Atlantic Richfield Company

Conocophillips Company

Other

David D Hearn

Randall Scott Shafer

Casey Hirschmann

Curtis G Blount

Dan Thomas Mueller

Frank J Schuh

Lamar L Gantt

Stewart M Robertson

Jerry L Brady

James L Cawvey

Rick D Watts

Dale R Doherty

Geir Ove Titlestad

Charles D Hailey

John M Klein

Mark D Stevenson

John C Patterson

John Howard Striegler

John G Eller

Charles M Hightower

Dan E Venhaus

John R Wolflick

James A Dech

Daniel J Segalman

Eric S Pasternack

Gregory S Walz

Stephen L Ward

John R Whitworth

Howard Gober

Method of plugging a hydrocarbon well by a through-tubing technique are described. The method allows the tubing to be left in place. Only a short (<2 m) section is cut, milled, perforated, ruptured and expanded, or combinations thereof. A blocking device is sent downhole to block a bottom of the plug section, and bismuth alloy pellets dropped onto the blocking device. A heater is deployed to melt the bismuth alloy pellets. Next, the alloy liquid is allowed to cool and solidify. During solidification, the alloy expands and fills the section of well to be plugged or a portion thereof. Once primary and secondary barriers are in place, the well can be closed and the Christmas tree removed. A rock-to-rock plug can be set by removing or partially removing the tubular and outer casing, or just inner casing/tubulars can be removed if the exterior cement and casing are of sufficient quality.

Through tubing P AND A with bismuth alloys

This disclosure describes a device and method of sealing perforations on a well casing inside a subterranean well. The device comprises a generally cylindrical sleeve having an open top and a closed bottom; a heater located inside the sleeve, the heater comprising a thermite mixture; an ignition mechanism that ignites the thermite mixture upon actuation; and a string connected to the heater ignition and detachably engages the sleeve. The method comprises lowering a body of meltable plugging material into the well casing near the perforations; lowering the plugging device into the well casing immediately on top of the body of meltable plugging material; melting the meltable plugging material by igniting the thermite thereby transferring heat to the body of meltable plugging material; forcing the molten plugging material into the perforations by pushing the plugging tool further downhole; cooling the plugging tool and the plugging material until the plugging material solidifies; disengaging the tubing string from the sleeve and retrieving the tubing string with the heater; and removing the sleeve and bismuth remaining in the well casing, but not in the perforations.

Tool for metal plugging or sealing of casing

A composition for a plug for use in wellbores undergoing plugging and abandonment operations, as well as plugs made with the composition, wherein the composition includes a first molten metal produced by igniting nano-thermite clusters of <500 nm average diameter admixed with a second molten metal that is produced by melting the wellbore's production tubing and casing.

Nano-thermite well plug

A composition and methods for setting a plug for well bores undergoing plugging and abandonment operations is described. Methods of setting the plug are also described include placing a blocking device below the plug location and creating a void space above the blocking device; placing a heat resistant base plate above the blocking device and introducing nano-thermite clusters and expandable bismuth alloy pellets into the void space; igniting the thermite and cooling the melted alloy to form a permanent plug in the void space.

Method of plugging a hydrocarbon well by a through-tubing technique are described. The method allows the tubing to be left in place. Only a short (&#x3c;2 m) section is cut, milled, perforated, ruptured and expanded, or combinations thereof. A blocking device is sent downhole to block a bottom of the plug section, and bismuth alloy pellets dropped onto the blocking device. A heater is deployed to melt the bismuth alloy pellets. Next, the alloy liquid is allowed to cool and solidify. During solidification, the alloy expands and fills the section of well to be plugged or a portion thereof. Once primary and secondary barriers are in place, the well can be closed and the Christmas tree removed. A rock-to-rock plug can be set by removing or partially removing the tubular and outer casing, or just inner casing/tubulars can be removed if the exterior cement and casing are of sufficient quality.

Through tubing P and A with bismuth alloys

A composition and methods for setting a plug for well bores undergoing plugging and abandonment operations. Methods include placing a blocking device below the plug location and creating a void space above the blocking device; placing a heat resistant base plate above the blocking device and introducing nano-thermite clusters and expandable bismuth alloy pellets into the void space; igniting the thermite and cooling the melted alloy to form a permanent plug in the void space.

This disclosure describes a device and method of sealing perforations on a well casing inside a subterranean well. The device comprises a generally cylindrical sleeve having a open top and a closed bottom; a heater located inside the sleeve, the heater comprising a thermite mixture; an ignition mechanism that ignites the thermite mixture upon actuation; and a string connected to the heater ignition and detachably engages the sleeve. The method comprises lowering a body of meltable plugging material into the well casing near the perforations; lowering the plugging device into the well casing immediately on top of the body of meltable plugging material; melting the meltable plugging material by igniting the thermite thereby transferring heat to the body of meltable plugging material; forcing the molten plugging material into the perforations by pushing the plugging tool further downhole; cooling the plugging tool and the plugging material until the plugging material solidifies; disengaging the tubing string from the sleeve and retrieving the tubing string with the heater; and removing the sleeve and bismuth remaining in the well casing, but not in the perforations.

The present invention relates to drilling lateral wells or sidetrack wells from a primary wellbore to enhance the efficiency and productivity of oil and gas wells.

Permanent bypass whipstock assembly for drilling and completing a sidetrack well and preserving access to the original wellbore

Drilling a sidetrack wellbore out of the side of an existing wellbore utilizing a drillable billet having a path formed in the billet to lead a bi-centered drillbit to kick-out from the wellbore and form a sidetrack wellbore. The bi-centered bit is arranged for the lands of the pilot section to follow the path of the billet while the wings of the ream out a portion of the billet and also ream out the earth to form the full dimension sidetrack wellbore. The bi-centered bit is used to drill the sidetrack wellbore to the target zone so that the entire drilling process extends from the existing wellbore to the target zone without a mandatory withdrawal of the drillstring from the wellbore.

Directional sidetrack well drilling system

A method and apparatus for forming a window in the wall of a tubular wellbore. In one embodiment described herein, a down hole apparatus for forming a window in the wall of a wellbore utilizing a plurality of tubing string sections and a thick tailpipe positioned at the down hole end of a tubing section.

Mill-through tailpipe liner exit and method of use thereof

A method and apparatus for drilling a lateral from a primary wellbore having a short radius-of-curvature. The lateral is drilled by a downhole drilling unit which differs from prior art units of this type in that instead of connecting the drill bit directly to the downhole motor, a length of flexible drill pipe is used to connect the bit to the rotary power output of the motor. This length of flexible drill pipe below the downhole motor allows much larger build-up angles (e.g. 1-3&deg; per foot) which, in turn, reduces the time and expense for short-radius laterals and increase the accuracy of placement of the lateral within the zone of interest (e.g. production formation).

Drilling of laterals from a wellbore

A downhole assembly for setting a well tool (e.g. packer) comprising a setting tool which has a draw rod made in two portions which are slidably connected to allow relative movement therebetween. The upper portion is releasably latched to the well tool wherein the weight of the well tool is effectively supported by the workstring rather than the draw rod during positioning of the assembly. Upon actuation of the setting tool, the upper portion is released from the well tool thereby allowing movement between the portions to switch the weight of the well tool to the draw rod during the setting of the well tool. By effectively unloading the draw rod during positioning of the assembly, the assembly can be retrieved if necessary without inadvertently setting the well tool or shearing the draw rod.

Downhole setting tool

A method and a toolstring for carrying out a downhole operation in a wellbore (e.g. milling a window in a well casing, drilling a lateral wellbore, etc.). The toolstring is comprised of a workstring and a downhole assembly which is comprised of a downhole, rotary motor (e.g. bent motor) for driving a cutting tool (e.g. carbide mill, drill bit, etc.) and a valve which is movable between a first position in which the flow of work fluid is blocked to the motor and a second position in which the fluid is now directed to the motor to thereby actuate the motor and drive the cutting tool. By initially blocking flow of fluid to the motor, certain functions can be performed within the wellbore (e.g. orienting the bent motor) before the motor begins any cutting within the wellbore.

Method and toolstring for operating a downhole motor

A method and system for increasing oil production from an oil well producing a mixture of oil and gas at an elevated pressure through a wellbore penetrating an oil-bearing formation containing an oil-bearing zone and an injection zone, by separating at least a portion of the gas from the mixture of oil and gas to produce a separated gas and an oil-enriched mixture; utilizing energy from at least a portion of the mixture of oil and gas to compress at a surface at least a portion of the separated gas to produce a compressed gas having sufficient pressure to be injected into the injection zone; injecting the compressed gas into the injection zone; and recovering at least a major portion of the oil-enriched mixture.

Growing community of inventors

Anchorage, AK, United States of America

David D Hearn