The present application incorporates by reference in their entireties U.S. application Ser. No. 12/575,024, entitled System and Methods Using Fiber Optics in Coiled Tubing, filed Oct. 7, 2009, and U.S. application Ser. No. 11/135,314 of the same title, filed on May 23, 2005. Also, incorporated herein by reference in their its entirety is the Provisional Parent of the same title under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), App. Ser. No. 60/575,327, filed on May 28, 2004.
Embodiments described relate to tools and techniques for delivering treatment fluids to downhole well locations. In particular, embodiments of tools and techniques are described for delivering treatment fluids to downhole locations of low pressure bottom hole wells. The tools and techniques are directed at achieving a degree of precision with respect to treatment fluid delivery to such downhole locations.
Exploring, drilling and completing hydrocarbon and other wells are generally complicated, time consuming, and ultimately very expensive endeavors. As a result, over the years, a tremendous amount of added emphasis has been placed on monitoring and maintaining wells throughout their productive lives. Well monitoring and maintenance may be directed at maximizing production as well as extending well life. In the case of well monitoring, logging and other applications may be utilized which provide temperature, pressure and other production related information. In the case of well maintenance, a host of interventional applications may come into play. For example, perforations may be induced in the wall of the well, regions of the well closed off, debris or tools and equipment removed that have become stuck downhole, etc. Additionally, in some cases, locations in the well may be enhanced, repaired or otherwise treated by the introduction of downhole treatment fluids such as those containing acid jetting constituents, flowback control fibers and others.
With respect to the delivery of downhole treatment fluid, several thousand feet of coiled tubing may be advanced through the well until a treatment location is reached. In man cases a variety of treatment locations may be present in the well, for example, where the well is of multilateral architecture. Regardless, the advancement of the coiled tubing to any of the treatment locations is achieved by appropriate positioning of a coiled tubing reel near the well, for example with a coiled tubing truck and delivery equipment. The coiled tubing may then be driven to the treatment location.
Once positioned for treatment, a valve assembly at the end of the coiled tubing may be opened and the appropriate treatment fluid delivered. For example, the coiled tubing may be employed to locate and advance to within a given lateral leg of the well for treatment therein. As such, a ball, dart, or other projectile may be dropped within the coiled tubing for ballistic actuation and opening of the valve at the end of the coiled tubing. Thus, the treatment fluid may be delivered to the desired location as indicated. So, by way of example, an acid jetting clean-out application may take place within the targeted location of the lateral leg.
Unfortunately, once a treatment application through a valve assembly is actuated as noted above, the entire coiled tubing has to be removed from the well to perform a subsequent treatment through the assembly. That is, as a practical matter, in order to re-close the valve until the next treatment location is reached for a subsequent application, the valve should be manually accessible. In other words, such treatments are generally ‘single-shot’ in nature. For example, once a ball is dropped to force open a sleeve or other port actuating feature, the port will remain open until the ball is manually removed and the sleeve re-closed.
As a result of having to manually access the valve assembly between downhole coiled tubing treatments, a tremendous amount of delay and expense are added to operations wherever multiple coiled tubing treatments are sought. This may be particularly the case where treatments within multilaterals are sought. For example, an acid jetting treatment directed at 3-4 different legs of a multilateral well may involve 6-8 different trips into and out of the well in order to service each leg. That is, a trip in, a valve actuation and clean-out, and a trip out for manual resetting of the valve for each treatment. Given the depths involved, this may add days of delay and tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost time before complete acid treatment and clean-out to each leg is achieved.
A variety of efforts have been undertaken to address the costly well trip redundancy involved in coiled tubing fluid treatments as noted above. For example, balls or other projectiles utilized for valve actuation may be constructed of degradable materials. Thus, in theory, the ball may serve to temporarily provide valve actuation, thereby obviating the need to remove the coiled tubing in order to reset or re-close the valve. Unfortunately, this involves reliance on a largely unpredictable and uncontrollable rate of degradation. As such, tight controls over the delivery of the treatment fluids or precisely when the coiled tubing might be moved to the next treatment location are foregone.
As an alternative to ball-drop type of actuations, a valve assembly may be utilized which is actuated at given pre-determined flow rates. So, for example, when more than 1 barrel per minute (BPM) is driven through the coiled tubing, the valve may be opened. Of course, this narrows the range of flow rate which may be utilized for the given treatment application and reduces the number of flow rates left available for other applications. In a more specific example, this limits the range of flow available for acid jetting at the treatment location and also reduces flow options available for utilizing flow driven coiled tubing tools, as may be the case for milling, mud motors, or locating tools. Thus, as a practical matter, operators are generally left with the more viable but costly manual retrieval between each treatment.
A reversible valve assembly is disclosed for coiled tubing deployment into a well from an oilfield surface. The assembly includes a valve disposed within a channel of the assembly for reversibly regulating flow therethrough. A communication mechanism, such as a fiber optic line may be included for governing the regulating of the flow. The valve itself may be of a sleeve, ball and/or adjustable orifice configuration. Further, the valve may be the first of multiple valves governing different passages. Once more, in one embodiment first and second valves may be configured to alternatingly open their respective passages based on input from the communication mechanism.
Embodiments are described with reference to certain downhole applications. For example, in the embodiments depicted herein, downhole cleanout and fiber delivery applications are depicted in detail via coiled tubing delivery. However, a variety of other application types may employ embodiments of a reversible coiled tubing valve assembly for a variety of different types of treatment fluids as described herein. Regardless, the valve assembly embodiments include the unique capacity to regulate fluid pressure and/or delivery for a given downhole application while also being adjustable or reversible for a subsequent application without the need for surface retrieval and manipulation.
Referring now to
A ‘universal’ valve assembly 100, so to speak, with reversibility, may be employed to reduce trips into and out of a well 380 for fluid based treatments as indicated above. This capacity also lends to easier reverse circulation, that is, flowing fluids into and out of the well 380. Further, this capacity also allows for utilizing the valve assembly 100 as a backpressure or check valve as needed. Once more, given that the valve assembly 100 operates independent of fluid flow, flow rates through the equipment 101 may be driven as high or as low as needed without being limited by the presence of the assembly 100.
Telemetry for such communications and/or control as noted above may be supplied through fiber optic components as detailed in either of application Ser. No. 12/575,024 or 11/135,314, both entitled System and Methods Using Fiber Optics in Coiled Tubing and incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. However, other forms of low profile coiled tubing compatible telemetry may also be employed. For example, encapsulated electrically conductive line of less than about 0.2 inches in outer diameter may be utilized to provide communications between the valve assembly 100 and surface equipment.
Regardless, the particular mode of telemetry, the power supply for valve assembly 100 maneuvers may be provided through a dedicated downhole source, which addresses any concerns over the inability to transport adequate power over a low profile electrically conductive line and/or fiber optic components. More specifically, in the embodiment shown, an electronics and power housing 120 is shown coupled to the coiled tubing 110. This housing 120 may accommodate a lithium ion battery or other suitable power source for the valve assembly 100 and any other lower power downhole tools. Electronics for certain downhole computations may also be found in the housing 120, along with any communicative interfacing between telemetry and downhole tools, as detailed further below.
The coiled tubing 110 of
Continuing with reference to
Referring now to
However, depending on the application stage undertaken via the assembly, these valves 225, 250 may be in different positions. For example, as depicted in
Continuing with reference to
At the housing 120, the line 275 may also be provided with interfaced coupling to the above noted telemetry (of a fiber optic or low profile electrical line). Indeed, in this manner, real-time valve manipulations or adjustment may be directed from an oilfield surface 301, such as by a control unit 315. As a result, the entire coiled tubing equipment 101 may be left downhole during and between different fluid flow applications without the need for assembly 100 removal in order to manipulate or adjust valve positions.
In one embodiment, the assembly 100 may be equipped to provide valve operational feedback to surface over the noted telemetry. For example, the assembly 100 may be outfitted with a solenoid such as that noted above, which is also linked to the communication line 275 to provide pressure monitoring capacity, thereby indicative of valve function.
It is worth noting that each valve 225, 250 may be independently operated. So, for example, in contrast to
With specific reference to
Continuing with reference to
In the embodiment shown, the surface equipment 300 also includes a valve and pressure regulating assembly, often referred to as a ‘Christmas Tree’ 355, through which the coiled tubing 110 may controllably be run. A rig 335 for supportably aligning the injector 345 over the Christmas Tree 355 and well head 365 is also provided. Indeed, the rig 335 may accommodate a host of other tools depending on the nature of operations.
Referring now to
With specific reference to
With knowledge of gained access to the lateral leg 391 provided to the operator, subsequent applications may be undertaken therein as detailed below. Additionally, it is worth noting that fluid flow through the coiled tubing 110, the regulator 130, the extension 140 and the arm 150 is unimpeded by the intervening presence of the valve assembly 100. That is, to the extent that such flow is needed to avoid collapse of the coiled tubing 110, to allow for adequate propagation of the pressure pulse signal 400, or for any other reason, the assembly 100 may be rendered inconsequential. As detailed above, this is due to the fact that any valves 225, 250 of the assembly 100 are operable independent of the flow through the equipment 101.
Continuing now with reference to
With added reference to
Referring now to
Regardless, in order to switch from the cleanout application of
Referring now to
Embodiments described hereinabove include assemblies and techniques that avoid the need for removal of coiled tubing equipment from a well in order to adjust treatment valve settings. Further, valves of the equipment may be employed or adjusted downhole without reliance on the use of any particular flow rates through the coiled tubing. As a result, trips in the well, as well as overall operation expenses may be substantially reduced where various fluid treatment applications are involved.
The preceding description has been presented with reference to the disclosed embodiments. Persons skilled in the art and technology to which these embodiments pertain will appreciate that alterations and changes in the described structures and methods of operation may be practiced without meaningfully departing from the principle, and scope of these embodiments. For example, embodiments depicted herein focus on particular cleanout applications and fiber delivery. However, embodiments of tools and techniques as detailed herein may be employed for alternative applications such as cement placement. Additionally, alternative types of circulation may be employed or additional tools such as isolation packers, multicycle circulation valves. Regardless, the foregoing description should not be read as pertaining to the precise structures described and shown in the accompanying drawings, but rather should be read as consistent with and as support for the following claims, which are to have their fullest and fairest scope.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20130025878 A1 | Jan 2013 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60575327 | May 2004 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11135314 | May 2005 | US |
Child | 12575024 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12575024 | Oct 2009 | US |
Child | 13645963 | US |