RUNNING TOOL FOR A DOWNHOLE APARATUS FOR PATCHING A WALL OF CONDUIT AND A METHOD OF PATCHING A CONDUIT

Abstract

There is provided a running tool for running an apparatus for patching a wall of a conduit to and activating the apparatus in a location in the conduit wherein the apparatus comprises a rolled up or curled up piece of material for patching the wall, wherein the piece of material has a surface comprising an adhesive compound for fastening the piece of mate-rial securely to the wall of the conduit, and wherein the miming tool comprises a heater for providing heat for the apparatus for heating the compound and a forcing device for apply-ing a force to the piece of material for forcing or holding the piece of material against the wall of the conduit, and a running tool for a downhole apparatus for patching a wall of a conduit, wherein the apparatus comprises a plurality of pieces of material for patching the wall of the conduit. There is also provided herein methods of patching a conduit.

Claims

1. A running tool for running an apparatus for patching a wall of a conduit to and activating the apparatus in a location in the conduit wherein the apparatus comprises a rolled up or curled up piece of material for patching the wall, wherein the piece of material has a surface comprising an adhesive compound for fastening the piece of material securely to the wall of the conduit, and wherein the running tool comprises a heater for providing heat for the apparatus for heating the compound and a forcing device for applying a force to the piece of material for forcing or holding the piece of material against the wall of the conduit.

2. The running tool according to claim 1, wherein the running tool comprises a compartment for holding the piece of material.

3. The running tool according to claim 2, wherein the running tool comprises a sleeve for selectively covering an outer side of the compartment, for protecting the piece of material from an environment in the conduit during transportation of the apparatus to the location in the conduit.

4. The running tool according to claim 1, wherein the forcing device is arranged inside of the piece of material in the tool prior to a release of the piece of material.

5. The running tool according to claim 4, wherein the forcing device is an expandable device, which is arranged, upon expansion of the forcing device, to force the piece of material against the wall of the conduit.

6. The running tool according to claim 1, wherein the heater is arranged inside of the piece of material in the running tool.

7. The running tool according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive compound has a characteristic that may be improved when a temperature of the adhesive is increased at least up to a certain temperature, wherein said temperature is higher than a typical wellbore temperature, and wherein the heater is configured for heating the compound to an advantageous temperature to improve the characteristic.

8. The running tool according to claim 1, wherein the running tool comprises a plurality of pieces of material for patching the conduit, and wherein the running tool is configured for setting more than one of the plurality of pieces of material in one run-in in the conduit.

9. The running tool according to claim 1, wherein the running tool comprises a plurality of compartments for holding a/the plurality of pieces of material.

10. A method of patching a conduit, the method comprising: providing the running tool according to any one of the preceding claims in a conduit; running the running tool into a location in the conduit; activating the apparatus to release the piece of material and allow the piece of material to uncurl or unroll; forcing the piece of material against a wall of the conduit by use of the forcing device; and providing heat to the piece of material by use of the heater of the running tool to heat up the compound on the piece of material to facilitate a binding between the wall and the piece of material.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the running tool comprises a plurality of pieces of material, the method further comprising: moving the running tool after having set a first of the plurality of pieces of material in accordance with claim 10; repeating the steps of releasing, forcing and providing heat for one or more subsequent pieces of material, and then again moving the running tool after setting each of the one or more subsequent pieces of material.

12. A running tool for a downhole apparatus for patching a wall of a conduit, wherein the apparatus comprises a plurality of pieces of material for patching the wall of the conduit, and wherein the running tool comprises one or more compartments for holding the plurality of pieces of material for being released for patching the wall of the conduit, and wherein the running tool is arranged for allowing selective release of the plurality of pieces of material.

13. The running tool according to claim 12, wherein the running tool is configured for setting a plurality of patches in a single run-in of the running tool in the conduit.

14. The running tool according to claim 13, wherein the running tool comprises any one or more of the features of the running tool.

15. The running tool according to claim 8, wherein the running tool comprises a plurality of actuators for activating the apparatus for release of one or more of the plurality of pieces of material.

16. A method of patching a conduit, the method comprising: providing the running tool according to claim 12 in a conduit; running the running tool into a location in the conduit; releasing a first piece of material for patching a first damaged portion of the conduit; moving the running tool within the conduit; and releasing a second piece of material for patching a second damaged portion of the conduit.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the method further comprises any one of the steps of the method.

Description

[0072] FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the running tool according to the first aspect of the invention;

[0073] FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the running tool comprising an embodiment of the apparatus, prior to activating the apparatus;

[0074] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the running tool comprising an embodiment of the apparatus, with the apparatus activated;

[0075] FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the running tool in accordance with the third aspect of the invention; and

[0076] FIG. 5 shows a conduit that has been patched by three patches in series, by use of the running tool in accordance with the third aspect of the invention.

[0077] Note that the figures are not accurate depictions of the invention but schematic representa-tions of embodiments of the invention. The figures are not drawn to scale.

[0078] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the running tool 1 according to the first aspect of the invention which carries an embodiment of the apparatus 19 inside a casing 3. The embodiment of the apparatus 19 shown comprises a rolled-up, spring-biased piece of material 191 for patching the casing 3. The piece of material 191 has a layer of an adhesive compound— an epoxy—on its outer surface, to facilitate securely fastening of the piece of material 191 to the casing 3. The running tool 1 has a tool body 11, a tube for bypass-flow 15 in a centre of the running tool 1, and an outer sleeve 16. The sleeve 16 is shown in a pulled-back state, to allow for deployment/activation of the apparatus 1.

[0079] To avoid having the piece of material 191 fastening to itself in its rolled-up state, or to a part of the running tool 1, the epoxy used will only become adhesive when heated to a certain temperature. The running tool 1 has a heating element 13 on an inside of the tool body 11, to provide the heat required to make the epoxy adhesive. A ventilation tube 14 is also provided in the running tool 1. The ventilation tube 14 is insulated towards the heating element 13, to reduce a loss of energy/heat from the heating element 13 towards the ventilation tube 14 and the tube for bypass-flow 15.

[0080] Further, the running tool 1 has an expandable, inflatable tube section 12—an embodiment of a forcing device 12—to, when inflated, force the piece of material 191 of the apparatus 19 against the casing 3. As can be seen, the forcing device 12 is arranged on an inside of the piece of material 191 in the running tool 1.

[0081] FIG. 2 shows the running tool 1 with the apparatus 19 comprising a rolled-up piece of material 191 in a casing 3. The running tool 1 has an inflatable tube 12 for forcing the piece of material 191 against the casing 3 upon activation of the apparatus 19.

[0082] FIG. 3 shows the running tool 1 and apparatus shown in FIG. 2, after activation of the apparatus 19, release of the piece of material 191, and inflation of the inflatable tube 12. In this state, the inflatable tube 12 pushes and holds the piece of material 191 against the casing 3, to keep the piece of material 191 in place while, by use of the adhesive, the piece of material 191 fastens securely to the casing 3.

[0083] FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the running tool 1 having a plurality of pieces of material 191. In this particular embodiment, the running tool 1 has three pieces of material 191. Furthermore, shown in FIG. 4, is a connector 20, and four centralizers for holding the running tool 1 centralized in a conduit (not shown) when run into the conduit. Not shown, but present in the running tool 1, is one forcing device 12 in the form of an inflatable packer 12 for each of the pieces of material 191. Other parts, not shown, may include a number of actuators used for activating the apparatus for release of the pieces of material 191, one or more heaters (not shown) for heating the pieces of material 191, and other features of the apparatus and/or running tool as described herein.

[0084] FIG. 5 shows a conduit 3 that has been patched by three pieces of material 191, set overlappingly in series for patching a section of the conduit 3 greater than any single patch. For example, each patch may be three metres of length, and set overlappingly to patch an area of the conduit 3 eight metres of length.

[0085] In another, not shown embodiment, the running tool may e.g. be used to set four two-metres long patches in series to cover a 7 metres long area of the conduit. Yet another not shown example may be using the tool to set five patches, each in different positions, to patch five different damaged smaller areas of the conduit in one run of the running tool in the conduit.

[0086] A method of setting multiple patches may typically, but not necessarily and not exclusively, involve the following steps:

[0087] a) running in a version of the running tool into a production tubing in a wellbore, the running tool comprising the apparatus and e.g. five pieces of material, each material having a surface covered by an adhesive and being rolled up or curled up in a compartment of the running tool separate from other pieces of material;

[0088] b) moving the running tool to a position for setting a first of the five pieces of material;

[0089] c) actuating the apparatus to release the first of the five pieces of material;

[0090] d) forcing the first of the five pieces of material against a wall of the production tubing by inflating an inflatable packer and thereby using the forcing device, to repair a damaged portion of the wall of the production tubing;

[0091] e) heating up the first of the five pieces of material by use of the heater, by circulating hot water to the first of the five pieces of material, to aid the setting of the adhesive and the piece of material to the wall of the production tubing;

[0092] f) deflating the inflatable packer, thereby releasing the force against the first of the five pieces of material, when the piece of material is sufficiently set against the wall, to facilitate movement of the running tool; and

[0093] g) repeating steps b through f for the second, the third, the fourth and the fifth of the five pieces of material.

[0094] It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be able to design many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. It should be noted that running tool 1 may be used with another apparatus 19 than the embodiment or embodiments of apparatus 19 described above.

[0095] In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. Use of the verb “comprise” and its conjugations does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those stated in a claim. The article “a” or “an” preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.

[0096] The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.