Baker Hughes Corporation

Deep Vision, Inc.

Peter Fontana

Roger W Fincher

Larry A Watkins

Peter S Aronstam

Philip Burge

Volker Krueger

Sven Krueger

Friedhelm Makohl

Harald Grimmer

James W Macfarlane

Glenn Leroux

Roland May

Martin Paul Coronado

Marcus Oesterberg

Jens Uwe Bruns

Allan Mackenzie

Svan Krueger

Roger Fincher

A system for reverse circulation in a wellbore includes equipment for supplying drilling fluid into the wellbore bit via at least an annulus of the wellbore and returning the drilling fluid to a surface location via at least a bore of a wellbore tubular. The system also includes devices for controlling the annulus pressure associated with this reverse circulation. An active pressure differential device may increase the pressure wellbore annulus to at least partially offset a circulating pressure loss. Alternatively, the system may include devices for decreasing the pressure in the annulus of the wellbore.

Reverse circulation pressure control method and system

Methods and control systems are provided for a wellbore drilling system having an active differential pressure device (APD device) in fluid communication with a returning fluid. The APD Device creates a differential pressure across the device, which reduces the pressure below or downhole of the device. In embodiments, a control unit controls the APD Device in real time via a data transmission system. In one arrangement, the data transmission system includes data links formed by conductors associated with the drill string. The conductors, which may include electrical wires and/or fiber optic bundles, couple the control unit to the APD Device and other downhole tools such as sensors. In other arrangements, the data link can include data transmission stations that use acoustic, EM, and/or RF signals to transfer data. In still other embodiments, a mud pulse telemetry system can be used in transfer data and command signals.

Control systems and methods for real-time downhole pressure management (ECD control)

An active differential pressure device (APD device) in fluid communication with a returning fluid creates a differential pressure across the device, which controls pressure below the APD Device. In embodiments, a control unit controls the APD Device to provide a selected pressure differential at a wellbore bottom, adjacent a casing shoe, in an intermediate wellbore location, or in a casing. In one arrangement, the control system is pre-set at the surface such that the APD Device provides a substantially constant pressure differential. In other arrangements, the control system adjusts an operating parameter of the APD Device to provide a desired pressure differential in response to one or more measured parameters. Devices such as an adjustable bypass can be used to control the APD Device. In other embodiments, one or more flow control devices coupled to the return fluid reduce the effective pressure differential provided by the APD Device.

Control systems and methods for active controlled bottomhole pressure systems

A drilling system for drilling subsea wellbores includes a tubing-conveyed drill bit that passes through a subsea wellhead. Surface supplied drilling fluid flows through the tubing, discharges at the drill bit, returns to the wellhead through a wellbore annulus, and flows to the surface via a riser extending from the wellhead. A flow restriction device positioned in the riser restricts the flow of the returning fluid while an active fluid device controllably discharges fluid from a location below to just above the flow restriction device in the riser, thereby controlling bottomhole pressure and equivalent circulating density ('ECD'). Alternatively, the fluid is discharged into a separate return line thereby providing dual gradient drilling while controlling bottomhole pressure and ECD. A controller controls the energy and thus the speed of the pump in response to downhole measurement(s) to maintain the ECD at a predetermined value or within a predetermined range.

Drilling system and method for controlling equivalent circulating density during drilling of wellbores

A subsea return fluid recovery system for recovering drilling fluid and cuttings ('return fluid') from a subsea wellbore in one embodiment includes a hub at the opening of the subsea wellbore that directs fluid into a transport device. In one embodiment, the hub includes a stand pipe that forms a return fluid column, the hydrostatic pressure of which causes return fluid to flow into the transport device rather than up the stand pipe. One or more buoyant members attached to the transport device convey the transport device toward the surface. A preferred recovery method includes collecting return fluid at the seabed, passively transporting the collected fluid to the surface, and processing the collected fluid at a local (offshore) or land based treatment facility. The retrieval and processing of the return fluid is done outside the critical path of the drilling activities at an offshore platform.

System and method for recovering return fluid from subsea wellbores

Methods and control systems are provided for a wellbore drilling system having an active differential pressure device (APD device) in fluid communication with a returning fluid. The APD Device creates a differential pressure across the device, which reduces the pressure below or downhole of the device. In embodiments, a control unit controls the APD Device to provide a selected pressure differential at a wellbore bottom, adjacent a casing shoe, in an intermediate wellbore location, or in a casing. In one arrangement, the control system is pre-set at the surface such that the APD Device provides a substantially constant pressure differential. In other arrangements, the control system measures one or more parameters (e.g., wellbore pressure, formation parameters, BHA parameters, etc.) and adjusts an operating parameter of the APD Device to provide a desired pressure differential. Devices such as an adjustable bypass can be used to control the APD Device.

A wellbore drilling system has an umbilical that carries a drill bit in a wellbore. Drilling fluid pumped into the umbilical discharges at the drill bit bottom and returns through an annulus between the umbilical and the wellbore carrying entrained drill cuttings. An active differential pressure device (APD device), such as a jet pump, turbine or centrifugal pump, in fluid communication with the returning fluid creates a differential pressure across the device, which alters the pressure below or downhole of the device. The APD device can be driven by a positive displacement motor, a turbine, an electric motor, or a hydraulic motor. A controller controls the operation of the APD device in response to programmed instructions and/or one or more parameters of interest detected by one or more sensors. A preferred system is a closed loop system that maintains the wellbore at under-balance condition, at-balance condition or over-balance condition.

Active controlled bottomhole pressure system & method

One or more components of a wellbore drilling assembly utilize a modular construction to facilitate assembly, disassembly, repair and/or maintenance of a wellbore drilling assembly and/or to extend the overall operating capabilities of the drilling assembly. In one embodiment, a modular construction is used for an APD Device, a motor driving the modular APD Device, a comminution device, and an annular seal. Individual modules can be configure have different operating set points, operating parameters and characteristics (e.g., rotational speeds, flow rates, pressure differentials, etc.) and/or different responses to given environmental factors or conditions (e.g., pressure, temperature, wellbore fluid chemistry, etc.). In one embodiment, the high-pressure seals used in conjunction with the APD Device and/or motor is a hydrodynamic seal that provides a selected leak or flow rates. Optionally, the seal is modular to provide different degrees of leak rates and/or different functional characteristics.

Modular design for downhole ECD-management devices and related methods

The present invention provides drilling systems for drilling wellbores. The drilling system includes an umbilical that passes through a wellhead and carries a drill bit. A drilling fluid system supplies drilling fluid into an annulus (supply line) between the umbilical and the wellbore, which discharges at the drill bit bottom and returns to the wellhead through the umbilical (return line) carrying the drill cuttings. A fluid circulation device, such as a turbine or centrifugal pump, is operated in the return line to provide the primary motive force for circulating drilling fluid through a fluid circuit formed by the supply line and return line. Optionally, a secondary fluid circulation device in fluid communication with the return line can cooperate with the fluid circulation device to circulate drilling fluid and/or a near bit fluid circulation device can be used to provide localized flow control or suction pressure to improve bit cleaning.

Wellbore fluid circulation system and method

The present invention provides drilling systems for drilling subsea wellbores. The drilling system includes a tubing that passes through a sea bottom wellhead and carries a drill bit. A drilling fluid system continuously supplies drilling fluid into the tubing, which discharges at the drill bit bottom and returns to the wellhead through an annulus between the tubing and the wellbore carrying the drill cuttings. A fluid return line extending from the wellhead equipment to the drilling vessel transports the returning fluid to the surface. In a riserless arrangement, the return fluid line is separate and spaced apart from the tubing. In a system using a riser, the return fluid line may be the riser or a separate line carried by the riser. The tubing may be coiled tubing with a drilling motor in the bottom hole assembly driving the drill bit. A suction pump coupled to the annulus is used to control the bottom hole pressure during drilling operations, making it possible to use heavier drilling muds and drill to greater depths than would be possible without the suction pump. An optional delivery system continuously injects a flowable material, whose fluid density is less than the density of the drilling fluid, into the returning fluid at one or more suitable locations the rate of such lighter material can be controlled to provide supplementary regulation of the pressure. Various pressure, temperature, flow rate and kick sensors included in the drilling system provide signals to a controller that controls the suction pump, the surface mud pump, a number of flow control devices, and the optional delivery system.

Subsea wellbore drilling system for reducing bottom hole pressure

This invention provides apparatus and methods for controlling the particle size of the solid mass present in the circulating drilling fluid returning from an underwater wellhead during the drilling of a subsea wellbore. The system may include a separator at the sea floor adjacent the wellhead, which separates solids above a predetermined size from the wellstream. The wellstream then enters one or more underwater pumps, which pump the wellstream to the surface. A crusher, as a separate unit, integrated in the separator or in the pump, receives the separated solids and reduces them to relatively small-sized particles. The small particles are then pumped or moved to the surface by the pumps utilized for pumping the wellstream to the surface or by a separate underwater pump. Alternatively, the separated solids are collected from the separator into a container, which container is then transported to the surface by a suitable method. Solids reaching the surface are removed to obtain filtered fluid, which after conditioning by conventional methods is pumped back into the wellbore as the drilling fluid.

Apparatus and method for the disposition of drilling solids during drilling of subsea oilfield wellbores

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for partially rotating a drill string. The drill string of the present invention comprises upper and lower sections wherein the lower section rotates relative to the upper section of the drill string from the surface at the injector head. The upper and lower sections of the drill string can comprise coiled tubing, jointed tubing or a combination of coiled and jointed tubing. The lower section of the drill string comprises a bottom hole assembly (BHA), which comprises a drill bit and downhole drilling motor. A rotational device is positioned within the drill string in order to rotate the lower section. Upon activation of the rotational device, the lower section of the drill string will be exposed to a continuous rotation. By partially rotating the lower section of the drill string, static friction forces are overcome, the probability of differential sticking of the drill string is reduced and the cuttings produced during drilling are prevented from settling on the bottom (low side) of the wellbore, thereby maintaining a clean wellbore by dragging the cuttings back into the main fluid path.

Apparatus and method for rotating a portion of a drill string

A tubing handling for subsea oilfield tubing operations, includes an isolation tube to mechanically and/or chemically protect the drill string and improved passage of the drill string and fluid return line to the drilling vessel that further protects them during drilling use. In addition, the improvements include an automatic safety apparatus to hold against unintended movement of the tubular members under extreme length and weight conditions as well as against human error at the rig. Further, the invention includes multi-segment coiled tubing drill strings that can be adapted to drilling requirements in a deep wellbore.

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The Woodlands, TX, United States of America

Peter Fontana