Self-Contained Well Intervention System and Method

A self-contained well lubricator for attachment to a well tree that is coupled to a wellhead and is configured for a well intervention application comprising:

• a cap body having a first closed end and an opposite open end that is for sealingly being coupled to one end of the well tree for closing off the well tree and includes a hollow interior;
• a rotatable winch that is disposed within the hollow interior and about which a first cable can be wound;
• and
• the winch being coupled to an external part that is configured to rotate the winch and is located external to the cap body;
• wherein a tool is attached to the first cable and is configured to receive and trap an autonomous sensor ball, wherein the tool comprises a cage frame and a plurality of biased elements that move between a first at rest position and a second extended position in response to an applied force, wherein an inner opening is defined between inner ends of the plurality of biased elements and defines an entrance into an interior of the cage frame, wherein the inner opening has a greater diameter in the second extended position compared to the first at rest position.

A self-contained well lubricator for attachment to a well tree comprising:

• a lubricator body having a first closed end and an opposite open end that is for sealingly being coupled to one end of the well tree for closing off the well tree, the lubricator body having a hollow interior that functions as a pressurized chamber;
• a rotatable winch that is disposed within the hollow interior;
• a first cable wound about the winch;
• and
• wherein the winch is coupled to an external part that is configured to rotate the winch and is located external to the lubricator body, the winch being coupled to the external part through a sealed opening formed in a side wall of the lubricator body;
• wherein the first closed end is defined by a top wall that includes a first through hole for receiving a second cable from within the hollow interior and routing to an exterior of the lubricator body;
• wherein a load cell is disposed within the hollow interior and is configured to measure tension on the first cable, the second cable being operatively connected to the load cell and being rotated through the through hole to the exterior of the lubricator body.

A method for performing a well intervention operation comprising the steps of:

• sealingly coupling a lubricator onto an open top end of a well tree, the lubricator having a hollow interior in which a rotatable winch is contained, the winch having a first cable wound thereabout;
• attaching a tool to the first cable, wherein the tool comprises a cage frame and a plurality of biased elements that are biased inwardly toward a center of the cage frame;
• lowering the tool within a well bore to which the well tree is attached;
• capturing an object with the tool as a result of the tool applying a force to the plurality of biased elements causing the plurality of biased elements to pivot outwardly away from the center of the cage frame until the object passes the inner ends of the plurality of biased elements at which time the plurality of biased elements pivot back inwardly to an at rest position;
• and
• operating the winch from a location exterior to the lubricator to cause rotation of the winch and winding of the first cable, whereby the tool is retrieved from the wellbore.