Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company

Joseph W Witt

Brandon Max Baumert

Mehmet Deniz Ertas

Nicholas Collier

David A Howell

Brent D Wheelock

Stephen M Remmert

Fred E DuPriest

Shaped charge slitting devices for control line disruption in a hydrocarbon well and related methods for sealing the hydrocarbon well. The shaped charge slitting devices include a plurality of shaped charges. Each shaped charge is configured to, upon actuation, transform a corresponding liner into a high-speed sheet portion, which is configured to form a circumferential slit within production tubing, and a low-speed slug portion, which is configured to at least partially seal the circumferential slit. The methods include positioning a shaped charge slitting device within a selected region of a tubing conduit, actuating the shaped charge slitting device to form a plurality of circumferential slits within the production tubing and also to sever a control line, pumping a sealing material into an annular space via a sealing material injection opening that extends between the tubing conduit and the annular space, and curing the sealing material to form a fluid seal.

Shaped charge slitting devices for control line disruption in a hydrocarbon well and related methods for sealing the hydrocarbon well

Hydrocarbon wells and methods for identifying production from a region of a subterranean formation. The hydrocarbon wells include a wellbore extending within the region of the subterranean formation and a production tubular that defines a production conduit and extends at least partially within the wellbore. The hydrocarbon wells also include an electromagnetic transmitter, an electromagnetic receiver, and a controller. The electromagnetic transmitter is configured to provide an input electromagnetic signal to a region of the production conduit to electromagnetically excite a produced tracer material that forms a portion of a produced stream that flows within the production tubular. The electromagnetic receiver is configured to receive an electromagnetic output signal from the region of the production conduit. The controller is programmed to identify the region of the subterranean formation based, at least in part, on the output electromagnetic signal. The methods include methods of operating the hydrocarbon wells.

Hydrocarbon wells and methods for identifying production from a region of a subterranean formation

Methods of sealing a hydrocarbon well containing a control line. The hydrocarbon well includes a casing string extending within a wellbore and defining a casing conduit, production tubing extending within the casing conduit and defining a tubing conduit, and at least one control line extending within an annular space. The methods include fluidly isolating a downhole region of the tubing conduit from an uphole region of the tubing conduit and actuating a shape charge device. The actuating includes forming a plurality of openings within the production tubing and severing the at least one control line. The methods also include positioning a diversion structure within the uphole region of the tubing conduit, pumping a sealing material into the annular space at the sealing material injection region, and curing the sealing material to form a fluid seal that extends within the annular space and the uphole region of the tubing conduit.

Methods of sealing a hydrocarbon well

A method associated with the production of hydrocarbons. In one embodiment, method for drilling a well is described. The method includes performing drilling operations at one or more wells to a subsurface location in a field to provide fluid flow paths for hydrocarbons to a production facility. The drilling is performed by (i) obtaining mechanical specific energy (MSE) data and other measured data during the drilling operations; (ii) using the obtained MSE data and other measured data to determine the existence of at least one limiter; (iii) obtaining and examining lithology data for the well; (iv) identifying a primary limiter of the at least one limiter based on the lithology data; and (v) adjusting drilling operations to mitigate at least one of the at least limiter.

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The Woodlands, TX, United States of America

Joseph W Witt