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
  • E21B41/00—Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00
  • E21B41/0007—Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00 for underwater installations
• • 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
  • E21B41/00—Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00
  • E21B41/04—Manipulators for underwater operations, e.g. temporarily connected to well heads
• • 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
  • E21B47/00—Survey of boreholes or wells
  • E21B47/06—Measuring temperature or pressure

Definitions

• the invention relates to a tool assembly for a replaceable subsea sensor of the type communicating with pressure in a well or other equipment or installation.
• the invention relates to a tool assembly for remotely deploying and/or retrieving a sensor of the abovementioned type, such as a pressure and temperature sensor, for use at a remote subsea location, e.g. on a subsea wellhead, christmas tree, manifold or flowline (collectively described as Seabed Installed Production Equipment or SIPE) for oil and/or gas production.
• a sensor of the abovementioned type such as a pressure and temperature sensor
• SIPE Seabed Installed Production Equipment
• a sensor is installed on a subsea wellhead, christmas tree, manifold or flowline assembly at or adjacent to the well bore and/or other passageway for process fluids (oil and/or gas).
• a sensor should fail, it may be necessary to shut down production, release the SIPE and bring the SIPE to the surface, and to replace the sensor. That done, it is then necessary to re-install the SIPE on the seabed and to re-start production. This is costly, and necessitates the loss of significant volumes of production.
• a sensor can be arranged on the wellhead for replacement in situ, in shallow water, this can be effected by divers but there are substantial safety considerations due to the connection to the well bore pressure. Also, in deeper water divers are not able to operate and it becomes desirable to be able to use a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV).
• ROV Remotely Operated Vehicle
• the present invention is directed towards providing a tool assembly and method of operation enabling a sensor to be deployed and/or removed by a ROV that is constrained to a location outside the spatial envelope of the pipe fittings of a SIPE, or in otherwords outside the tree envelope.
• the tool may also be used by other installation techniques in suitable locations, e.g. by divers.
• the invention provides a tool having a connection to engage an attachment on an SIPE containing a sensor, a chamber within the tool to receive the sensor, a connection within the chamber to engage the sensor, and means to cap and seal an aperture in the attachment through which the sensor is to be withdrawn, in which there is means to withdraw the sensor from the attachment into the chamber, and means to isolate the chamber from pressure in a bore of the SIPE, whereby the tool can be disengaged from the attachment when the sensor is in the chamber without compromise to the pressure containment of the bore.
• the attachment has a ball valve seal
• the tool has means to operate that ball valve seal.
• the ball valve is operable by a pair of hydraulic cylinders mounted on the exterior of the tool.
• a ram operable with the chamber which is capable of engaging the sensor when the sensor is within the attachment, of disengaging the sensor from the attachment, and of withdrawing the sensor into the chamber.
• a flushing means to clean the tool after the tool has withdrawn the sensor into the chamber, and before the tool is disconnected from the attachment.
• the chamber has a test port with bleed and or pressure test equipment.
• the invention also provides a tool as claimed as described above in combination with an attachment to a SIPE bore, and having a ball valve for sealing that bore.
• Figure 1 shows a combined pressure/temperature sensor attached to a well bore
• Figure 2 shows measurement leads attached to that sensor
• Figure 3 is a sectional view of a tool engaged over the sensor location
• Figure 4 is a sectional view similar to Figure 3 showing the tool engaging the sensor
• Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to Figure 4 showing the sensor within the tool
• Figure 6 is a side view showing a mechanism for operating an isolation valve on the attachment.
• An assembly 1 is attached to the tree bore 2 by a flange 3, which may be an API flange.
• the assembly has a sealing interface into which sensor 4 can be screwed by screw fitting 5, sealing being by way of any suitable seal such as a metal C-ring face seal with an elastomeric barrel seal as back up.
• External to the sealing interface is a through bore valve 6, for example a 1.5" (370mm) quarter turn ball valve.
• This ball valve is in the open position when the sensor is in situ, passing through the valve as shown.
• the valve is fitted with a paddle arrangement (see Figure 6) allowing hydraulic cylinders on the tool to open and close the ball valve.
• External to the ball valve is the female side of a connection 7 such as a ⁇ owen' quick union.
• the senor In its installed condition, the sensor is preferably screwed into place, passing through the ball valve although other arrangements such as a push fit are possible.
• a protection cap 8 is installed onto the exterior of connector 7 to protect the threads and sealing face. Electrical connection to the sensor is by any suitable underwater electronic connector, such as a Tronic connector 9 that passes through the centre of the protection cap into a receptacle at the rear of the sensor.
• a special tool in accordance with the invention is required.
• the tool is shown in Figures 3 to 6.
• This tool contains mechanisms to seal itself over the sensor location on to the outside of connector 7 (after removal the cap 8) unscrew and withdraw the sensor, and carry out flush and pressure test activities.
• the tool is able to be carried by a ROV. Reverse of these procedures enables deployment of a new sensor.
• the main sensor to well bore seal would generally be a relatively small diameter metal C-ring, although other suitable seals may be used. This would provide the primary seal against well bore pressure, but might not seal in the reverse direction sufficiently for very deep water.
• a back up barrel seal on the body of the sensor for example either elastomeric or PEEK, can be used to form the environmental seal, as well as backing up the primary seal.
• the tooling would be deployed by and controlled from a Tool Deployment System (TDS) as currently used on ROVs for other purposes.
• TDS Tool Deployment System
• the length of the tool means that it should be possible to reach the sensor from outside the tree envelope, but it would require an unobstructed passage to allow the tool access.
• the ROV In order to replace a combined pressure and temperature sensor, the ROV needs to be equipped with a TDS, fitted with the tooling shown in Figures 3 to 6, together with Test and Flushing Unit.
• This latter can be a ROV mounted unit with fluid storage capacity, able to produce sufficient flow for flushing the sensor pipework prior to removal and after reinstallation; and to produce high pressure fluid for pressure tests of seals and valves.
• the unit should also have capacity to store liquid flushed out from the sensor for later disposal.
• the Test and Flushing unit is attached to the tooling via hydraulic hoses.
• a ROV fitted with the TDS and tooling is deployed to the equipment with the failed sensor.
• the ROV using its manipulator, disconnects and parks the electrical connector from the sensor.
• the cap protecting the threads and sealing surface is removed.
• the ROV then docks onto the tree panel with the TDS and deploys the tool onto the sensor interface (connector 7).
• the make up function of the tool is then operated, locking the tool to the interface by way of a quick union.
• the pressure test is employed to ensure the union is properly sealed and the 'extend" function on the tool used to drive the socket of the connector tool 14 onto the rear of the sensor.
• the sensor is unscrewed, and retracted back into the body of the tool.
• the ball valve on the sensor is closed and pressure tested, followed (optionally) by a second ball valve (not shown but further from the bore).
• the body of the tool is then flushed clean.
• the make up function on the tool is reversed, the tool is retracted and the TDS is unlocked.
• the ROV is then recovered to the surface.
• the failed sensor is removed from the tool, and a replacement sensor is fitted.
• the ROV is redeployed and docks back onto the tree panel with the TDS, and deploys the tool onto the sensor interface.
• the make up function of the tool is then operated, locking the tool to the interface by way of the quick union.
• the pressure test function is employed to ensure the union is properly sealed.
• the ball valve (or valves if there are two) is/are then opened, the sensor extended forward and screwed into place.
• the sensor is pressure tested and monitored.
• the tool body is flushed, and the tool disconnected and removed.
• the ROV then replaces the protective cap and re-installs the electrical connection. This completes the sensor change-out.
• SIPE Seabed Installed Production Equipment

Landscapes

• 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)
• Geophysics (AREA)
• Measuring Fluid Pressure (AREA)
• Testing Or Calibration Of Command Recording Devices (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9917785

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Cited By (9)

Citations (4)

• 2001
  • 2001-07-02 GB GBGB0116155.3A patent/GB0116155D0/en not_active Ceased
• 2002
  • 2002-07-02 GB GB0327783A patent/GB2393991A/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2002-07-02 BR BR0205712-3A patent/BR0205712A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-07-02 WO PCT/GB2002/003041 patent/WO2003016673A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
• 2003
  • 2003-02-28 NO NO20030950A patent/NO20030950D0/no not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (4)

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