Wells – Submerged well – With safety or emergency shutoff
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-14
2001-01-30
Bagnell, David (Department: 3673)
Wells
Submerged well
With safety or emergency shutoff
C166S090100, C166S364000, C166S368000, C175S007000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06179057
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to subsea oilfield well operations and more particularly to apparatus and method for killing or suppressing a subsea well.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an emergency condition, such as to prevent a blow out or due to a catastrophic failure in the well, the well may need to be suppressed. In subsea applications, a fluid line, generally referred to as the “kill line,” supplies pressurized fluid from a source at the rig to an inlet at the wellhead equipment at a pressure higher than the formation pressure. For deepwater wells, the water column or sea depth may be a few to several thousand feet. Due to such a long kill line, there is great pressure drop between the surface pumps supplying the pressurized fluid and the wellhead, making it difficult to provide the quantity of high pressure fluid to the wellhead to kill the well. Such long fluid lines require very large pumps at the surface, which are expensive and take large rig space.
The present invention provides apparatus and method for suppressing a well utilizing a fluid pressure intensifier deployed adjacent the wellhead equipment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides apparatus and method for suppressing a subsea well. The system includes a pressure intensifier adjacent the wellhead. The output of the pressure intensifier is coupled to a “kill” inlet at the wellhead equipment. Fluid under relatively low pressure is supplied from the surface to the pressure intensifier, which increases the pressure by a known multiple, usually 3 to 5, and supplies the high pressure fluid to the wellbore upon command to kill the well. A control unit at the surface controls the operation of the pressure intensifier in response to a predefined criteria or programmed instructions. One or more sensors provide measurements to the control unit of the wellbore conditions, which are used to determine the timing of activation of the pressure intensifier and the delivery of high pressure fluid to kill or suppress the well.
Examples of the more important features of the invention thus have been summarized rather broadly in order that detailed description thereof that follows may better be understood, and in order that the contributions to the art may be appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject of the claims appended hereto.
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Fincher Roger W.
Fontana Peter
MacFarlane James W.
Bagnell David
Baker Hughes Incorporated
Madan Mossman & Sriram P.C.
Pechhold Alexandra K.
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