U.S. patent application number 12/353272 was filed with the patent office on 2009-07-23 for method for sealing wellbore leakage and shutting-off of water producing zones.
Invention is credited to Henning Hansen.
Application Number | 20090183884 12/353272 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40875529 |
Filed Date | 2009-07-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090183884 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hansen; Henning |
July 23, 2009 |
METHOD FOR SEALING WELLBORE LEAKAGE AND SHUTTING-OFF OF WATER
PRODUCING ZONES
Abstract
A method for sealing a wellbore includes moving a running tool
with a sealing material disposed therein into a wellbore proximate
a portion of the wellbore to be sealed. A cylinder is moved into
the wellbore along with the running tool proximate to the portion
to be sealed. The cylinder defines an annular space between an
exterior thereof and an interior of the wellbore. The sealing
material is deployed into the annular space. The running tool is
then removed from the wellbore.
Inventors: |
Hansen; Henning; (Alicante,
ES) |
Correspondence
Address: |
RICHARD A. FAGIN
P.O. BOX 1247
RICHMOND
TX
77406-1247
US
|
Family ID: |
40875529 |
Appl. No.: |
12/353272 |
Filed: |
January 14, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61021722 |
Jan 17, 2008 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
166/376 ;
166/387 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21B 29/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
166/376 ;
166/387 |
International
Class: |
E21B 33/13 20060101
E21B033/13; E21B 33/12 20060101 E21B033/12; E21B 29/00 20060101
E21B029/00 |
Claims
1. A method for sealing a wellbore, comprising: moving a running
tool with a sealing material disposed therein into a wellbore
proximate a portion of the wellbore to be sealed; moving a cylinder
into the wellbore along with the running tool proximate to the
portion, the cylinder defining an annular space between an exterior
thereof and an interior of the wellbore; deploying the sealing
material into the annular space; and removing the running tool from
the wellbore.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising removing the cylinder
from the wellbore.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the removing the cylinder
comprises dissolving the cylinder.
4. The method of claim 1 the sealing material is activated prior to
deployment.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the activating comprises thermal
fusing.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the activating comprises
thermochemical activation.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the activating comprises chemical
activation.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the sealing material is pumped in
from surface through at least one of one of a tubular in the
wellbore to be sealed and through an intervention tubing inserted
into the wellbore.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Priority is claimed from U.S. Provisional Application No.
61/021,722 filed on Jan. 17, 2008.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] 1. Field of the Invention
[0004] The invention is related generally to the field of wellbore
construction and repair. More particularly the invention is related
methods and devices for selectively repairing leaks or
hydraulically closing perforations in strings of pipe disposed in a
wellbore drilled through subsurface rock formations.
[0005] 2. Related Art
[0006] Wellbores drilled through subsurface rock formations
typically include one or more lengths of pipe ("strings") disposed
therein. The pipe may be cemented into the open, drilled wellbore
(called a "casing" if extending to the surface or a "liner" if
extending only part way of the wellbore) to hydraulically isolate
the subsurface formations and to protect the mechanical integrity
of the wellbore. Another pipe string may be coaxially inserted into
a casing in the wellbore to increase fluid velocity along the
wellbore (such string called production or injection "tubing"
depending on fluid direction of movement) as fluid is withdrawn
from a subsurface reservoir or is injected into a reservoir.
[0007] In certain cases, casings or tubings can develop leaks. Such
leakage may be caused by corrosion resulting in holes in the pipe,
by threaded couplings on the pipe not being properly assembled
("torqued up") during wellbore installation, among other causes of
leaks.
[0008] It is also known in the art that part of a wellbore drilled
through a subsurface reservoir needs to be hydraulically closed
("shut off") when the fluids entering the wellbore from certain
parts of a reservoir are not the fluids intended to be produced to
the Earth's surface, as for example, water. Such undesired fluid
entry can occur, for example, in the later stage of production from
a reservoir, for example due to wrongly placed perforations and
water coning, among other reasons.
[0009] The present invention relates to sealing wellbore sections
that have such unwanted leakage or unwanted fluid production. In
some examples, the method uses an induction-heating tool such as
one described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,036,593, entitled Cement heating
tool for oil and gas well completion, and issued to Thomas A.
Larovere. Another such tool is described in Canadian Patent No.
2,592,556 entitled, Method and apparatus for plugging perforations,
invented by Homer L. Spencer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] A method for sealing a wellbore according to one aspect of
the invention includes moving a running tool with a sealing
material disposed therein into a wellbore proximate a portion of
the wellbore to be sealed. A cylinder is moved into the wellbore
along with the running tool proximate to the portion to be sealed.
The cylinder defines an annular space between an exterior thereof
and an interior of the wellbore. The sealing material is deployed
into the annular space. The running tool is then removed from the
wellbore.
[0011] A method for sealing a wellbore according to another aspect
of the invention includes moving an induction heating device with a
thermally actuated sealing compound into a wellbore proximate a
portion of the wellbore to be sealed. An annular cylinder is moved
into the wellbore along with the induction heating device. The
induction heating device is activated until the compound is
actuated. The fused compound is moved into an annular space between
the cylinder and the wellbore. The heating device is then withdrawn
from the wellbore.
[0012] The invention described herein is based on using a device
such as induction heating tool in combination with a device that
enables a cylindrical, hollow plug to be placed and sealingly
engaged in a wellbore.
[0013] Also, the invention described herein can be used for placing
plugging materials by other tools, where plugging material can be
epoxy, rubber-type compound, resins or other similar suitable
fusible materials.
[0014] Other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the
description and claims that follow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 shows an example wellbore having a leak in a
tubing.
[0016] FIG. 2 shows an example device used to emplace sealing
compound proximate the leak shown in FIG. 1.
[0017] FIG. 3 shows sealing compound after cure and after removal
of the emplacing device of FIG. 2.
[0018] FIG. 4 shows a section of a perforated casing after sealing
using the device shown in FIG. 2.
[0019] FIG. 5 shows an example of a two stage sealing device
similar in principle to the device shown in FIG. 2, but in FIG. 5
an upper seal bore is introduced in the lower (first installed)
cylinder device.
[0020] FIG. 6 shows an upper (second) cylinder device landed into
the seal bore of the first (Lower) cylinder, forming a seal between
upper and lower cylinder, and how sealing compound is placed by
gravity in upper cylinder.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] FIG. 1 illustrates a casing string (1) as it would appear
disposed in a wellbore (not shown) having inserted therein a
production tubing or injection tubing (2). The tubing string (2)
shown in FIG. 1 has a leak shown generally at (3). The arrangement
shown in FIG. 1 may be a tubing within a casing as described, or
the arrangement can be two coaxial casing strings. In a method
according to the invention it is desired to seal off the leak
(3).
[0022] FIG. 2 illustrates how the leak (3) can be sealed off using
an induction-heating tool (4A) or similar device suspended from a
running tool (4). The running tool (4) may be suspended from the
end of a pipe string such as a workover string, drill string,
coiled tubing or other device known in the art to deploy tools in a
wellbore. The running tool (4) is used to insert an annular
cylinder (9) explained below into the wellbore tubing (2) or casing
(1). On the lower side of the running tool (4) a seal and hanger
system (6) secures a cylindrically shaped device ("cylinder") (9),
having a sealing system (10) in the lower end of the cylinder (9).
The sealing system may be metal or elastomer, for example and is
used to sealingly engage the cylinder (9) to the interior of the
tubing or casing. A centralizer (7) in the upper section of the
cylinder (9) may be provided to ensure centralization. When the
cylinder (9) has been lowered into the wellbore (inside the casing
1 or the tubing 2) to the required position (depth), the
induction-heating tool (4A) is actuated, causing a sealing compound
(8) disposed within the body of the heating tool (4A) to be melted
or activated. The heating tool (4A) may include devices such as a
temperature sensor (not shown) to indicate to the system operator
that the sealing compound (8) is ready for deployment. As soon as
the operator determines that the sealing compound (8) is fully
fused or activated, and is ready to be released, dump port(s) (5)
in the running tool (4) are opened, causing the sealing compound
(8) to be released into the annular space between the cylinder (9)
and the interior of the casing (1) or tubing (2). The sealing
compound (8) is preferably made from material having a higher
density than the fluids in the wellbore, so that the sealing
compound (8) will then flow to the annular area between the
cylinder (9) and the pipe (casing (1) or tubing (2)) to be repaired
or sealed off. The lower sealing system (10) will ensure that the
compound (8) does not flow past the longitudinal end of the
cylinder (9). After the sealing compound (8) is deployed, the
heating tool (4A) can be switched off, and the sealing compound (8)
is allowed to cure, creating a sealing plug in the wellbore tubing
or casing. In the present example, the sealing compound (8) can be
any thermally activated or thermochemically activated material,
such as thermoplastic, thermoset plastic, elastomer, certain low
melting point metals, heat activated resin or the like.
[0023] As soon as the compound (8) has solidified or fully cured, a
pressure test can be performed to ensure proper sealing in the
casing (1) or tubing (2). Thereafter, the induction-heating tool
(4A) can be released from the cylinder (9) and retrieved to the
surface.
[0024] The cylinder (9), as well as the sealing system (10) and the
centralizer (7) can be manufactured from materials susceptible to
easy removal from the wellbore. One example is a composite material
such as glass fiber or carbon fiber reinforced plastic. Another
example metal such as aluminum. Aluminum has the advantages of
higher strength that composites, and can be dissolved after a short
time in a wellbore having suitable caustic agents, thus causing the
annular cylinder shaped sealing plug created by the sealing
compound (8) to have a larger internal pass through diameter. If
the cylinder (9), sealing device (10) and the centralizer (7) are
made from composite material, the foregoing devices may be removed
from the casing or tubing by milling or grinding, using a mill or
grinding device that will not damage the casing or tubing.
[0025] The same method of repair plug placement can be used without
the heating tool (4A). In such examples, other types of sealing
compounds that do not require heating for activation may be used,
such as such as chemically activated resins, chemically activated
rubber generating compounds, epoxy, and the like. In such examples,
the sealing material may be transported to the running tool from
the surface either through a casing or tubing inserted into the
well, or by an intervention pipe deployed in the well, such as
coiled tubing or small diameter threadedly coupled tubing.
[0026] FIG. 3 illustrates how the cylindrical sealing material (8)
will appear after the cylinder (9) and centralizer (7) have been
removed such as by solution (in the case of aluminum or other
chemically sacrificial metal) or by milling (in the case of
composite materials).
[0027] FIG. 4 illustrates how the example method explained above
can be used to seal part or all of a perforated wellbore section,
where the example shows lower perforations (11b) sealed off using a
plugging, cylindrical shaped sealing compound (8). Upper
perforations (11a) are not sealed off. The foregoing example is
typical in the circumstances that the lower perforations (11b)
allow high water content in the produced fluid to enter the casing
or tubing, while the upper perforations (11a) would continue
producing relatively water free hydrocarbons. In such
circumstances, the wellbore operator would desire to seal the lower
perforations (11b) while leaving the upper perforations (11a)
open.
[0028] FIG. 5 illustrates an example where a sealing operation is
performed in two stages including first installing a lower cylinder
(14) substantially as described above with reference to FIG. 2.
After the lower cylinder (14) is installed, and referring to FIG.
6, an upper cylinder (12) is landed into the lower cylinder (14)
using a seal system (13) to seal the annular space longitudinally
between the upper (14) and lower (12) cylinders. The foregoing
method creates two sealing material plugs (8) which also function
as an anchor for the cylinders (12, 14). The cylinders (12, 14)
then can remain in the wellbore to provide added erosion protection
for the sealing material plugs (8) with respect to wellbore fluids
flowing from the reservoir to the Earth's surface. In addition, a
leaking section of the tubular can be sealed off, where short or
long length lower section of upper cylinder can be used to space
out a sealing system according to the particular length
required.
[0029] While the invention has been described in terms of a limited
number of specific examples, those skilled in the art, having the
benefit of the present disclosure will readily devise other
implementations which do not depart from the scope of what has been
invented. Accordingly, the invention shall be limited in scope only
by the following claims.
* * * * *