 102 relative to the second tubular 38 until movement thereof is stopped. In the illustrated embodiment the stoppage is due to contact between a shoulder 124 on the fourth tubular 102 and a stop 128 fixed to the second tubular 38. The movement of the fourth tubular 102 relative to the second tubular 38 allows for actuation of a tool (not shown) prior to rupture or release of the plugs 74A, 74B, for example.
Referring to
Alternately, pressure increases within the third tubular 94 that cause increases in pressure differential across the plugs 74A, 74B and 82 in a direction opposite to that discussed above can also be maintained at a lower level by the plug releaser 210. Such changes in pressure differential can be caused by changes in pressure within the tubular 94, such as by changes in hydrostatic pressure within the tubular 94, for example. A volume within the fifth chamber 218 is allowed to decrease by movement of the housing 228 (leftward in the Figure) thereby compressing biasing member 226 in the process.
As with the plug releaser 10 increases in pressure within the third tubular 94 when sufficiently large create pressure differential across the plug releaser 210 to cause the plug 82 to rupture. After such rupture fluid in a sixth chamber 236 defined between a cap 240 and the fifth tubular 232 is allowed to flow through openings 244 in the fifth tubular 232 and thereby increase pressure within the fifth chamber 218. Additionally, the movement of the cap 240 allows ports 248 in the cap 240 to align with ports 252 in the fifth tubular 232 to allow fluid to flow into the fifth chamber 218 from within the third tubular 94 directly. Such fluid communication allows pressure within the fifth chamber 218 to increase until the plugs 74A, 74B are ruptured or released from the plug releaser 210.
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While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.
