Downhole tube turning tool
AssigneeUnion Oil Company of California
InventorsMark D. Mueller, John C. McClellan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tube turning tool allows laterals to be drilled and completed without the need for articulated bending tools, underreaming, high fluid pressure, or a separate running of completion tools. The turning tool uses a rigid bent pipe section capable of being run downhole within many standard diameter well tubulars, supported in a desired position, and bending coil tubing at an ultra short radius of curvature as it is being run into the wellbore so that it can jet drill a lateral. After jet drilling a lateral, the lateral can also be completed using the coil tubing, e.g., gravel packed by pumping a slurry through the coil tubing while withdrawing the tubing from the lateral.
Claims23
An apparatus for deforming a tube having a nominal outside diameter ranging from about 0.25 to 2 inches when said tube is within an underground borehole, said apparatus comprising:
- a pipe assembly comprising a rigid bent pipe capable of plastically deforming said tube when said tube is forced from a first end to a second end of said bent pipe, said rigid bent pipe having a centerline and a minimum inside diameter around the centerline less than 1.5 times a nominal outside diameter of said tube, and wherein at least a portion of said centerline forms an arc having a radius of curvature no more than 6 times the nominal outside diameter of said tube, said pipe assembly also comprising a rigid straightening pipe attached at a first straight end to said second end of said bent pipe, wherein said rigid straightening pipe is capable of substantially straightening said tube after being deformed within said rigid bent pipe when said tube is forced from said first straight end to a second straight end of said straightening pipe;
- means for substantially fixing a position of said rigid bent pipe within said borehole;
- a first roller rotatively attached within said bent pipe and located so as to provide a bearing surface to deform said tube as said tube is inserted through said bent pipe;
- and
- a second roller rotatively attached within said pipe assembly and located so as to provide a bearing surface to straighten said tube as said tube is inserted through said straightening pipe.
A tube turning apparatus for turning a substantially cylindrical tube portion having a nominal diameter of less than about 2 inches comprising:
- a rigid deforming element capable of outwardly turning said tube portion when said tube portion is run through said rigid deforming element located in a substantially cylindrical underground cavity having a nominal inside diameter and in the absence of articulated tube bending equipment, wherein the nominal inside diameter of said cavity proximate to said deforming element is less than 8 times the nominal outside diameter of said tube portion;
- means for running said tube portion through said deforming element from an entrance to an exit;
- and
- means for fixing said rigid deforming element at a location within said cavity.
An apparatus for bending a substantially cylindrical tube within an underground cavity having an inside diameter, said tube having a nominal outside diameter of less than 2 inches, said apparatus comprising:
- means for deforming a portion of said tube when said means for deforming is located within said cavity and capable of outwardly turning said tube portion being run into said underground cavity in the absence of articulated tube bending equipment, wherein the inside diameter of said cavity proximate to said tube deforming element is less than 8 times the nominal outside diameter of said tube portion;
- means for running said tube through said means for deforming;
- and
- means for fixing the location of said means for deforming element within said cavity.
A process for drilling an underground well having at least one lateral cavity portion outwardly extending from a substantially cylindrical borehole portion which penetrates an underground formation, said process using coilable tubing having a nominal outside diameter and comprising the steps of:
- rotatively drilling said borehole portion having a nominal inside diameter less than about 12 times the nominal outside diameter of said tubing;
- inserting a rigid bent pipe assembly into said borehole;
- fixing an underground location of said rigid bent pipe assembly within said borehole;
- and
- running said coilable tubing through said rigid bent pipe assembly in said fixed location so as to deform a portion of said tubing in a direction having a component radially outward from said borehole portion and then straightening the. portion of said tubing, said running step being in the absence of steps to pressurize said tubing to greater than 341 atmospheres and in the absence of a tubing deforming step using an articulated tube bending device.
A process for excavating an underground well having a borehole extending from a surface to a formation of interest and at least one lateral cavity extending outwardly from said borehole into said formation, said process using coil tubing having a nominal outside diameter no larger than about 20 percent of the inside diameter of said borehole near said lateral cavity, said process comprising the steps of:
- running a rigid bent pipe within said borehole from said surface to a location proximate to said underground formation, said bent pipe having an inside pipe diameter less than 1.5 times said nominal tubing outside diameter;
- placing a coil tubing drum such that an uncoiling plane of rotation containing portion of the drum and coil tubing is substantially parallel to a well plane containing portion of said borehole and lateral, wherein any residual bend remaining in the coil tubing after uncoiling is not substantially unbent during subsequent running through said rigid bent pipe;
- and
- uncoiling and running said coil tubing through said rigid bent pipe proximate to said formation so as to outwardly deform a portion of said tubing, said running being in the absence of fluid pressures within said tubing greater than 10,000 psig and in the absence of deforming said tubing by articulated tube bending equipment.
A process for drilling and packing at least one lateral cavity outwardly extending from an underground borehole portion using coil tubing, said process comprising:
- attaching a jet drilling nozzle to a portion of said coil tubing;
- moving said coil tubing portion through said borehole to a lateral cavity location to be drilled;
- supplying pressurized fluid to said coil tubing sufficient to drill said lateral cavity while continuing to move said coil tubing portion through said borehole and into said lateral cavity until said lateral cavity is drilled;
- and
- providing a gravel slurry to said coil tubing while withdrawing said coil tubing from said lateral cavity and without a subsequent step removing said nozzle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.