Weatherford Technology Holdings, LLC

Patriot Research Center, LLC

Manish Agarwal

Joseph Opitz

Brandon Matthew Cain

Craig L Cotton

Bryan A Paulet

Michael C Knoeller

Clark E Robison

Jeffrey John Lembcke

William C Lane

Ross E Moffett

Thomas Scott Campbell

Toby S Pugh

Stephen E Cannon

James R Bracken

Michael Pursley

Cardinal T Nforgwei

Darryl Albers

Paul M Lachin

A hydraulic accumulator system is provided to remove the motors or engines from the red zone while maintaining sufficient capacity within the red zone to quickly close the designated blowout preventer or other gate valves. Additionally, a single point is provided outside of the red zone to charge the local storage units or to open or close the designated blowout preventer or other gate valves when time is not a critical consideration.

Hydraulic accumulator system

A greasing system may be placed partially within the red zone and partially outside of the red zone. Grease and pneumatic power is supplied from outside of the red zone to a pod, inside of the red zone, having local storage, high-pressure pumping capacity, and a distribution mechanism. The grease is supplied from outside of the red zone to the pod at low-pressure through a hose having at least a 1 inch inside diameter and is usually at least 100 feet long. The pod pressurizes the grease to a high-pressure and distributes the grease via a distribution mechanism to a relatively short hose, generally less than 8 feet between the distribution mechanism and the greasing point on the wellhead, in order to minimize pressure losses.

Frack valve greasing system

A check valve bleed assembly eliminates the requirement for a person to enter the red zone when bleeding the grease out of a gate or other valve. A gas or other fluid is provided to the check valve bleed assembly. The gas or other fluid acts upon the surface driving a pin into the associated check valve with sufficient force to overcome the resistance of the object sitting on a seat and moves the object off of the seat. The force is maintained as long as is necessary. Usually, the check valve is held open until the gate transitions into the gate's associated gate recess thereby displacing the grease within the gate recess through the check valve, into the check valve bleed assembly, and finally to a waste collection tube. In some embodiments a gate valve greasing access port is included in the check valve bleed assembly such that grease may be injected into the check valve bleed assembly.

Grease pressure relief system

An artificial lift system has a surface pump operated by a prime mover powered by a variable speed drive. A jet pump disposed downhole in tubing receives pressurized power fluid from the surface pump, mixes the power and production fluid and delivers the product uphole. A controller disposed at surface adjusts the artificial lift system relative to a set value based on a measured discharged pressure or a measured flowrate and trends a change in the other of the measured flowrate or the measured discharged pressure over time. The controller can also trend an operating condition (intake pressure vs. production rate) to determine changes relative to cavitation conditions. Based on the trended changes, the controller initiates an operation in the artificial lift system, such as adjusting the discharge pressure, initiating an alarm condition, etc.

Jet pump controller with downhole prediction

A wellbore completion is configured for multiple forms of artificial lift. A downhole assembly on production tubing defines a production port communicating a throughbore with the wellbore annulus. A bypass, such as a snorkel or riser tube, on the assembly also communicates the throughbore between the packer and the production port with the annulus. A packer on the assembly seals in the annulus downhole of the production port and bypass. The assembly can then be configured for any selected artificial lift. To do this, at least one isolation (a sleeve insert, a sliding sleeve, a check valve, or a rupture disk) selectively prevents/allows communication via one or both of the production port and the bypass as needed. Additionally, removable lift equipment, including jet pump, gas lift valve, plunger assembly, rod pump, piston pump, or standing valve, is selectively inserted into the assembly's throughbore as needed.

Bottom hole assembly for configuring between artificial lift systems

A plunger lift method can include introducing a plunger sleeve and a plunger closure into a well, engaging the sleeve with the closure, securing the sleeve and closure to each other in a flow passage of the well, and then retrieving the sleeve and closure from the well. A plunger lift system can include a plunger sleeve configured for reciprocal displacement in a flow passage of the well, a plunger closure configured to block flow through a flow path of the sleeve and being displaceable in the flow passage separate from the sleeve. A plunger retrieval device may displace with the sleeve in the flow passage and secure the closure against displacement away from the sleeve. Another plunger retrieval device may be positioned in a lubricator, whereby the plunger retrieval device engages the closure and secures the closure against displacement away from the sleeve in the lubricator.

Retrieval of multi-component plunger in well plunger lift system

Methods and apparatus are provided for measuring one or more parameters associated with an artificial lift system for hydrocarbon production and operating the system based on the measured parameters. One embodiment of the invention provides a lubricator for a plunger lift system, which generally includes a housing, a spring disposed in the housing for absorbing an impact by a plunger, and a sensor configured to measure at least one parameter of the spring. One example method of operating a plunger lift system for hydrocarbon production generally includes measuring at least one parameter of a spring disposed in a lubricator of the plunger lift system and operating the plunger lift system based on the measured parameter.

Sensing in artificial lift systems

A lubricator for use in a plunger lift system includes a tubular body having an outlet formed through a wall thereof and a bore therethrough. The bore is closed at an end thereof. The lubricator further includes a striker assembly disposed within the bore. The striker assembly includes a dampener housing longitudinally movable relative to the tubular body between a ready position and a stroked position and a choke plate. The choke plate: is disposed in the dampener housing, separates a bore of the housing into an upper hydraulic chamber and a lower hydraulic chamber, and has one or more orifices formed therethrough. The striker assembly further includes a dampener support rod connecting the choke plate to the tubular body. The orifices are sized to dissipate kinetic energy of a plunger striking a lower end of the dampener housing.

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Cypress, TX, United States of America

Manish Agarwal