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AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.
InventorsAnthony M. Badalamenti, Karl W. Blanchard, Simon Turton, Ronald R. Faul, Henry E. Rogers, James E. Griffith, Michael G. Crowder
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A method of initiating fluid circulation in a well bore through a casing inner diameter and an annulus outside the casing, the method having the following steps: inducing an increase in the annulus fluid pressure; flowing cement composition into the annulus at the top of the well bore; maintaining a difference in pressure between the fluid pressure of the casing inner diameter and the fluid pressure of the annulus until enough cement composition has entered the annulus to drive fluid circulation by the added cement composition weight. A method of cementing a casing in a well bore, wherein an annulus is defined between the casing and the well bore, the method having the following steps: connecting a circulation fluid pump to the casing inner diameter; pumping circulation fluid out of the casing inner diameter, whereby fluid flow in a reverse-circulation direction through the casing inner diameter and annulus is initiated; maintaining fluid flow in a reverse-circulation direction through a well bore annulus and the casing inner diameter until enough cement composition has entered the annulus to drive fluid circulation by the added cement composition weight; disconnecting the low-pressure cement composition pump from the annulus; and flowing additional cement composition into the annulus to complete a cement composition operation.
A method of initiating fluid circulation in a well bore through a casing inner diameter and an annulus outside the casing, the method comprising:
A method of initiating fluid circulation in a well bore through a casing inner diameter and an annulus outside the casing, the method comprising:
A method of initiating fluid circulation in a well bore through a casing inner diameter and an annulus outside the casing, the method comprising:
A method of cementing a casing in a well bore, the method comprising:
A method of cementing a casing in a well bore, wherein an annulus is defined between the casing and the well bore, the method comprising:
A well bore cementing system for initiating fluid circulation in a well bore through a casing inner diameter and an annulus outside the casing, the system comprising:
A well bore cementing system for initiating fluid circulation in a well bore through a casing inner diameter and an annulus outside the casing, the system comprising:
A well bore cementing system for initiating fluid circulation in a well bore through a casing inner diameter and an annulus outside the casing, the system comprising:
A method of cementing a casing in a well bore, the method comprising:
A method of cementing a casing in a well bore, wherein an annulus is defined between the casing and the well bore, the method comprising:
A well bore cementing system for cementing a casing in the well bore, the system comprising:
A well bore cementing system for initiating fluid circulation in a well bore through a casing inner diameter and an annulus outside the casing and for cementing the casing, the system comprising:
A well bore cementing system for initiating fluid circulation in a well bore through a casing inner diameter and an annulus outside the casing and for cementing the casing, the system comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Methods or devices for cementing, for plugging holes, crevices or the like: for cementing casings into boreholes
Earth or rock drilling
Term ended 30 Dec 2024 (estimated)
This invention relates to cementing casing in subterranean formations. In particular, this invention relates to methods for initiating circulation through the well bore to allow cement composition to flow into the well bore at low pressure. The circulation may be established in either reverse-circulation or conventional-circulation directions.
Typically, prior to cement operations, casing is inserted in a well bore. Circulation fluid fills the inner diameter (“ID”) of the casing and the casing-by-well bore annulus. For purposes of this disclosure, “circulation fluid” is defined as circulation fluid, drilling mud, and/or any other fluid typically found in precement wells. Once stagnant in the well bore, the circulation fluid has a certain gel strength that renders the circulation fluid resistive to flow initiation. Thus, a higher pumping pressure is required to initiate fluid circulation than is required once circulation is established. Further, because cement composition is typically heavier than circulation fluid, once a sufficient amount of cement composition has been pumped into the well bore, gravity will pull the cement composition down into the well bore to drive fluid circulation through the well bore.
One method of pumping cement composition into the casing-by-well bore annulus involves pumping the cement composition down the casing at the well head. The cement composition is pumped at high pressure down the ID of the casing until it reaches a casing shoe. The cement composition then exits the casing ID into the annulus through the casing shoe. The cement composition then flows up the annulus from the casing shoe. Circulation fluid is usually pumped down the casing ID behind the cement composition to drive the cement composition through the casing shoe and up the annulus. In most instances, high pressure pumps and pumping systems are required to lift the cement composition from the casing shoe in the annulus. This establishes fluid flow in a conventional-circulation direction.
The present invention is better understood by reading the following description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the attached drawings wherein like parts of each of the several figures are identified by the same referenced characters, and which are briefly described as follows.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional, side view of a well bore having surface casing with an attached well head and cement casing hung from the well head and extending to the bottom of the well bore. A pump truck is parked near the well head.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional, side view of a well bore having surface casing with an attached well head and cement casing hung from the well head and extending to the bottom of the well bore. A premixed cement truck is parked near the well head.
It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only a few embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, as the invention encompasses equally effective embodiments.
Referring to FIG. 1, a cross-sectional side view of a well is shown. Surface casing 1 is set at the surface of the well and a well head 2 is connected to the surface casing 1. Casing 3 is suspended from the well head 2. The casing 3 has a shoe 4 at its lowermost end. An annulus 5 is defined between the casing 3 and the well bore 6. A receptacle 7 is positioned to receive fluid from the ID of the casing 3 via a pipe 8. A cement pump truck 9 is also shown at the surface parked in the vicinity of the well head 2.
In this embodiment of the invention, an electric pump 11 is fluidly connected to the annulus 5 through the well head 2. The inlet side of the electric pump 11 is connected to a pump truck 9. A cement composition is mixed by the cement pump truck 9 and pumped to the electric pump 11. The electric pump 11 pumps the cement composition from the cement pump truck 11 directly into the annulus 5 through the well head 2. To overcome the gel strength of the circulation fluid in the well bore, the electric pump 11 should produce enough head pressure to drive the cement composition into the annulus 5. The electric pump 11 is used to pump a sufficient amount of cement composition into the annulus 5 until the weight of the cement composition in the annulus 5 is sufficient to maintain fluid flow in the reverse-circulation direction through the annulus 5 and the inner diameter of the casing 3. When fluid circulation is established in the reverse-circulation direction, pumping with the electric pump 11 may be discontinued, and the cement pump truck 9 may be connected directly to the annulus 5 through the well head 2. In alternative embodiments, the electric pump 11 is not disconnected, but rather a manifold is used to bypass the pump or the remainder of the cement composition is flowed through the pump with the pump turned off. Returns from the casing inner diameter are taken through the pipe 8 and deposited in the receptacle 7. A remainder of cement composition is allowed to flow into the annulus 5 until the entire annulus is full. When the cement composition reaches the casing shoe 4, the flow of cement composition is stopped and the cement composition is allowed to harden or set in the annulus 5 as is well known to persons of skill.