Wells – Processes – Placing or shifting well part
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-13
2003-11-18
Bagnell, David (Department: 3679)
Wells
Processes
Placing or shifting well part
C166S207000, C166S291000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06648075
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to well drilling and completion, and to an apparatus and methods for use with expandable tubulars. Generally, the invention relates to a liner hanger and a method of hanging a liner.
2. Background of the Related Art
In the oil and gas exploration and production industry, bore holes are drilled in the earth to access hydrocarbon-bearing formations. The drilled bores are lined with steel tubing, known as casing or liner, which is cemented in the bore. After a certain depth is reached, drilling is halted and a well casing is lowered down the wellbore and cemented in place. Typically, drilling resumes in the wellbore until a next predetermined depth is reached. At this stage, drilling is halted and a liner is lowered down the well casing. The liner is suspended from the well casing or from a previous string of liner by a liner hanger which utilizes slips and cones and acts between the liner and the well casing. The purpose of casing and liner is to provide support to the wellbore and facilitate isolation of certain parts of the wellbore.
The liner can be set mechanically or hydraulically. A typical apparatus for setting a liner in a well casing includes a liner hanger and a running tool. The running tool is provided with a valve seat obstruction which will allow fluid pressure to be developed to actuate the slips in order to set the liner hanger in the well casing. Once the liner hanger has been set, the running tool is rotated anti-clockwise to unscrew the running tool from the liner hanger and the running tool is then removed.
A recent trend in well completion has included expandable tubular technology. Both slotted and solid tubulars can be expanded in situ to enlarge a fluid path through the tubular and also to fix a smaller tubular within the inner diameter of a larger tubular therearound. Tubulars are expanded by the use of a cone-shaped mandrel or by an expansion tool with expandable, fluid actuated members disposed on a body and run into the wellbore on a tubular string. During expansion of a tubular, the tubular walls are expanded past their elastic limit. Examples of expandable tubulars include slotted screen, joints, packers, and liners.
FIG. 1
is an exploded view of an exemplary expansion tool
100
. The expansion tool
100
has a body
102
which is hollow and generally tubular with connectors
104
and
106
for connection to other components (not shown) of a downhole assembly. The connectors
104
and
106
are of a reduced diameter compared to the outside diameter of the longitudinally central body part of the tool
100
. The central body part has three recesses
114
to hold a respective roller
116
. Each of the recesses
114
has parallel sides and extends radially from a radially perforated tubular core (not shown) of the tool
100
. Each of the mutually identical rollers
116
is somewhat cylindrical and barreled. Each of the rollers
116
is mounted by means of an axle
118
at each end of the respective roller and the axles are mounted in slidable pistons
120
. The rollers are arranged for rotation about a respective rotational axis which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tool
100
and radially offset therefrom at 120-degree mutual circumferential separations around the central body. The axles
118
are formed as integral end members of the rollers and the pistons
120
are radially slidable, one piston
120
being slidably sealed within each radially extended recess
114
. The inner end of each piston
120
is exposed to the pressure of fluid within the hollow core of the tool
100
by way of the radial perforations in the tubular core. In this manner, pressurized fluid provided from the surface of the well, via a tubular, can actuate the pistons
120
and cause them to extend outward and to contact the inner wall of a tubular to be expanded. Additionally, at an upper and a lower end of the expansion tool
100
are a plurality of non-compliant rollers
103
constructed and arranged to initially contact and expand a tubular prior to contact between the tubular and fluid actuated rollers
116
. Unlike the compliant, fluid actuated rollers
116
, the non-compliant rollers
103
are supported only with bearings and they do not change their radial position with respect to the body portion of the tool
100
.
One use for expandable tubulars is to hang one tubular within another. For example, the upper portion of a liner can be expanded into contact with the inner wall of a casing in a wellbore. In this manner, the bulky and space-demanding slip assemblies and associated running tools can be eliminated. One problem with expandable tubular technology used with liners relates to cementing. Cementing is performed by circulating the uncured cement down the wellbore and back up an annulus between the exterior of the liner and the borehole therearound. In order for the cement to be circulated, a fluid path is necessary between the annuls and the wellbore. Hanging a liner in a wellbore by circumferentially expanding its walls into casing seals the juncture and prevents circulation of fluids. In order to avoid this problem, liners must be either temporarily hung in a wellbore or, more preferably, partially expanded prior to cementing whereby the liner is suspended in the casing but a fluid path remains back to the surface of the well. The problem is usually addressed by partially expanding the liner in order to hang it in the wellbore and then finishing the expansion after the cementing is done but prior to the curing of the cement. However, the tools for expanding tubulars are typically designed to expand the tubular in a circumferential fashion and cannot be effectively used to only partially expand the tubular.
Therefore, there is a need for a liner hanger appartus and method that permits a liner to be hung in a well and also permits a fluid path around the liner, at least temporarily. There is a further need for a liner hanger that can be partially expanded into a casing but leaves a fluid path therearound. Additionally, there is a need for improved expandable liner hangers with a means for circulating fluids therearound.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a liner hanger and a method of hanging a liner. In one aspect, a method and apparatus for setting a liner in a wellbore is provided in which a tubular having a slip surface formed on an outer diameter of the tubular at a first location and a preformed bypass formed at a second location is placed in the wellbore at a predetermined depth. A setting tool on a run-in string is placed in the tubular and energized to cause an extendable member therein to extend radially to contact an inner diameter of the tubular opposite the location of the slip surface, thereby expanding the tubular at the first location into substantial contact with an inner diameter of the wellbore. In this manner, the tubular is fixed in the wellbore. A fluid, such as cement for cementing the liner into the wellbore, is then circulated into the wellbore with return fluid passing through the preformed bypass. An expansion tool on a run-in string is placed in the tubular and energized and/or rotated to cause an extendable member therein to radially contact the inner diameter of the tubular thereby expanding the tubular fully into circumferential contact with the inner diameter of the wellbore.
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Badrak Robert P.
Coon Robert J.
Mcguire Patrick G.
Smith Roddie R.
Moser, Patterson & Sheridan L.L.P.
Thompson Kenneth
Weatherford / Lamb, Inc.
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