CA1277230C - Wellhead isolation tool - Google Patents

Wellhead isolation tool

Info

Publication number
CA1277230C
CA1277230C CA 584719 CA584719A CA1277230C CA 1277230 C CA1277230 C CA 1277230C CA 584719 CA584719 CA 584719 CA 584719 A CA584719 A CA 584719A CA 1277230 C CA1277230 C CA 1277230C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
mandrel
wellhead
cylinder
tool
stage
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
CA 584719
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Roderick D. Mcleod
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Canadian Fracmaster Ltd
Original Assignee
Canadian Fracmaster Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Canadian Fracmaster Ltd filed Critical Canadian Fracmaster Ltd
Priority to CA 584719 priority Critical patent/CA1277230C/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1277230C publication Critical patent/CA1277230C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • EFIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21EARTH DRILLING; MINING
    • E21BEARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B33/00Sealing or packing boreholes or wells
    • E21B33/02Surface sealing or packing
    • E21B33/03Well heads; Setting-up thereof
    • E21B33/068Well heads; Setting-up thereof having provision for introducing objects or fluids into, or removing objects from, wells
    • EFIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21EARTH DRILLING; MINING
    • E21BEARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B17/00Drilling rods or pipes; Flexible drill strings; Kellies; Drill collars; Sucker rods; Cables; Casings; Tubings
    • E21B17/10Wear protectors; Centralising devices, e.g. stabilisers
    • E21B17/1007Wear protectors; Centralising devices, e.g. stabilisers for the internal surface of a pipe, e.g. wear bushings for underwater well-heads

Abstract

ABSTRACT

In the area of oilfield wellhead equipment, and in particular to a tool in general use called a wellhead isolation tool or "tree saver", a novel low profile apparatus is proposed which overcomes one of the problems associated with an existing tool.

Description

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AN I MPROVED WELLHEAD ;[ SOLATI ON T~:)OL

Field Of The Invention This invention relates to wellhead isolation tools and in particular to the improvement of an existing tool which utilizes a mandrel with an attached concentric piston inserted into a wellhead array by the hydraulic action in a concentric and surrounding hydraulic cylin-der. The replacing of the surrounding hydraulic cylindsr by a telescoping surrounding hydraulic cylinder is proposed.

Background Of The Inven~ion In oilfield service work, a piece of equipment referred to in the trade as a "tree saver" or wellhead isolation tool is often used. ~his apparatus generally introduces a hollow high pressure mandrel with a sealing nipple through the low pressure rated valves and fittings on a wellhead and the resilient sealing material on the nipple at the lower end of the mandrel seals the mandrel in the well casing or tubing. (For the remainder of this description the term "casing" will be used to desig-nate both casing and tubing). This allows high pressure fluids to be introduced into the well casing through the mandrel without their having any communication with these low pressure valves and fittings. There are a multitude of different configurations of these wellhead isolation tools, each with their own drawbacks. One wellhead isolation tool which was designed and manufactured by McEvoy circa 1955 is still utilized in well servicing today. One of the permanent problems with this apparatus is the overall height when in place on the wellhead and ready to be utilized. The overall height of the unit is . .

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such that a scaffold or ladder is required for personnel to work on the top end where the plug valve and connec-tion fittings are located. This height also leads to a great sideways strain on the wellhead from the movement of the attached steel piping when fluid is being pumped through it. Replacing the long stroking hydraulic cylinder with a telescoping cylinder is proposed as a way of making a low profile wellhead isolation tool from the existing high profile tool.

SummarY Of The Invention According to a broad aspect, the invention relates to a novel method to insert a concentric ma~drel and sealing nipple through a wellhead and its associated array of valves and fittings so the sealing nipple and its resilient sealing material will contact and seal against the casing in the well. As the mandrel and other various parts of the tool are the subjects of many lapsed patents, only the novel idea of using the mandrel as the first stage of a telescoping cylinder and then adding the other telescoping stages, sufficient to accomplish the required travel and give the lowest possible profile, is the subject of this application.
The usual action of a telescoping cylinder is to generate force when the cylinder is being extended. The novel use in this invention uses the force generated by the cylinder while it is being rstracted. The subject portion of the apparatus consists of a mandrel with an attached piston, a sealing nipple and a connection for a plug valve, (this plug valve being referred to as the top of the tool), the piston and mandrel sealed and travell-ing in a cylinder due to hydraulic force, and being restrained at both ends of the travel in this cylinder.
This cylinder is referred to as the first stage cylinder .'. ~
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of the telescoping cylinder. This first stage cylinder is of such shape and finish, that with appropriate sealing mechanisms, it becomes the piston and rod of a second concentric cylinder, this second cylinder being referred to as the second stage cylinder. ~fter hydrau-lic means have moved the piston and the attached mandrel and they have travelled down the length allowed in the first stage cylinder, moving the attached nipple into the wellhead, and the hydraulic means closed to prevent movement of the mandrel with respect to this first stage, hydraulic means are applied in the second stage cylinder and the first stage cylinder moves away from the top restraint and towards the lowe.r restraint in the second stage cylinder. Thus, the mandrel which is~hydraulically locked in place in the first stage cylinder, is again moved down through the sealed concentric hole at the end of the second stage and thus further into the wellhead.
When the travel o~ the first stage cylinder in the second stage is stopped by the lower restraint, the position of the mandrel and the second stage cylinder is consolidated by an appropriate locking mechanism. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that this second stage cylinder may also be of such shape and finish that it becomes the piston and rod of a third stage cylinder, and this process may be repeated up to a usual maximum of six to eight stages. For the description in this application, we shall show two stages, but it is well recognized that three or more stages could be utilized. It will also be noted that the movement of the mandrel would be the same if the hydraulic means were run into the cylinder ports in a di~ferent sequence or this hydraulic means were run into both ports at the same time. The second or final stage of the telescoping cylinder is adapted to the wellhead in one of the recognized ways. The mandrel and sealing nipple is thus moved through the wellhead array .

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and into the casing. Appropriate piping is now attached above the plug valve and this valve opened. When treatment of the well has been completed, the plug valve is closed, the piping is removecl, the locking mechanism is unlocked and hydraulic fluid is pumped into the appropriate port and fluid bled from the other ports.
This causes the mandrel and piston to move in the reverse direction and the second stage cylinder to move likewiss, thus moving the sealing nipple e1nd mandrel from the wellhead array. The apparatus will now be in the position to be removed from the well.

Brief Description Of The Drawinqs The invention is illustrated by way of example only in the accompanying drawings in which:
15 FIG. 1 is an elevation view, partly in section, of the existing McEvoy type wellhead isolation tool on a simplified wellhead in the position prior to moving the mandrel into the wellhead by hydraulic means; and FIG. 2 is an elevation view, partly in section, of the improved wellhead isolation tool on a simplified wellhead in the position prior to moving the mandrel by hydraulic means; and FIG. 3 is an elevation view, partly in section, of the tool in FIG. 2 after hydraulic means have been used to move the mandrel and the first stage cylinder into the second stage cylinder. The mandrel and sealing nipple have been moved into the well.

Description Of The Existinq Embodimen~

Referring to Figure 1, the tool illustrated gener-ally includes a hollow mandrel 11 with attached piston13, an attached nipple 15 with resilient sealing means 16 .~

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and a plug valve 7, a lockdown flange 4; a matched lockdown ring 8 on the double ended hydraulic c~linder 33 which utilizes the mandrel as the rod, appropriate packing and sealing rings, flu:id ports 25 and 26. Travel stops 14 are spaced inside the cylinder. ~he plug valve will be designated the top of the tool. The wellhead valve 12 and gate 18 are not part of the tool. In operation, the gate of the wel:Lhead valve is opened as seen in Figure 3, hydraulic fluid is introduced into port 26 and bled from port 25. The action on the piston is to move it and the attached mandrel and sealing nipple in a downward direction until the piston reaches the lower travel stop. The lockdown flange and thus the plug valve and sealing nipple are now in the position noted by the broken lines. The mandrel is locked in place with bolts at the lockdown plates and is ready for use. When the well servicing has been completed, the nipple and mandrel are retracted out of the well by actions in the reverse of the insertion order. The wellhead valve is closed and the tool removed. It is shown that the height of the plug valve above the wellhead valve when in the operating position i~ equal to the length of the cylinder plus mandrel connection to the plug valve. This total height depends on the length of mandrel required in the tree saver. It i# this overall height which creates problems for operating personnel and sideways æwaying movement during well servicing.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to Figure 2 and 3, the tool illustrated generally includes a hollow mandrel 11 with a connection 2 for the plug valve 7, a lockdown flange ~, a piston 13 attached to the mandrel in a set position, and a nipple 15 with its resilient sealing material 16. The mandrsl ~ ' :, ` . . :

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and piston are enclosed by ths concentric first stage cylinder 3 with upper and lower restraining rings 5 spaced at both ends, the fluid port 26, the appropriate seals 19, and the shoulder 17 with its seals 19. This assembly is guided and confined in the second stage cylinder 1 in a concentric and sliding way by the shoulder 22 and its seal 19, the aforementioned shoulder 17 and the upper and lower restraining rlngs 14. An annular space 21 i formed by the fit of cylinder 1 in 3.
This second stage cylinder features a lockdown ring 8 configured to match the lockdown plate 4 with circum-ferentially sp~ed locking bolts 6, upper fluid port 24, lower fluid port 25 and the appropriate seal 19. The second stags cylinder is attached in a remo~eable or solid way to the mounting adapter 10. The mounting adapter allows the complete apparatus to be attached to a wellhead valve 12 with its gate 18 and thus to the wellhead 20 and the associated casing 23. In the description of the operation, the plug valve will be considered the top, the wellhead the bottom of the Figures. With the tool in the position shown in Figure 2, the wellhead valve gate is opened. Hydraulic fluid is pumped into ports 26 and 24 with port 25 open to the hydraulic fluid tank. The piston and mandrel move in a downward direction until the piston reaches the first stage lower restraining ring. Simultaneously, the fluid entering the ~l~ular space 21 will move the piston formed by the shoulder 17 on the first stage cylinder down until it reaches th~ lower restraining ring in the second stage cylinder. The m~ndrel will now be extended into the well casing as sh~n in Figure 3. The ports 26, 25 and 24 are now closed. The locking plate is attached to the locking ring by the lDckiny bolts. The tree saver is now in position to have fluid pumped through the mandrel and into the well casing.

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When the well servicing is completed, the tree saver is removed in the following way. The locking bolts are removed, hydraulic fluid is introduced into the port at 25, ports 2~ and 26 are allowed to bleed hydraulic fluid back to the tank. The mandrel and first stage cylinder move upwards in relation to the second stage and thus the sealing nipple on the end of the mandrel is moved out of the wellhead array. The gate in the wellhead valve is closed and the tool may then be removed. During some of these operations, well pressure and other conditions may dictate different sequences of operations, but these are a part of the operational techniques of the tool and not part of the wellhead isolation tool. I
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various features, characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth herein or are readily reali7.ahle from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments. However, the disclosure is illustrative and various changes may be made while utilizing the principles of the present invention and falling within the scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

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Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A concentric mandrel wellhead isolation tool, comprising:
(a) means for mounting said tool on a wellhead;
(b) a hollow mandrel and piston secured thereto and being located within a first stage cylinder for movement therein;
(c) said first stage cylinder and said mandrel being located for telescopic movement within a second stage cylinder;
(d) means in the cylinder stages to limit the travel of the cylinders and mandrel;
(e) means to lock the mandrel in position in respect to a last stage of said telescoping cylinders, said last stage being mounted to the wellhead; and (f) provision on said tool for adding a plurality of additional cylinder stages thereto.
CA 584719 1988-12-01 1988-12-01 Wellhead isolation tool Expired - Fee Related CA1277230C (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 584719 CA1277230C (en) 1988-12-01 1988-12-01 Wellhead isolation tool

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 584719 CA1277230C (en) 1988-12-01 1988-12-01 Wellhead isolation tool

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1277230C true CA1277230C (en) 1990-12-04

Family

ID=4139209

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA 584719 Expired - Fee Related CA1277230C (en) 1988-12-01 1988-12-01 Wellhead isolation tool

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1277230C (en)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2752032A1 (en) * 1996-08-01 1998-02-06 Centrale Nucleaire Europ A Neu Feed-through sealing device for inspection probe
GB2553144A (en) * 2016-08-26 2018-02-28 Rolls Royce Plc Apparatus for insertion into a cavity of an object
CN109026896A (en) * 2017-06-09 2018-12-18 中国石油化工股份有限公司 A kind of lever formula expansion isolating type oil well lifting device

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2752032A1 (en) * 1996-08-01 1998-02-06 Centrale Nucleaire Europ A Neu Feed-through sealing device for inspection probe
GB2553144A (en) * 2016-08-26 2018-02-28 Rolls Royce Plc Apparatus for insertion into a cavity of an object
GB2553144B (en) * 2016-08-26 2019-10-30 Rolls Royce Plc Apparatus for insertion into a cavity of an object
US10633993B2 (en) 2016-08-26 2020-04-28 Rolls-Royce Plc Apparatus for insertion into a cavity of an object
CN109026896A (en) * 2017-06-09 2018-12-18 中国石油化工股份有限公司 A kind of lever formula expansion isolating type oil well lifting device

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Date Code Title Description
MKLA Lapsed