Schlumberger Technology Corporation

Halliburton Company

Other

Schlumberger Technology Corportion

A Glen Edwards

Klaus B Huber

Joe C Hromas

Antoni K Miszewski

Edward G Smith, Jr

William M Hill

David S Wesson

Laurent E Muller

Emmet F Brieger

James W Babineau

Flint R George

Kevin R George

Wenbo Yang

Robert A Parrott

Steven W Henderson

Alfredo Fayard

Manuel T Gonzalez

Wanchai Ratanasirigulchai

Luc Laverdière

Jeffrey P Meisenhelder

Richard B Dicks

Joseph B Edone

Jeffery T Edwards

Thomas M Sayers

Nathan E Addicks

Emmert F Brieger

Charles Van Petegm

A method and system are provided for installing an oriented conduit section in a well-bore having a substantially non-vertical axis. In one example, the system comprises: means for inserting a conduit a the well-bore, wherein the conduit comprises a section to be oriented, means for applying, in the well-bore, a rotating force to the section to be oriented, whereby an oriented section results, and means for fixing the conduit in the well-bore. An instrumented conduit section is also provided, for orientation in a well-bore having a substantially non-vertical axis. Further, a method is provided for using a tool in a well-bore, the method comprising: inserting a casing in the well-bore, orienting the casing in the well-bore, wherein an oriented casing is defined, inserting the tool in the oriented casing, and orienting the tool in the oriented casing.

Method, system and apparatus for orienting casing and liners

The present invention provides an apparatus and method of orienting perforating gun strings. One embodiment of the present invention provides an orienting weight provided in a portion of the perforating device, such as the shaped charge, the loading tube or the gun housing. Additional weight may be provided as separate components and attached to the gun components.

Method and apparatus for orienting perforating devices and confirming their orientation

A downhole device and method for performing a function in a well. The device has a series of dedicated hydro-mechanical locks that prevent occurrence of an associated function. The hydro-mechanical locks are capable of being released directly by a respective elevated hydraulic activating pressure condition, and are constructed and arranged for sequential operation, such that a successive lock in the series cannot be released until after the hydraulic pressure condition required to release the preceding lock in the series has occurred. In a preferred embodiment, an actuator sequentially releases each lock in a series of locks, subsequently moving an operator to perform a function. A preferred implementation employs a series of resilient rings movable, sequentially, from a locking to an unlocking position, and a common actuator that effects these movements. Multiple devices of this construction are advantageously arranged in a string of tools to perform functions in any preprogrammed order by pre-selecting the number of locks in each device. In one embodiment, movement of the operator arms an associated ballistic tool downhole. Methods of performing sequences of downhole well functions are also disclosed.

Method of performing downhole functions

A downhole device and method for performing a function in a well. The device has a series of dedicated hydro-mechanical locks that prevent occurrence of an associated function. The hydro-mechanical locks are capable of being released directly by a respective elevated hydraulic activating pressure condition, and are constructed and arranged for sequential operation, such that a successive lock in the series cannot be released until after the hydraulic pressure condition required to release the preceding lock in the series has occurred. In a preferred embodiment, an actuator sequentially releases each lock in a series of locks, subsequently moving an operator to perform a function. A preferred implementation employs a series of resilient rings movable, sequentially, from a locking to an unlocking position, and a common actuator that effects these movements. Multiple devices of this construction are advantageously arranged in a string of tools to perform functions in any preprogrammed order by pre-selecting the number of locks in each device. Methods of performing sequences of downhole well functions are also disclosed.

Lock mechanism for use with a downhole device

Device for performing downhole functions

A shut-off valve for use in a downhole string of tools adapted to be retrieved from a well under pressure is disclosed. The valve has a housing and a piston slidably disposed within an axial bore of the housing. The housing has upper and lower ends configured for attachment to upper and lower portions, respectively, of the tool string. The valve defines an internal passage for hydraulic communication between the upper and lower tool string portions. The piston is arranged to, in first and second positions, permit and block, respectively, hydraulic communication along the internal passage. The housing has an outer surface defining upper and lower outer surface regions for engagement by two spaced apart seals of a retrieval head (such as a BOP). The housing also defines an outer port disposed between the upper and lower outer surface regions and arranged for hydraulic communication between the piston and the outer housing surface. The piston is adapted to be moved to its second position by an elevated pressure applied to the outer port, thereby blocking the internal passage and enabling the upper end of the housing to be disconnected from the upper tool string portion while the lower tool string portion is exposed to elevated well pressure. The valve is particularly useful for retrieving long strings of tools without killing the well. Methods of using the valve to uncouple upper and lower portions of a string of tools exposed to elevated well bore pressure are also disclosed.

Retrieving well tools under pressure

A circulation valve is disclosed for use in a tubing-conveyed tool string. The valve is adapted to be open as the tool string is run into the well, enabling circulation flow from the tubing into the well bore. To close the valve, the circulation flow rate is increased. The valve has a housing with an inner bore and defining both a passage in hydraulic communication with the tubing and a side port for hydraulic communication between the passage and the well. A piston disposed within the inner bore of the housing is adapted to be moved along the inner bore of the housing by elevated tubing pressure to block the side port of the housing. A set of shear pins retain the piston in its initial position until broken by the elevated tubing pressure. The piston defines a side port for hydraulic communication between the passage and the side port of the housing with the piston in its initial position, the size of the side port being selected to cause a sufficient pressure buildup within the tubing at a predetermined flow rate to shear the pins and move the piston. Some embodiments have an air chamber between the piston and housing. Methods of use are also disclosed.

Pressure-actuated circulation valve

A shut-off valve is disclosed for use in a downhole string of tools in a well. The valve has a housing adapted to be connected between adjacent tools of the string, defining a bore and a passage for hydraulic communication between the adjacent tools. The passage is arranged to intersect the bore, and a piston is slidably disposed within the bore and arranged to block hydraulic communication between the passage and the piston bore. The piston is further arranged to, in a first position, permit hydraulic communication along the passage, and to, in a second position, block hydraulic communication along the passage. The piston also has a bore for ballistic communication between the adjacent tools, such that it can be employed between a firing head and a gun, for instance. Some embodiments also permit circulation flow from the tubing to the well bore after the valve has closed. Methods of use and tool strings containing such valves are also disclosed.

Mechanical shut-off valve

A completions insertion and retrieval under pressure (CIRP) apparatus utilizes a snaplock connector to assemble uphole a tool string of any desired length prior to lowering the tool string into a wellbore for performing wellbore operations in the wellbore. The tool string could comprise a perforating gun string including a plurality of perforating guns interleaved with a corresponding plurality of snaplock connectors. The CIRP apparatus includes a winch housing connected to a lubricator, the lubricator being connected to a valve, the valve being connected to a connection apparatus, such as a deployment BOP or a snaplock operator, the connection apparatus being connected to a work string which extends into the wellbore. When the valve is opened and the lubricator is pressurized, a second wellbore tool, which includes a third section of a snaplock connector, is disposed in the lubricator and a first wellbore tool, which includes a first and second section of a snaplock connector, is being held by the connection apparatus. The second wellbore tool is lowered by the winch through the lubricator into contact with the first wellbore tool, and the third section is connected to the second section of the snaplock connector. The connection apparatus releases its hold on the first wellbore apparatus, the winch lowers the second wellbore apparatus into the connection apparatus, and the connection apparatus holds the second wellbore apparatus until a third wellbore apparatus is connected to the second wellbore apparatus thereby creating a tool string. As a result, the tool string of any desired length can be build uphole before lowering the the tool string downhole for performing wellbore operations during one trip into the wellbore.

Completions insertion and retrieval under pressure (CIRP) apparatus

A downhole valve for use within a string of tools in a well for controlling a hydraulic activation circuit. The valve has a housing with an inlet and an outlet, defining a portion of the circuit extending between the inlet and the outlet. A moveable piston within the housing in a first position provides communication between uphole and downhole parts of the circuit, and in a second position isolates the uphole and downhole parts of the circuit. A frangible member is constructed to support, in an intact condition, the piston in one of these two positions against a biasing force, and in a shattered condition enables the piston to move in response to the biasing force to the other position. A detonating member extending through the frangible member propagates a detonation wave to shatter the frangible member when desired, closing the valve. The valve is capable of closing very rapidly, and is particularly useful for isolating an uphole part of a hydraulic activation circuit when used with detonatable tools that can damage hydraulic control lines upon detonation, such as perforating guns. In other embodiments the valve is used to enable hydraulic activation of a tool when opened by a detonation. Methods of altering a hydraulic activation circuit within a string of tools in a well are also disclosed.

Downhole activation circuit valving

A tool for performing a downhole function in a horizontal or highly deviated well has a downhole structure with a longitudinal axis and constructed to turn about the axis in response to a moment applied about the axis. The structure includes at least one ballast chamber containing a flowable inert ballast material, such that the gravitational center of the material-containing chamber is effectively offset from the longitudinal axis of the structure to enable the chamber to contribute to gravitational orientation of the tool within the well to a desired position. In another configuration, the structure is rotatable within a housing and supported by bearings. The chamber is preferably filled with tungsten or depleted uranium powder for maximum density. A swivel for use with the tool, capable of passing both hydraulic pressure and detonation waves, decreases the overall length of the rotating part of the tool string. The method of using an offset ballast to desirably orient a tool in a horizontal or highly deviated well is also disclosed.

Apparatus and method for orienting a downhole tool in a horizontal or

An apparatus for sequentially performing multiple downhole functions in a well has tubing arranged to transmit pressure conditions from the surface of the well, upper and lower hydraulically activated firing heads suspended within the well on the lower end of the tubing, and a hydraulically responsive movable member between the tubing and the firing heads. Each firing head is configured to detonate an associated tool in response to an associated elevated tubing pressure condition. The movable member transmits a first elevated pressure condition to activate one of the firing heads, and moves in response to a subsequent elevated pressure condition to activate the other firing head. In one embodiment, the movable member has a through passage for transmitting the first elevated pressure condition, the passage being subsequently blocked by a ball dropped through the tubing to move the member in response to the second elevated tubing pressure condition. In a second embodiment, the movable element is a free floating piston, with a stem which moves in response to the second elevated pressure condition. In other embodiments more than two firing heads are employed. Methods of sequentially performing multiple downhole functions in a well by such an apparatus are also disclosed.

Tubing-conveyer multiple firing head system

Method for performing downhole functions

Well completion apparatus for use under pressure and method of using same

A firing head adapted to connected between a coiled tubing and a perforating gun, is sized and shaped to enable it to move freely within a tubing string in the wellbore, may be actuated by fluid pressure within the coiled tubing, and includes a circulation and recirculation feature wherein wellbore fluid may be circulated through the firing head between the coiled tubing and an annulus around the tubing string, the circulation taking place either before or after detonation of the perforating gun. Three firing heads are discussed. One such firing head is a Circulation Direction Firing (CDF) Head. The CDF firing head circulates fluid from the wellbore to the coiled tubing and depresses a piston. Then, fluid pressure from the coiled tubing lifts the piston uncovering locking balls and propelling a firing pin to a booster of a detonating cord detonating the CDF firing head. Fluid circulation from the coiled tubing to the wellbore annulus begins after the CDF firing head detonates. Another such firing head is a Circulation Ball Firing (CBF) Head. The CBF firing head circulates fluid from the wellbore to the coiled tubing, receives a ball, and uses fluid pressure in the coiled tubing to lift a piston, uncover the locking balls and detonate the CBF firing head. Another such firing head is a Ball Actuated Circulation Firing (BCF) Head. The BCF firing head circulates fluid from the wellbore to the coiled tubing, receives a ball from the wellbore surface, and uses fluid pressure in the coiled tubing to push a piston downwardly which uncovers the locking balls and detonates the BCF firing head. Recirculation is permitted after the firing head detonates.

Growing community of inventors

Hockley, TX, United States of America

A Glen Edwards