Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein generally relate to downhole tools for well operations, and more specifically, to a disposable setting tool used in a well for actuating one or more auxiliary tools.
During well exploration, various tools are lowered into the well and placed at desired positions for plugging, perforating, or drilling the well. These tools are placed inside the well with the help of a conduit, as a wireline, electric line, continuous coiled tubing, threaded work string, etc. However, some of these tools need to be activated or set in place. The force needed to activate such a tool is large, for example, in excess of 15,000 lbs. Such a large force cannot be supplied by the conduit noted above.
A setting tool is commonly used in the industry to activate the tools noted above. Such a setting tool is typically activated by an explosive charge that causes a first piston to be driven inside the setting tool. The movement of the first piston is transmitted to a second piston, by use of an oil located between the two pistons. The movement of the second piston activates the various tools. A traditional setting tool 100 is shown in
A mandrel 110 is connected to a housing of the pressure chamber 104 and this cylinder fluidly communicates with the pressure chamber. Thus, when the power charge 106 is ignited, the large pressure generated inside the pressure chamber 104 is guided into the mandrel 110. A floating piston 112, which is located inside the mandrel 110, is pushed by the pressure formed in the pressure chamber 104 to the right in the figure. Oil 114 stored in a first chamber 115 of the mandrel 110, is pushed through a connector 116, formed in a block 118, which is located inside the mandrel 110, to a second chamber 120. Another piston 122 is located in the second chamber 120 and under the pressure exerted by the oil 114, the piston 122 and a piston rod 124 exert a large force on a crosslink 126. Crosslink 126 can move relative to the mandrel 110 and has a setting mandrel 128 for setting a desired tool (which was discussed above). Note that mandrel 110 has the end 130 sealed with a cylinder head 132 that allows the piston rod 124 to move back and forth without being affected by the wellbore/formation pressure.
After the setting tool has been set, it needs to be raised to the surface and be reset for another use. Because the burning of the power charge 106 has created a large pressure inside the pressure chamber 104, this pressure needs to be relieved, the pressure chamber needs to be cleaned from the residual explosive and ashes, and the pistons and the oil (hydraulic fluids) need to be returned to their initial positions.
Relieving the high pressure formed in the pressure chamber 104 is not only dangerous to the health of the workers performing this task, because of the toxic gases left behind by the burning of the power charge, but is also a safety issue because the pressure in the pressure chamber is high enough to injure the workers if its release is not carefully controlled. In this regard, note that the traditional setting tool 100 has a release valve 140 that is used for releasing the pressure from inside the pressure chamber. However, when the release valve 140 is removed from cylinder 100, due to the high pressure inside the cylinder, the release valve may behave like a projectile and injure the person removing it. For this reason, a dedicated removing procedure has been put in place and also a safety sleeve is used to cover the release valve, when at the surface, for relieving the pressure from the setting tool. In addition, the oil contained inside the tool may pose a contamination danger to the environment in case that an internal seal fails.
Thus, another approach is to use a setting tool that self-vents while downhole, and/or contains no oil, to avoid the need for redressing at the surface. However, current disposable setting tools suffer from a number of drawbacks including high overall tool length, an inability to vent the tool in the event of partial or incomplete activation, and a high shock load upon activation. Thus, there is a need for a disposable setting tool that overcomes these problems.
According to an embodiment, there is a setting tool for setting an auxiliary tool in a well, and the setting tool includes an adaptor sub for affixing an ignitor, an inner mandrel having an upper section and a lower section, the upper section having an internal chamber configured to house a power charge, and the lower section configured to connect to an adjuster sub for affixing the auxiliary tool, an outer cylindrical piston slidably located over the inner mandrel, a ring slidably located between the inner mandrel and the outer cylindrical piston, an actuation chamber located between the inner mandrel and the outer cylindrical piston, and a first port located on the upper section of the inner mandrel, wherein the first port is part of a fluid communication passage between the internal chamber and the actuation chamber. An activation of the power charge by the ignitor causes gas to pressurize the actuation chamber and the outer cylindrical piston to stroke downward to set the auxiliary tool in the well.
According to another embodiment, there is a setting tool for setting an auxiliary tool in a well, and the setting tool includes an inner mandrel having an upper section and a lower section, the upper section having an internal chamber suitable for housing a power charge, an outer cylindrical piston enclosing the upper section of the inner mandrel, a slidable ring formed concentric, and between the inner mandrel and the outer cylindrical piston, and an actuation chamber located between the outer cylindrical piston, the ring, and the inner mandrel, and configured to receive a pressured gas from the internal chamber, through a slot that extends transversal to a thread of the upper section of the inner mandrel.
According to still another embodiment, there is a method for using a setting tool in a casing, and the method includes lowering the setting tool into the casing; igniting a power charge located inside an inner mandrel of the setting tool; directing a pressured gas, generated by the ignited power charge, through a slot formed through threads of the inner mandrel, to a ring; actuating the ring with the pressured gas so that the ring is pushing an outer cylindrical piston along the inner mandrel; and setting an auxiliary tool attached to the setting tool when the outer cylindrical piston is fully stroked.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate one or more embodiments and, together with the description, explain these embodiments. In the drawings:
The following description of the embodiments refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings identify the same or similar elements. The following detailed description does not limit the invention. Instead, the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims. The following embodiments are discussed, for simplicity, with regard to a setting tool. However, the embodiments discussed herein are also applicable to any tool in which a high-pressure is generated and then that high-pressure needs to be transferred to a piston without the presence of an oil.
Reference throughout the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout the specification is not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
According to an embodiment, a setting tool for setting an auxiliary tool (e.g., a plug) in a well includes an adaptor sub for affixing an ignitor, an inner mandrel having an upper section and a lower section, the upper section having an internal chamber suitable for housing a power charge, and the lower section configured to connect to a sub for affixing an auxiliary tool, an outer cylindrical piston configured to slide along the inner mandrel, an annular activation chamber located between the outer cylindrical piston and the inner mandrel, and a gas flow slot formed through threads of the inner mandrel, to provide a fluid communication path between the inner mandrel internal chamber and the annular actuation chamber of the outer cylindrical piston. Activation of the power charge by the ignitor causes gas to pressurize the annular activation chamber and the outer cylindrical piston to stroke downward to set the auxiliary tool in the well. In one embodiment, there is no seal extending between the interior surface of the outer cylindrical piston and the outer surface of the inner mandrel. In this embodiment, the outer cylindrical piston does not even contact the inner mandrel.
The setting tool is shown in
The adaptor sub 210 includes a passage 214 therethrough for ignition of a power charge 216, which is located in this embodiment, partially within the inner mandrel 220 of the setting tool 200. The inner mandrel 220 has two sections, an upper section 222 and a lower section 224. The upper section 222 forms a power charge chamber 230, that is filled with the power charger 216, and the power charge chamber 230 terminates at a first blind end 232. The power charge 216 is partially located within the passage 214 of the adaptor sub 210, as also shown in
An outer cylindrical piston 250 is configured to enclose the upper section 222 of the inner mandrel 220 and also the lower part 210A of the adaptor sub 210, when the setting tool is not actuated. In one embodiment, the outer cylindrical piston 250 is placed coaxial with the power charge 216. In another embodiment, the outer cylindrical piston 250 is mostly located to enclose the adaptor sub 210, and partially the upper section 222 of the inner mandrel 220. The outer cylindrical piston 250 is formed a single piece, having an interior shoulder 256 that extends radially, toward the inner mandrel 222. However, the interior shoulder 256 stops short of reaching the inner mandrel 222, so that a small passage 257, as illustrated in
Further,
The ring 260, the outer cylindrical piston 250, the adaptor sub 210, and the upper section 222 of the inner mandrel 220 define an actuation chamber 320. The first seal 262 and the second seal 264 of the ring 260 ensure that a pressured gas that arrives in the actuation chamber 320 does not escape along the interface between the ring and the inner mandrel and the interface between the ring and the outer cylindrical piston. Further, the ring 260 is configured to slide along the inner mandrel, along the longitudinal axis X. Note that the ring 260 is not part of the outer cylindrical piston 250 and is not mechanically attached to the outer cylindrical piston 250, except for the fact they are simply in contact with each other.
In its run-in state, the upper section 222 of the inner mandrel 220, and the outer cylindrical piston 250 are nested with each other, thus reducing the overall setting tool length L. Nesting herein refers to the concentric arrangement of the outer cylindrical piston 250 and the upper section of the setting tool in their pre-activated state. The more concentrically arranged these sections initially results in a shorter setting tool, thus reducing the overall tool string length, which aids in the ability to run the string (having the setting tool) into the casing and maneuver the string through bends and other deviations in the wellbore trajectory. For example, in this embodiment, the length L of the setting tool is about 20″ and a length I from the top part of the outer cylindrical piston 250 to the top part of the adaptor sub 210 is about 6″.
Returning to
In one or more embodiments, the power charge 216 may be comprised of a compact power charge that when used with the disclosed tool further nests the mandrel and barrel sections which results in a setting tool of significantly reduced length. In this embodiment, the length L as measured from the upper most end of the inner mandrel 220 to the lowermost end that accepts the adjuster sub 240 measures approximately 20 inches. Other reductions in length are readily contemplated by those skilled in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure and may include tools of 20 inches or less. Depending upon the setting force required for the given tool to be set, a shorter stroke may be required and or less force and thus the power charge requirements may be reduced, thus shortening the tool's length depending upon specific applications.
The pressured gas directly strikes the ring 260 when entering the actuation chamber 320, which in turn pushes the outer cylindrical piston 250, which results in the downward movement of the outer cylindrical piston 250. Thus, there is no need for any oil to activate the outer cylindrical piston 250. The path of the pressured gas, from the power charge chamber 230 to the actuation chamber 320, is illustrated by arrows in
In one embodiment, a seal 211 is provided between the adaptor sub 210 and the upper end 250A of the outer cylindrical piston 250 for preventing the pressured gas escaping from the actuation chamber 320, at the interface between the adaptor sub 210 and the outer cylindrical piston 250. Also note that the lower end 250B of the outer cylindrical piston 250 passes over the damping element 270 and moves over the adjuster sub 240. Thus, in this embodiment, upon activation of the setting tool 200, the outer cylindrical piston 250 imparts the compressive setting force F relative to the adjuster sub 240, which does not move because it is fixedly attached to the inner mandrel.
As mentioned above, the setting tool 200 has the ability to self-vent the pressurized gases while still downhole, following activation. This is achieved by the venting mechanism 600, which is located, as shown in
The venting mechanism 500 may also be implemented as one or a combination of a slot, channel or a step down in the diameter of the outer cylindrical piston. Note that the location of the thinner thickness T2 of the outer cylindrical piston 250 is selected such that when the ring 260 fully strokes past the shoulder 502 of the outer cylindrical piston 250, the gas pressure may thus escape between the two sections and external to the setting tool. This self-venting is accomplished downhole as part of the activation sequence and thus removes the need to depressurize the setting tool at the surface.
Returning to
In any of the above embodiments, the lower section 224 of the inner mandrel 220 may include a damping element 270, for example, elastomeric grommet, bushing, sleeve, O-ring or a combination of these or other elastomeric elements, that is configured to dampen the shock that occurs during the setting tool activation process. As shown in
A method for setting the setting tool is now discussed with regard to
The disclosed embodiments provide methods and an ultra-short setting tool for well operations in which the setting tool is disposable, i.e., does not use oil for activating an auxiliary tool. It should be understood that this description is not intended to limit the invention. On the contrary, the exemplary embodiments are intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which are included in the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Further, in the detailed description of the exemplary embodiments, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the claimed invention. However, one skilled in the art would understand that various embodiments may be practiced without such specific details.
Although the features and elements of the present exemplary embodiments are described in the embodiments in particular combinations, each feature or element can be used alone without the other features and elements of the embodiments or in various combinations with or without other features and elements disclosed herein.
This written description uses examples of the subject matter disclosed to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the same, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the subject matter is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63091628 | Oct 2020 | US |