Subsea well systems and methods for controlling fluid from the wellbore to the surface
AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated
InventorsDerek Mathieson, Colin Bickersteth
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A subsea wellbore system is disclosed in which a return fluid flows from a wellbore to the surface via an annulus between a drill string and a casing and then between the drill string and a riser, wherein the system includes a device configured to prevent flow of the return fluid flowing through the annulus between the drill string and the riser, and a bypass line configured to divert the flow of the return fluid from the annulus between the drill string and the riser to the surface.
Claims21
A subsea wellbore system wherein a return fluid flows from a wellbore to a surface via an annulus between a drill string and a casing and then an annulus between the drill string and a riser, the system comprising:
- a first device configured to prevent flow of the return fluid through the annulus between the drill string and the riser);
- a bypass line configured to divert the flow of the return fluid to the surface bypassing the annulus between the drill string and the riser;
- and
- a second device in the bypass line configured to close the flow of the return fluid through the bypass line.
A subsea wellbore system, comprising:
- a subsea wellhead including a ram for shutting in the wellbore;
- a first sensor for providing measurements relating to position of the ram;
- a second sensor for providing measurements relating to a kick in the wellbore;
- and
- a subsea control unit that determines presence of a kick in the wellbore from the measurements from the second sensor and controls the position of the ram in response to the determined kick.
A method of controlling flow of a fluid from a subsea wellbore to surface during drilling of a wellbore wherein a fluid supplied from a surface location into a drill string returns from the wellbore to the surface via an annulus between the drill string and a casing and then an annulus between the drill string and a riser above a BOP, the method comprising:
- preventing flow of the return fluid through the annulus between the drill string and the riser during drilling of the wellbore;
- and
- flowing the return fluid to the surface via a bypass line from a location below the riser.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.