U.S. patent application number 15/686632 was filed with the patent office on 2019-02-28 for one trip metal seal tieback connection to wellhead with telescoping joint.
This patent application is currently assigned to Baker Hughes, a GE company, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Baker Hughes, a GE company, LLC. Invention is credited to Mark K. Adam, James M. Fraser, III.
Application Number | 20190063169 15/686632 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 65434888 |
Filed Date | 2019-02-28 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190063169 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fraser, III; James M. ; et
al. |
February 28, 2019 |
One Trip Metal Seal Tieback Connection to Wellhead with Telescoping
Joint
Abstract
A tieback string assembly features a metal to metal nose seal
weighted down with casing extending between a lower end of a
telescoping joint optionally having metal to metal seals for
spacing out to a wellhead casing hanger. The telescoping joint is
located so that the hanging weight off the telescoping joint lower
end is sufficient to energize the metal to metal nose seal engaged
to a sleeve or a liner top packer. The tieback string is smaller in
outside diameter than the parent casing through which it is run.
The assembly retains high pressure by avoiding lower pressure rated
elastomers in the nose seal or the telescoping joint.
Inventors: |
Fraser, III; James M.;
(Spring, TX) ; Adam; Mark K.; (Houston,
TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Baker Hughes, a GE company, LLC |
Houston |
TX |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Baker Hughes, a GE company,
LLC
Houston
TX
|
Family ID: |
65434888 |
Appl. No.: |
15/686632 |
Filed: |
August 25, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21B 19/002 20130101;
E21B 19/16 20130101; E21B 33/04 20130101; E21B 33/14 20130101; E21B
17/07 20130101; E21B 43/10 20130101 |
International
Class: |
E21B 19/16 20060101
E21B019/16; E21B 33/14 20060101 E21B033/14; E21B 19/00 20060101
E21B019/00; E21B 17/07 20060101 E21B017/07; E21B 33/04 20060101
E21B033/04 |
Claims
1. A method of connecting a tieback string to a wellhead hanger,
comprising: providing a metal to metal nose seal on a lower end of
a tieback string; connecting said nose seal to an existing string
in the borehole; locating a telescoping joint in the tieback string
in a position where a lower portion of the tieback string connected
to a lower portion of the telescoping joint provides weight needed
to keep said nose seal activated.
2. The method of claim 1, comprising: providing a metal to metal
seal in said telescoping joint.
3. The method of claim 1, comprising: cementing around said nose
seal when said nose seal is connected to the existing string.
4. The method of claim 1, comprising: using the telescoping joint
to adjust the length of the tieback string for connection to the
wellhead.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The field of the invention is tieback connections to a
wellhead requiring specific space out in applications where metal
to metal seals for high pressure applications are needed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In assembling subsea wells there is often a distance that
needs to be spanned between an upper end of a tubing string or an
isolation packer and the wellhead. Frequently, in deep wells this
distance could be 1524 meters or more. The spacing between the
lower support location and a hanger in the wellhead needs to be
closely approximated by the length of the assembled string in
between. Stretch of the tubulars under their own weight complicates
this space out. In the past this required what was called a dummy
run where the string was landed on the lower support and assembled
to the wellhead hanger location. The offset from the desired
dimension was marked by closing BOP rams on painted DP joints. The
string was then pulled so that sections could be replaced with
different lengths and another trip in the hole was made to get the
optimum spacing between the tubing or packer support in the
wellbore and the wellhead hanger. On offshore applications this
could be very costly in view of the additional rig time needed to
make the additional trip and rig up and rig down casing equipment
again.
[0003] Metal to metal tieback seals were developed by Baker Hughes,
a GE company but they required continuous weight to hold a sealing
connection. Due to thermal expansion or contraction concerns it was
not certain in the past that such a connection would have the
requisite weight on the connection, which forced the joint to be
cemented to hold the connection together. The need to cement also
added logistical complexities and cost particularly in offshore
applications.
[0004] Telescoping joints have been developed to address the space
out issue by allowing as much as 7 meters leeway to connect to the
wellhead hanger and avoid making a dummy run. Telescoping joints
for subsea use are described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,664,000;
2015/0129240; U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,737 and U.S. Pat. No.
3,667,547.
[0005] What has not been available and is addressed by the present
invention is a way to provide metal to metal tieback seal and keep
it operative without a need to cement as in the past in a tieback
string that saves a dummy run but at the same time allows for high
pressure connections using metal to metal sealing optionally
including the seals in a telescoping space out joint. The joint is
located in the string at a depth where the weight of string
connected to the lower end of the telescoping joint provides the
weight to keep a metal to metal seal weighted so that it will
function without a need for a cementing job, although cementing can
still be optionally done. These and other aspects of the present
invention can be more readily understood from a review of the
description of the preferred embodiment and the associated drawings
while recognizing that the full scope of the invention can be
determined from the appended claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] A tieback string assembly features a metal to metal nose
seal weighted down with casing extending between a lower end of a
telescoping joint also optionally having metal to metal seals for
spacing out to a wellhead casing hanger. The telescoping joint is
located so that the hanging weight off the telescoping joint lower
end is sufficient to energize the metal to metal nose seal engaged
to a sleeve or a liner top packer. The tieback string is smaller in
outside diameter than the parent casing through which it is run.
The assembly retains high pressure by avoiding lower pressure rated
elastomers in the nose seal or the telescoping joint.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0007] FIG. 1 illustrates a part section view of a tieback string
with metal to metal connections with a telescoping joint.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0008] FIG. 1 illustrates a profiled sleeve or existing liner top
packer 10 into which a nose seal 14 that is metal to metal at the
lower end of a tieback string 12 is set. To keep the needed weight
on the seal 14 the length of the string between a lower end 16 of a
telescoping joint 18 that has metal to metal seal 20 provided. The
telescoping joint is positioned so that the weight of the string
from the lower end 16 down to the nose seal 14 is at least the
weight necessary to keep the connection integrity to contain high
pressure as the telescoping joint 18 gets longer and shorter during
normal operation. The use of the telescoping joint 18 also allows
as much as 7 meters tolerance for initial space out to connect to
the wellhead hanger 22 without making a dummy run to adjust for
perfect space out.
[0009] For operators with needs to contain high pressure in deep
wells the combination of a telescoping joint placed in a string at
a precise location so that hanging weight off the joint 18
satisfies the need to keep a predetermined weight on the metal to
metal seal 14 when used in combination with a joint 18 that
features metal seals as well, the assembly described provides the
solution.
[0010] The above description is illustrative of the preferred
embodiment and many modifications may be made by those skilled in
the art without departing from the invention whose scope is to be
determined from the literal and equivalent scope of the claims
below:
* * * * *