CN1325478A - Wellbore system including a conduit an an expandable device - Google Patents

Abstract

A system comprising a pipe having a longitudinal axis, and a device radially expandable relative to the pipe from a contracted mode to an expanded mode in which the device is radially spaced from the pipe, in said In an expansion mode, said device expands radially against the pipe, wherein said device comprises a shape memory metal member capable of transforming from a first shape to a second shape upon reaching a selected temperature, The shape memory metal member is configured to expand the device from the collapsed mode to the expanded mode when the shape memory metal member transitions from a first shape to a second shape.

Description

Borehole system including tubing and expandable devices

The present invention relates to a system comprising a pipe having a longitudinal axis and a device expandable radially relative to the pipe from a contracted mode in which the device is radially spaced from the pipe to an expanded mode in which the device resists the pipe radial expansion. Such systems are used, for example, in the industry of producing hydrocarbons from earth formations to apply expandable devices such as expandable packers or expandable casing holders in wellbore tubing. The problems that often arise in such applications involve fundamentally conflicting requirements for the expandable device. That is, in the contracted mode, the device must be free to move relative to the tubing in order to install the device at the desired location, while in the expanded mode, the device must provide sufficient axial retention (for example, a wellbore packer). say), or provide sealing capability (for wellbore seals). This problem is even more pronounced where the device is to be installed in a remote location.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved expandable system which is capable of adequate radial expansion from a collapsed to an expanded configuration even at remote locations and which also provides adequate axial fixation and/or The sealing ability of the occasion.

According to the present invention, there is provided a system comprising a pipe having a longitudinal axis, and a device radially expandable relative to the pipe from a contracted mode to an expanded mode in which the device is spaced radially from the pipe. In said expansion mode, said device expands radially against the pipe, wherein said device comprises a shape memory metal member capable of transitioning from a first shape upon reaching a selected temperature into a second shape, the shape memory metal member configured to expand the device from the collapsed mode to the expanded mode when the shape memory metal member transitions from the first shape to the second shape.

The spacing between the device and the conduit allows the device to move axially relative to the conduit during installation of the device when the device is in the retracted mode. The shape memory metal member is then heated or cooled to bring the shape memory metal member to a selected temperature such that the shape memory metal member transitions from the first shape to the second shape and expands the device from the contracted mode to the expanded mode. Additionally, there is no need for complicated remote expansion equipment to expand the device, only one heating or cooling source is required. Shape-memory metal components provide a high force upon transition, allowing for adequate retention and/or, when the device and tubing are made of metal, a reliable metal-to-metal seal by means of expansion of the device against the tubing .

Said conduit may suitably be one of an outer conduit and an inner conduit, said inner conduit extending coaxially into the outer conduit so as to form an annular space between the outer conduit and the inner conduit, wherein the expandable means is arranged in said A seal in said annular space expands in its radially expanded mode against said inner pipe and against said outer pipe.

In an advantageous embodiment, the system also includes a branch wellbore system formed in the formation of the earth, the branch wellbore system comprising a main wellbore provided with a main casing, a branch wellbore provided with a branch casing bore and a housing engaging member having a main bore and a branch bore in fluid communication with the main bore, the main bore being an extension of the main housing and the branch bore being an extension of the branch housing, wherein, The inner pipe is formed by a branch shell, and the outer pipe is formed by a branch hole. This embodiment is particularly advantageous as it provides a suitable solution to the problem of sealing the wellbore junctions of a multi-lateral wellbore system.

U.S. Patent No. 5,318,122 discloses a Y-shaped casing engaging member, which connects the casing of the main wellbore to the liner installed in the side wellbore, the casing engaging member has a support member, and the end of the liner The end portion extends into the support member, and a seal is disposed between the end portion and the support member. A problem with this known system, however, is that reliable seals are not available which can withstand the high wellbore pressures typically encountered. Therefore, such known casing engaging members must be placed relatively deep in the main wellbore, i.e., in the reservoir or in the top formation overlying the reservoir, where the fluid pressure differential between the inside and outside of the casing Relatively low, leakage is irrelevant. In connection with this, it should be noted that the top formation has a sufficiently low permeability to prevent fluid migration from the reservoir area to the overloaded formation above the top formation.

Contrary to the above, the system according to the invention allows the housing engagement member to be placed anywhere, preferably relatively high in the main wellbore, ie in the overload zone. This is advantageous because it allows branch boreholes to branch relatively high in the earth's formation from the main borehole, so that for a given maximum curvature of the borehole, the lower end of the borehole can be drilled farther than conventional boreholes. Technically the greater horizontal distance from the main wellbore where the junction between the main wellbore and the lateral wellbore is in the reservoir or top formation. Thus, by virtue of the large sealing capacity of the system of the present invention, the junction between the main wellbore and the lateral wellbore can be located in an overloaded zone where there is a relationship between the pore pressure in the overloaded zone and the pressure of the hydrocarbon stream flowing through the wellbore system. The difference between them is high.

The seal preferably forms a metal-to-metal seal in its expanded position.

In another advantageous embodiment, the device is a sleeve fixation device arranged in the duct, adapted to be anchored on the inner surface of the duct when in radially expanded mode.

The invention is described in detail below by way of example with reference to the following figures.

Fig. 1 schematically represents an embodiment of the wellbore system according to the present invention;

Figure 2 schematically represents the housing engagement components of the system of Figure 1;

Figure 2A schematically represents a cross-section along line 2A-2A in Figure 2;

Figure 2B schematically represents a cross-section along line 2B-2B in Figure 2;

Figure 3 schematically represents the housing engaging member of Figure 2 in a sealed mode;

Figure 4 schematically represents the detail A of Figure 3;

Figure 5 schematically shows another embodiment of the wellbore system according to the invention.

Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown a wellbore system 1 comprising a main borehole 3 extending from a wellhead 5 at the surface 7 through an overload 9 and top formation 11 to a reservoir 14 containing hydrocarbon fluids. The top formation 11 is relatively impermeable, preventing migration of high pressure hydrocarbon fluids from the reservoir formation 14 to the overload formation 9 .

The main shaft 3 is provided with a tubular steel main casing 16 which is fixed and sealed in the main shaft 3 by means of a cement layer 17 and has an open lower end. A lateral wellbore 18 extends from a wellbore junction 19 in the overloaded layer 9 through the overloaded layer 9 and the top formation 11 into the reservoir layer 14 . The branch well 18 is provided with a branch housing 20 having an open lower end and is connected to the main housing 16 by means of a case engaging member 22 in sealing relationship therewith, as will be described in more detail below. The casing engagement member 22 is provided on the wellbore interface 19 , ie in the overload layer 9 . The branch casing 20 is sealed in the branch well hole 18 by means of a cement layer 24 . Alternatively, the lateral housing may also be sealed in the lateral borehole by any suitable means, for example, by means of a packer.

With further reference to Figures 2, 2A, 2B and 3, the housing engaging member 22 has a tubular main bore 24 having a longitudinal axis 24a aligned with the main housing 16, and a tubular branch bore 26 having a longitudinal axis 26a . The branch housing 20 projects into the branch hole 26 with an annular space 28 therebetween. An annular sealing device 30 is disposed in the space 28, the sealing device 30 being movable between a radial contraction mode and a radial expansion mode. In the retracted mode, the seal is spaced radially from the branch bore 26 and from the branch housing 20, as shown in FIG. In the expansion mode, the sealing device 30 expands against the branch hole 26 and the branch housing 20, as shown in FIG.

The housing engaging member 22 is of unitary construction and has a generally circular cross-section, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B . This structure and shape provides the housing engaging member 22 with sufficient collapse resistance that should not be less than that of the main housing 16 .

Detail A of FIG. 3 is shown in FIG. 4 . The sealing device 30 includes a metal annular body 34 having two sealing rings 36a, 36b, and an annular wedge 38 disposed between the sealing rings 36a, 36b and in operative relationship with the sealing rings so that when When the wedge portion 38 axially moves into the annular body 34 , the sealing ring 36 a is pressed against the support hole 26 , and the sealing ring 36 b is pressed against the support housing 20 . The contact surfaces between the wedges 38 and the seals 36a, 36b are serrated so that the wedges lock onto the seals upon said inward axial movement. A plurality of circumferentially spaced rods 40 pass through corresponding holes 41 provided in the wedge 38, each rod having a threaded end 40a connecting the rod to the annular body 34 and a T-shaped head at the other end. Section 40b. Rod 40 is formed from a shape memory metal that assumes an axially expanded shape below a selected transition temperature and an axially contracted shape above the transition temperature. In the axially extended shape, the wedge portion 38 is in the initial position, so that the sealing ring 36a is radially spaced from the surface of the support hole 26, and the sealing ring 36b is radially spaced from the outer surface of the support housing 20, at In the axially contracted shape of the rod 40, the wedge 38 is pulled by the rod between the sealing rings 36a, 36b, thereby pressing the sealing ring 36a against the surface of the support hole 26 and pressing the sealing ring 36b against the support housing. The outer surface of the body 20 to form a metal-to-metal seal between the branch hole 26 and the branch housing 20. The annular body 34 is connected to the lock nut 42 by means of a bearing 44 such that the lock nut 42 is rotatable relative to the annular body 34 about the longitudinal axis 26a. The locking nut 42 is connected to the support housing 20 via a threaded connection portion 46 .

Figure 4 further shows a locking and centering assembly 48 disposed between the support bore 26 and the support housing 20, the assembly 48 comprising a self-expanding locking ring 50 supported on a shape memory metal actuating ring 52, the actuating ring is then supported on a conical support ring 54. The support ring 54 rests on an annular shoulder 55 on the support housing 20 and has an outer annular groove 56 in which a split actuator ring 58 of shape memory metal member is disposed. Assembly 48 is secured between an annular retaining ring 60 and an annular shoulder 62 provided on the outer surface of support housing 20 . The fixing ring 60 can be shrink-fitted, screwed, snapped or welded on the support housing 20 . The actuator ring 52 assumes an axially contracted shape below a selected transition temperature and an axially expanded shape above the transition temperature. The split actuation ring 58 is disposed in the branch bore 26 below a selected transition temperature, and if the actuation rings 52, 58 are below their transition temperature, the assembly 48 fits in with some axial and radial play. In the branch hole 26. If the actuating rings 52, 58 are above their transition temperature, then the locking ring 50 is pressed against the shoulder 62 by means of the axially expanding actuating ring 52, and the support ring 54 by means of the radial expansion of the actuating ring 58 at Centering in the branch hole 26. The transition temperature of the actuation rings 52 , 58 is chosen to be slightly lower than the transition temperature of the rod 40 .

During normal operation of the wellbore system 1 , the main wellbore 3 is drilled, and the main casing 16 with the casing engaging member 22 inside is lowered and bonded in the main wellbore 3 . During mounting and bonding, the branch hole 26 is closed at its lower end by a plug (not shown), which can be drilled out. A whipstock (not shown) is then disposed within the main casing 16 and casing engaging member 22 to allow the drill string (not shown) to be inserted into the spur bore 26 . A removable wear sleeve (not shown) is temporarily disposed in the support hole 26 to prevent the drill string from contacting the support hole 26 surface. The drill string is then lowered through the main casing 16 and guided into the spur bore 26 by the whipstock. The drill string is rotated to drill out the plug and drill the lateral wellbore 18 . After the drilling operation is completed, the wear sleeve is removed from the branch hole 26, the branch housing 20 is lowered through the main housing 16, and guided into the branch hole 18 by the whipstock (or any other guiding device) until The self-expanding locking ring 50 locks into the annular groove 64 . The support housing is supported by support ring 54 and shoulder 55 .

The sealing device 30 is lowered through the main housing 16 and introduced into the branch hole 26 so that the annular body 34 enters the annular space 28 until the lock nut 42 reaches the upper end of the branch housing 20 . Then, the lock nut 42 is screwed onto the support housing by means of a suitable assembly tool (not shown), so that the bearing 44 keeps the ring 34 from rotating when the lock nut is turned. Due to the design of the sealing device 30 , the wedge 38 and the sealing rings 36 a , 36 b are arranged precisely in the annular space 28 . Reversing the above process using an assembly tool allows the seal 30 to be withdrawn from the annular space 28, for example to install a new seal.

A heating device (not shown) is lowered through the main housing 16 and introduced into the branch hole 26. Heat is transferred from the heating device to the shape memory metal members 52, 58 and 40. Upon reaching their respective transition temperatures, the actuation ring 52 expands axially and the actuation ring 58 expands radially, thereby achieving axial locking and radial centering of the branch housing 20 in the branch hole 26 . Rod 40 shrinks axially when it reaches its transition temperature, thereby pulling wedge 38 between seals 36a, 36b, pressing seal 36a against the surface of branch bore 26 and sealing 36b against the branch housing The outer surface of the body 20, thereby forming a metal-to-metal seal between the branch hole 26 and the branch housing 20. The wedge portion 38 is locked on the sealing rings 36a, 36b by means of the serrated contact surfaces between the wedge portion 38 and the sealing rings 36a, 36b. When the heating means are turned off and the temperature of the rod 40 drops below its transition temperature, the rod expands axially through the hole 41 of the wedge 38 while the wedge remains locked to the seal. Cement is pumped between the abutment housing 20 and the lateral wellbore 18 to form a cement layer 24 that seals the abutment housing within the lateral wellbore 18 .

After completion of the wellbore system 1, the production of hydrocarbon fluids, such as high pressure natural gas, from the reservoir area 14 begins. Fluid flows from reservoir 14 into main housing 16 and branch housing 20, and through these housings to wellhead 5, from where the fluid is further sent to a suitable treatment facility (not shown). This metal-to-metal sealing provided by the sealing means 30 prevents leakage of fluid through the annular space 28 to the overload layer 9 . The cement layers 17 and 24 seal the main shell 16 and the branch shell 20 in their respective boreholes, thereby also preventing leakage of natural gas from the reserve area 14 along the shells 16, 20 to the overload layer 9. In this way, natural gas production through the shells 16, 20 can be achieved without conventional production pipelines, and the risk of natural gas leakage from the reserve area 14 to the overloaded layer 9 is eliminated.

Another advantage of the system of the present invention is that it can optionally include an auxiliary pipeline extending from the wellhead (the wellhead is provided with a blowout prevention device) through the main casing into the branch hole of the casing engaging member, and the secondary pipeline is formed with the branch hole. Seal the relationship. For example, the secondary conduit may be a hydrocarbon fluid production conduit for separate production of hydrocarbon fluids from the lateral wellbore and the main wellbore, eg, in situations where there is a high fluid pressure differential across the main wellbore and the lateral inlet bore. Alternatively, the secondary conduit may also be a service liner for guiding wellbore tools from the surface into a lateral wellbore, such as a drill string for further drilling of a lateral wellbore. The advantage of applying this service liner is that fluid production through the main wellbore continues while the wellbore operations in the lateral wellbore are isolated from such operations from the rest of the main wellbore and other lateral wellbores . The auxiliary pipeline is preferably equipped with a locking mechanism, which can be locked into the branch hole.

The support housing can also be provided with a flow control valve at its upper end, which can be recovered to the surface (retrievable to surface) by means of a wire rope or coiled pipe. The flow control valve controls the flow of hydrocarbon fluid through the manifold body and operates by telemetry or by a selected property of the controlled fluid.

Alternatively, a relief valve may be mounted in the distal portion of the branch housing which operates by means of telemetry or by controlling a property of the fluid, eg, a selected pressure differential across the relief valve.

The flow control valve and the relief valve each have a direct flow bypass to allow reverse flow of fluid upon a selected reverse flow pressure differential across the valve.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a casing retainer 68 disposed within a conduit 70 having a longitudinal axis 71 in a wellbore (not shown). The sleeve anchorage device is radially expandable relative to the conduit 70 from a contracted mode in which the sleeve securement device 68 is radially spaced apart from the conduit 70 to an expanded mode in which the sleeve securement device 68 expands against the By pipe 70. The sleeve retainer 68 includes a cylindrical body 72 fitted longitudinally to the pipe 70, and radially deformable annular sleeve retainers 74, 76 disposed at opposite ends of the cylindrical body 72. A wedge-shaped annular expander 78 fits in sleeve holder 74 and a similar wedge-shaped annular expander 80 fits in sleeve holder 76 . The expander rings 78, 80 are interconnected by a plurality of circumferentially spaced rods 82 of shape memory metal. Each rod 82 passes through a corresponding hole 84 in the expander 78 and has a T-shaped head 86 at the outer end of the hole 84 and is connected to the expander 80 by means of a threaded connection 88 . The interface between the expander ring 78 and the sleeve holder 74, and the interface between the expander ring 80 and the sleeve holder 76 is serrated so that when the expander rings 78, 80 move axially inwardly, the expander ring 78 , 80 locked on the respective sleeve holder 74,76. Rod 82 can transition from an expanded shape below a selected transition temperature to a contracted shape above a selected transition temperature. In the extended configuration of rod 82 , expander rings 78 , 80 are at an initial axial distance such that sleeve holders 74 , 76 are radially spaced from the inner surface of pipe 70 . When the rod 82 transitions into the contracted shape, the rod 82 pulls the expander rings 78,80 axially toward each other, thereby radially deforming the sleeve retainers 74,76 against the inner surface of the pipe 70, thereby locking onto the pipe 70.

In normal operation, a heater is lowered and operated in the cylindrical body 72 to raise the temperature of the rod 82 to the transition temperature, causing the rod to contract to pull the expansion rings 78, 80 toward each other so that the sleeve holder 74, 80 76 radially expands against the inner surface of pipe 70 . The expansion rings 78, 80 lock onto the respective ferrule holders 74, 76 by means of serrated contact surfaces. When the temperature drops below the transition temperature again, the rod 82 is free to expand through the hole 84 .

Referring now to Figures 1-5, instead of producing from the main and lateral wellbores of a single reservoir, these wellbores can produce from mutually spaced reservoirs.

The above detailed description refers to a main wellbore and a side wellbore for simplicity of illustration. Apparently, the present invention is also applicable to a plurality of branch well holes.

It is also possible to have separate parts assembled together instead of the housing engaging members of the unitary construction. In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the engaging member may also be an ellipse or a polygon instead of a circle.

In addition, shape-memory metal members that need to be cooled to reach their respective transition temperatures may be used instead of shape-memory metal members that need to be heated to reach the transition temperature. In this case, a cooling device is lowered into the wellbore system to replace the heating device.

Claims (15)

1. A system comprising a pipe having a longitudinal axis, and a device radially expandable relative to the pipe from a contracted mode to an expanded mode in which the device is radially spaced from the pipe, in said In an expansion mode, said device expands radially against the pipe, wherein said device comprises a shape memory metal member capable of transforming from a first shape to a second shape upon reaching a selected temperature, The shape memory metal member is configured to expand the device from the collapsed mode to the expanded mode when the shape memory metal member transitions from a first shape to a second shape. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein said conduit is one of an outer conduit and an inner conduit, said inner conduit extending coaxially into said outer conduit to form an annulus therebetween space, wherein said expansion means constitutes a sealing means in said annular space which in its radially expanded mode expands against said inner pipe and said outer pipe. 3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a branch wellbore system formed in the earth structure, said branch wellbore system comprising a main wellbore with a main casing, a branch casing The branch hole of the main body and a casing engaging member, the casing engaging member has a main hole and a branch hole in fluid communication with the main hole, the main hole is an extension of the main casing, and the branch hole is a branch hole The extension part of the shell, wherein the inner pipe is formed by the branch shell, and the outer pipe is formed by the branch hole. 4. The system of claim 3, wherein said earth formation comprises a reservoir of hydrocarbon fluids, an overloaded layer above the reservoir, and a capstone formation between the reservoir and the overloaded layer, wherein said A housing engaging member is located in the overload layer. 5. The system according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising a secondary conduit, said secondary conduit protruding through said main housing into said branch hole in sealing relationship with said branch hole. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein said secondary conduit is one of a hydrocarbon fluid production conduit and a service conduit into which a wellbore tool operating in a lateral wellbore extends. 7. 6. The system of claim 6, wherein said secondary conduit is a service conduit through which a drill string passes for further drilling of the lateral wellbore. 8. 7. A system as claimed in any one of claims 2-7, wherein the sealing means is radially spaced from the outer and inner conduits in their retracted configuration. 9. 8. The system of any one of claims 2-8, further comprising a centering device disposed in said annular space for centering the inner conduit within the outer conduit. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein said centering device is expandable from a collapsed mode to an expanded mode in which said centering device is in contact with at least one of the outer tube and the inner tube radially spaced apart, in said expansion mode said centering means radially expands against the inner and outer tubes to center the inner tube in the outer tube, said centering means comprising a shape memory metal member, said shape memory metal member is transformable from a third shape to a fourth shape upon reaching a selected transition temperature, and is arranged to cause the centering means to change from said retracted mode upon transformation from the third shape to the fourth shape Expand to the expanded mode described. 11. A system as claimed in any one of claims 2-10, characterized in that said sealing means in its expanded mode forms a metal-to-metal seal between the inner and outer pipes. 12. System according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that said device comprises a wedge-shaped expander ring for radially expanding said device upon selective axial movement of the expander ring, wherein, The shape memory metal member is for causing said selected axial movement of the expander ring as the shape memory metal member transitions from the first shape to the second shape. 13. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein said device is a sleeve anchor device disposed in the pipeline, adapted to be anchored to the inner surface of the pipeline in a radially expanded manner. 14. 13. The system of claim 13, wherein the conduit forms part of a wellbore system formed in the formation of the earth. 15. A system substantially as described above with reference to the accompanying drawings.

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