EP3321469A1 - Balle de contre-pression - Google Patents

Balle de contre-pression Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3321469A1
EP3321469A1 EP16198166.7A EP16198166A EP3321469A1 EP 3321469 A1 EP3321469 A1 EP 3321469A1 EP 16198166 A EP16198166 A EP 16198166A EP 3321469 A1 EP3321469 A1 EP 3321469A1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
wellbore
ball device
backpressure
backpressure ball
process according
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.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP16198166.7A
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German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Thomas Eugene FERG
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.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
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 Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to EP16198166.7A priority Critical patent/EP3321469A1/fr
Publication of EP3321469A1 publication Critical patent/EP3321469A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B33/00—Sealing or packing boreholes or wells
    • E21B33/10—Sealing or packing boreholes or wells in the borehole
    • E21B33/13—Methods or devices for cementing, for plugging holes, crevices or the like
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B33/00—Sealing or packing boreholes or wells
    • E21B33/02—Surface sealing or packing
    • E21B33/03—Well heads; Setting-up thereof
    • E21B33/068—Well heads; Setting-up thereof having provision for introducing objects or fluids into, or removing objects from, wells

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a method and apparatus for partial restriction of flow into subterranean wellbores and for creating backpressure for the placement of wellbore abandonment materials when such wells are being plugged and abandoned or worked over.
  • This invention can also be useful in the placing of plugging material in plug and abandonment operations within a wellbore (such as e.g., an oil or gas well), or for preparing a wellbore to be plugged, e.g., when the wellbore has reached the end of its productive life.
  • the invention also relates to a plugged wellbore.
  • plugging may be achieved by injecting a settable substance or medium, e.g., cement, into the well.
  • a well will normally have production perforations, that is to say apertures in a well liner or casing through which hydrocarbon product enters from the rock formation and travels to the surface.
  • production perforations that is to say apertures in a well liner or casing through which hydrocarbon product enters from the rock formation and travels to the surface.
  • seal production perforations with cement or another settable medium which may then form a permanent barrier to flow across the perforations and out of the well.
  • the well to be plugged and abandoned may in some cases have production screens or be gravel packed.
  • the plugging process often involves pumping a surfactant liquid, known as a "spacer", into the well.
  • the purpose of the spacer is to remove oil residues from the internal surface of the well casing and/or liner and rock matrix making them “water wet” (allowing better adhesion by cement).
  • cement is pumped down the well to occupy the part of the well casing and/or liner where perforations are to be squeezed.
  • the cement may also be used to seal off production screens or gravel packed completions. When sufficient cement has been pumped down, more spacer liquid and possibly other liquids may be pumped down the well in order to place the cement at its final designed location.
  • bottom hole pressure sufficient reservoir pressure entering the well (bottom hole pressure) to support a standing column of relatively high specific gravity material, e.g., spacer liquid, cement and displacement fluid, reaching to the top of the well.
  • the spacer and cement and other liquids may then be pumped down against this pressure and thereby an accurate determination of each constituent's location can be determined at any given point within the process.
  • the bottom hole pressure is insufficient to support a standing column of fluid reaching the wellhead at surface.
  • positive pressure against the fluid column at the surface cannot be maintained as liquids are introduced into the top of the well. This results in liquid free falling down the wellbore and out through the reservoir completion, i.e. the perforated section of casing/liner or screen.
  • the invention provides a process for plugging a wellbore wherein the process comprises the steps of (a) introducing and installing a backpressure ball device into the wellbore, the device having multiple through bores in a geometric pattern.
  • the geometric through bore pattern creates roughly the same total flow area (TFA), when the device has been landed, and creates backpressure no matter in which orientation that the ball seats.
  • TFA total flow area
  • the invention is particularly applicable when the bottom hole pressure of the wellbore is insufficient to support a standing column of liquid of specific gravity reaching to the surface.
  • the invention also provides a process for plugging a wellbore wherein the process comprises the steps of (a) introducing and installing a backpressure-ball-with-external-channels device into the wellbore, the device having surface channels in a geometric pattern.
  • the geometric surface channel pattern creates roughly the same total flow area (TFA), when the device has been landed, and creates backpressure no matter in which orientation that the ball seats.
  • the geometric surface channel pattern creates roughly the same backpressure no matter in which orientation that the ball seats.
  • the invention is particularly applicable when the bottom hole pressure of the wellbore is insufficient to support a standing column of liquid of specific gravity reaching to the surface.
  • the invention also provides a process for plugging a wellbore wherein the process comprises the steps of (a) introducing and installing a backpressure ball device into the wellbore, the device having multiple through bores in a geometric pattern in combination with external channels in a geometric pattern.
  • the through bores and geometric surface channel pattern create roughly the same total flow area (TFA), when the device has been landed, and backpressure no matter in which orientation that the ball seats.
  • TFA total flow area
  • the invention is particularly applicable when the bottom hole pressure of the wellbore is insufficient to support a standing column of liquid of specific gravity reaching to the surface.
  • backpressure ball device refers to any spherical device introduced and landed to create backpressure which incorporates through bores, surface channels or facets in any combination or geometric orientation.
  • the backpressure ball device may be installed by allowing it to free fall down the well or roll into position or by pumping it down the well, or a combination of these three. If the wellbore includes a nipple, the backpressure ball device may bottom out at the nipple.
  • a packer may be introduced and set at a desired depth.
  • the internal diameters of the packer or its top shoulder may be used as a landing shoulder for a backpressure ball device that is slightly larger than the through bore of the packer.
  • the step of installing the backpressure ball device may include inserting the device between the swab valve and the master valve (top or bottom master valve) and then closing the necessary valves above the device and opening the necessary valves below the device to gain access to the wellbore.
  • settable medium such as cement
  • surfactant may be injected into the wellbore before the settable liquid, and another liquid may be injected after.
  • the pressure at the surface would normally be monitored in which case it may be possible to determine from the monitored pressure when the settable medium reaches the backpressure ball device because of a variance in the rheology between fluids.
  • the backpressure ball device comprises a spherical body capable of being passed down a wellbore.
  • the body will be of larger diameter than the shoulder upon which it will be landed.
  • a method of preparing a wellbore for plugging may comprise inserting into the wellbore a backpressure ball device as described above.
  • the method may include pumping into the wellbore and thus applying pressure to the backpressure ball device, thereby pumping the device through the wellbore, and subsequently when the device has landed, increasing the pressure to a level at which a continuous column of fluid may be maintained from the backpressure ball device to the pump.
  • the invention also relates to a plugged wellbore having located in it a backpressure ball device as described above.
  • wellbore as used herein shall be taken to mean an oil or gas well or a water injector.
  • Figure 1 shows one embodiment of a backpressure ball device (1) of the present invention - comprising a spherical body comprised of metal or plastic with through bores placed in geometric patterns.
  • the through bores may be varied in diameter and orientation. This example is for an icosahedron encased within the sphere. Through bores are made from the contact point where the geometric figure meets the sphere surface. Through bores are from that contact point through to the center of the sphere. In one embodiment, the through bores may also continue through to the other side of the sphere. A tetrahedron, dodecahedron or any other symmetrical geometric shape may alternatively be used.
  • Figure 2 shows eased or rounded surfaces (2) and chamfered surfaces (3) of the through bores where the bores meet the surface of the spherical body (1) of Figure 1 .
  • the easing of through bores is to help reduce fluid turbulence when entering and exiting the through bore (2) and (3).
  • Figure 3 shows another embodiment of the backpressure ball device (4) of the invention, a backpressure-ball-with-external-channels device - comprising a spherical body comprised of metal, composite or plastic with external channels originating where the vertices of the symmetrical geometric form contacts the sphere.
  • the surface channels (5) are cut from the vertices along the geometric form edge where the encapsulated figure intersects the sphere.
  • the depth and shape of the channels (5) are uniform along a constant radius with a rotational point located at the center of the sphere.
  • the symmetrical geometric form used for this example is an icosahedron encapsulated within a sphere, however any symmetrical geometric form could alternatively be used.
  • Figure 4 shows the backpressure ball device (6) with the icosahedron projected within the sphere.
  • solid lines (7) indicate vertices that project on the near surfaces of the sphere which encloses the geometric form
  • dot dash lines (8) indicate the vertices which are projected on the far surface of the sphere
  • the dotted lines (9) indicate where the cross-sections illustrated in Figure 5 are taken from.
  • Figure 5 references the points in Figure 4 .
  • the cross section from across points (10), (11), (12) & (13) show the constant radius depth of the external channels.
  • Cross sections (14 - 15), (16 - 17) & (18- 19) show a few examples of the many potential channel cross sections.
  • Figure 6 shows another embodiment of a backpressure ball device (20) of the invention having both external channels and through bores. This Figure shows from where the cross sections which are illustrated in Figure 7 between points (24) and (25) originate.
  • Figure 7 shows the center of the sphere (28), the basal radius of the external channels (29), the radius of the sphere (30) and cylindrical bores from the sphere surface (24) and (25) to the center of the sphere (28).
  • the through bores (27) may be varied in diameter and orientation.
  • This example embodiment of the backpressure ball device of the invention is for an icosahedron encased within a sphere. Through bores are made from the contact point where the geometric figure meets the sphere surface. Through bores are from the contact point through to the center of the sphere. The through bores may also continue through to the other side of the sphere. A tetrahedron or any other symmetrical geometric shape may alternatively be used.
  • This Figure 7 presents the possibility of combining surface channels and bores into a single backpressure ball device.
  • Figure 8 shows the christmas tree valve arrangement at the top of a wellbore to be plugged.
  • the external diameter of the backpressure ball device (35) is chosen so that it will pass through the christmas tree (31).
  • the swab cap (32) is at the top of the tree.
  • Progressing through the valves from top down are the swab valve (33), wing valves (34), top master valve (36) and bottom master valve (37).
  • the external diameter of the backpressure ball device (35) is shown placed inside the tree on top of the top master valve (36).
  • the overall outer diameter of the backpressure ball is chosen so that it will pass down the well to a landing point, shoulder or nipple just above the reservoir.
  • the diameter of the backpressure ball device is sized so that the device can travel from the tree at surface down the wellbore and land on a shoulder within a nipple. While this Figure 8 shows backpressure ball device (35) for illustration, other embodiments of the backpressure ball device of the invention could alternatively be used.
  • Figure 9 shows a landing nipple (38) with a backpressure ball device (39) landed on the nipple shoulder at (40).
  • Figure 10 shows a packer (41) with an internal shoulder (43) where the backpressure ball device (42) is landed.
  • Figure 11 is a side view, partly in section, of a packer (44) showing the backpressure ball device (45) seated on the top edge or shoulder (46) of the packer.
  • sea water is pumped down the well to determine whether it is possible to inject liquid into the perforations in the producing part of the well (not shown), that is, the part of the well to be squeezed (blocked with cement or other plugging fluid).
  • a gage device of similar or slightly larger diameter than the backpressure ball device of the invention is introduced to the wellbore. The gage device is lowered into the wellbore and traverses the tubular from the well surface to the surface where the backpressure ball device will be landed. This operation is used to determine whether any obstructions are present which may obstruct and prevent the correct positioning of the backpressure ball device.
  • the bottom master valve (37) and swab valve (33) of Figure 8 are closed and any trapped pressure is bled off between them through one of the wing valves (34).
  • the top master valve (36) is then closed.
  • the swab cap (32) is removed and the swab valve (33) is then opened and the backpressure ball device (35) is then inserted into the christmas tree (31) and is positioned on the top of the top master valve (36).
  • the swab valve (33) is then closed along with the wing valves (34), then the upper master valve (36) is opened to allow the backpressure ball device to land on top of the bottom master valve (37).
  • the top master valve (36) is then closed and the bottom master valve (37) is then opened to allow the backpressure ball device (35) to free fall down the wellbore.
  • the backpressure ball device reaches the desired lading shoulder (40) within the nipple (38) of Figure 9 .
  • the backpressure ball device will roll along the bottom surface of the tubular without pumping.
  • the backpressure ball device may require pumping into position if the well has an inclined or horizontal portion at the landing point (shoulder). Sea water or fresh water is normally used for this purpose. Pumping continues until the back pressure increases, indicating that the backpressure ball device has come to rest at the profile (40) within the nipple (38). Step rate tests are then conducted to determine the amount of back pressure created by the backpressure ball device at increasing injection rates. This data is used to refine the predicted surface treating pressure profile expected during placement of the plugging fluid.
  • Spacer fluid a specialized mixture of chemicals including surfactants, is then pumped down the well at a rate sufficient to maintain positive pressure and contact with the top of the fluid column.
  • the backpressure ball device of Figure 1 with geometrically patterned through bores, allows the fluid column to maintain the positive back pressure.
  • Cement is then delivered in a continuous liquid column directly following the spacer fluid.
  • a further liquid or liquids, e.g., further spacer fluid or other liquids follow the cement in a continuous liquid column. Pressure continues to be applied to the cement via this liquid column, and back pressure continues to be monitored.
  • a wiper plug may be launched down the wellbore at the tail end of the cement slurry to land out on the backpressure ball sealing the wellbore preventing further downward movement of cement or plugging medium and effectively locking the backpressure ball in place.
  • a wiper plug which lands out within a nipple, packer bore or packer top may be launched at the tail end of the cement slurry to prevent further forward movement of the plugging medium.
  • a pressure change may be recorded at the well surface due the change in fluid density and rheology and the volume of the wellbore tubulars down to the backpressure ball device can be confirmed.
  • a further change in surface pressure may be noted due to the changes in fluid viscosity and density. The aim is to squeeze all the completion and have a cement column or plug remain within the tubular but not to over- or under-displace the cement column.
  • the backpressure ball device of the invention can be used in other tubular applications as will be readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, and particularly coiled tubing applications.
  • the backpressure ball device can be used to provide positive activation pressure for drilling, workover, completion and plug and abandonment tools with tubular drive rods.

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  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Consolidation Of Soil By Introduction Of Solidifying Substances Into Soil (AREA)
EP16198166.7A 2016-11-10 2016-11-10 Balle de contre-pression Withdrawn EP3321469A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP16198166.7A EP3321469A1 (fr) 2016-11-10 2016-11-10 Balle de contre-pression

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP16198166.7A EP3321469A1 (fr) 2016-11-10 2016-11-10 Balle de contre-pression

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP3321469A1 true EP3321469A1 (fr) 2018-05-16

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EP16198166.7A Withdrawn EP3321469A1 (fr) 2016-11-10 2016-11-10 Balle de contre-pression

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Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5074553A (en) * 1991-02-25 1991-12-24 Brunswick Corporation Bowling ball
US20040005937A1 (en) * 2001-07-02 2004-01-08 Saiz Manuel Munoz Golf ball
US20130284425A1 (en) * 2009-12-08 2013-10-31 Baker Hughes Incorporated Dissolvable Tool
CA2904446A1 (fr) * 2013-03-08 2014-09-12 Weatherford/Lamb, Inc. Billes de fracture pouvant etre fraisees constituees par du metal
US20160123110A1 (en) * 2011-03-01 2016-05-05 Conocophillips Company Well plug and abandonment choke insert

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5074553A (en) * 1991-02-25 1991-12-24 Brunswick Corporation Bowling ball
US20040005937A1 (en) * 2001-07-02 2004-01-08 Saiz Manuel Munoz Golf ball
US20130284425A1 (en) * 2009-12-08 2013-10-31 Baker Hughes Incorporated Dissolvable Tool
US20160123110A1 (en) * 2011-03-01 2016-05-05 Conocophillips Company Well plug and abandonment choke insert
CA2904446A1 (fr) * 2013-03-08 2014-09-12 Weatherford/Lamb, Inc. Billes de fracture pouvant etre fraisees constituees par du metal

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