Well abandonment and slot recovery
11613953 · 2023-03-28
Assignee
Inventors
- James Linklater (Aberdeen, GB)
- Alan Fairweather (Aberdeen, GB)
- George Telfer (Aberdeen, GB)
- Michael Wardley (Aberdeen, GB)
Cpc classification
E21B34/14
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
E21B34/10
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
E21B29/005
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
International classification
E21B29/00
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
E21B33/13
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
E21B34/10
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
Abstract
A single trip casing cutting and pulling assembly which includes a casing spear (12), a mud motor (16) and a casing cutter (18), wherein a valve (14) is located between the casing spear (12) and the mud motor (16). The casing spear is operated by fluid flow from surface and the valve (14) prevents operation of the casing cutter (18) until the casing spear (12) is set and casing cutting is required. A method is described for cutting and pulling casing which does not require any rotation of the drill string to operate any part of the casing cutting and pulling assembly. An embodiment is described which includes retrieving the seal assembly (48) on the same trip. Further embodiments describe performing an integrity test and a circulation test on the same trip with the option of making further cuts at shallower depths on the same trip until a section of cut casing can be recovered.
Claims
1. A casing cutting and pulling assembly for location on a drill string comprising, in order, from surface: a casing spear to anchor to casing in a well bore; a mud motor operated by fluid flow through the drill string so as to rotate the drill string and all tools mounted thereon below the mud motor; a casing cutter configured to cut the casing, the casing cutter including a plurality of blades which move from a retracted position to an extended position on fluid pressure in the drill string; characterised in that: the casing spear is operated by fluid pressure in the drill string; a valve is mounted in the drill string between the casing spear and the casing cutter, the valve limiting fluid pressure through the drill string to the casing cutter until the casing spear is anchored to the casing.
2. A casing cutting and pulling assembly according to claim 1 wherein the valve is configured to limit fluid flow therethrough until a pre-determined fluid pressure is exceeded in the valve.
3. A casing cutting and pulling assembly according to claim 2 the valve remains closed until the pre-determined pressure is exceeded.
4. A casing cutting and pulling assembly according to claim 2 wherein the pre-determined pressure is selected to be greater than a fluid pressure required to set an anchor mechanism of the casing spear.
5. A casing cutting and pulling assembly according to claim 2 wherein the pre-determined pressure is greater than an operating pressure through the valve.
6. A casing cutting and pulling assembly according to claim 1 wherein the valve is resettable.
7. A casing cutting and pulling assembly according to claim 6 wherein the valve is resettable by stopping fluid flow through the drill string.
8. A casing cutting and pulling assembly according to claim 1 wherein one or more additional tools are located on the drill string, and the one or more additional tools includes a seal assembly retrieval running tool configured to connect to a seal assembly in the well bore, the seal assembly retrieval running tool being located between surface and the casing spear.
9. A casing cutting and pulling assembly according to claim 1 wherein one or more additional tools are located on the drill string, and wherein the one or more additional tools includes a packer.
10. A casing cutting and pulling assembly according to claim 9 wherein the packer is a mechanical tension-set retrievable packer and the casing spear is located between the packer and the mud motor.
11. A casing cutting and pulling assembly according to claim 1 wherein one or more additional tools are located on the drill string, and wherein the one or more additional tools includes a second casing spear, the second casing spear being located closer to the running tool than the casing spear.
12. A method of cutting and pulling casing, the method comprising the steps: (a) providing a casing cutting and pulling assembly on a drill string, said casing cutting and bulling assembly comprising, in order, from surface: a casing spear to anchor to casing in a well bore; a mud motor operated by fluid flow through the drill string so as to rotate the drill string and all tools mounted thereon below the mud motor; a casing cutter configured to cut the casing, the casing cutter including a plurality of blades which move from a retracted position to an extended position on fluid pressure in the drill string; characterised in that: the casing spear is operated by fluid pressure in the drill string; a valve is mounted in the drill string between the casing spear and the casing cutter, the valve limiting fluid pressure through the drill string to the casing cutter until the casing spear is anchored to the casing; (b) running the drill string through a wellhead location into a wellbore comprising casing; (c) locating the casing spear and casing cutter below the wellhead at a position at which the casing is to be cut; (d) increasing fluid pressure through the drill string to a first pressure to anchor the casing spear to the casing; (e) further increasing fluid pressure through the drill string to a pre-determined pressure level, greater than the first pressure, to operate the valve; (f) using fluid pressure below the valve to extend the blades of the casing cutter and cutting the casing by rotation via the mud motor; (g) reducing the fluid pressure so as to retract the blades of the casing cutter; (h) pulling the drill string so as to recover a cut section of the casing.
13. A method of cutting and pulling casing according to claim 12 wherein the method includes at step (g): releasing the casing spear from the casing; repositioning the casing spear towards an upper end of the cut section of casing; and, anchoring the casing spear to the upper end of the cut section of casing.
14. A method of cutting and pulling casing according to claim 13 wherein the valve is reset so as to allow anchoring of the respective casing spear to the upper end of the cut section of casing without operation of the casing cutter.
15. A method of cutting and pulling casing according to claim 12 wherein the method includes at step (g): releasing the casing spear from the casing; positioning a second casing spear towards an upper end of the cut section of casing; and, anchoring the second casing spear to the upper end of the cut section of casing.
16. A method of cutting and pulling casing according to claim 14 wherein the valve is reset by stopping pumping of fluid through the drill string.
17. A method of cutting and pulling casing according to claim 12 wherein the method includes reducing the pump rate after the valve has been operated.
18. A method of cutting and pulling casing according to claim 12 wherein the method includes the steps of mounting a seal assembly retrieval running tool to the drill string above the casing spear and pulling a seal assembly prior to cutting the casing, with the seal assembly being retrieved with the cut section of casing.
19. A method of cutting and pulling casing according claim 12 wherein the method includes at step (a) locating a packer on the drill string above the casing spear and the method includes the further step of actuating the packer to seal an annulus between the drill string and casing in the well bore and performing an integrity test before the casing is cut.
20. A method of cutting and pulling casing according to claim 12 wherein the method includes the step of performing a circulation test to determine circulation behind the cut tubular at surface.
Description
(1) There will now be described, by way of example only, various embodiments of the invention with reference to the drawings, of which:
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7) Referring to
(8) The casing cutting and pulling assembly 10 is used to cut and remove a casing section 24 from a well 26. The well shown in
(9) Further tools are mounted on the drill string 20. Above the assembly 10 is a packer 48. Packer 48 is preferably a mechanical tension-set packer which allows circulation tests to be performed when the casing 30 has been cut. At a higher position on the string is a second casing spear 50. The second casing spear 50 may be of the same design as the first casing spear 12 but is preferably one specifically designed to attach to the upper end 52 of a cut section of casing 24. In the present invention, the second casing spear 50 is the FRM Spear available from Ardyne Technologies Limited. Above the second casing spear 50 is a seal assembly retrieval running tool 49. Such running tools are specific to the seal assembly 36 present in the wellhead housing 34. The further tools are shown for illustrative purposes only and other combinations of downhole tools could be used with the assembly 10.
(10) In the assembly 10, the casing spear 12 can be considered as an anchor mechanism 60.
(11) The anchor mechanism 60 comprises a cone 64 circumferentially disposed about a section of the assembly 10. A plurality of slips 66 are configured to move along the surface of the cone 64. The slips 66 have a grooved or abrasive surface 66a on its outer surface to engage and grip the casing.
(12) The slips 66 are configured to move between a first position shown in
(13) The slips 66 are connected to a sleeve 70. The sleeve 70 is movably mounted on the body 53 and is biased in a first position by a spring 96 as shown in
(14) A shoulder 72 of the sleeve 70 is in fluid communication with the main assembly bore 65 via a flow path 74. The sleeve 70 is configured to move from a first sleeve position shown in
(15) If tension is applied by overpulling the drill string 20 and the assembly 10, the slips are further forced outwards to grip the inner surface 54 of the casing 30. This anchors the assembly 10 to the casing 30 and sets the anchor mechanism preventing accidental release. Changing fluid pressure through the anchor mechanism will not deactivate the slips. The slips and anchor mechanism will release when the tension is removed and weight is set down on the string 20.
(16) The casing spear 12 is as described in WO2017046613 which is incorporated herein by reference. It will be apparent by those skilled in the art that other designs of fluid pressure operated casing spears could be used to anchor the drill string to the casing.
(17) The casing cutter 18 may be any design in which the blades 73 are initially in a retracted position and then are moved to an expanded position to cut the casing by the flow of fluid through or increase of fluid pressure at the cutter 18. The casing cutter 18 may be as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,565 which is incorporated herein by reference.
(18) Between the casing spear 12 and the casing cutter 18 is a mud motor 16. The mud motor 16 is as well known in the art. Fluid flow through the motor turns one part with respect to another so that the drill string 20 or tool, such as the casing cutter 18, attached to the lower end of the motor will be rotated. The mud motor 16 will therefore rotate the drill string 20 and all tools mounted thereon below the mud motor 16. Thus the drill string 20 will be static above the mud motor 16. The mud motor 16 may be as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,565 which is incorporated herein by reference.
(19) Above the mud motor 16 and below the casing spear 12 is located a valve 14. Valve 14 is as illustrated in
(20) The body 53 has an inner wall 106 towards an upper end 98 of the valve 14. An end of the piston sleeve 76 lies between the inner wall 106 and the inner surface 86, with an upper wall 108 of chamber 78 of the piston 76 being biased towards an inner face 112 of the body 53 between the inner wall 106 and the inner surface 86. The inner face 112 has a magnet 122 fixed thereon which holds the piston sleeve 76 against the body 53. In this arrangement an inner surface 124 of the inner wall 106 lies parallel to an outer surface 128 of the nipple 62. There is a relatively small gap 130 between the surfaces 124, 128 which restricts fluid flow through the valve 14, as this gap is smaller than the cross-sectional flow area of the inlet 56 and outlet 58 which are arranged below. This may be considered as a first configuration and is as shown in
(21) The strength of the magnet 122 is selected to attract the piston sleeve 76 until a predetermined fluid pressure is exerted on the valve at the gap 130. This pre-determined pressure may be considered as the ‘cracking pressure’ which is when the pressure at the gap 130 is sufficient to push the piston sleeve 76 away from the magnet 122. Thus the predetermined pressure can be set within the valve 14 via the strength of the magnet 122 and the dimensions of the gap 130. Any tools located above the valve 14 can be operated at pressures up to the cracking pressure without operation of tools below the valve 14. When the piston sleeve 76 is moved away from the attraction of the magnet 122, the spring 110 is compressed as the piston sleeve 76 is moved downwards. Such movement shifts the nipple 62 clear of the inner wall 106 and fluid flow is increased through the valve 14 by virtue of travel through the inlet 56 to chamber 78 and onward exit to the central bore 65 through outlet 58. Fluid pressure below the valve 14 is now increased to operate tools below the valve 14. This may be considered as a second configuration and is shown in
(22) One example of a valve is described here, but it will be recognised that other designs of valves may be used to achieve the same objective. Valves referred to as flow-stop valves, for example, are known which are used in riserless drilling to avoid losing barrels of mud every time a pipe connection is broken due to u-tubing. WO2016/205725 describes such a circulation valve and is incorporated herein by reference.
(23) As shown in
(24) Referring to
(25) On landing in the wellhead housing 34, the running tool 49 will latch onto the seal assembly 36 with the seal assembly 36 remaining in position in the wellhead housing 34 maintaining the seal on the annulus 38. At this point a wellbore integrity test is performed using the casing spear 12 and the mechanical tension-set retrievable packer 48 as the seal assembly 36 is in place.
(26) On run-in the valve 14 will be in the first configuration. Low volume of fluid is pumped through the string 20 from surface, which due to the gap 130 will generate sufficient pressure above the valve 14 to set the anchor mechanism 60 of the casing spear 12. The anchor mechanism 60 is hydraulically actuated to grip the casing surface 54 to secure the axial position of the assembly 10 in the wellbore. The fluid circulation rate through bore 65 is increased above the pre-set threshold rate. Referring to
(27) The fluid pressure of the fluid above the pre-set threshold overcomes the spring force of spring 96. The sleeve 70 moves along the longitudinal axis of the tool body 53 to the second position shown in
(28) The slips 66 extend outward and engage the surface 54 of casing 30. The slips provide friction to maintain the position of the assembly 10 within the casing.
(29) The assembly 10 is then anchored to the casing 30 by reversibly setting the anchor mechanism 60. To set the anchor mechanism an upward tension or pulling force is applied to the drill string 20 as shown by arrow X in
(30) With the anchor mechanism 60 set, a further tension or pulling force applied to the drill string 20 operates the mechanical tension-set retrievable packer 48 to seal the annulus 38. An integrity test can now be performed. This positive and negative pressure test will determine the integrity of the cement plug 88 and the casing 30 around it. This is as illustrated in
(31) If the integrity test is successful, then the casing 30 can be cut. The pumps at surface are stopped so that setting down weight on the drill string 20 will unset the packer 48 and the casing spear 12. To unset and release the anchor mechanism 60 a downward force is applied in the direction shown as “Y” in
(32) As the flow rate has been kept low, fluid pressure increase to operate the casing spear 12 and in the drill string above the valve 14 is less than the cracking pressure through the valve 14, and the valve 14 has remained in the first configuration shown in
(33) To cut the casing 30, the drill string 20 is raised to pull up the casing cutting and pulling assembly 10 and locate the blades 73 of the casing cutter 18 at a desired location to cut the casing 30. As the drill string 20 is raised the seal assembly retrieval running tool 49 will pull the seal assembly with it so that the seal assembly 36 is supported by the drill string 20 within the riser 44. Removal of the seal assembly 36 provides access to the annulus 38 at the wellhead housing 34 so that fluids can be circulated through the annulus 38.
(34) At this position, the casing spear 12 is hydraulically actuated to grip the casing surface 54 to secure the axial position of the assembly 10 in the wellbore 26. This process is as described hereinbefore. Once the casing spear 12 is anchored, slightly higher volumes of fluid than used to set the anchor mechanism 60 are pumped from surface through the drill string 20. These higher volumes when pumped through the small gap 130 in the valve 14, generate a higher pressure which forces the sleeve 76 away from the magnet 122 and acts on the piston area 88 to compress the spring 110. When the cracking pressure is reached the sleeve 76 is released from the magnet 122 and the spring 110 compresses as the nipple 62 of the valve 14 moves downwards relative to the body 53. Much higher flow rates can now pass through the valve 14. The valve 14 is in the second configuration illustrated in
(35) The increased flow will also operate the mud motor 16 rotating the drill string 20 below the mud motor 16 and with it the casing cutter 18.
(36) If desired the pump rate can be reduced to regulate the speed of cutting. Reducing the flow rate will reduce the pressure in the valve 14 and the casing spear 12. However, if the flow rate causes the pressure in the valve 14 to drop below the cracking pressure this will not cause the valve 14 to move back to the first configuration as the spring 110 is selected to be relatively weak. In the casing spear 12, the action of pulling the drill string 20 to set the slips 66 prevents any change in flow rate through the anchor mechanism 60 from unsetting the slips 66.
(37) As the casing spear 12 is anchored to the casing 30, the casing can be held in tension during the cut. This is illustrated in
(38) The use of a mechanically set retrievable packer 48 allows rapid setting of the packer 48 by pulling of the string 20 against the set casing spear 12, if a kick occurs in the well 26 for any reason. The mechanical tension-set retrievable packer 48 will rapidly set to seal the well 26 and is a safety feature. When the casing cutter 18 has finished cutting the casing 30, the casing cutter 18 is deactivated by stopping the pumps which removes fluid pressure to the blades 73 and they retract. We now have a cut section of casing 24 ready for removal.
(39) At this point, the packer 48 can be set to seal the casing 30 and perform a circulation test since the annulus 38 is open. Fluid pressure applied through the drill string 20 will exit the casing at the cut 134 and can be detected in the annulus 38 at surface. The test can be performed with the blades 73 extended or retracted dependent on the fluid pressure used to perform the circulation test. A positive test indicates that the annulus behind the casing 30 is free of debris which may cause the casing 30 to stick when removed.
(40) The cut casing section 30 can now be removed. This is as illustrated in
(41) Tension applied to the drill string 20 is released to thereby unset the packer 48. The casing spear 12 is released by setting down weight on the drill string 20 as described hereinbefore. The pumps are stopped so that the fluid pressure through the valve 14 is dropped to zero and consequently the spring 110 will now return the sleeve 76 towards the magnet 122, whereupon it will be attracted to and attach to the magnet 122, resetting the valve 14 to the first configuration shown in
(42) Additionally, if the second casing spear 50 is also pressure activated, the valve 14 will prevent the casing cutter 18 being activated as long as the pressure required is below the cracking pressure of the valve 14.
(43) In the event that the circulation test is negative, that is a pressure increase is not seen at surface, then it is assumed that cement or other debris is located in the annulus between the cut casing 24 and the formation which will prevent movement and subsequent recovery of the cut casing section 24. The drill string 20 and casing cutting and pulling assembly 10 are then pulled up the casing to locate the blades 73 of the casing cutter 18 at a location higher in the well, shallower depth, on the cut casing section 24. The steps of cutting, testing and pulling can be repeated safe in the knowledge that the seal assembly 36 remains suspended from the drill string 20 in the riser 44 without fear that it will become detached from the running tool 49.
(44) While a second casing spear 50 is described in the method to pull the cut section of casing 24, the casing spear 12 could alternatively be used to also pull the cut section of casing 24.
(45) There also exists a second embodiment of the cutting and pulling assembly 10 in which the valve 14 sits between the mud motor 16 and the casing cutter 18. This operates in an identical manner to the first embodiment as described herein. Fluid pumped down the string to increase fluid pressure at the casing spear 12, will turn the mud motor 16 at least initially. Rotation of the tools below the motor 16 does not cause any problems as they are all fluid pressure actuated and the valve 14 prevents any fluid pressure being developed below the valve 14. Cutting of casing 30 requires the combined action of the blades 73 to be in an extended configuration and the motor 16 turning the string 20. One without the other will not provide cutting.
(46) The principle advantage of the present invention is that it provides a robust and reliable casing cutting and pulling assembly which does not require rotation from surface to operate and ensures the casing cutter cannot be activated until required.
(47) A further advantage of at least one embodiment of the present invention is that it provides a method of casing cutting and pulling on a single trip which retrieves the seal assembly on the same trip.
(48) The foregoing description of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. The described embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilise the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Therefore, further modifications or improvements may be incorporated without departing from the scope of the invention herein intended. For example, it will be appreciated that the non-essential method steps may be added to, changed or removed for a single trip.