Well plug debris capturing system
AssigneeBandit Services, LLC
InventorsDavid F. Hegeman, Jared Paul Alexander
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A debris capturing system includes: a plug catcher including: a first plug catcher run having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; a first valve in an open position and positioned on the first end of the first plug catcher run; a second plug catcher run having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; and a second valve in a closed position and positioned on the first end of the second plug catcher run; and a controller; where the controller is configured to cycle the first valve to a closed position, and to cycle the second valve to an open position.
Claims18
A debris capturing system, comprising:
- a plug catcher configured to receive a slurry of debris suspended in the lubricant and filter the slurry to produce a recycled lubricant, wherein the plug catcher comprises:
- a first plug catcher run having a first end and a second end opposite the first end;
- a first valve in an open position and positioned on the first end of the first plug catcher run;
- a second plug catcher run having a first end and a second end opposite the first end;
- and
- a second valve in a closed position and positioned on the first end of the second plug catcher run;
- a flush pump configured to flush and clean the first plug catcher run and second plug catcher run without using wellbore pressure;
- and
- a controller;
- wherein the controller is configured to cycle the first valve to a closed position to prevent the slurry from flowing into the first plug catcher run, and to cycle the second valve to an open position to allow the slurry to flow into the second plug catcher run when a first differential pressure across the first plug catcher run exceeds a first maximum differential pressure;
- and
- wherein the first maximum differential pressure is in the range of from 10 psi to 50 psi.
A method of removing debris from a drill out system, comprising the steps of:
- lubricating a drill with a lubricant;
- drilling a plug positioned in a well with the drill, wherein the drilling produces a slurry comprising debris suspended in the lubricant;
- transporting the slurry in the well to a plug catcher comprising:
- a first plug catcher run having a first end and a second end opposite the first end;
- a first valve in an open position and positioned on the first end of the first plug catcher run;
- a second plug catcher run having a first end and a second end opposite the first end;
- a second valve in a closed position and positioned on the first end of the second plug catcher run;
- and
- a flush pump configured to flush and clean the first plug catcher run and second plug catcher run without using wellbore pressure;
- filtering the slurry in the first plug catcher run to produce a recycled lubricant;
- activating a controller to cycle the first valve from an open position to a closed position to prevent the slurry from flowing into the first plug catcher run and to cycle a second valve from a closed position to an open position to allow the slurry to flow into the second plug catcher run once a first differential pressure across the first plug catcher run exceeds a first maximum differential pressure, wherein the first maximum differential pressure is in the range of from 10 psi to 50 psi;
- filtering the slurry in the second plug catcher run to produce the recycled lubricant;
- and
- flushing debris present in the first plug catcher run after the first valve is closed without using wellbore pressure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.