Mitigating drilling circulation loss
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorShaohua Zhou
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A drilling liner is configured to be positioned in a lost circulation zone of a subterranean formation in which a wellbore is being drilled. The drilling liner is configured to flow wellbore drilling fluids from a surface of the wellbore to the subterranean formation while avoiding the lost circulation zone. The drill head assembly is attached to a downhole end of the drilling liner, and is configured to drill the subterranean formation to form cuttings, receive the wellbore drilling fluids, and flow the cuttings and the wellbore drilling fluids into the drilling liner while avoiding the lost circulation zone and towards the surface of the wellbore.
Claims12
A method for drilling a wellbore, the method comprising:
- isolating a flow path through which a wellbore drilling fluid is flowed to a subterranean formation from a lost circulation zone of the subterranean formation by positioning a drilling liner between the lost circulation zone and the wellbore drilling fluid;
- positioning an inner work string within the drilling liner to form a liner annulus between an outer surface of the inner work string and an inner surface of the drilling liner;
- and
- while drilling through the lost circulation zone, circulating the wellbore drilling fluid in a downhole direction through the inner work string and in an uphole direction through the annulus while avoiding contact between the wellbore drilling fluid and the lost circulation zone.
A method comprising:
- positioning, by a liner running and setting tool, a drilling liner in a lost circulation zone of a subterranean formation in which a wellbore is being drilled;
- transferring, by the liner running and setting tool, torque to rotate the drilling liner;
- flowing, by the drilling liner, wellbore drilling fluids from a surface of the wellbore to the subterranean formation while avoiding the lost circulation zone;
- drilling, by a drill head assembly attached to a downhole end of the drilling liner, the subterranean formation to form cuttings;
- forming, by an inner work string positioned in the drilling liner, a liner annulus defined between an outer surface of the inner work string and an inner surface of the drilling liner;
- receiving, by the drill head assembly, the wellbore drilling fluids flowed through the inner work string;
- and
- flowing, by the drill head assembly, the cuttings and the wellbore drilling fluids into the liner annulus formed in the drilling liner and toward the surface while avoiding the lost circulation zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.