The field of the invention is a method of expansion of tubulars downhole and more particularly expanding one tubular into contact with an existing tubular where the added tubular is expanded into a supporting position by advancing a swage through the new tubular by moving it downhole using pressure from the surface.
Monobore applications using expansion have integrated cementing through a shoe while covering a recess at the end of an existing string with a removable cover that comes off after cementing. A string with a swage is placed in position and the swage is energized to grow in diameter before being advanced through the newly added tubular until the swage exits the top of the added tubular to fixate it into the recess at the lower end of the existing tubular. The result is a monobore well. These designs have also disclosed a deployable shoe that can be delivered with the string prior to expansion and then tagged and retained as a swage moves through the string only to be reintroduced into the expanded string and sealingly fixated to it for the cementing operation. Examples of one or more of these method steps are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,730,955; 7,708,060; 7,552,772; 7,458,422; 7,380,604; 7,370,699; 7,255,176 and 7,240,731. Other patents relating to expansion by moving a cone uphole from within a bell at a lower end of a liner to be supported to a recess in existing tubing and creating a monobore as well as expansion of tubulars downhole are as follows:
Particularly noteworthy with regard to the present invention is U.S. Pat. No. 7,121,351, which uses a seal to drive a swage up from below to expand a tubular.
Methods that mechanically advance a swage through a tubular require the rig equipment to not only support the weight of the string to be expanded but also to be able to handle the applied force to the swage to advance it through the tubular to enlarge the diameter. The present invention reduces the surface equipment capacities needed to perform an expansion to create, for example, a monobore. The method features a top down expansion using a plurality of adjustable swages that get built at different times and that are driven from applied annulus pressure delivered around a workstring. The tubular to be expanded is placed in an overlapping position with an existing tubular. The swage assembly is pushed on a guide extending from the running string by virtue of a cup seal around the running string and another peripheral seal on the top of the liner to be expanded to prevent pressure bypassing as the swage assembly is run into the liner string to support the liner without sealing it. A further swage is built to a larger diameter than the first expansion in the liner at a location below the support point to the existing liner and the balance of the liner is expanded to bottom while engaging the cement shoe as the swage assembly leaves the lower end of the now expanded liner. The shoe is repositioned and set at the lower end of the expanded liner and a cement job follows with a subsequent circulating out of excess cement. The swage assembly is pulled through the liner and another swage is built before it is pushed down through the liner top to set the seal of the liner hanger or optionally to go though past the slips of the liner hanger to create a constant drift though the expanded liner top. The assembly is removed to create a monobore with a recessed liner shoe for a future monobore installation.
The method of the present invention uses running string and liner peripheral seals to move a swage assembly for gaining liner support. It continues in that mode with building another swage after support of the liner in the existing tubular. In the same trip the shoe is secured and the liner cemented followed by engaging the seal of the liner hanger with manipulation of the running string. These features along with others that are explained in detail in the discussion of the preferred embodiment and the associated drawings will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from a review of those sections, while recognizing that the full scope of the invention is to be found in the appended claims.
The tubular string to be expanded is run in on a running string. The swage assembly has a seal from the running string to the existing tubular and the top of the tubular string to be expanded also has a seal against the exiting tubular. Annulus pressure around the running string drives the swage assembly to support the expanded tubular to the exiting tubular and to continue expansion to the end of the tubular. Cementing then takes place followed by reconfiguring the swage assembly to engage the liner hanger seal with the result being a monobore connection with recessed shoe in a single trip including the cementing.
a shows the swage assembly in its various operating modes;
In
a shows the various positions of the swage assembly 20 with the first view showing all three swage segment rings 22, 24 and 26 in the unbuilt position for run in, followed by building ring 22 for setting the slips 32, followed by building the swage 24 for expanding the bell 36 for the balance of the downhole directed expansion followed by relaxing swages 22 and 24 and building swage 26 to expand the hanger seal 34 into the bell 12. After that the swage 26 is collapsed and the swage assembly 20 and the mandrel 28 are pulled out with the running string 14.
In
In
In
What follows is picking up the cement shoe 60 into the liner 18 and setting its seal and grip assembly 64 as shown in
After the cementing is complete, the running tool 56 is picked up from the receptacle 62 as shown in
As shown in
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that reference to a liner 18 is intended to include other tubular strings that are initially circular in shape or folded in any way and can include casing or liner or slotted liner or other types of tubular strings and be within the scope of the invention. The method of the present invention guides the swage assembly while driving it with annulus pressure from the surface so that the liner 18 finds initial support. The liner is then released from the running string 14 and the balance of the liner is expanded with pressure onto seal 28 which preferably is a cup seal although other seal arrangements are contemplated. Seal 30 which can be another cup seal or some other type of seal is used to seal off around the top of the liner 18 for the time that its seal 34 is not energized. The conclusion of the expansion to the lower end sees the grabbing of the shoe 60 to allow the swage assembly 20 to exit the liner 18 followed by replacement of the shoe 60 back into the liner 18 so that it can be reset in the liner and the pressure tightness of that connection tested before cementing can begin. After cementing the swage assembly 20 is collapsed and brought through the liner 18 so that the swage ring 26 can be built and driven down with fluid pressure onto seal 28 until the seal 34 is set with further expansion of the top of the liner 18. The running string is pulled and what results is a monobore connection. The cement shoe 60 can then be drilled out as the well is drilled deeper and the method is repeated.
While constructing a monobore is preferred, the method can be used to hang tubular strings that do not result in a monobore.
The above description is illustrative of the preferred embodiment and many modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention whose scope is to be determined from the literal and equivalent scope of the claims below.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
6328113 | Cook | Dec 2001 | B1 |
6557640 | Cook et al. | May 2003 | B1 |
6561227 | Cook et al. | May 2003 | B2 |
6568471 | Cook et al. | May 2003 | B1 |
6575240 | Cook et al. | Jun 2003 | B1 |
6604763 | Cook et al. | Aug 2003 | B1 |
6631759 | Cook et al. | Oct 2003 | B2 |
6631760 | Cook et al. | Oct 2003 | B2 |
6631769 | Cook et al. | Oct 2003 | B2 |
6684947 | Cook et al. | Feb 2004 | B2 |
6705395 | Cook et al. | Mar 2004 | B2 |
6712154 | Cook et al. | Mar 2004 | B2 |
6725919 | Cook et al. | Apr 2004 | B2 |
6739392 | Cook et al. | May 2004 | B2 |
6745845 | Cook et al. | Jun 2004 | B2 |
6758278 | Cook et al. | Jul 2004 | B2 |
6823937 | Cook et al. | Nov 2004 | B1 |
6843322 | Burnter | Jan 2005 | B2 |
6857473 | Cook et al. | Feb 2005 | B2 |
6892819 | Cook et al. | May 2005 | B2 |
6966370 | Cook et al. | Nov 2005 | B2 |
6968618 | Cook et al. | Nov 2005 | B2 |
6976541 | Brisco et al. | Dec 2005 | B2 |
7021390 | Cook et al. | Apr 2006 | B2 |
7036582 | Cook et al. | May 2006 | B2 |
7040396 | Cook et al. | May 2006 | B2 |
7044218 | Cook et al. | May 2006 | B2 |
7044221 | Cook et al. | May 2006 | B2 |
7048067 | Cook et al. | May 2006 | B1 |
7055608 | Cook et al. | Jun 2006 | B2 |
7063142 | Cook et al. | Jun 2006 | B2 |
7077211 | Cook et al. | Jul 2006 | B2 |
7077213 | Cook et al. | Jul 2006 | B2 |
7100684 | Cook et al. | Sep 2006 | B2 |
7100685 | Cook et al. | Sep 2006 | B2 |
7108061 | Cook et al. | Sep 2006 | B2 |
7108072 | Cook et al. | Sep 2006 | B2 |
7121337 | Cook et al. | Oct 2006 | B2 |
7121352 | Cook et al. | Oct 2006 | B2 |
7146702 | Cook et al. | Dec 2006 | B2 |
7147053 | Cook et al. | Dec 2006 | B2 |
7159665 | Cook et al. | Jan 2007 | B2 |
7159667 | Cook et al. | Jan 2007 | B2 |
7168499 | Cook et al. | Jan 2007 | B2 |
7172019 | Cook et al. | Feb 2007 | B2 |
7172021 | Brisco et al. | Feb 2007 | B2 |
7172024 | Cook et al. | Feb 2007 | B2 |
7174964 | Cook et al. | Feb 2007 | B2 |
7185710 | Cook et al. | Mar 2007 | B2 |
7195061 | Cook et al. | Mar 2007 | B2 |
7195064 | Cook et al. | Mar 2007 | B2 |
7198100 | Cook et al. | Apr 2007 | B2 |
7201223 | Cook et al. | Apr 2007 | B2 |
7204007 | Cook et al. | Apr 2007 | B2 |
7216701 | Cook et al. | May 2007 | B2 |
7231985 | Cook et al. | Jun 2007 | B2 |
7234531 | Kendziora et al. | Jun 2007 | B2 |
7240728 | Cook et al. | Jul 2007 | B2 |
7240729 | Cook et al. | Jul 2007 | B2 |
7240731 | Carmody et al. | Jul 2007 | B2 |
7246667 | Cook et al. | Jul 2007 | B2 |
7255176 | Adam et al. | Aug 2007 | B2 |
7258168 | Cook et al. | Aug 2007 | B2 |
7270188 | Cook et al. | Sep 2007 | B2 |
7290616 | Cook et al. | Nov 2007 | B2 |
7299881 | Cook et al. | Nov 2007 | B2 |
7308755 | Cook et al. | Dec 2007 | B2 |
7325602 | Cook et al. | Feb 2008 | B2 |
7350564 | Cook et al. | Apr 2008 | B2 |
7357188 | Cook et al. | Apr 2008 | B1 |
7357190 | Cook et al. | Apr 2008 | B2 |
7363691 | Cook et al. | Apr 2008 | B2 |
7370699 | Adam et al. | May 2008 | B2 |
7380604 | Adam et al. | Jun 2008 | B2 |
7086475 | Cook | Aug 2008 | B2 |
7410000 | Cook et al. | Aug 2008 | B2 |
7416027 | Ring et al. | Aug 2008 | B2 |
7419009 | Cook et al. | Sep 2008 | B2 |
7434618 | Cook et al. | Oct 2008 | B2 |
7438132 | Cook et al. | Oct 2008 | B2 |
7458422 | Adam et al. | Dec 2008 | B2 |
7516790 | Cook et al. | Apr 2009 | B2 |
7546881 | Lloyd et al. | Jun 2009 | B2 |
7552772 | Carmody et al. | Jun 2009 | B2 |
7556092 | Cook et al. | Jul 2009 | B2 |
7603758 | Cook et al. | Oct 2009 | B2 |
7665532 | Cook et al. | Feb 2010 | B2 |
7708060 | Adam et al. | May 2010 | B2 |
7730955 | Farquhar et al. | Jun 2010 | B2 |
7740076 | Costa et al. | Jun 2010 | B2 |
8225878 | Adam et al. | Jul 2012 | B2 |
20080156499 | Giroux et al. | Jul 2008 | A1 |
20090266560 | Ring et al. | Oct 2009 | A1 |
20100206587 | Adam et al. | Aug 2010 | A1 |
Entry |
---|
Nowlin, Jr., W.D., et al., “Overview of Classes of Currents in deep water region of the Gulf of Mexico”, OTC 12991, Apr. 2001, 1-7. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20120085549 A1 | Apr 2012 | US |