Patent Application
20240159118
The present disclosure relates generally to drilling wellbores and, more particularly, to freeing differentially stuck pipe during wellbore drilling activities.
A significant issue in drilling a wellbore in the oil and gas industry (or other industries) is differential sticking. Differential sticking occurs when the drilling assembly is prevented from rotating or reciprocating within the wellbore. This may occur due to the formation of a thick layer of mud filter cake (alternately referred to as “mudcake”) on the walls of the wellbore. In certain applications, the drilling assembly cannot overcome the hydrostatic pressure of the mud cake. Standard procedures for freeing a drilling assembly experiencing differential sticking (also referred to as “stuck pipe”) involve using an oil-base mud as a spotting fluid, using mechanical jarring to apply a shock force, adjusting the wellbore's hydrostatic pressure, or any combination thereof.
Should the previously discussed methods fail to free the stuck pipe, the wellbore may need to be worked over in a fishing operation. Alternatively, a sidetracking operation may be required to move parallel to the original wellbore, which is undesirable. The sidetracking operation may culminate in the successful unsticking of the pipe, or may be used to bypass the stuck pipe and continue the operation below the original well. In both of these cases, the money and time required to proceed with normal drilling operation may become costly. In order to avoid this possibility, additional methods of freeing stuck pipe with higher chances of success are desired.
Various details of the present disclosure are hereinafter summarized to provide a basic understanding. This summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure and is neither intended to identify certain elements of the disclosure, nor to delineate the scope thereof. Rather, the primary purpose of this summary is to present some concepts of the disclosure in a simplified form prior to the more detailed description that is presented hereinafter.
According to an embodiment consistent with the present disclosure, a well system includes a tubing string extended within a wellbore, and a tubing string release apparatus secured to the tubing string. The tubing string release apparatus includes a first mandrel fixed to an inner wall of the tubing string and defining a telescope chamber and a first port that facilitates fluid communication into the telescope chamber, a second mandrel slidably arranged against the first mandrel and defining a second port, and a telescoping cylinder arranged within the telescope chamber and including a telescoping base releasably coupled to the tubing string at an aperture defined in the tubing string, and a telescoping piston releasably coupled to the telescoping base. The second mandrel is movable between a first position, where the first and second ports are misaligned, and a second position, where the first and second ports are aligned and fluid pressure is able to enter the telescope chamber via the first and second ports. The telescoping base is released from the tubing string and advanced radially outward through the aperture when a pressure within the tubing string is increased to a first pressure. The telescoping piston is released from the telescoping base and advanced radially outward through a central orifice defined by the telescoping base when the pressure within the tubing string is increased to a second pressure greater than the first pressure.
In another embodiment, a method includes introducing a wellbore projectile into a tubing string extended within a wellbore having a layer of mud filter cake formed on at least a portion thereof, the tubing string including a tubing string release apparatus secured thereto. The tubing string release apparatus includes a first mandrel fixed to an inner wall of the tubing string and defining a telescope chamber and a first port that facilitates fluid communication into the telescope chamber, a second mandrel slidably arranged against the first mandrel and defining a second port, a projectile seat coupled to the second mandrel at a location downhole from the second port, and a telescoping cylinder arranged within the telescope chamber and including a telescoping base releasably coupled to the tubing string at an aperture defined in the tubing string, and a telescoping piston releasably coupled to the telescoping base. The method further includes receiving the wellbore projectile at the projectile seat, increasing a pressure within the tubing string to a first pressure, and thereby moving the second mandrel from a first position, where the first and second ports are misaligned, to a second position, where the first and second ports are aligned to allow fluid pressure to enter the telescope chamber, and increasing the pressure within the tubing string to a second pressure and thereby releasing the telescoping base from the tubing string and advancing the telescoping base radially outward through the aperture and against the mud filter cake.
Any combinations of the various embodiments and implementations disclosed herein can be used in a further embodiment, consistent with the disclosure. These and other aspects and features can be appreciated from the following description of certain embodiments presented herein in accordance with the disclosure and the accompanying drawings and claims.
Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying Figures. Like elements in the various figures may be denoted by like reference numerals for consistency. Further, in the following detailed description of embodiments of the present disclosure, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments disclosed herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the description. Additionally, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the scale of the elements presented in the accompanying Figures may vary without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure generally relate to drilling wellbores and, more particularly, to freeing differentially stuck pipe during wellbore drilling activities. The embodiments described herein include a telescopic cylinder that can be activated by applying fluid pressure at surface, and thereby, physically pushing (urging) stuck pipe radially away from built up mud filter cake deposited on a wellbore wall. Once the pushing force exceeds the differential sticking force of the mud filter cake, the pipe will be released and able to move. At least one advantage to the presently disclosed embodiments is that it will reduce differential sticking force with minimized contact area of stuck pipe, e.g., by lifting the stuck pipe off from the mud filter cake a larger distance due to its telescopic feature. Thus, significant drilling cost and time can be saved, which would otherwise be expended in arduous fishing or sidetrack operations if the pipe cannot be freed. The principles described herein can be employed in multiple places along downhole tubing strings, such as in locations where differential sticking is expected, thus increasing the chances of freeing stuck pipe.
As depicted in
In order to free the tubing string 106, a large force must be applied to overcome the hydrostatic pressure generated by the mud filter cake 108. To accomplish this, the well system 100 may further include a tubing string release apparatus 112 that may be used (operated) when differential sticking of the tubing string 106 occurs. As described herein, the tubing string release apparatus 112 (hereafter “the apparatus 112”) may obviate costly fishing or sidetrack operations.
As illustrated, the apparatus 112 may be coupled to or form an integral part of the tubing string 106. While only one apparatus 112 is shown, it is contemplated herein to include two or more apparatus 112 strategically placed along the tubing string 106, such as in locations where differential sticking is expected.
The apparatus 112 may include a first or “fixed” mandrel 114 and a second or “travelling” mandrel 116 movably (e.g., slidably) arranged within at least a portion of the fixed mandrel 114. The fixed and travelling mandrels 114, 116 may be arranged within the tubing string 106.
The fixed mandrel 114 may include an elongate body 118 having a first or “uphole” end 120a, and a second or “downhole” end 120b. The fixed mandrel 114 may be coupled to an inner wall 122 of the tubing string 106 at one or both of the uphole and downhole ends 120a,b. In some embodiments, for example, the uphole end 120a may provide or include a radial shoulder 124 that extends radially outward and into contact with the inner wall 122. The radial shoulder 124 may be secured to the inner wall 122 via a variety of securing means including, but not limited to, an interference fit, one or more mechanical fasteners, welding, or any combination thereof.
A seal member 126 may be provided at or near the downhole end 120b of the fixed mandrel 114. In some embodiments, the seal member 126 may extend radially between the downhole end 120b and the inner wall 122 of the tubing string 106. The seal member 126 may comprise any structural component or device capable of providing a sealed interface between the downhole end 120b and the inner wall 122. In some embodiments, for example, the seal member 126 may comprise an elastomeric sealing element, such as an annular seal packer or the like. Alternatively, however, the seal member 126 may merely comprise an annular structural component that facilitates a sealed and secure interface.
In some embodiments, the fixed mandrel 114, including the elongate body 118, the radial shoulder 124, and the seal member 126, may be separate and distinct from the tubing string 106 and coupled thereto. Alternatively, the fixed mandrel 114 may form an integral part of the inner wall 122 of the tubing string 106, without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
The combination of the elongate body 118, the radial shoulder 124, and the seal member 126 may cooperatively define a telescope chamber 128. The telescope chamber 128 may be substantially sealed when the travelling mandrel 116 is in a first position, as shown in
The travelling mandrel 116 may slidably abut the fixed mandrel 114 and is generally movable against an opposing inner surface of the elongate body 118. The travelling mandrel 116 may be releasably attached to the fixed mandrel 114 at a mandrel shearable member 132. In at least one embodiment, the mandrel shearable member 132 may be received within (secured to) a bracket 134 operatively coupled to the downhole end 120b of the fixed mandrel 114.
The travelling mandrel 116 may also be spring-loaded against the fixed mandrel 114. More specifically, in some embodiments the apparatus 112 may include a compression spring 136 arranged within a chamber 138 defined between the fixed mandrel 114 and the travelling mandrel 116. Within the chamber 138, the compression spring 136 may bias against the bracket 134 at a lower or downhole end, and against an upper shoulder defined by the travelling mandrel 116. The compression spring 136 may naturally bias the travelling mandrel to the first position. As the travelling mandrel 116 moves between the first and second positions, as described in more detail below, the compression spring 136 will be compressed. Moreover, moving the travelling mandrel 116 to the second position may radially align the first port 130a with a second port 130b defined in the travelling mandrel 116, and when the first and second ports 130a,b are aligned, the telescope chamber 128 will be placed in fluid communication with the interior the tubing string 106.
Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that while the illustrated embodiment utilizes a compression spring 136, any deforming mechanism which provides initial resistance while ultimately allowing travel with increased force, such as an elastic material or a brittle material, may be used in place of the compression spring 136 without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Accordingly, the compression spring 135 may be replaced with any type of biasing member or device, such as a series of Belleville washers or the like.
The apparatus 112 may further include a projectile seat 140, which may be constructed from a plastically deforming or shearable material. More specifically, the projectile seat 140 may be provided or otherwise defined at the lower end of the travelling mandrel 116. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the projectile seat 140 is not limited in its placement to the bottom of the travelling mandrel 116, rather the projectile seat 140 may be located at any location along the travelling mandrel 116 downhole from the second port 130b. As illustrated, the projectile seat 140 may include and inwardly projecting bottom section configured to receive and sealingly engage a wellbore projectile 142 which may be dropped, or otherwise released, down the length of the tubing string 106 in order to activate the apparatus 112. In some embodiments, the wellbore projectile 142 may comprise a spherical ball, as illustrated, but in other embodiments, the wellbore projectile 142 may comprise a wellbore dart or any downhole projectile having any polyhedral shape which may travel the length of the tubing string 106 and properly mate with the projectile seat 140. Once the wellbore projectile 142 is properly mated with the projectile seat 140, fluid pressure within the tubing string 106 may be increased uphole from the wellbore projectile 142 to build pressure within the tubing string 106 to actuate the apparatus 112.
The apparatus 112 further includes one or more telescoping cylinders 144 arranged within the telescope chamber 128. In the illustrated embodiment, the apparatus 112 includes two telescoping cylinders 144 angularly opposite each other about the circumference of the tubing string 106. While only two telescoping cylinders 144 are depicted in
Each telescoping cylinder 144 may be arranged within and otherwise mated with a corresponding aperture 146 defined in the tubing string 106. Moreover, each telescoping cylinder 144 may include a telescoping base 148 sized and otherwise configured to be received within and fit through the corresponding aperture 146 of the tubing string 106. The telescoping base 148 may be releasably secured to the tubing string 106 at the corresponding aperture 146 using one or more shearable members 150, such as a shear pin, a shear screw, etc. Moreover, one or more seals 152 may be arranged at the interface between the telescoping base 148 and the corresponding aperture 146. The seals 152 may comprise O-rings or the like, and may be configured to generate a sealed interface at the location.
As described in more detail below, once the shearable members 150 are sheared or otherwise broken, the telescoping cylinder 144 may be able to telescope (move) radially outward and through the corresponding aperture 146. During this radially outward movement, the seals 152 may maintain the sealed interface between the telescoping cylinder 144 and the aperture 146. The telescoping base 148 may additionally include or define an enlarged base portion 154 having a diameter greater than the corresponding aperture 146. As a result, as the telescoping base 148 proceeds to protrude through the corresponding aperture 146, the enlarged base portion 154 will eventually engage the inner wall 122 and prevent further radial outward movement of the telescoping base 148.
Each telescoping cylinder 144 may further include a telescoping piston 156 releasably secured to the telescoping base 148 at one or more shearable members 158, such as a shear pin, a shear screw, etc. The telescoping base 148 may define a central orifice 160, and the telescoping piston 156 may be sized to be received within the central orifice 160. Further, one or more seals 162 may be arranged at the interface between the telescoping piston 156 and the central orifice 160. Similar to the seals 152, the seals 162 may comprise, for example, an O ring or the like, and may be configured to generate a sealed interface at the location.
Once the shearable members 158 are sheared or otherwise broken, the telescoping piston 156 may be able to telescope (move) radially outward and through the central orifice 160. During this radially outward movement, the seals 162 may maintain a sealed interface between the telescoping piston 156 and the central orifice 160. Moreover, as illustrated, the telescoping piston 156 may define or otherwise include an enlarged base portion 164 having a diameter greater than the central orifice 160. As a result, when the telescoping piston 156 advances radially through the corresponding central orifice 160, the enlarged base portion 164 may be configured to engage a radially protruding member 166 provided by the telescoping base 148, and thereby prevent further radial outward movement of the telescoping piston 156.
Example operation of the apparatus 112 in the well system 100 will now be provided with reference to
As shown in
Transitioning the travelling mandrel 116 to the second position enables the alignment of the first port 130a and the second port 130b. With the first and second ports 130a,b axially aligned, fluids and fluid pressure 202 within the interior of the tubing string 106 can enter (propagate into) the telescope chamber 128 via the aligned first and second ports 130a,b and thereby act on the telescoping cylinders 144.
In
In some embodiments, the fluid pressure 202 may be increased to a second pressure greater than the first pressure and otherwise sufficient to shear the shearable members 150, and thereby allow the telescoping base 148 to break free from the tubing string 106 and radially advance through the aperture 146. In other embodiments, however, the first pressure may be sufficient to shear both the mandrel shearable member(s) 132 and the shearable members 150. In such embodiments, the fluid pressure 202 need only be increased to the first pressure to move the travelling mandrel 116 to the second position and to actuate the telescoping base 148 to the intermediate position.
Further, the protruding portion of the telescoping base 148 may sealingly engage the seals 152 to maintain a sealed interface. In this way, if the fluid pressure 202 creates a greater force than the differential sticking force of the mud filter cake 108, a gap 302 may form between the exterior wall of the tubing string 106 and the mud filter cake 108 on the inner wall 110 of the wellbore 102. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, however, that the applied force may not overcome the differential sticking force of the mud filter cake 108, such that the protruding portion of the telescoping base 148 may enter (extend into) the mud filter cake 108 a short distance without shifting the tubing string 106 itself. In such a scenario, the fluid pressure applied within the tubing string 106 may be further increased to continue the process of expanding (actuating) the telescoping cylinder 144, as discussed below.
In some embodiments, the motion of the telescoping cylinder 144 to the intermediate position may be sufficient for the unsticking of the tubing string 106, such that no further action may be required. However, in some embodiments, the apparatus 112 may need to be actuated further to unstick the tubing string 106.
In
To transition the telescoping cylinders 144 to the extended position, the fluid pressure 202 may be increased to a third pressure greater than the second pressure (or greater than the first pressure, if the first pressure is sufficient to shear both the mandrel shearable member(s) 132 and the shearable members 150). The third pressure (or the second pressure) may be sufficient to shear the shearable members 158 securing the telescoping piston 156 to the telescoping base 148. Once the shearable members 158 are sheared, the telescoping piston 156 may move radially outward and through the central orifice 160. The telescoping piston 156 may continue to move radially outward until the enlarged base portion 164 abuts (engages) the radially protruding member 166, and thus prevents further radial travel. As the telescoping piston 156 extends through the central orifice, the seals 162 maintain a sealed interface between the two structures.
In some embodiments, the telescoping piston 156 may be defined by a surface diameter ranging from about one inch to about two inches. With respect to the various shearable members (132, 150, 158) discussed herein, those having skill in the art will appreciate that each shearable member 132, 150, 158 may be rated to withstand a specific shearing force, such that the successive telescoping may occur as fluid pressure 202 is progressively increased. As the telescoping piston 156 extends radially outward and towards the mud
filter cake 108, the gap 302 may increase in size, such that the majority of the inner wall 122 of the tubing string 106 may be separated from the mud filter cake 108. In the case previously discussed, in which the gap 302 is not generated with the partial extension of the telescoping cylinder 144, the full motion of the telescoping piston 156 of the telescoping cylinder 144 may be sufficient to create the gap 302. Once the gap 302 is generated, the rotation or reciprocation of the tubing string 106 may be further attempted. With the surface area in contact with the mud filter cake 108 reduced to the surface of the telescoping piston of the telescoping cylinder 144, the rotation or reciprocation may be sufficient for the unsticking of the tubing string 106.
It should be noted that the rotation or reciprocation after actuation of the telescoping cylinder 144 to the extended position may be combined with traditional unsticking techniques, such as the application of spotting fluid. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that, while only two telescoping actions are shown in the illustrated embodiment, any number of telescoping actions may be present within the telescoping cylinder 144 without departing from the scope of this disclosure. However, in the case in which the telescoping pistons 156 and the telescoping cylinders 144 fail to separate the tubing string 106 from the mud filter cake 108, further actions may be taken to continue the separation attempt.
In
After the telescoping piston is fully extended, the tubing string may be rotated or reciprocated in an attempt to fully free from the mud filter cake, as at 612. It should be noted that the rotation or reciprocation of the tubing string may be combined with traditional unsticking techniques, such as the application of spotting fluid, without departing from the scope of this disclosure. If the previous method steps are sufficient for freeing the tubing string from the mud filter cake, the method may conclude with this rotation or reciprocation. However, if the extension of the telescoping piston fails to fully unstick the tubing string, the method may optionally advance by increasing the fluid pressure further such that the wellbore projectile is extruded from (through) the projectile seat, as at 620. In this case, the projectile seat may plastically deform or shear such that the wellbore projectile may continue downhole within the tubing string to another telescoping apparatus, which may be similar to the original telescoping apparatus or differently sized and oriented. At this point, the method 600 may continue with the seating of the wellbore projectile at a second or subsequent telescoping apparatus, as at 604.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, for example, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “contains”, “containing”, “includes”, “including,” “comprises”, and/or “comprising,” and variations thereof, when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Terms of orientation are used herein merely for purposes of convention and referencing and are not to be construed as limiting. However, it is recognized these terms could be used with reference to an operator or user. Accordingly, no limitations are implied or to be inferred. In addition, the use of ordinal numbers (e.g., first, second, third, etc.) is for distinction and not counting. For example, the use of “third” does not imply there must be a corresponding “first” or “second.” Also, if used herein, the terms “coupled” or “coupled to” or “connected” or “connected to” or “attached” or “attached to” may indicate establishing either a direct or indirect connection, and is not limited to either unless expressly referenced as such.
While the disclosure has described several exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes can be made, and equivalents can be substituted for elements thereof, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications will be appreciated by those skilled in the art to adapt a particular instrument, situation, or material to embodiments of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, or to the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, reference in the appended claims to an apparatus or system or a component of an apparatus or system being adapted to, arranged to, capable of, configured to, enabled to, operable to, or operative to perform a particular function encompasses that apparatus, system, or component, whether or not it or that particular function is activated, turned on, or unlocked, as long as that apparatus, system, or component is so adapted, arranged, capable, configured, enabled, operable, or operative.
