Multiple drain drilling and production apparatus

Details Multiple drain drilling and production apparatus Multiple drain drilling and production apparatus

1997-10-23

1999-06-29

Schoeppel, Roger

Wells

Wells with lateral conduits

1661176, 175 61, 175 62, 175 81, 175 82, E03B 311

Patent

active

059154748

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a multiple drain drilling and production apparatus and, more particularly, to such an apparatus adapted for drilling multiple drains from a single well.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the field of oil production it is common practice to drill a number of branched, lateral wells or drains from a single master well. Such a technique is used for both technical and economic reasons.
Lateral wells drilled from a single, master well enable the oil-containing strata to be reached at a number of points, so increasing both the rate and the volume of production. Furthermore, the use of such a technique offers economic advantages as the lateral wells all share a common well-head and production outlet.
Another use of such drains is to make it possible to work strata having a large number of fractures. The drains each intercept a number of fractures and connect them to the drainage system of the master well.
Lateral drains are typically drilled from the master well at a point some distance below the surface by using a device known as a whipstock. This is a tool which serves to deviate the drillstring from the axis of the master well on to a new predetermined course. Having drilled a first lateral drain, the drillstring is removed and the whipstock is turned to a new orientation and depth within the well so as to deviate the drillstring, once it is returned within the well, on to a new course at a predetermined path relative to both the master well and the first drain.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,541 describes a device of this type. In particular, this document describes a drilling and petroleum production start-up device consisting of a master well and at least one branched well opening into the master well, and comprising an outer tube located in the master well, and at least one take-off assembly fastened in situ in the outer tube and at least one fixed take-off tube, the lower end of which communicates with a branched well. Typically, this device is adapted for drilling three branched wells from the master well.
While this device enables several branched wells to be simply drilled from a master well, it does present certain disadvantages. Specifically, as the three take-off tubes are arranged side by side, their diameters are necessarily small in relation to that of the master well. Similarly, should the diameter of the take-off tubes be required to be large, there is a corresponding increase in the dimensions of the whole device.
The document EP-A-0 574 326 describes a device enabling a lateral well to be drilled from a master well which comprises a curved surface arranged within the device and intended to deviate a drillstring onto a predetermined path, the drillstring passing through an opening formed in the wall of the device. However, this device does not resolve the problem of ensuring a complete seal between the outer wall of the lateral well and that of the master well.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a multiple drain drilling apparatus which enables several drains to be simply drilled from a master well, while being of relatively small dimensions, and allowing the diameter of each drain to be relatively large compared to that of the master well.
According to the invention there is provided a multiple drain drilling and production apparatus comprising a generally cylindrical body adapted to be located within a well, orienting means adapted to be received in the body to deviate a drill string received within the body, at a predetermined depth, from a path coaxial with the body to a path at a predetermined angle to the axis of the body, characterised in that the apparatus comprises at least one outlet means comprising a generally tubular element received within the body and opening there into and displaceable, from a first position generally coaxial with the body, into a second position at a predetermined angle thereto, by an actuator received within the body, the orienting means being located adjacen

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patent: 5193620 (1993-03-01), Braddick
patent: 5423387 (1995-06-01), Lynde
patent: 5458209 (1995-10-01), Hayes et al.
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