Electrical submersible pump y-tool with permanent coiled tubing plug and millable ball valve
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorsAbdulkareem K. ALNAFEA, Eyad O. ALSHANQEETY, Alaa SHAWLY
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An Electric Submersible Pump (ESP) is installed in a production branch of a Y-tool apparatus. A bypass branch of the Y-tool apparatus permits an intervention tool on a coiled tubing string to bypass the ESP for intervention operations in the wellbore. A permanent dynamic seal in the bypass branch includes an inflatable elastomeric chamber that forms a seal around the coiled tubing string while the coiled tubing is run-in and pulled out. A ball valve is also provided in the bypass branch. The dynamic seal and ball valve eliminate the need for blanking plugs to be retrieved and reset with slickline operations.
Claims20
A Y-tool apparatus for conducting intervention operations in a wellbore, the Y-tool apparatus comprising:
- a junction including a production conduit and a bypass conduit, the production conduit and the bypass conduit converging into an upper conduit within the junction;
- an electrical submersible pump (ESP) fluidly coupled to the production conduit in a production branch of the Y-tool apparatus;
- a bypass passage fluidly coupled to the bypass conduit and extending through a bypass branch of the Y-tool apparatus;
- a closure valve disposed in the bypass passage and selectively operable to move between a closed configuration, wherein flow through the bypass passage is obstructed, and an open configuration, wherein flow through the bypass passage is unobstructed;
- and
- a dynamic seal provided in the bypass passage and selectively operable to form a seal with a tubing string passing through the bypass passage.
A system for conducting intervention operations in a wellbore, the system comprising:
- a production tubing string extending into the wellbore;
- a junction coupled to a lower end of the production tubing string, the junction including a production conduit and a bypass conduit, the production conduit and the bypass conduit converging into an upper conduit within the junction;
- an electrical submersible pump (ESP) fluidly coupled to the production conduit in a production branch of the Y-tool apparatus;
- a bypass passage fluidly coupled to the bypass conduit and extending through a bypass branch of the Y-tool apparatus;
- a closure valve provided in the bypass passage, the closure valve being selectively operable to move between a closed configuration wherein flow through the bypass passage is obstructed and an open configuration wherein flow through the bypass passage is unobstructed;
- and
- a dynamic seal provided in the bypass passage, the dynamic seal being selectively operable to form a seal with a tubing string passing through the bypass passage.
A method for conducting an intervention operation in a wellbore, the method comprising:
- installing a Y-tool apparatus at a downhole location in the wellbore;
- operating an electrical submersible pump (ESP) coupled in a production branch of the Y-tool apparatus to propel a wellbore fluid to a surface location;
- conveying an intervention tool on a tubing string to a bypass passage extending through a bypass branch of the Y-tool apparatus;
- opening a closure valve in the bypass passage to permit passage of the intervention tool through the bypass passage to a wellbore portion downhole of the ESP;
- forming a dynamic seal with the tubing string above the intervention tool with a dynamic seal supported by the Y-tool apparatus;
- and
- performing the intervention operation with the intervention tool disposed in the wellbore portion downhole of the ESP.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.