Conocophillips Company

Rick D Watts

Lars Hovda

Dan Thomas Mueller

James C Stevens

Amal C Phadke

Praveen Gonuguntla

Stein Haavardstein

Brett Borland

Dianne Tompkins

Helen Haneferd

Randall Scott Shafer

David D Hearn

Curtis G Blount

Dale R Doherty

Edvard Omdal

Lars Vedvik

Tove Husby

Geir Ove Titlestad

Hardy Hartmann Nielsen

Paul D Scott

David H Beardmore

Lars Vedvick

Hardy Nielsen

The invention relates to a method of conducting a perf wash cement ('P/W/C') abandonment job in an offshore oil or gas well annulus (), in particular the washing or cementing operation using a rotating head () with nozzles () dispensing wash fluid or cement at pressure. Certain values of parameters of a washing or cementing job have been found surprisingly to affect the quality of the job, or the degree to which they affect the quality of the job has been unexpected. These include including rotation rate of the tool, the direction of translational movement of the tool, and the volume flow rate and pressure per nozzle of cement or wash fluid (and hence nozzle size).

Behind casing wash and cement

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

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

The invention relates to the decommissioning of hydrocarbon wells. It concerns the artificial promoting or inducing of creep in the overburden formationsurrounding an oil well, so that the formation rockencroaches against the casingto form a seal. This avoids the need to plug the annulus between the casingand formationwith cement. The overburden may be caused to creep by reducing the pressure in the annulus, by applying heat to the overburden rock or by stressing the rock repeatedly to cause fatigue in the rock

Method and apparatus for filling an annulus between casing and rock in an oil or gas well

This invention relates to drilling a well, particularly an oil or gas well, where casing or liner will be installed to stabilize the wellbore. The present invention is intended to permit more drilling and longer lengths of casing or liner to be installed at one time. The present invention includes a combination of a smear tool and specially sized granular lost circulation material solids in the drilling mud which work together to close and seal leaking formations and fractures whether pre-existing or induced by drilling. By the natural collection of the inventive solids along with the conventional particles in the drilling mud to form a filter cake at the problem areas along the wall of the wellbore and the smear tool arranged to compress the filter cake into the problem areas, lost circulation is minimized. Maintaining circulation naturally allows for longer drilling cycles and potentially fewer liner joints in the well. As such, larger diameter boreholes are located in the hydrocarbon bearing formation and less time is spent installing casing or liner pipe.

Enhanced smear effect fracture plugging process for drilling systems

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Rick D Watts