The disclosure is directed to a top entry wireline apparatus for inserting and manipulating a wireline, along with methods of using such top entry wireline apparatus.
Top drive systems are used to rotate a drill string made up of tubulars within a wellbore. In many drilling operations, drilling operators need to lower equipment or measurement devices into the well for purposes of well intervention, reservoir evaluation and pipe recovery. In order to accomplish this, operators drop a series of electrical conduits, typically referred to as wirelines, through the top drive system and into the wellbore. The wireline provides power to equipment located at the end of the conduit and provides a pathway for electrical communication between the surface and the equipment at the end of the conduit adjacent the bottom of the wellbore.
Typically, a top entry wireline apparatus is attached to the top drive system to facilitate the entry of the wireline into the wellbore. However, stringing in the wireline from above the top drive can be dangerous if the system used is inadequate to support the weight of the wireline or if it is unable to adapt to the turns and twists of the drilling tubes as drilling operations continue.
Top entry wireline apparatuses generally consist of sheave and pulley systems. These systems are large and bulky, however, and if a component of the system breaks, the entire apparatus typically must be taken apart and repaired. Thus, the present disclosure seeks to eliminate these disadvantages by providing a unique structural arrangement for the apparatus that is compact, can be universally adapted to a variety of top drive systems, and can be repaired without disassembly of the top drive.
The present disclosure is best understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It is emphasized that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion.
It is to be understood that the following disclosure provides many different embodiments, or examples, for implementing different features of various embodiments. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. In addition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed. Moreover, the formation of a first feature over or on a second feature in the description that follows may include embodiments in which the first and second features are formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which additional features may be formed interposing the first and second features, such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact.
The present disclosure provides for an apparatus and method for inserting and manipulating a wireline into a wellbore through a top drive unit. Because of its structural arrangement, the apparatus, which in some aspects is a top entry wireline apparatus, may be arranged to accomplish its desired functions while maintaining a lower profile than conventional systems. Because of its lower profile, the top entry wireline apparatus may be introduced onto various rigs, even being compatible with rigs by different manufacturers. In some aspects, the top entry wireline apparatus employs a plurality of roller chains to achieve a low profile. The low profile may enable the top entry wireline apparatus to fit between rig components, such as, for example only, between a top drive unit and suspension components carrying the top drive unit. The plurality of roller chains guide a wireline from a location laterally spaced from a well-center to a location above the well-center, so that the wireline may run downward into the drill string. Some aspects also include a separable portion, such as an assembly door, that may enable easier feeding of the wireline into the top entry wireline apparatus than conventional systems. This may reduce set-up time, thereby decreasing overall costs. A downhole tool may be attached to the wireline.
Referring to
The pack-off body 22 when present mates with a T-shaped connector 42, which in turn mates with a flange 24 to operably couple the top entry wireline apparatus 10 to the top drive unit 18. In certain embodiments, the flange 24 is welded, clamped or threadably secured as with bolts or pins, to the T-shaped connector 42, however, one or more aspects of the present disclosure are readily adaptable to any type of connection as deemed necessary by one of ordinary skill in the art. The flange 24 may be operably coupled directly to a portion of the top drive unit 18 (
The exemplary top entry wireline apparatus 10 of
Referring now to
The first roller chain 76 and the second roller chain 78 include a plurality of roller bodies 56, which may be secured to the roller side wall 82 with a plurality of bearing pins 64.
In this embodiment, each roller includes bearings 95 and one-way seals 97. Using the pin head 98, which may also be a grease nipple, an operator may inject grease through the lubrication channel 96 and into the cavity of the roller body 56. Injected grease may be forced to flow through and lubricate the bearings 95. Additional grease may cause grease to flow out of the one-way seals 97. Accordingly, an operator may visually see grease flowing from the seal of the roller body 56 and conclude that the bearings are sufficiently lubricated. In addition, the one-way seals 97 prevent the ingress of contaminating elements, such as dirt, water, or other contaminants, into the bearings.
In certain embodiments, the first roller chain 76 includes nine of the roller bodies 56 in a j-shaped convex arcuate configuration (viewed from the bottom of
In certain embodiments, the second roller chain 78 includes eight of the roller bodies 56 in a concave arcuate configuration, with the eight of the roller bodies 56 located along the lower side of the arc. As such, the second roller chain 78 forms an arcuate shape about a point 83 located below the second roller chain 78 and below the receiving side wall 80 and the roller side wall 82. One or more aspects of the present disclosure are readily adaptable to any number of roller bodies 56, for example, about four to sixteen roller bodies, or about six to fourteen roller bodies. As shown in
In the exemplary embodiments shown, the hinged door 48 is located at the distal portion 54, e.g., at the top of a distal end, of the roller chain housing assembly 50 and is configured to secure the securement roller body 77. As can be seen, the securement roller body 77 is located distally along the arc in the first roller chain 76. The hinged door 48 includes a hinge 92 and a handle 100 to facilitate the threading of the wireline 20 into the recesses 58 of the plurality of roller bodies 56. In prior art systems using a pulley and sheave arrangement, threading the wireline onto the first pulley is a difficult and time-consuming operation. In the present disclosure, however, the handle 100 may be operated to open the hinged door 48, exposing the recess 58 distally located first roller body 56 secured to the roller side wall 82, enabling the wireline 20 to be easily fed into the recess 58. When the door is closed, the recess 58 of the securement roller body 77 that is secured to the hinged door 48 also receives the wireline 20, enabling efficient and easy threading of the wireline 20 through the entire roller chain housing assembly 50.
Referring again to
The receiving side wall 80 further includes a plurality of roller holes 88 which are operably configured to receive the bearing pins 64. As shown in
In use, an operator may feed a conduit, such as a wireline, through the top entry wireline apparatus 10 into the T-shaped connector 42, through a top drive, and into a drill string being driven by the top drive. To do this, the operator may lead the wireline from a location such as the wireline supply 12 (
The disclosure encompasses wireline apparatus having a receiving side wall comprising a plurality of first roller holes; a roller side wall comprising a plurality of second roller holes; a first roller chain comprising a first plurality of roller bodies disposed to form an arcuate shape about a point above the receiving side wall and the roller side wall, the first plurality of roller bodies being connected between the roller side wall and the receiving side wall; a second roller chain comprising a second plurality of roller bodies disposed to form an arcuate shape about a point below the receiving side wall and the roller side wall, the second plurality of roller bodies being connected between the roller side wall and the receiving side wall; and a plurality of bearing pins each supporting one of the roller bodies of the first and second pan apparatus having a proximal portion adjacent a top drive unit and a distal portion, wherein the apparatus includes a receiving side wall and a roller side wall. In some aspects, the apparatus further includes a hinged door and a securement roller body, the securement roller body being carried by the hinged door and being disposed to cooperate with the first roller chain to capture a wireline therebetween. In some aspects, the first plurality of roller bodies comprises a recess formed therein operably configured to receive and guide a wireline. In some aspects, the recess is a circumferential recess. In some aspects, the receiving side wall and the roller side wall include a proximal end and a distal end, the first roller chain being disposed at the proximal end and the second roller chain being disposed at the distal end. In some aspects, the apparatus further includes a removable pack-off assembly operably coupled to the distal end of the receiving side wall and the roller side wall. In some aspects, the apparatus further includes a turnbuckle assembly, wherein said turnbuckle assembly is operably coupled to the distal portion of the apparatus. In some aspects, the apparatus further includes a mudline clamp, wherein said mudline clamp is operably coupled to the distal end of the turnbuckle assembly and configured to attach to a mudline on a drilling rig. In some aspects, the apparatus further comprises a t-shaped connector connecting the mudline clamp to a location below the distal portion of the receiving side wall and the roller side wall. In some aspects, the apparatus is operably configured to accept a conduit. In some aspects, the conduit can be wireline, slickline, coiled tubing, fiber optic cable, electrical conduit, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the plurality of roller bodies are arranged to guide the conduit through the apparatus. In some aspects, each bearing pin of the plurality of bearing pins includes a lubrication channel. In some aspects, the lubrication channel traverses a central portion along part of the bearing pin. In some aspects, each roller of the first plurality of roller bodies comprises bearings and one-way seals. In some aspects, the one-way seals are arranged to permit passage of grease out of the respective roller body. In some aspects, the first roller chain and the second roller chain each include about four to fourteen roller bodies. In some aspects, the plurality of bearing pins are operably secured to the roller holes via a snap ring.
The present disclosure also introduces a wireline apparatus including a receiving side wall; a roller side wall; a first roller chain disposed between the receiving side wall and the roller side wall; a second roller chain disposed between the receiving side wall and the roller side wall, the first and the second roller chains together forming an S-shape for the direction of a wireline; and a securement roller body adjacent the first roller chain, the securement roller being displaceable between a first location securing a wireline between the first roller chain and the securement roller body and a second location allowing the wireline to be laterally introduced between or removed from between the first roller chain and the securement roller body. In some aspects, the apparatus further includes a hinged door, the securement roller body being carried by the hinged door between the first and second locations. In some aspects, the first roller chain further includes a first plurality of roller bodies disposed to form an arcuate shape about a point above the receiving side wall and the roller side wall. In some aspects, the second roller chain comprises a second plurality of roller bodies disposed to form an arcuate shape about a point below the receiving side wall and the roller side wall. In some aspects, the apparatus further includes a plurality of bearing pins supporting the first and second roller chains, the bearing pins being operably configured to extend through holes in the receiving side wall and the roller side wall. and the second roller chain includes about four to twelve of the plurality of the roller bodies.
The present disclosure also introduces a method including: securing a roller chain housing assembly apparatus to an upper portion of a top drive unit, wherein the apparatus is adapted to laterally guide a conduit to an aperture in the top drive unit under a first roller chain comprising a first plurality of roller bodies disposed to form an arcuate shape about a point above the first roller chain and over a second roller chain comprising a second plurality of roller bodies disposed to form an arcuate shape about a point below the second roller chain; running the conduit through the roller chain housing assembly apparatus and into the top drive unit aperture, wherein the top drive is operably coupled to a drill string; and introducing the conduit into a bore in the drill string. In some aspects, the method further includes opening a door to feed the conduit through the roller chain housing assembly apparatus and closing the door to capture the conduit against a portion of the first roller chain. In some aspects, the method further includes a securement roller on the door that is moveable with the door. In some aspects, the method further includes rotating the drill string with at least the top drive unit while the conduit is present in the drill string. In some aspects, the method further includes attaching a downhole tool to a portion of the conduit disposed in the drill string.
The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that a person of ordinary skill in the art may better understand the aspects of the present disclosure. Such features may be replaced by any one of numerous equivalent alternatives, only some of which are disclosed herein. One of ordinary skill in the art should appreciate that they may readily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/or achieving the same advantages of the embodiments introduced herein. One of ordinary skill in the art should also realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and that they may make various changes, substitutions and alterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
The Abstract at the end of this disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b) to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
Moreover, it is the express intention of the applicant not to invoke 35 U.S.C. §112(f) for any limitations of any of the claims herein, except for those in which the claim expressly uses the word “means” together with an associated function.
The present application claims priority to and the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Patent Application No. 61/846,125, titled “Top Entry Wireline Apparatus and Methods”, filed Jul. 15, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference.
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