CA1326630C - Deployment/retrieval method and apparatus for well logging tools used with coiled tubing - Google Patents

Abstract

DEPLOYMENT/RETRIEVAL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WELL LOGGING
TOOLS USED WITH COILED TUBING

ABSTRACT

A method of inserting a well tool for operating a coiled tubing which avoids the high and/or remote mounting of the heavy coiled tubing injector drive mechanism is disclosed. The method comprises assembling the well tool within a closed end lubricator, mounting the lubricator or the wellhead and lowering the tool into the wellbore to a distance whereby at least a portion of the tool is adjacent the pipe rams of the wellhead. The pipe rams are then closed against the tool to effect a fluid tight seal and to hold the tool in position within the wellhead. The lubricator is then removed and the coiled tubing and injector drive mechanism are connected to the tool and wellhead, respectively. The pipe rams can then be released and well logging or normal coiled tubing operations carried out. The method offers the additional safety advantage of permitting pressure testing at each stage of the insertion process. Retrieval of the tool can be effected merely be reversing the process.

Description

PATENT
~ C-56200 DEPLOYMENT~RETRIEVAL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WEL~ LOGGING
~OOLS USED WITH COILED TUBING

This invention relates to th~ art o~ production o~
subterranean fluids from a wellbore and, moxe particularly, to a method and apparatu3 for conducting various well evaluation and treatment operation~ utilizing coiled tubing.
,, BACKGROUND OF ?HE INVENTION
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The use of coiled tubing for various well traatmP.nt proces~e.s such as logging, acidizing and fluid spotting is well-known~ The advantages in the u~e of coiled tublng include relatively ea~y and i~uick entry into a well without the nere~sity of employing complex and c03tly apparatu such a a workover derrick and the :insertion o~ a ~ubing string into the well which is made up of a plurality of ~hort 'd lengths of tubing and which must be individually ~oined together.
. Typically, several thousand ~eet of tubing i coiled on~o a large riel which is mownted on a truc~ or skid. A
coiled kubing injector head, typically employing chain-track ,~
: drivel is mounted ~xially abov~e the wellhead and the coiled ~i, tub~ng i~ fed to the injector for insertion into thQ well.
1 The oiled tubing is plaskically de~ormed a~ it is payed out ~ from the reel and ov~r a gooseneck ~uide which positions the .~1 coiled tubing along the axis of the wellbore and the ' injeator drlve mechani m.
The injection o~ a long-length well lngging tool or other well service tool which cannot be plastically deformed ;1~ in:the manner o~ coiled tubing and which is typically o~ a ,~ ~ larger diameter th~n the coil2d tubing itsel~ such that it will not pass through the in;ector drive mechanism presents ~L 3 2 6 6 3 ~ C ~56200 some di~ficulty. In order to overcome this di~'ficulty, it has be~n common prior practice to mount th~ lsgging tool in what is e~fectively an extansion of the well casing above the wellhead and positioning the inj~ckor drive mechanism on top of' this pressurized cylindrical enclosure. Obviously, this plac2s the bulky and heaYy inj ector drive mechanism at an extreme height above the wellhead wh~n long logging tools are to be used. Such weight cannot he supported solely by the cylindrical tool conduit and, thera~'ore, must be at least partially ~upported by a heavy-duty crane or derrick in position over th2 wellhead. Despite employing guy-wires to steady the positioning of the top~heavy ele~ated drive mechanism, the uneven and irregular lateral force~ applied to the assembl~ by unreeling and bending of the coiled tubing make such positioning dif'f lcult at b~st and an extreme safety hazard at worst.
U~S~ Patent 4,091,~67, attempts to overcome these def'iciencies by mounting the in~ector essenkially at or near the ~urf'ace and directing the coilsd tubing upwardly to a high-mounted gooseneck and there~y into axial alignment with the wellbore. In ~his arrange~len~, the tu~ing mus~ pass through a pre3surized conduit f'or its entire length of travel f'rom the injector head over the goosen~ck to the wellhead. In such an arrangem~!nt, the gooseneck is placed above the highest poi~t of a tool to be injected and, th~refore, e pecially with long-length tools, the pressurized conduit ~xtending fro~ th~ in~ector head to the wellhead mu~t be o~ long length with its associated problems of w~ight, pressurization and potential sealing ~ailure.
Additionally, the pla~ttc de~ormation o~ the coiled ~ubing over the gooseneck i8 conducted with the tubing 3~e~ ng in compres~ion which ~an shorten tubing ~ if e when c:ompared to plask~ c d~ormation in t~n~ion a~ i~ accomplished when the in~ector head i~ axially mounted above ~he wellbore and draws the coiled tublng over the gooseneck.

C-56200 -2~ 9/19/89 13 2 ~ 6 3 o ATENT

SUMMARY OF THE I~ENTION

The present invention provides a method and apparatus whereby a tool o~ any length may b~ us~d in a coiled tubing operation and wherein th2 coiled tubiny in~ector drlve mechanism may be mounted directly on the wellhead.
In accordance with the invention, a well tool o~ any length is mounted within a closed-and, cylindrical lubricator which i~ then mounted on the wellhead~ Upon establishment o~ fluid communication between the lubricator and the wellhead hy opening of at leaist one wellhead valve, the tool is lowered from the lubricator into the wellbore with a portion of the tool remaining within the wellh~ad adjacent first seal rams located in the wellhead which are then closed to engag2 and seal around the tool. The lubricator is then removed and thie injector head is positioned above the wellhead and the coiled tubing is extend~d to engage the captured kool. The in~ector drive meChaniBm i3 than connected to the wellhead and the ~irst seal rams capturing th~ tool are released and n uid communication is effectively sealed betwean the wellbore and I the tubiny inJactor drive head.
~ Further in accordance with. the invention, the retrieval ¦ and removal of the coiled tubing and well tool is e~fected ! by per~orming the abov~ steps in rev~rse order~
It i~ therefore an ob; Pat of this invention to provide .~ a method whereby remote or elevated mounting o~ a coiled tublng inj~ctor with its attenclant complexity and ~afe~y problems i~ voidedO
It is yet another object of thi~ invention ~o provide a method and means for mountlng a coiled tubing injector drive mechanism directly o~ a wellhead while allowing the insertion into the well o~ a substantially ridged tool regardle~ o~ the length of the ~ool.
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j C-5~0 -3- 9/19/89 -` ~326~3~

7145~-110 Accordlng to a broad aspect of the lnventlon there ls provlded a rnethod of lnserting a well tool lnto a wellbore having a wellbore axls, the well tool comprlsing the steps of:
(a) lnserting the well tool lnto a lubrlcator havlny a closed flrst end portlon wlth a control cable extendlng therethrough and connected to the well tool and a second open portlon incorporatlng means for connectlng the lubrlcator to a wellhead;
(b) axlally allgnlng the well tool and the lubrlcator along the axls and connectlng the lubrlcator to the wellhead; . .
(c) insertlng at least a portlon of the well tool lnto the ~-wellbore so that a portlon of the tool ls ad~acent at least one .~
.
palr of plpe rarns ln the wellhead; .-(d) closing the pipe rams agalnst an outer surface of the well tool to hold the well tool ln posltlon and effect a fluld-tlght seal agalnst the tool wlthln the wellbore, and (e) rernovlng the lubricator from the wellhead and..
disconnectlng the control cable from the well tool. ~.

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3 ~ P~T~NT
C 562~0 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DKAWINGS

The invention will now he descr~bed i~ the more limited aspects of a pre~erred e~bodiment thereof and in conjunc~ion with the acco~panying drawings ~orming a part of thi~
spacificat~on and which:
Figures 1-4 illustrate schematically and sequentially the steps in accordance with the present i~vention wher~in a well tool is positioned for insertion and inserted into a well, coil~d tubing is attac~ed to the tool and the coiled tubing injector drive me~hani~m is mounted on the wellhead for use in running and retrieving the coiled tubing~ and Figure 5 illustrates an alternative embodim2nt o~ the invention.

~ETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT AND THE
DRAWINGS

~ he invention will ~ow be ~escrib2d in the more limited aspects of the pre~erred embodiment thereo~ including a de~cription o~ parta and arrangements of part~. It will be understood that variation~ and deviations from the pre~erred embodiment may bQ undertaken whlile still being within the scope of the pre~ent invention.
The pres2nt ~nvention allows ~or the insert$on o~ a well tool into the wellhead ancl retention o~ a portion of the tool within the wellhead prior to the connection and mounting of the coiled tubing and coiled tubing in~ector drive mechanism clirectly on the wellhead.
In accordance with the invention, a well tool o~ any length i~ initially moun~ed within a cylindrical ~ubricator tube long enough to conkain the length of the tool and having one closed end through which a control cabl~ i~
pa~sed. The opposlte end o~ the lubricator tube includes mountlng mean for attaching the lubricator tube to a wellhead ~pparatus which includes a serie~ of valve~
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. C-5620~ 4- 9/19/8g 8 ~

132663~ PATEMT

commonly referred to as a blow-out preventer ~BOP3 ~tackO
Prior to mounting o~ the lubricator tube on the wellhead apparatus, the wellbore is sealed o~f hy clo~ing a valve commonly referred to as the blind rams of the BOP ~tack.
The lubricator tube is then mounted on the wellhead and fluid communication between the wellbore and the lubricator is establiæhed by opening the blind rams.
Following mounting of the lubricator and opening the blind rams~ the well tool is lowered, using the control cable, into the wellbore to a point where at least a portion of the tool r2main~ in the BOP stack. A pair of pipe slips in the BOP ætack which are sized to engage the outer surface of the tool are then clo~ed to clamp the tool in position.
Pipe ram~ in the BOP ~tack are also closed into ~ealing engagement against the outer ~urface of the tool~
The lubricator can then be removed from the wellhead and the control cable detached since there iæ no fluid pas~age t:hrough the tool which wsuld relea~e wellhead preseure. The coiled tubing and tubing in;ector drive , mechani6m can then be moved into position axially above the 3 wellbore. As with the mounting of the lubricator/tool :~ assembly, a relatively lightwei.ght cranP may be used for positioning the in~ector drive mechanism ~ince crane ~upport during operations i~ unnecesGary. The coiled tubing i~
connected to the well tool and the well tool electrical connections are made to s~tabl:Lsh data communication from the wellbore tool to the coiled tubing. The co~led tubing : in~ector drive mechanism can then be mounted on the wellhead 1 ~ and the pipe rams and pipe slips released from the tool and normal coiled tubiny running and retrieval.operations can then be conducted.
In removing the coiled tubing and the well tool from the well, the operation i~ effectsd in reveræe order. Thuæ, the:well tool i6 drawn up into the wellhead BOP ~tack. The pipe ram~ and pipe ~l~p~ are then olosed to engage and seal agalnst the outer surface of the well tool. The ~n~ector :.j ~, C~56200 -5- 9/19/89 ~'' ~ 3 2 6 ~ 3 0 PATENT

driYe mechanism is then detached from the wellhead and the coiled tubing and its cable are disconnected from the tool.
The control cable is then con~ected to the tool and the lubricator tube is mounted on the wellhead. With the release o~ the pipe ram and the pipe slips/ the wall tool can be raised with the control cable into the lubricator and completely out of the wellbore. The blind rams of the BOP
can then be closed off to seal the wellhead and the lubricator and tool removed therefrom.
One particular advantage of the proces~ in accordance with the present inventio~ i~ that pressure testing is possible and desirable throughout the proc dure which greatly enhances the safety of the operation. Thus, the sealing of the lubricator attachment to the wellhead can be pressure-tested prior to the opening of the blind rams.
Similarly, the sealing of the pipe rams against the well tool can be tested prior to remoYal of the lu~ricator ~rom the wellhead. It can al50 be clearly seen that pressure testing of the reverse order retrieval operation can be e~ected.
Referring now to the drawings wherein the showing6 are for purposes of illustrating a pre~erred embodiment of the lnvention only and not for the purpose o~ limlting ~ame, Fiyure 1 ~hows a well tool 10. The well tool lO is mounted in a lubricator tube 12 whlch i5 su~pended above a wellhead 14 through the use of a crane ~not shown~. The lubricator tube 12 has a clo~ed end 1~ through which a control cable 18 passe~ through a slip s~al arrangement in the closed end 16.
The lubricator also includes mounting mean~ such a~ a flange 20 which corresponds to a mating ~lange 22 of the wellhead apparatu~ 14. The wellbore 24 is sealed from fluid aommunication with the atmospher~ by the closure of the blind ram~ ~6 of the wellhead apparatus 14. The wellhead apparatu~ also includs shear r3ms 2~, pipe ramæ 30 an~ slip rams 32. Pipe rams 30 are adapted to ~ffect a ~eal against the outer surfa~e of a necked-down stinger 34 of the well PATENT
~L3~3~ C~6200 tool 10 and/or the coiled tubing during operation.
Similarly, the slip rams 32 are sized ko clamp agai~st the outer surface of the stinger 34 of the tool and/or the coiled tubing.
Figure 2 illustrates the step o~ the process of inserting the well tool into the well following connection and sealing engagement between the ~lange 20 of the lubricator tube and the mating flange 22 of the wellhead apparatus 14 and the opening of the blind rams 26~ As stated previously, pre~sure testing of the seal bekween the lubricator 12 and the wellhead apparatu~ 14 may be accomplished prior to the opening of the blind ram 26. The well tool 10 is lowered into the wellbore 24 on the control cable 18 to a predete~mined distanc2 such that the stinger 34 of the well tool 10 is located within the wellhead apparatus 14. The pipe rams 30 and pipe slips 32 ara shown in the clo~ed position against th~ outex surface of the stinger 34 of the well tool 10. In a cordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in the drawings, the stinger 34 ha~ the same outer diameter as the coiled tubing to be used. Thu~, the pipe rams 30 and the pipe slip5 32 are ~ized to engage both the well tool 10 at the stinger 34 and the coiled tubing in u~e. It will be under~tood that additional pipe rams and pipe ~lips may be ~ncorporated into the wellhead apparatus 14 having a di~erent (larger~ Bizing BO that clamp~ng and ~ealing by the plpe slip~ and pipe rams, respectiYely, can be effected again~t a well tool 10 having an overall larger diametsr than the coiled tubing. Onae clamping o~ the well tool 10 withln the wellhead apparatus 14 has been ef~ected by the pipe slip~ 32 and sealing has been ef~ected by the pipe rams 30 again~t the outer ~urEace of the well tool 10, the lubricator 12 can be removed from the wellhead apparatus 14 and the control cable 18 can be disconnectad from the tool 10 .

:', : ' ' ., PATEMT
~2~3~ ~-5~200 Figure 3 ~hows the coiled tubing injector drive mechanism 36 ~uspended axially above ~he wellhead apparakus 14 and the coiled tubing 38 extending therethrough and connected to the well tool 10. The injeckor drive mechanism 36 can then be conneaked to the wellhead apparatus 14 by connecting the flange 40 to the mating flange 22. Following pressure testing of the connection o~ these ~lange~, all pipe rams and slips can be opened and normal coiled tubing operations carried out wikh the coiled tubing inje~tor mechanism 3G mounted directly on the w~llhead apparatus 14 (Fig. 4). It will be ~urther understood that; if necessary because o~ the pre~ ~ e o~ an overly long connection means between the well tool 10 and the coiled tubing 3B, a short section of pressurized tubing or ris~r may be inserted between the wellhead apparatu~ 14 and the injector drive mechanism 36 to accommodate such additional lengthO
Figure 5 illuskrates an alternative embodiment of the proce~ o~ thiB invntion wherein the only deviatlon from the previously described proces~ i~ illustrated. Thus, Figure 5 correspond generally to Figure 3 o~ th8 previously described proce~s. As can be ~een in Figure 5, a well tool 110 ha~ baen positioned within a w~llhead apparatus 11~ ln a manner ~imilar to that shown in Figure 3. Where the illustrat~on o~ Figure 5 deviat:e~ ~rom that o~ Figure 3 is that the well tool 110 does not: incorporate a necked down ~tinger 34 as ~hown in Figure 3. For this xea~o~, the pipe rams 130 and the pipe slips 132 are sized to accommodatP ~he larg~r diameter of the well toQ1 110. Because the pipe rams 130 and pipe slip~ 132 are not proparly sized ~or accommodation o~ coiled tublng 138 having a smallar diameter than the well tool 110, a second BOP stack 115 is employed.
Following the connection of the coiled tubing 138 to the well tool 110l the colled tubing in;ector drive mechanism 136 and the BOP tack 115 can be connected through ~langes 140 and 122 in the manner described with re~pect to khe earli2r embodiment. Whil~ Figure 5 illustrate~ the BOP

~-56~00 -8- 9/19/89 ,';

~ 3 ~ PATENT
1 ~ ~ C-56200 stack 115 being connected to the injector drive mechanism 136, it will be understood and considered within the scope of this invention that the BOP stack 115 coulcL be cLirectly mounted above the pipe rams 130 and pipe ~lips 132 at an earlier point in the process wlth the later connection of the coiled tubing 13B and the injector drive mechanism 136 being effected above the BOP stack 115. Additionally, althouyh the wellhead apparatus 114 has been shown i~cluding blind xams 126 and shear rams 128, it would no~ b~ necessary to duplicate thes~ rams in one o~ the wellhead apparatus 114 or the BOP stack 115.
As ~tated previously, the withdrawal of the coiled tubing and well tool from the well can be easily ~ffected by a direck reversal of the above-described installation process.
The foregolng description o~ the preferred embodiment of the inve~tion has ~een made with reference to the well tool generally. Welll logging tools may be used in ths present invention where the benefits o~ coiled tubiny operations may be advantagecusly applied such as in highly deviated or horiæontal wells where wireline operations are ::
not possible. Further, the invention may be employed where the ~luid delivery capabilities o~ coiled tubing in con~unction with logging tool8 are desired such as in produ~tlon logging operations using gas li~t to produce well fluids. It will }:~e further undL~rstood by those skilled in the art that other well tools which do not ha~ a central bore therethrough may b~ accommodated ln th~ procesæ ~sf the present invention such a~; fishing tools, running tools, pulling tools and the like either alone or in conjunction with fluid delivery through the coiled ~ul~ing.
While the invention has been desaribsd in the more limited aspects of a preferrad embodiment thereof, other embodiments have been suggested and still others will occur to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the fore~oing ~pecificatio~O It ls intended that all C-5620~ -9- 9/19/89 n PATEN~
V C~5 62 00 ~uch embodiments be included within the scope of this invention as limited only by the appended claims.

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56200 ~ 10~ : 9/19/89

Claims (8)

1, A method of inserting a well tool into a wellbore having a wellbore axis, the well tool comprising the steps of:
(a) inserting the well tool into a lubricator having a closed first end portion with a control cable extending therethrough and connected to the well tool and a second open end portion incorporating means for connecting the lubricator to a wellhead;
(b) axially aligning the well tool and the lubricator along the axis and connecting the lubricator to the wellhead;
(c) inserting at least a portion of the well tool into the wellbore so that a portion of the tool is adjacent at least one pair of pipe rams in the wellhead, (d) closing the pipe rams against an outer surface of the well tool to hold the well tool in position and effect a fluid-tight seal against the tool within the wellbore, and (e) removing the lubricator from the wellhead and disconnecting the control cable from the well tool.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 further including the steps of:
(f) connecting coiled tubing to the well tool;
(g) attaching a coiled tubing drive mechanism to the wellhead, and (h) releasing the pipe rams from the well tool whereby normal coiled tubing running, treatment and retrieving operations may proceed.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2 further including the step of pressure testing following at least one of steps (b), (d), and (g).

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 further including the step of setting a pair of pipe slips within the wellhead against the other surface of the well tool following said step (c) whereby said pipe slips act in conjunction with said pipe rams to hold said well tool in position with said wellhead and wellbore.

5. A method of retrieving the well tool from the wellbore, the method comprising carrying out the steps as et forth in claim 2 in reverse order.

6. The method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the well tool is a well logging tool and further including the step of logging the wellbore following said step (h).

7. The method as set forth in claim 6 wherein the well logging tool is a production logging tool and further including the step of injecting a gas to provide for gas lift of well fluids during said step of logging.

8. The method as set forth in claim 2 further including the step of conducting well fishing operations following said steph (h).