This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
As will be appreciated, oil and natural gas have a profound effect on modern economies and societies. Indeed, devices and systems that depend on oil and natural gas are ubiquitous. For instance, oil and natural gas are used for fuel in a wide variety of vehicles, such as cars, airplanes, boats, and the like. Further, oil and natural gas are frequently used to heat homes during winter, to generate electricity, and to manufacture an astonishing array of everyday products.
In order to meet the demand for such natural resources, companies often invest significant amounts of time and money in searching for and extracting oil, natural gas, and other subterranean resources from the earth. Particularly, once a desired resource is discovered below the surface of the earth, drilling and production systems are often employed to access and extract the resource. These systems may be located onshore or offshore depending on the location of a desired resource. Further, such systems generally include a wellhead assembly through which the resource is extracted. These wellhead assemblies may include a wide variety of components, such as various casings, valves, fluid conduits, and the like, that control drilling and/or extraction operations.
In a mineral extraction system, it is desirable to have as large a “hole” as possible. That is, the larger the output from the well and the equipment allowing extraction from the well, the faster the mineral can be extracted from the well. However, equipment used during operation of the mineral extraction system, such as mandrels, tubing strings, and the associated installation and suspension equipment, occupy space in the bore of the bowl, head, or flange that receives the tubing string. To maximize output from the well, it may be desirable to use as much area of the bowl, head, or flange as possible for flow of the mineral.
Additionally, when installing mandrels, tubing strings or other equipment, it is desirable to minimize trips down the “hole,” as each trip into and out of the wellhead system to run tubing strings or other equipment adds time and cost to the setup, operation, and maintenance of the mineral extraction system. Further, some equipment often requires multiple trips “down hole” to install and/or remove the equipment.
Various features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying figures in which like characters represent like parts throughout the figures, wherein:
One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below. These described embodiments are only exemplary of the present invention. Additionally, in an effort to provide a concise description of these exemplary embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.
Certain exemplary embodiments of the present technique include a system and method that addresses one or more of the above-mentioned challenges of installing equipment in a mineral extraction system. As explained in greater detail below, the disclosed embodiments include a suspension and sealing system having a single trip deployment and retrieval tool. The tool includes an assembly having multiple independently translatable and rotatable members. The tool may include an inner tubular member and an inner sleeve. The inner tubular member is disposed inside the inner sleeve. In a first position, the inner sleeve may freely rotate around the inner tubular member. In a second position, the inner tubular member may engage protrusions of an anti-rotation ring rotation coupled to the inner sleeve, such that rotation of the inner sleeve causes rotation of the inner tubular member. An outer sleeve may be coupled to and disposed over the inner sleeve. The outer sleeve may be coupled to a hold down ring, and the inner tubular member may be coupled to a mandrel to install the hold down ring and mandrel into a wellhead assembly.
The wellhead 12 typically includes multiple components that control and regulate activities and conditions associated with the well 16. For example, the wellhead 12 generally includes bodies, valves and seals that route produced minerals from the mineral deposit 14, provide for regulating pressure in the well 16, and provide for the injection of chemicals into the well-bore 20 (down-hole). In the illustrated embodiment, the wellhead 12 includes, a tubing spool 24 (also referred to as a tubing head), a casing spool 25 (also referred to as a casing bowl), and a hanger 26 (e.g., a tubing hanger or a casing hanger). The system 10 may include other devices that are coupled to the wellhead 12, and devices that are used to assemble and control various components of the wellhead 12. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the system 10 includes a tool 28 suspended from a drill string 30. In certain embodiments, the tool 28 includes a running tool that is lowered (e.g., run) from an offshore vessel to the well 16 and/or the wellhead 12. In other embodiments, such as surface systems, the tool 28 may include a device suspended over and/or lowered into the wellhead 12 via a crane or other supporting device. After installation or retrieval of a component, such as a tubing hanger as described below, a “Christmas tree” may be installed onto the tubing spool.
A blowout preventer (BOP) 31 may also be included, either as a part of the tree 22 or as a separate device. The BOP may consist of a variety of valves, fittings and controls to prevent oil, gas, or other fluid from exiting the well in the event of an unintentional release of pressure or an overpressure condition. Further, the BOP 31 may provide fluid communication with the well 16. For example, the BOP 31 includes a bore 32. The bore 32 provides for completion and workover procedures, such as the insertion of tools (e.g., the hanger 26) into the well 16, the injection of various chemicals into the well 16 (down-hole), and the like.
The tubing spool 24 provides a base for the BOP 31. Typically, the tubing spool 24 is one of many components in a modular subsea or surface mineral extraction system 10 that is run from an offshore vessel or surface system. The tubing spool 24 includes a tubing spool bore 34. The tubing spool bore 34 connects (e.g., enables fluid communication between) the bore 32 and the well 16. Thus, the tubing spool bore 34 may provide access to the well bore 20 for various completion and worker procedures. For example, components can be run down to the wellhead 12 and disposed in the tubing spool bore 34 to seal-off the well bore 20, to inject chemicals down-hole, to suspend tools down-hole, to retrieve tools down-hole, and the like.
As will be appreciated, the well bore 20 may contain elevated pressures. For example, the well bore 20 may include pressures that exceed 10,000 pounds per square inch (PSI), that exceed 15,000 PSI, and/or that even exceed 20,000 PSI. Accordingly, mineral extraction systems 10 employ various mechanisms, such as hangers, mandrels, seals, plugs and valves, to control and regulate the well 16. For example, plugs and valves are employed to regulate the flow and pressures of fluids in various bores and channels throughout the mineral extraction system 10. For instance, the illustrated hanger 26 (e.g., tubing hanger or casing hanger) is typically disposed within the wellhead 12 to secure tubing and casing suspended in the well bore 20, and to provide a path for hydraulic control fluid, chemical injections, and the like. The hanger 26 includes a hanger bore 38 that extends through the center of the hanger 26, and that is in fluid communication with the tubing spool bore 34 and the well bore 20. Pressures in the bores 20 and 34 may manifest through the wellhead 12 if not regulated.
A mandrel 36 may be seated and locked in the tubing spool 24 (or the casing spool 25) to install and suspend a tubing string or other component, and to isolate the interior of the tubing spool 24 or casing spool 25 of the wellhead assembly 12 from pressure. Similar sealing devices may be used throughout mineral extraction systems 10 to regulate fluid pressures and flows. In some embodiments, the tubing spool 24, casing spool 25, and hanger 26 may be adapted to receive multiple mandrels 36 and tubing strings. However, as mentioned above, the limited cross-sectional area of the tubing spool 24 or casing spool 25 may increase the difficulty of installing multiple mandrels 36 or tubing strings, as well as requiring undesirable multiple trips into the wellhead assembly 12.
The inner sleeve 50 includes one or more receptacles 62 to allow securing of the outer sleeve 48, and also provides a lip 63 that abuts the outer sleeve 48 when the tool 40 is assembled. The receptacles 62 may be threaded to provide engagement with the bolts 54 or other fasteners. The outer sleeve 48 may include one or more receptacles 61 that may be threaded to provide for insertion of the bolts 54 or other fasteners. To secure the outer sleeve 48 to the inner sleeve 50, the bolts 54 or other fasteners may be inserted through the receptacles 61 of the outer sleeve 48 and into the receptacles 62 of the inner sleeve 50.
As mentioned above, the outer sleeve 48 includes one or more generally “J-shaped” protrusions 52. Similarly, the hold down ring 56 includes one or more “J-shaped” recesses 64 configured to receive the protrusions 52 of the outer sleeve 48. When assembling the tool 40, the hold down ring 56 may be engaged with the outer sleeve 48 by inserting the protrusions 52 of the outer sleeve 48 into an opening 65 of the receptacles 64 and rotating the outer sleeve 48 until the protrusions 52 fully engage the receptacles 64. The engagement between the outer sleeve 48 and the hold down ring 56 enables rotation of the outer sleeve 48 to rotate and install the hold down ring 56, as described further below.
When the tool 40 is assembled, the inner tubular member 42 is disposed in the inner sleeve 50, and may include various features to interact or engage with the inner sleeve 50. As illustrated in
As explained further below, when the tool 40 is assembled such that the inner tubular member 42 is in a first position, the tabs 68 of the inner tubular member 42 may engage the protrusions 60 such that rotation of the inner sleeve 50 causes rotation of the inner tubular member 42. In contrast, when the inner tubular member 42 is in a second position, the tabs 68 do not engage the protrusions 60 of the anti-rotation ring 58 so that the inner sleeve 50 (and the outer sleeve 48) may freely rotate around the inner tubular member 42. The inner tubular member 42 also includes a lip 70 that provides an abutment against the inner sleeve 50 when the tool 40 is assembled.
The anti-rotation ring 58 includes one or more receptacles 72 configured to receive a bolt or other fastener. For example, the receptacles 72 may be threaded to provide insertion of a bolt, screw, pin, or other suitable fastener to secure the anti-rotation ring 58 to the inner sleeve 50.
As explained further below, to secure the mandrel 36 the hold down ring 56 is installed in the wellhead assembly 12. The hold down ring 56 may be secured into the tubing spool 24 or casing spool 25 via threads 74. The hold down ring 56 secures the mandrel 36 in the tubing spool 24 to prevent axial movement of the mandrel 36 during operation of the wellhead assembly 12.
The anti-rotation ring 58 is disposed inside the outer sleeve 48, and secured to the bottom of the inner sleeve 50 via bolts 108. As described above, the protrusions 60 of the anti-rotation ring 58 extend into the second chamber 84 of the inner sleeve 50. The inner tubular member 42 is disposed inside the inner sleeve 50.
As illustrated in
In contrast to
In the “upper” position, the tabs 68 may freely move (e.g., rotate) within the first chamber 82. The protrusions 60 of the anti-rotation ring 58 remain fixed in the second chamber 84. In the “upper” position, the inner sleeve 50 and outer sleeve 48 may be freely rotated around the inner tubular member 42 while the inner tubular member 42 remains stationary. The free rotation of the inner sleeve 50 and outer sleeve 48 enables free rotation of the hold down ring 56 without affecting the threaded coupling between the inner tubular member 42 and the mandrel 36. Thus, to install the hold down ring 56, the inner sleeve 50 and outer sleeve 48 may be rotated in the angular direction generally indicated by the arrow 114, rotating the hold down ring 56 to mate the threads 74 of the hold down ring 56 with corresponding threads in the wellhead assembly 12.
After the hold down ring 56 is secured to in the wellhead assembly, the inner sleeve 50 and outer sleeve 48 may be moved in the upwardly axial direction indicated by the arrow 112, moving the inner tubular member 42 to the “lower” position. As opposed to the freely rotating “upper” position, in the “lower” position rotation of the inner sleeve 50 rotates the inner tubular member 42. The inner tubular member 42 may be rotated to disengage the inner tubular member 42 from the mandrel 36. As the inner tubular member 42 is rotated, the tool 40 may be moved in the axial direction as the threads 44 are disengaged from the interior threads 104 of the mandrel 36. After the inner tubular member 42 is disengaged from the mandrel 36, the tool 40 is free to be removed from the wellhead assembly 12.
To install the tool 40, the entire assembly of the tool 40, the hold down ring 56, and the mandrel 36 may be inserted into the wellhead assembly 12. The outer sleeve 48 and inner sleeve 50 are set such that the inner tubular member 42 is in the first position, e.g., the tabs 68 are in the first chamber 82. To thread the hold down ring 56 into the wellhead assembly, the tool 40 is rotated, such that the inner sleeve 50 and outer sleeve 48 are rotated, which in turn rotates the hold down ring 56 through engagement of the “J-shaped” protrusions 52 and recesses 64. As the tool 40 is rotated, the inner tubular member 42 does not rotate and the inner sleeve 50 and outer sleeve 48 freely rotate around the inner tubular member 42. After installation of the hold down ring 56, the tool 40 rotated such that the tabs 68 of the inner tubular member 42 rotate into alignment with the spaces 88. The tool 40 may be lifted axially, moving the tabs 68 into the second chamber 84, e.g., moving the inner tubular member 42 into the second position. The tool 40 may then be rotated to unthread the inner tubular member 42 from the mandrel 36. Because the inner tubular member 42 is in the second position, rotation of the inner sleeve 50 and outer sleeve 48 rotates the inner tubular member through engagement of the tabs 68 with the protrusions 60 of the anti-rotation ring 58.
The mandrel 36 may be coupled to a tubing string 122 that is also disposed in the tubing spool 24. In some embodiments, one or more additional mandrels 124 may be installed in the tubing spool 24. The tool 40 enables insertion of the mandrel 36 next to previously installed mandrels 124, without removal of the additional mandrels 124 and in a single trip into the wellhead assembly 12. To secure the mandrel 36 via the hold down ring 56, the tubing hanger 26 may include threads 126 configured to mate with the threads 74 of the hold down ring 56.
In
As depicted in
In
After installing the mandrel 36 and securing the hold down ring 56, the tool 40 may be removed from the wellhead assembly 12. To remove the tool from the wellhead assembly 12, the tool 40 is removed from engagement with the hold down ring 56 and then from engagement with the mandrel 36.
As shown in
The tool 40 may be moved in the axial direction indicated by arrow 132, moving the inner tubular member 42 to the “lower” position. As described in
It should be appreciated that any rotation during the installation and removal illustrated above in
As shown in
As shown in
After the hold down ring 56 is fully engaged, the tool 40 is lifted (moved axially) to move the inner member 42 from the upper position to the lower position (block 212) and enable rotation of the inner member 42. The tool 40 is rotated counterclockwise to disengage the tool 40 from the mandrel 36 (block 214) by disengaging the threads of the inner member 42 from the threads of the mandrel 36. The tool 40 is then retrieved from the wellhead assembly 12 (block 216).
While the invention may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and have been described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following appended claims.
This application claims priority to and benefit of U.S. Non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 13/130,304, entitled “Positive Locked Slim Hole Suspension and Sealing System with Single Trip Deployment and Retrievable Tool,” filed May 19, 2011, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, and which claims priority to and benefit of PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US2010/020810, entitled “Positive Locked Slim Hole Suspension and Sealing System with Single Trip Deployment and Retrievable Tool,” filed Jan. 12, 2010, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, and which claims priority to and benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/153,189, entitled “Positive Locked Slim Hole Suspension and Sealing System with Single Trip Deployment and Retrievable Tool”, filed on Feb. 17, 2009, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20140326469 A1 | Nov 2014 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61153189 | Feb 2009 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13130304 | US | |
Child | 14337052 | US |