Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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A SPACE PROVISION SYSTEM USING COMPRESSION DEVICES FOR THE
REALLOCATION OF RESOURCES TO NEW TECHNOLOGY, BROWNFIELD AND
GREENFIELD DEVELOPMENTS
FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates, generally, to systems and methods usable
to form a
geologic testing space within downhole conditions for proving the operation of
an
unproven downhole apparatus, within an aged geology and during the rig-less
abandonment of an aging well, and for reallocating the operation of said
unproven
downhole apparatus, from an unproven to a proven state, which can occur in an
environment with lower failure consequences to, in use, provide new technology
that
is proven across relevant geologic periods and epochs of practice.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The present invention relates, generally, to apparatus and methods
usable for rig-less
abandonment and the forming of a geologic testing space that can be usable to
reallocate the use of, for example, drilling rigs, for performing well
abandonments
and testing or proving new technology to other uses, including using the
proven
technology with said drilling rigs for the further development of Brownfield
and
Greenfield subterranean deposits. Various new technologies, which can be
usable,
testable and provable during rig-less abandonment, include the new
technologies
discussed in prior applications of the present inventor, for example: UK
Patent
2465478, entitled "Apparatus And Methods For Operating A Plurality Of Wells
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Through A Single Bore"; United Kingdom Patent Application having Number
GB1011290.2 and PCT Patent Application GB2010/051108, both entitled
"Apparatus And Methods For A Sealing Subterranean Borehole And Performing
Other Cable Downhole Rotary Operations," and both filed July 5, 2010; United
Kingdom patent application having Patent Application Number GB 1021787.5,
entitled "Managed Pressure Conduit Assembly Systems And Methods For Using a
Passageway Through Subterranean Strata," filed December 23, 2010; United
Kingdom Patent Application Number GB1015428.4, entitled "Shock Absorbing
Conduit Orientation Sensor Housing System" filed 16 September, 2010; Patent
Cooperation Treaty Application Number US20111000377, entitled "Manifold String
For Selectively Controlling Flowing Fluid Streams of Varying Velocities In
Wells
From A Single Main Bore," filed March 1, 2011 and United Kingdom Patent
Application having Number Glil 104278.5, of the same title, filed 15 March,
2011;
PCT Application Number US2011/000372, entitled "Pressure Controlled Well
Construction and Operation Systems and Methods Usable for Hydrocarbon
Operations, Storage And Solution Mining," filed March 1, 2011 and United
Kingdom Patent Application having Number GB1104278.5, of the same title, filed
15 March, 2011; United Kingdom Patent Application having Number GB1116098.3,
entitled "Rig-less Abandonment Testing", filed 19 September, 2011; United
Kingdom Patent Application having Number GB1121741.1, entitled "Rotary Stick,
Slip And Vibration Reduction Drilling Stabilizers With Hydrodynamic Fluid
Bearings And Homogenizers", filed 16 December, 2011; and United Kingdom
Patent Application having Number GB1121743.7, entitled "Cable Compatible Fluid
Hydrodynamic And Homogenizing Bearing Rotary Steerable System For Drilling
And Milling", filed 16 December, 2011.
[0004] The present invention claims priority to Patent Application Number
GB1111482.4,
which can be usable to, for example, provide a four (4) dimensional space by
including the extra dimension of geologic time. Previous to this invention
relating to
the creation and use of a four (4) dimensional space, prior applications of
the present
inventor discussed the creation and use of two and three dimensional spaces,
for
example, Patent Application Number GB1011290.2, discloses methods and systems
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usable to provide a three (3) dimensional usable space within a well and
Patent
Application Number GB1116098.3discloses a method usable to, for example, test
the sealing of three and/or four dimensional spaces, which are sealed with
cement or
a settable material.
[0005] Although various aspects of these prior applications, including patent
applications
GB1011290.2 and GB1111482.4, teach apparatus and methods for hydraulically
driven pistons, the present invention teaches the use of a bore hole piston
apparatus,
comprising a rig-less bore hole opening member that can be driven by
hydraulics,
explosions, a cable, or combinations thereof, for the formation of a geologic
testing
space. Further, the embodiments of the present application include apparatus
and
methods for using the geologic testing space to prove one or more unproven
downhole apparatus, for operation within a proximally similarly aged geology
of an
aging well, another aging well (79), a new well (80), or a field of wells (79,
80),
generally referred to as Brownfields (79) and Greenfields (80).
[0006] In addition, embodiments of the present application, claiming priority
to
GB1121741.1, provide apparatus and methods of forming a hydrodynamic bearing
motor, usable to, for example, drive a milling surface on an arm of a milling
arrangement or form the shock and vibration reducing part of fluid and/or
electric
motors, which can be usable by the present invention during the forming of a
subterranean space.
[0007] Despite having significant merit, various new technologies disclosed in
prior patent
applications of other inventors can be difficult to deploy, due to the risk
tolerance of
Operators and the oligopolistic practices of the large service providers
dominating
the industry who, understandably, prefer using technology with the highest
immediate return, thus making new technology development difficult.
[0008] Ultimately, before being accepted, new technology must employ field
testing and
further development, with various adjustments to the original invention, to
provide a
robust solution. However, few practitioners are willing to risk the
consequences of
such testing of the new technologies, particularly given the explosive nature
of
hydrocarbons and historic catastrophic events within the oil and gas industry.
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[0009] Well operators face a series of challenges at each stage of a well's
lifecycle as they
seek to balance the need to maximise economic recovery and to reduce the net
present value of an abandonment liability to meet their obligations for safe
and
environmentally sensitive operations and abandonment. When wells lose
structural
integrity, which may be defined as an apparent present or probable future loss
of
pressure or fluid bearing capacity and/or general operability, all or portions
of a well
may be shut-in for maintenance or suspension, until final abandonment, or may
require immediate plugging and abandonment, potentially leaving reserves
within
the strata that cannot justify the cost of intervention or a new well.
[0010] Some of the more frequently reported structural integrity problems
include a lack of
production tubing centralization leading to conduit erosion from thermal
cycled
movement; corrosion within the well conduit system; e.g., from biological
organisms or H25 forming leaks through or destroying conduits or equipment;
and/or valve failures associated with subsurface safety valves, gas lift
valves, annuli
valves and other such equipment. Other common issues include unexplained
annulus pressure, connector failures, scale, wear of casings from drilling
operations,
wellhead growth or shrinkage and Xmas or valve tree malfunctions or leaks at
surface or subsea. Such issues comprise areas where operators are able to, or
chose
to, test, and there are others (such as the internals of a conductor) which
they cannot,
or do not test, and which may represent a serious risk to economic viability
and the
environment. Problems within various portions of a well, in particular the
annuli,
cannot be conventionally accessed without significant intervention or breaking
of
well barriers, e.g., with a drilling rig. Thus, these significant operations
are an
expensive cost and considerable safety risk to operators, who are unsuitable
for
conventional rig-less operations.
[0011] A primary advantage, of using drilling specification rigs for well
intervention, is the
removal of conduits and access to annuli during well intervention and
abandonment,
wherein the ability to access and determine the condition of the annuli casing
and
primary cement behind the production conduit or tubing can be used to make key
decisions regarding the future production and/or abandonment. If well casings
are
corroded or lack an outer cement sheath, remedial action, e.g. casing milling,
may be
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taken by a drilling rig to provide a permanent barrier. Conversely, the
problem may
be exacerbated by conventional rig-less well abandonment when blind decisions
are
made without cement logging access to annuli and attempts to place cement
fail,
thereby placing another barrier over potentially serious and worsening well
integrity
issues that can represent a significant future challenge, both technically and
economically, even for a drilling rig.
[0012] Various method embodiments of the present invention can be usable for
benchmarking, developing, testing and improving new technology relating to,
for
example, the gathering of empirical information that conventional rig-less
operations
cannot, by providing access and/or space for both measurement devices and
sealing
materials. Once such information is gathered, still other method embodiments
can
be usable for benchmarking, developing, testing and improving rig-lessly
placed
bathers, and milling or shredding conduits and/or casings to expose and bridge
across hard impermeable strata, or cap rock formations, for placement of
permanent
barriers, without imbedding equipment in cement, to ensure structural
integrity.
[0013] In general, age is believed to be the primary cause of structural well
integrity
problems. The combination of erosion, corrosion and general fatigue failures
associated with prolonged field life, particularly within wells exceeding
their design
lives, together with the poor design, installation and integrity assurance
standards
associated with the aging well stock, is generally responsible for increased
frequency
of problems over time. These problems can be further exacerbated by, e.g.,
increasing levels of water cut, production stimulation, and gas lift later in
field life.
[0014] However, the prevalent conventional consensus is that although age is
undoubtedly a
significant issue, if it is managed correctly, it should not be a cause of
structural
integrity problems that may cause premature cessation of production.
Additionally,
fully depleting producing zones through further production, prior to
abandonment,
provides an environment of subterranean pressure depletion that can be better
suited
for placing permanent bathers by lowering the propensity of lighter fluids
like gas to
enter, e.g., cement during placement.
[0015] The embodiments of the present invention provides lower cost rig-less
methods
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usable for benchmarking, developing, testing and improving the accessing of
annuli
and for selectively placing pressure bearing conduits and well barrier
elements at
required subterranean depths, between annuli, when intervening in, maintaining
and/or abandoning portions of a well to isolated portions affected by erosion
and
corrosion. This, in turn, extends the well life to fully deplete a reservoir
and, further,
to reduce the risk associated with well barrier element placement and the
pollution
liability from an improperly abandoned well.
[0016] The level of maintenance, intervention and workover operations
necessary for well
maintenance is restricted by the substantial conventional costs required for
such
work. The limited production levels of aging assets often cannot justify the
conventional practice of using higher cost drilling rigs and conventional rig-
less
technology is generally incapable of accessing various passageways or all
annuli
within the well.
[0017] Therefore, well operators generally place an emphasis on removing
troublesome
assets from their portfolio and seek to prevent future problems using improved
designs, rather than attempting to remedy a poorly designed well, which in
turn
precipitates a greater focus on asset disposal, well design, installation
and/or
integrity assurance. Passing the problem on to others with the sale of a well
does
not, however, solve the issue of abandoning existing and aging wells from a
liability
viewpoint.
[0018] When intervention is required, the risk-adverse major oil and gas
companies
generally prefer such operations as asset disposal and replacement, rather
than
remediation, and favour the sale of aging well assets to smaller companies
with
lower overheads and higher risk tolerances. Smaller companies, requiring a
lower
profit margin to cover marginal cost, are generally eager to acquire such
marginal
assets but, in future, may be unable to afford well abandonment, thus putting
the
liability back to the original owner and preventing sale or creating a false
economy
for the seller. Low cost reliable rig-less placements of well barrier
elements, to delay
or perform abandonment, is critical to large and small companies if aging
assets are
to be bought and sold and/or to avoid such false economies. Thus, the rig-less
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methods and members of the present invention, usable to place and verify well
barrier elements for reliable abandonment, are important to all companies
operating,
selling and/or buying aging wells.
[0019] Therefore, the structural integrity of producing and abandoning wells
is critical
because the liability of well abandonment cannot be passed on if a well
ultimately
leaks pollutants to the surface, water tables or ocean environments, because
most
governments hold all previous owners of a well liable for its abandonment and
environmental impacts associated with subsequent pollution. Hence, the sale of
a
well liability does not necessarily end the risk, when the asset is sold or
abandoned,
unless the final abandonment provides permanent structural integrity.
[0020] Method embodiments of the present invention are usable for
benchmarking,
developing, testing and improving of rig-less well intervention and
maintenance, to
extend the life of a well, by placing well barrier elements to isolate or
abandon a
portion of a well; and then, operating another portion of the well until no
further
economic production exists or well integrity prevents further extraction or
storage
operations. Thereafter, the well may be completely and permanently abandoned
for
an indefinite period of time, using embodiments of the present invention to
rig-lessly
and selectively access annuli for both placement and verification of well
barriers,
including barriers that provide a geologic testing space for said
benchmarking,
developing, testing and improving of new technology.
[0021] Therefore, a need exists for improved stability of drilling and
directional drilling
assemblies for jointed and rotary coiled string operations.
[0022] A need exists for apparatus and methods usable for benchmarking,
developing,
testing and improving new technology that can be usable for delaying
abandonment,
with low cost rig-less operations for placement of well barrier elements to
increase
the return on invested capital for both substantially hydrocarbon and
substantially
water wells, through rig-less side-tracking for marginal production
enhancement,
suspending and/or abandoning portions of a well, for re-establishing or
prolonging
well structural integrity for aging production and storage well assets, and
preventing
pollution of subterranean horizons, such as water tables, or surface and ocean
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environments.
[0023] A need exists for apparatus and methods usable for benchmarking,
developing,
testing and improving new technology that can be usable for small operating
foot
print rig-less well barrier element placement operations, which are usable to
control
cost and/or perform operations in a limited space, e.g. electric line or
slickline
operations, on normally unmanned platforms, from boats over subsea wells or in
environmentally sensitive area, e.g. permafrost areas, where a hostile
environment
and environmental impact are concerns. A related need also exists for
apparatus and
methods usable for benchmarking, developing, testing and improving new
technology usable for working, within a closed pressure controlled envelope,
to
prevent exposing both operating personnel and the environment to the risk of
losing
control of subterranean pressures if a well intervention kill weight fluid
column is
lost to, e.g., subterranean fractures.
[0024] A need exists for apparatus and methods usable for benchmarking,
developing,
testing and improving new technology usable for avoiding the high cost of
drilling
rigs with a rig-less system capable of suspending, side-tracking and/or
abandoning
onshore and offshore, surface and subsea, substantially hydrocarbon and
substantially water wells, using published conventional best practices for
placement
of industry acceptable permanent abandonment well barrier elements.
[0025] A need exists for apparatus and methods usable for benchmarking,
developing,
testing and improving new technology that can be usable for preventing risks
and for
removing the cost of protecting personnel and the environment from well
equipment
contaminated with radioactive materials and scale by rig-lessly placing
abandonment
bathers and leaving equipment downhole. A further need exists for apparatus
and
methods usable for benchmarking, developing, testing and improving new
technology, which can be usable to rig-lessly side-track or fracture portions
of a well
for disposing of hazardous materials that can result from circulation of the
well's
fluid column during suspension, side-tracking and abandonment operations.
[0026] A need exists for apparatus and methods usable for benchmarking,
developing,
testing and improving new technology, which can be usable for rig-lessly
accessing
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annuli to measure whether acceptable sealing cementation exists behind casing,
and
to rig-lessly mill the casing and to place cement if acceptable cementation
does not
exist. A further need exists for apparatus and methods usable for
benchmarking,
developing, testing and improving new technology that can be usable to verify
the
placement of well barrier elements, during rig-less operation, to ensure the
successful settable material bonding and sealing of a well's passageways has
occurred or whether further remedial work is required.
[0027] A need exists for apparatus and methods usable for benchmarking,
developing,
testing and improving new technology, which can be usable for rig-lessly
accessing
annuli presently inaccessible, particularly with minimal foot-print
conventional
slickline rig-less operations, including bypassing annulus blockages, created,
e.g., by
production packers, during placement of permanent well bather elements within
selected portions of a well, across from cap rock and other impermeable
formations
needed to isolate subterranean pressures over geologic time.
[0028] A need exists for apparatus and methods usable for benchmarking,
developing,
testing and improving new technology, which can be usable for a plurality of
permanent well barriers that are verifiable through selectively accessed
annuli
passageways with rig-less operations, usable with conventional logging tools
to
maintain the structural integrity of a well prior to final abandonment, and
that also
provide access for placing permanent barriers to ensure structural integrity
of the
strata bore hole thereafter.
[0029] A need exists for apparatus and methods usable for benchmarking,
developing,
testing and improving new technology, which can be usable for marginal
production
enhancement that is usable to offset operating costs until final abandonment
occurs,
including rig-lessly providing well integrity, while waiting until an
abandonment
campaign across a plurality of wells can be used to further reduce costs.
[0030] A need exists for apparatus and methods usable for benchmarking,
developing,
testing and improving new technology, which can be usable to reduce the
abandonment liability for operators while meeting their obligations of
structural well
integrity for safe and environmentally sensitive well operations, suspension
and
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abandonment, in an economic manner, that is consistent with providing more
capital
for exploration of new reserves to meet our world's growing demand for
hydrocarbons, by minimising the cost of operations, suspension and abandonment
with lower cost rig-less suspension, side-tracking and abandonment
technologies.
[0031] A need exists for apparatus and methods usable for benchmarking,
developing,
testing and improving new technology that can be usable to verify rig-less
well
abandonments to facilitate a market where the reduction of the well
abandonment
liability allows larger operating overhead companies to sell marginal well
assets to
smaller, lower overhead, operating companies, i.e. by lowering the risk of a
residual
abandonment liability, to prevent marginal recoverable reserves from being
left
within the strata, because higher operating overhead requirements made such
recoverable reserves uneconomic.
[0032] Finally, a need exists for systems and methods that are usable with
existing and new
technologies to provide sufficiently inexpensive methods, requiring few or low-
cost
resources, for forming a geologic testing space to test new or unproven
downhole
apparatus.
[0033] Although the embodiments of the present invention can be considered to
create a
new market from an existing market, this generalization can be evident in
several
significantly important prior inventions, for example, the invention of the
steam
engine, which resulted in the formation of a new market that has been
historically
summarized as the industrial revolution; the invention of a logging while
drilling
apparatus, which has formed a directional drilling market; and the invention
of a
positive displacement mud motor, which has formed a horizontal drilling
market,
wherein the conventional and prior art apparatuses of the existing markets, at
the
time of each of these inventions, could not meet the same required needs.
Hence,
the present invention may result in the formation of a market for testing
unproven
downhole apparatuses, simply because no such market for the downhole testing
of
apparatus presently exists.
[0034] Therefore, the present invention not only provides an important
solution to the need
for downhole testing and proving of apparatus, it provides a new market in
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downhole testing that is necessary because conventionally operating a down
hole
apparatus is, in practice, more art than science. Science can be considered to
be
literally "as blind as a bat," because, for example, it relies entirely upon
surface
indications and subterraneanly transmitted and reflected signals of downhole
tools,
which are located within a hazardous geologic environment that is subject to
extreme forces, substances, pressures and temperatures, miles below the
surface of
the earth. Hence, practitioners generally rely more on empirically proved
operations
than on scientific theories of operation.
[0035] Substances, pressures and temperatures associated with the alternating
layers of
permeable and non-permeable subterranean strata are not foreseeable by using
the
bouncing of reflected signals upon subterranean reflectors of the geology,
geologic
fractures, and an almost infinite number of sub-seismic resolution events,
stratigraphy and lithology. Hence, a geologic environment cannot be
scientifically
predicted to the accuracy of empirical downhole apparatus operating data from
said
geology.
[0036] Accordingly, practitioners, often avoid the use of unproven technology
within a
geologic environment, and use apparatuses with empirically proven operation
within
the expected geology, due to the potentially extreme costs and risks
associated with
operating within the extreme geologic forces, substances, pressures and
temperatures, miles below the earth's surface.
[0037] Consequently, operation within a comparable geologic environment is
ultimately the
conventional measure of acceptance, wherein practitioners are generally
unwilling to
accept the risk of being the first to prove and use an unproven apparatus
within any
particular geology.
[0038] Generally, conventional practitioners would rather live with a known
problem, such
as harmonic resonance and vibration of a boring string, than accept the risk
of testing
an unproven apparatus, only to have it, for example, come apart and cause
significantly more risk and cost through the process of removing lost parts
from the
well bore.
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[0039] Accordingly, a need exists for a lower risk and lower cost system and
method of
proving unproven technology.
[0040] Various aspects of the present invention meet these needs.
SUMMARY
[0041] The present invention relates, generally, to space provision systems
and methods
usable to form a geologic testing space, for example, within an abandonment
liability well, for proving the operation of an unproven downhole apparatus
(i.e.,
new technology) by using, for example, a hydrodynamic bearing boring apparatus
(1A, 1E, 1BM, 9AA, 92D) or a bore hole piston apparatus (1A, 1AF, 92A-92C, 92E-
92G), wherein both of these apparatus comprise a rig-less bore hole opening
member
(92), which can be driven, in part, by hydraulics. In addition, the bore hole
opening
members can be further drivable by an explosion, a cable, or combinations
thereof.
[0042] Embodiments of the present application provide significant improvements
to the
existing art, wherein the geologic testing of the present invention is usable
to
empirically prove any new or unproven downhole apparatus within a geologic
environment, including, but not limited to, apparatus or new technologies of
the
present inventor, for proven use on wells with similar geologic conditions.
[0043] The embodiments are usable in isolation, or can be combined, for
example, with
various technologies and methods of the present inventor to provide systems
and
methods for using a rig-less apparatus to convert the tangible well liability
of
abandonment into the tangible asset of a geologic test well, which can be
usable to
prove the rig-less or rig operation of an unproven downhole apparatus, such as
a
hydrodynamic bearing that may be used within any rotary drill string, and
which
could potentially improve the efficiency of all rotary drilling operations by
reducing
the effects of adverse shocks, vibration, whirl and harmonic resonance of
rotary
operations.
[0044] Preferred embodiments of the present invention can provide a space
provision
system of apparatus and method (10, 10A-10H) for forming a geologic testing
space
for proving an operation of at least one unproven downhole apparatus (78, 92),
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within an aged geology and during the rig-less abandonment of an aging well
to, in
use, reallocate operation of said at least one unproven downhole apparatus,
from
unproven to proven operation, within a proximally similarly aged geology of
said
aging well, another aging well (79), a new well (80), or a field of said wells
(79, 80)
[0045] Preferred embodiments may comprise at least one hydrodynamic bearing
boring
apparatus (1A, 1E, 1BM, 9AA, 92D) or a bore hole piston apparatus (1A, 1AF,
92A-
92C, 92E-92G), wherein the at least one unproven downhole apparatus can
comprise
a rig-less bore hole opening member (92) that can be driven, in part, by
hydraulics,
wherein the rig-less bore hole opening member can be further drivable by an
explosion, a cable, or combinations thereof, and can be deployable through an
upper
end of said aging well, within one or more conduits having at least an inner
bore
hole within a wall of at least one concentric surrounding bore that is
engagable by
said rig-less bore hole opening member, during abandonment of a lower end of
said
aging well, such that the rig-less bore hole opening member can open said
inner bore
hole axially along, and radially into, the wall of the at least one concentric
surrounding bore. Debris (91), from the opening of said inner bore can be
disposed
and compressed within the lower end of the aging well for placement of a
settable
pressure sealing material. The settable pressure sealing material can be
placed
axially above the debris and within the wall of the at least one concentric
surrounding bore, at the lower end of the aging well, to provide a proximal
geology
above the settable pressure sealing material that is comparable to at least
one portion
of a geology of the aging well, a geology of another aging well, a geology of
a new
well or a geology of the field of wells to form, in use, the geologic testing
space.
[0046] Preferred embodiments further provide a geologic testing space usable
to empirically
measure operating parameters of the at least one unproven downhole apparatus
(78,
92), wherein the geologic testing space comprises at least one unproven down
hole
apparatus (78) to provide empirical data for adapting or proving the at least
one
unproven downhole apparatus to, in use, reallocate operation of the at least
one
unproven downhole apparatus, from unproven to proven operation, within the
geologic testing space for use within a similar geologic environment of the
aging
well, the another aging well, the new well, or the field of said wells.
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[0047] Various embodiments may provide a rig-less bore hole opening member
(92)
comprising a rig-less cutting apparatus to disengage debris (91) from
engagements
that prevent disposal and compression of said debris within a lower end of an
aging
well.
[0048] Related embodiments can provide a rig-less bore hole opening member
(92, 1A,1E,
1BM, 92D), comprising at least one hydrodynamic bearing (1) that is disposed
about
a shaft (2) and an outer wall (5) of a cutting structure (112) and positioned
within
said wall of said concentric surrounding bore (7), with at least one periphery
arced
wall (4) radially extending from, and arranged about, a circumference of a
conduit
shaft housing (14, 14A), and about at least one inner wall (6) that is
adjacent to at
least one associated hydrodynamic profiled wall (3). The rig-less bore hole
opening
member can be rotatable by or about the shaft to displace fluid axially along
said at
least one inner wall that is anchored by combined frictional engagements of
the
fluid, at least one associated hydrodynamic profiled wall (3), at least one
inner wall
(6), at least one periphery arced wall (4), and/or the wall of the at least
one
concentric surrounding bore (7) to force the fluid between an adjacent set of
at least
two of said walls. The embodiments include fluids that can be displaced to
form a
pressurized (8) cushion that is fluidly communicated to and from a set of at
least two
walls to, in use, operate cutting structures (112, 116) to form the debris
(91), while
lubricating and dampening associated rotational shocks and vibrations with a
shearing of frictional engagements when bearing the shaft, during rotation of
the
cutting structures within the wall of the at least one concentric surrounding
bore.
[0049] Various embodiments may provide a rig-less bore hole opening member
(92),
comprising a plug, a diaphragm, or combinations thereof, wherein a rig-less
bore
hole opening member (92) can be placed adjacent to debris (91) for disposal
and
compression of said debris within the lower end of an aging well, by using
differential fluid pressure across a bore hole piston apparatus. The
embodiments can
include injecting fluid into one or more conduits to form a high pressure
region, at a
first side of said bore hole piston apparatus, and a lower pressure region, at
a second
side of said bore hole piston apparatus, to operate said rig-less bore hole
opening
member axially along and radially into the wall of at least one concentric
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surrounding bore.
[0050] Other embodiments may provide a rig-less bore hole opening member (92)
comprising a hydraulic jar, an explosive, or combinations thereof, for urging
the
disposal and compression of debris (91) within a lower end of an aging well.
[0051] Various other embodiments may provide a rig-less bore hole opening
member (92)
that comprises a firing gun (92A), which can be placeable by deployment
string, for
explosively firing a piston (95) from a housing (96), wherein said piston can
be
adaptable with an orifice, valve, or combinations thereof, to relieve trapped
pressure
from beneath said piston when fired.
[0052] Still other embodiments may provide a rig-less bore hole opening member
(92)
comprising a cable tension compression device (92B, 92E 92F, 92G) for buckling
(99) one or more conduits to form debris (91), by using a tensionable cable
(67) that
can be anchored (102, 103) with a pulley (105) at one or more ends, thereof,
to
axially compress said debris relative to said pulley.
[0053] Related embodiments may provide a cable passing through at least one
eccentric
orifice (100) of a plurality of plates (101) that are spaced within one or
more
conduits, and wherein tensioning cable alignments of said eccentric orifices
can urge
the plurality of plates radially into an inner bore to buckle (99) said one or
more
conduits axially along, and radially into, the wall of at least one concentric
surrounding bore to form the debris.
[0054] Various embodiments provide a rig-less bore hole opening member (92)
that can
compress debris axially along or radially into the wall of at least one
concentric
surrounding bore.
[0055] Other embodiments may provide a logging tool apparatus having a
transponder,
receiver, or combinations thereof, wherein the logging tool apparatus can be
placed
in the rig-less bore hole opening member (92), the downhole apparatus (78), a
wellhead, the geologic testing space, the settable pressure sealing material,
or
combinations thereof, and wherein said transponder or receiver can be
placeable
within a shock and compression resistant enclosure to send signals through
fluids or
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casings of said aging well.
[0056] Related embodiments may provide a logging tool apparatus that can
empirically
measure (93) operating parameters of at least one unproven downhole apparatus
to
form at least one measurement, comprising tolerances, rotary speeds, shocks,
vibrations, stick-slip, whirl, harmonic resonances, or combinations thereof,
for
operation of the at least one unproven downhole apparatus (78) within
subterranean
substances, pressures and temperatures of said aged geology.
[0057] Other related embodiments may provide a logging tool apparatus that
empirically
measures (93) and provides associated empirical data of subterranean strata
geologic
periods and epochs, that can be similar to another aging well, a new well or a
field of
wells.
[0058] Other embodiments may provide a production infrastructure for
hydraulically
operating the rig-less bore hole opening member (92) and for fluidly accessing
said
aging well through one or more conduits.
[0059] Various related embodiments may provide a production infrastructure
usable to
extract production from a subterranean resource.
[0060] Other embodiments may side-track an aging well using a rig-less bore
hole opening
member (92) or an unproven downhole apparatus (78).
[0061] Various other embodiments may prove an unproven downhole apparatus
(78), which
can be deployable and operable within one or more conduits, and a geologic
testing
space, that is provided by a rig-less bore hole opening member (92), for
proven use
across a plurality of proximally similar geologic environments of another
aging well
(79), a new well (80) and/or a field of said wells (79, 80).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0062] Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below by way of
example
only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0063] Figure 1 illustrates the embodiment of a system for forming usable
geologic space
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for side-tracking and the development and testing of various new technologies,
including apparatuses of the present inventor.
[0064] Figures 2, 2A and 3 to 7 depict diagrammatic subterranean well
schematics for
various well types usable with various embodiments of the present invention.
[0065] Figures 8 and 9 illustrate prior art that can be associated with the
Figure 10
embodiment of the present invention.
[0066] Figures 10 and 11 illustrate explosive and line tension embodiments for
forming
space within a subterranean well, which are usable with various other
embodiments
of the present invention.
[0067] Figure 12 shows an apparatus of the present inventor usable with
various
embodiments of the present invention.
[0068] Figures 13 to 16 depict embodiments of hydrodynamic bearing milling
motor arms
usable with various other embodiments.
[0069] Figures 17 to 21 illustrate various rig and rig-less arrangements
usable with various
wells types A to D applicable to various embodiments of the present invention.
[0070] Figure 22 depicts an apparatus of the present inventor usable with
various
embodiments of the present invention.
[0071] Figures 23 to 27 depict various apparatuses and methods of the present
inventor
usable with various embodiments of the present invention.
[0072] Figures 28 and 29 illustrate a side-tracking embodiment of the present
invention
using various apparatus of the present inventor.
[0073] Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference
to the
listed Figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0074] Before explaining selected embodiments of the present invention in
detail, it is to be
understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular
embodiments
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described herein, and that the present invention can be practiced or carried
out in
various ways. The disclosure and description herein is illustrative and
explanatory
of one or more presently preferred embodiments and variations thereof, and it
will
be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes in the design,
organization, order of operation, means of operation, equipment structures and
location, methodology, and use of mechanical equivalents may be made without
departing from the spirit of the invention.
[0075] As well, it should be understood that the drawings are intended to
illustrate and
plainly disclose presently preferred embodiments to one of skill in the art,
but are not
intended to be manufacturing level drawings or renditions of final products
and may
include simplified conceptual views as desired for easier and quicker
understanding
or explanation. As well, the relative size and arrangement of the components
may
differ from that shown and still operate within the spirit of the invention.
[0076] Moreover, it will be understood that various directions such as
"upper," "lower,"
"bottom," "top," "left," "right," and so forth are made only with respect to
explanation in conjunction with the drawings, and that the components may be
oriented differently, for instance, during transportation and manufacturing as
well as
operation. Because many varying and different embodiments may be made within
the scope of the concepts herein taught, and because many modifications may be
made in the embodiments described herein, it is to be understood that the
details
herein are to be interpreted as illustrative and non-limiting.
[0077] Referring now to Figure 1, a flow chart of a space provision system
(10)
embodiment (10A) is depicted, showing the identification of wells available
for
abandonment (82) and consummation of an agreement (83) representing, for
example, a contractual rental or sale agreement (84) between a technology (85)
and
abandonment liability owner (86) for space usage rights (87) and optionally
infrastructure usage rights (88), for the purposes of forming a geologic
testing space
for proving the operation of an unproven downhole apparatus (78, 92) within an
aged geology, during the rig-less abandonment of an aging well.
[0078] A space provision system can be usable to compress well apparatuses and
debris
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(91) with a compression device (92) for forming a usable geologic space for
placement of an abandonment plug (89), to satisfy an abandonment liability and
provide integrity for developing new technology (78), for example further
space
formation devices (92) to reduce the resources required for abandonment, or
side-
tracking drilling (59) and milling assemblies (9) or hydrodynamic bearings (1)
to for
example, more effective exploit Brownfields (79) and Greenfields (80) with
less
resources, to the benefit of the regional and global private and public
benefit (90).
[0079] Empirical measurements (93) may be taken with logging tools or a
transponder may
be placed in a protective shock absorbent housing (66 of Figure 22) to provide
empirical data to design, redesign, test and field prove new technology (78)
in the
development of Greenfield (80) and Brownfield (79) wells (57). Various
technologies described in the following patent applications: UK patent number
2465478 and UK patent application numbers GB1011290.2, PCT GB2010/051108,
GB1021305.6, GB1111482.4, GB1104278.5, GB1104278.5, GB1121743.7,
GB1121741.1 and PCT patent application numbers US2011/000377 and
US2011/000372, may be tested and further developed with the present space
provision system. While new technology of the present invention are
emphasised,
virtually any downhole technology that will fit through the bore of the well
(57) may
be tested and field proven, subject to the resources available. Hence, the
present
space formation system can be further usable to create a market for testing
and field
proving the new technology, wherein said usable space becomes a tradable
product.
[0080] The resource cost of drilling rig (58A of Figure 18) and even some rig-
less
operations (58C of Figure 19) is, generally, such that a usable space for
testing and
field proving of downhole tools, deployable within the realistic environments
provided during the abandonment of wells (57) and with significantly less
resource
intensive rig-less jointed pipe (58B of Figure 17) and coiled string (58D of
Figure
20) operations, represents a significant improvement in the development of new
technology and hence is marketable. For example, a company owning the usage
right for the usable space formed during the abandonment may offer to test and
field
prove technologies in exchange for a participating ownership in such
technologies or
for monetary gain.
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[0081] Given the relatively low capital investments required for rig-less
abandonment,
wherein the present space provision system represents a new technology
requiring
minimalistic resources, and the lack of competitive forces in the present
oligopolistic
service provider market, well abandonment represents a significant resource
cost to
liability owners and an opportunity for new technology companies to compete
with
the goliath service providers who domination the market. Alternatively, the
ownership of minimalistic resources and the opportunity to test new
technologies
with one of said goliath service providers will force competition in a
relatively
uncompetitive market, compared to the 1970's and early 1980's. In all cases,
the use
of fewer resources provides significant benefit to regions and our global
society (90)
facing peak oil and dramatic liquid hydrocarbon price increases, because said
resources may be reallocated to Brownfield (79) and Greenfield (80)
developments
needed to limit said dramatic liquid hydrocarbon price increases associated
with
peak oil.
[0082] Referring now to Figures 17 to 21, illustrating various elevation views
of rigs (58)
usable with the system and method of the present invention, and showing what
is
conventionally described as drilling rig (58A) and rig-less (58B, 58C and 58D)
arrangements above example slices through subterranean wells (57) and strata
(60).
Drilling rigs (58A) require the most resources for operation, with a large
derrick (94)
and associated hoisting equipment often capable of lifting over a million
pounds,
with associated large fluid pumping and storage capacity resources. While
either
coiled or jointed pipe conduit string may be used on a drilling rig (58A),
high
strength and torque jointed conduits are generally used. In general, drilling
rigs have
the most rugged and robust equipment specification that may be orders of
magnitude
difference resource operations costs compared to coiled string and other rig-
less
arrangements. Coiled tubing rigs, generally termed as drilling "rig-less,"
generally
require significantly less resources than drilling rigs, but considerably more
than, for
example, jointed string rig-less arrangements (58B) and cable rig-less
arrangements
(58D). Consequently, when well abandonment and boring string operations use
rig-
less arrangements, said operations require less resources.
[0083] Drilling rigs (58A) are generally efficient for quickly boring and
constructing a well
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into the geologic periods and epochs, miles and kilometres below the earth's
surface.
However, such resource usage, generally, exceeds what is required for well
abandonment, testing and development of new technology. Hence, where using
relatively low resource usage rig-less operations is relatively inefficient
to, for
example, construct a well (57) to 10,000-feet or 3,048 meters, rig-less
arrangements
(58B, 58C and 58D) are more resource efficient than drilling rigs (58A) if
said well
is already constructed and the objective is to place a permanent abandonment
plug
(89), and test and develop new technology within regional subterranean
environments, similar to those where developed tools will be used.
Consequently,
compared to other rig-less approaches, the present space provision system will
approach and potentially become the lowest resource usage system and method
within the industry for abandoning wells and testing downhole tools, thus
freeing
resources for reallocation to further new technology (78), Brownfield (79)
and/or
Greenfield (80) development.
[0084] Figure 17 depicts an isometric view of a rig-less jointed pipe (72,
72A) handling
(58B) rig-like (58) arrangement, wherein the rig (58) is located above sea
level (63)
or ground level (60) and handles individual (72A) jointed pipe (72) to form a
rig-less
jointed pipe string (67A) operable within a well (57) bore (7) through an
associated
wellhead (61). Such rig-less pipe handling systems are usable to prove
unproven
(78) rotary string (67) apparatuses.
[0085] Referring now to Figure 18, an elevation view with a slice through
strata and the
well removed is depicted. The Figure shows a rig (58), and includes a drilling
nature
(58A) with a derrick (94), fluid or mud pits (123), pumps (124) and a control
room,
conventionally called a dog house (125). The well comprises a Greenfield (80)
development using a chamber junction (119) and simultaneous flow string
chamber
junction (122 shown in Figs. 26 and 27) which has been proven in an abandoned
well previously, wherein said technology is particularly useful for fracturing
operations, for example shale gas fractures.
[0086] Figure 19 shows an elevation view of a slice through a well and strata,
illustrating a
coiled string (67F) and a coiled tubing rig (58C) with an injector head (126)
and
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derrick (94), working on a brownfield (79) to prove unproven technology after
abandoning the lower end of the well.
[0087] Referring now to Figure 20, the Figure shows an elevation view through
a slice
through the well and strata, showing a cable rig (58D) arrangement using a
coiled
string (67) cable (67S) through a lubricator (130), blow out preventer (131)
wellhead
(61) and casing (56A, 56B, 56C, 56D) to deploy a pendulum boring piston (73,
73G)
with a motor (17L) and jointed directable pendulum string (9, 9H), having a
hydrodynamic bearing (1, 1U) usable to reduce the friction, shock and
vibration
associated with cable rotary tool boring.
[0088] Figure 21, illustrates a schematic of a mud pit (123) arrangement
usable with a
coiled string arrangement, for example (58D) of Figure 20 or (58C) of Figure
19,
wherein fluid returned (129) in a pressure controlled manner may be run
through a
separator (132) to remove hydrocarbons or gases (133), disposing of debris
(91) and
returning (129) circulated fluid to a mud pit (123) or closed tank system, for
pumping (124) back to the boring operations. Underbalanced drilling may be
accomplished in this manner using rig-less operations, to further improve both
penetration rates of boring and productivity from subterranean production
resources,
providing another example opportunity for reducing resource costs with a space
provision system of the present invention.
[0089] Embodiments of the present space provision system can be operated with
rigs (58B-
58D) to form a geologic testing space for proving an unproven downhole
apparatus
(78, 92) within an aged geology, during the rig-less abandonment of an aging
well
to, in use, reallocate operation of said unproven downhole apparatus from
unproven
to proven operation with rigs (58A-58D) within a proximally similarly aged
geology
of said aging well, another aging well (79), a new well (80), or a field of
said wells
(79, 80), typically referred to as Brownfields (79) and Greenfields (80).
[0090] Figures 2, 2A and 3 show various diagrammatic elevation views of a
subterranean
slice through various example wells (57) and strata types applicable to the
present
invention. As subterranean wells (57 of Figure 2) have many components,
simplified well schematics (e.g. 57 of Figures 2A and 3) are conventionally
used to
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provide focus upon communicated aspects. Hence it is to be understood that a
schematic well diagram (e.g. 57 of Figure 2A) is equivalent to a more detailed
well
diagram (e.g. 57 of Figure 2, below the section line A 1 -A 1), and each of
the wells
described in Figures 3 to 16 are similar to Figure 2, except where noted.
[0091] Generally, a well's (57) architecture comprises various cemented (64)
and
uncemented casing (56A to 56D) and strata (60A to 60M) bores (7). Casings may
comprise various sizes, for example, (56D) may represent a 7" liner, (56C) a
30"
conductor, (56B) a 13 3/8" casing, and (56A) a 9 5/8" production casing,
within
which an uncemented annulus and production conduit (56E) may exist. For a
space
formation system, devices may be used to compress, for example, the production
conduit (56E) forming debris and potentially containing or covered with
engaged
debris, e.g. NORM or LSA scale, wherein the conduit (56E) and other associated
apparatuses and debris may be compressed within the uncemented annulus of the
production conduit (56A) to form a usable space within said production
conduit.
[0092] With regard to new technology (78), Brownfield (79) and Greenfield (80)
development, or the proving of unproven (78) apparatuses, it is critical to
understand
that said new technology (78) will be subjected to diverse pressure,
temperature and
the forces stratigraphy that is vastly different from one well to the next and
which
has formed over hundreds of millions of years. Consequently, the art and
practice of
the well construction and production industry is to rely more upon empirical
data
that theoretical data give the dangers of exposure to subterranean substances,
pressures and temperatures, where geothermal water may be as dangerous as
explosive hydrocarbons in various instances. Hence, the field testing and
proving of
new technology in similar conditions to those expected is of critical
importance to
practitioners. Unfortunately, the common test well for service providers is
typically
shallow, incomparable and generally discounted by those skilled in the art.
[0093] The presently described space provision system can be usable to test
and field prove
new technologies, like hydrodynamic bearings (1) and directable hydrodynamic
bearing pendulum boring strings (9), tested within the controlled environment
of a
subterranean well, wherein the lower end has been made relatively safe through
said
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space provision system abandonment, leaving room within the well to test new
technology in close to actual conditions. It is to be understood that the
strata below
the Figure 2, Figure 2A, and Figure 3 line Al-Al represents any of the
Quaternary
and Neogene period epochs, with the strata below line A2-A2 representing any
of
the Paleogene period Oligocene, Eocene and Paleocene epochs, and strata below
A3-
A3 represents any Cretaceous, Jurassic, Triassic, Permian or Carboniferous
period
late, middle and early epochs. The strata below lines A-A of Figure 17, B-B of
Figure 18, C-C of Figure 19, and D-D of Figure 20 represents any of the lines
Al-
Al, A2-A2 or A3-A3 geologic period epochs.
[0094] Figures 2 and 2A show an elevation slice through the well and schematic
views,
respectively, of a well (57) with a valve tree (62), and illustrate a slice
through said
well's subterranean portions and wellhead (61), securing casing (56A-56C)
cemented (64) below strata level (60), which may be either a ground level or
mud
line below sea level (63).
[0095] The above ground (60) or sea level (63) valve tree (62), as shown, may
be adapted
for subsea use, wherein the conventional valve tree configuration represents a
primary (61B) and secondary (61A) master valve, usable with the production
valve
(62C) to flow production through the flow line (62F). If the tree cap (62E) is
removed and a rig (e.g. 58D of Figure 20) is erected to the tree's upper end,
the swab
valve (62D) and master valves (62A, 62B) may be opened to access the
production
conduit (56D) through the safety valve (65), wherein said safety valve may be
operated with a control line (65A). A conventional wellhead (61) generally
uses
multiple annulus valves (61A, 61B) to access annulus between the various well
conduits (56A, 56B, 56C) with larger shallow annuli exposed to normally
pressured
formations left open or without valves (61C).
[0096] The strata (60) access by any well (57) bore may be generally
classified by mineral
and chemical composition, by the texture of the constituent particles and by
the
processes that formed them, which separate rocks into igneous, sedimentary,
and
metamorphic. Igneous rocks may comprise, e.g., granite and basalt, which are
particularly hard to bore through. While granite is often bored within wells,
the
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majority of strata targeted for boring comprises sedimentary rocks formed at
or near
the earth's surface by deposition of either elastic sediments, organic matter,
or
chemical precipitates (evaporites), followed by compaction of the particulate
matter
and cementation during diagenesis. Sedimentary rocks may comprise, for
example,
mud rocks, such as mudstone, shale, claystone, siltstone or sandstones and
carbonate
rocks such as limestone or dolomite. Metamorphic rocks are formed by
subjecting
any rock type (including previously formed metamorphic rock) to different
temperature and pressure conditions than those in which the original rock was
formed, and hence may be prevalent in many well bores.
[0097] Referring now to Figure 3, the Figure illustrates using a space
providing system (10)
embodiment (10H), shown as a compressing device (92) comprising a slideable
piston annular blockage bypass straddle (92C), and used to compress debris
(91), for
example scale chemically removed and hydraulically jarred into the well and
strata
prior to placing an abandonment plug (89) to allow the side-tracking of the
well of
Figure 2A, using a coiled pendulum drill string (67, 67A), comprising a boring
piston (73) embodiment (73A) with a reactive torque tractor (74) directable
boring
string (9, 9A), using a motor (17L) to rotate a wireline deployable jointed
string (75,
75G) and a second in-line motor (17) to rotate an upper and lower cutting
structures
(112), which can be usable to bore said side-track (59) embodiment (59A),
which
can be placeable, retrievable and operable via said tensionable coiled string
(67) and
can pump pressure through said previously formed bore (7), with fluid pressure
applied through and about said conduit boring piston by one or more surface or
conduit fluid pumps or motors. The space provision system (10) can be usable
to
bore a second side-track (59B) and optionally to produce from any marginal
production resources found prior to placing a final abandonment plug to
permanently
isolate said side-tracks (59A, 59B). Further shown in Figure 3 are
hydrodynamic
bearings (1, 1B, 1C, and 1C).
[0098] Referring now to Figures 1, 8 to 12 and 22, the Figures include space
provision
system (10) members (10D, 10E, 55, 66) and prior art (51, 52). Figures 8 and 9
show isometric views of a prior art shotgun (51) and shotgun shell (52)
components,
respectively, illustrating a shell (52) with casing (52A) placeable in the
gun's
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chamber (51B). Contact of a firing pin with the primer (54) within the shell
orifice
(52B) initiates an explosion of gun powder within the shell, comparable to a
deployment conduit (56E, 56B, 56C), usable to fire a wad (53, 95A) and
functioning
as a piston (95) to push various bullets, which is comparable to the severed
end of
the conduit crushed (56E, 56A, 56B, respective to the containing conduits)
from the
gun's ban-el (51A), which can be comparable to a containing conduit (56A, 56B,
56C, respective to the compressed conduits), with an uncemented inner bore.
For
example, the wad (92) may: compress conduit (56E) within the barrel conduit
(56A),
compress conduit (56A) with the ban-el conduit (56B), and so on and so forth.
A
pinning arrangement may be used to anchor various well conduits during
explosive
compression or milling as described in Figure 12.
Alternatively, various
compression devices (92) may use cables to enlarge a bore by compressing
debris
into a well's lower end as described. Additionally, empirical measurements may
be
made during and after compression and/or during the downhole proving of
unproven
apparatuses using various embodiments.
[0099] Referring now to Figure 22, showing an isometric view of shock
absorbing
apparatus (66) of the present inventor and usable to place a transmitter
within a well
bore for measurements about or below components, compressed by a space
provision system of the present invention (e.g. those described in Figures 5-7
and
10-11). The transmitter may be engaged within a transmitter housing (66D),
which
may be placed in contact with casing (e.g. 56A-56D of Figure 2 and 2A) through
a
cover (66C) or the housing (66A), wherein said contact may remain when the
sensor
is cushioned (66B) from adverse shocks and forces when, for example,
compressing
well components using space provision system operations, thus allowing
transmission of empirical data through casings to a surface wellhead.
[00100] A sensor and/or transponder may be separated from compression and
jarring forces
by at least one shock absorbing frame, spring, moveable bearing arrangement,
gelatinous material or protective stabiliser providing, in use, continuous
ultrasonic or
electrical contact with the conduit wall extending to the wellhead conductor
for
transmission of a signal through said conduit wall while inhibiting stresses
transmitted to said sensor or transponder, from, e.g., crushing of conduits
below a
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annulus conduit crushing piston, usable to expose the production casing for
logging
of primary cementation behind, placement of a well barrier element, and/or
benchmarking, developing, testing and improving of new technology.
[00101] Conventional logging generally occurs within the innermost passageway
and is
unable to determine the state of primary cementation about the casings because
logging tools within the production conduit cannot contact the casings.
Various
method embodiments of the present invention are usable to form a geologic
space
where logging, to confirm primary cementation adjacent to conduits, may occur.
Signals may, e.g., be broadcast from the logging tool with reflected signals
collected
by a different portion of the logging tool, or signals may be passed between
the
wellhead, surface or subsea location and a downhole transmitter or receiver.
Using
logging tool method embodiments of the present invention, measurement signals
can
be engaged with the circumference of the conduit walls to provide sonic,
acoustic or
various other signals forms measuring, e.g., the response time of signals
passing
through bonded and unbonded conduit cementation to measure the degree of
bonding and/or cementation present. The process may be visualized as ringing
or
pinging a glass and measuring the sound or vibration received to determine if
the
glass is free standing within a liquid or tightly cemented in place.
[0100] Signal transmitters and/or receivers are engagable with conduits or
annulus fluids
through penetrations or through annulus wellhead openings. A signal may be
sent
from the wellhead or from and an external transmitter which functions in a
similar
manner to a VSP logging tool used to calibrate seismic data, wherein it can be
usable
to see the existence of primary cementation adjacent to the strata bore and
can be
calibrated with logging data carried out during and/or after construction of a
well.
[0101] Dependent on the result of the logging measurements, various other
members of the
present invention system of members are usable to place temporary or permanent
well barrier elements within the well at the appropriate subterranean depths
to meet
industry best practices to avoid potential future leak paths and/or simulate a
rig
abandonment by placing cement plugs across casings. Additionally, embodiments
may be cable string compatible and are thus usable with either the rig-less
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arrangement or the minimalistic pressure controlled arrangements for
permanently
abandoning a subterranean well in a rig-less manner.
[0102] Figure 12 illustrates a diagrammatic elevation view of a conduit
pinning
arrangement (55), with only a portion of the well (57) bore (7) elevation
radial cross
section shown below an upper right hand transverse side view elevation cross
section of the pinning shaft member's (55A, 55B, 55C) diameters, in differing
left
hand side and right hand pinning shaft configurations, shown in the upper
right. A
flexible shaft (55A) and boring bit (55D) may be used to bore through various
casing
(56) conduits (56A, 56B, 56C), with the flexible shaft (55A) usable as a spine
for
linked pinning conduit (55C) arrangement (55), that may be combined with
securing
and/or stiffening partial conduit member (55B) to anchor conduits (55A, 55B
and
55C) together. Such pinning arrangements can be usable in, for example, the
drilling, milling and space provision operations shown in Figures 3 to 7 and
gun like
compression of Figure 10.
[0103] Figures 10 and 11 illustrate diagrammatic elevation slices through a
subterranean
well, showing example space provision system (10) explosive member compression
device (92) embodiment (10D), and cable member embodiment (10E), respectively.
Earlier described UK patent applications GB1011290.2, PCT GB2010/051108,
GB1111482.4 and GB1116098.3 describe further usable space provision system
(10)
members, e.g. axial compression and/or radial compression plug and/or
diaphragm
piston compression devices (92) or hydraulic jar and/or explosive compression
devices (92), for forming low resource cost usable subterranean spaces, thus
reallocating resources that would have otherwise been used for satisfying an
abandonment liability.
[0104] Referring now to Figure 10, the Figure illustrates an elevation
diagrammatic view of
a slice through a subterranean well (57) bore (7) and shows an explosive
piston
space provision system (10) member compression device (92) embodiment (10D).
The member housing (96) is shown engag able to a jointed or coiled string of a
rig or
rig-less arrangement and contains an explosive that may be initiated by a
firing head
(98) to launch an piston (95) of an expandable type (95B), for example a
bladder,
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diaphragm, or wad variety, which can be usable to compress the severed portion
of
the deployment conduit (56E, 56A, 56B), uncemented within a surrounding
conduit
(56A, 56B, 56C, respective to the severed deployment conduit). An orifice or
one
way-valve (97) can be usable to release trapped fluid below the piston (95B)
compression device (92), of a jarring type (92A), as it moves within the
containing
conduit. The upper end of deployment conduit (56E, 56A, 56B) to be severed,
may
be anchored with a pinning arrangement (55) to allow the explosive to severe
said
conduit and move it axially downward relative to its anchored portion holding
the
member housing (96) and joint or coiled string deployment string.
Alternatively, the
deployment may be severed before being compressed axially downward to form
debris (91).
[0105] Figure 11 depicts left and right side diagrammatic plan above elevation
cross section
slices through a subterranean well (57) bore (7), and the Figure shows a space
provision system (10) compression device (92) cable type (92B) embodiment
(10E),
before activation on the left side, and after activation on the right side.
The
compression device (92B) can be deployed via a cable (67) of a conduit
buckling
(99) type (67AD) and anchored (102) at its lower end, passing through a
plurality of
eccentric orifice (100) plates (101) that can be spaced within a compressible
uncemented conduit within a containing conduit, wherein tensioning said cable
can
buckle said uncemented conduit by aligning the orifices (100) with the axis of
the
tension cable (67AD), thus allowing axial compression relative to the anchor
of said
buckled (99) conduit. Debris (91) can be formed by buckling and plastically
deforming the conduit. A cable compression device (92B) may be combined with,
for example, an explosive device (92A) of the present invention and/or axial
compression and/or radial compression plug and/or diaphragm piston compression
devices (92) or hydraulic jar and/or explosive compression devices (92) of the
present inventor to further buckle and compress the buckled conduit.
[0106] Referring now to Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7, showing a compression device
(92)
embodiment (92D) and directable hole opening boring string (9) embodiment (9B)
in Figure 4, with cable compressing device (92) embodiments (92E), (92F) and
(92G) in Figures 5, 6 and 7, respectively.
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[0107] Figure 4, illustrates a diagrammatic elevation slice view through a
well's bores and
casings depicting a compression device (92) embodiment (92D) and hole opening
boring (9) embodiment (9B), which can comprise a cable (67B) deployable piston
string (73) embodiment (73B) using a reactive torque tractor (74), that can be
operated with a motor (17F) to rotate the pendulum solid shafts of a milling
motor
(17) embodiment (17A) similar to the milling arrangement (9AA) of Figures 13
to
16. Tension of the cable (67B) and the tractor (74) provide upward movement in
excess of the downward fluid pressure applied to the piston string (73B),
wherein
conduits may be pinned (55) in place to prevent adverse lateral movement and
stabilizing arced walls (4), comprising elbowed screw extendable arms that may
be
radially extended to cut conduits with associated knife and/or wheeled cutting
structures (112) on said arms to assist and stabilize said hole opening boring
assembly (9) milling strata and/or casing. Debris (91) may be compressed into
the
lower end of said well by said milling of well apparatuses into smaller
particles that
may be compressed downward with pressure from above.
[0108] Referring now to Figure 13, the Figure shows a diagrammatic elevation
cross section
slice view of a milling string (9AA of Figures 14 to 16) motor (17E)
arrangement,
which can pivotally deflect to engage successive larger bores (7) at ever
increasing
effective rotating diameters (23A) to mill conduits (56E, 56D, 56A, 57B, 56C),
wherein the outer wall (5) has cutting surfaces (112) which also act as arched
walls
(4).
[0109] Figures 14, 15 and 16 illustrate a plan view with line E-E, an
elevation cross section
along line E-E, and an isometric section projection along line E-E,
respectively, and
show a fluid bearing (1) embodiment (1BM) with and outer wall (11AE) bearing
sleeve (12AD) journal (69) bearing with an upper end pivotal (71) bearing,
wherein
fluid (23) enters (32) between profiles (3AB) and (6AG) to rotate the sleeve
(12)
about the shaft (2). Discharge orifices (33) are shown in Figure 15. The
forming of
a motor (17) embodiment (17E) is achieved by using the fluid flow (23) through
a
passageway (22) within the pivotal bearing (71) to rotate the sleeve's outer
wall (5)
and associated arched surface (4), comprising a milling cutting structure
(112) that
can be usable to perform milling operations (9AA of Figure 13). The sleeve
(12) is
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illustrated to show the profiles (3AB) and (6AG), wherein, in practice, said
sleeve
extends to a sealable engagement at the pivot bearing (71).
[0110] Referring now to Figure 5, a diagrammatic elevation slice view through
a well's
bores and casings is shown and the Figure depicts a compression device (92)
embodiment (92E) that can be usable with a tensionable cable (67C) anchored
(102,
103) at both ends, with a pulley (105) at the lower end. The conduit (56E) may
be
pinned (55) to the surrounding conduit (56A) and tension may be applied to a
cable
head (77) at the upper anchor (103) using a cable connector (77A) to, for
example,
engage the cable head, tension the associated cables, part a coupling (106),
and
buckle the deployment conduit (56E) below said parted coupling, using the
lower
end cable pulley (105) to tension the cable between the upper (103) and lower
(102)
anchors. Compression may occur either upward or downward depending on the
arrangement of the pulley (105) at the upper or lower anchor, respectively,
with
associated pinning (55) and parting (55) or, for example explosive, chemical
or
mechanical cutting of the uncemented conduit (56E) being compressed within the
surrounding conduits.
[0111] Figures 6 and 7 show diagrammatic elevation slice views through a
well's bores and
casings depicting compression device (92) embodiments (92F, 92G,
respectively),
which can be usable with a tensionable cable (67D) anchored (102, 103) at both
ends
with a pulley (105) at the lower end of a conduit, which is also shown pinned
(105)
to a surrounding conduit (56A). The cable's tension compression devices (92)
for
buckling (99) an well apparatus, e.g. the deployment conduit (56E) and any
associated engaged apparatus or debris (91) using the tension of the cable
(67D)
between the anchors (102, 103) and pulley (105) to urge the buckled conduit
and
debris, formed by or engaged with said buckled conduit, within an uncemented
space with tension applied to the cable head (77) and cable engagement (77A).
[0112] The compression device (92) of a cable and explosive type (92F), may
comprise a
housing (96A) about an explosive charge that, when fired, tensions the cable
between the upper (103) and lower (102) anchors to part the lower cut or
weakened
conduit (106A) and compress the conduit (56A) axially upward, wherein the
cable
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engagement (77A) may be disconnected and the deployment conduit (56E) above
the compressed portion between the anchors may be cut, allowing the compressed
debris to fall downward, or be pushed by a piston compressing device.
[0113] The compressing device (92) of a cable and piston type (92G), may
comprise using
and inflatable diaphragm type (107) piston (95) with debris and fluid (104),
with a
deployable diameter similar to the explosive housing (96A) shown, to radially
burst
and axially buckle (99) the deployment conduit (56E) between the anchors (102,
103) by pulling on the pulley (105) with cable engagement (77A) and cable head
(77) with the cable (67D), thus applying buckling tension between said
anchors.
[0114] Referring now to Figures 17 to 19 and 23-25, the Figures illustrate
various boring
arrangements for casing boring and placement with dual fluid gradient
management
pressure strings and chamber junctions of the present inventor, with a
drilling rig
(58A) or jointed pipe rig (58B), wherein small scale empirical testing may be
carried
out with, for example, jointed pipe rig-less arrangements (58B) or coiled
tubing rigs
(58C) using a coiled string (67F) with the present space provision system.
After
forming space with a compression device (92) and placing one or more
abandonment plugs (89), empirical testing of a chamber junction's (119) bore
selector (121) and access of an exit bore (120) can be carried out using a
side-track
(59C), wherein managed pressure slurry passageway tools (117, 118) with
hydrodynamic bearings (1BP, 1BQ) can be tested, prior to using said
technologies
with a drilling rig (58A) or jointed pipe rig (58B) using jointed string.
Figure 19
shows a side-tracking and drilling assembly (9) embodiment (9C), which
includes an
in-line motor (171) for rotating the cutting structure (112),
[0115] Referring now to Figure 23 and 24, the Figures illustrate elevation
views of managed
pressure drilling upper (117) and lower (118) slurry passageway tools, with
upper
and lower rotary connections adaptable for piston pendulum arrangements (73)
and
inclusion of hydrodynamic bearings (1BP, 1BQ), wherein fluid circulation may
occur through a plurality of passageways within the strings (67N) and (670).
[0116] Referring now to Figure 25, the Figure shows an isometric section view
through the
well and strata, depicting a chamber junction (119), from which exit bores
(120) may
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be bored, wherein this new technology may be tested and/or proved in the upper
end
of a well abandoned at its lower end.
[0117] Figures 26 and 27 show a plan view with line F-F and a cross section
elevation
through line F-F, respectively, depicting a simultaneous flow chamber junction
(122)
usable as a dual conduit, for example (56E) and (56A), wherein the new
technology
may be tested in, for example, the multi-flow arrangement and bore selector
and
removable whipstock (128) of Figure 28 and 29 side-track (59D) using the
present
space provision system (10) embodiment (10F).
[0118] Referring now to Figures 28 and 29, the Figures depict a elevation
cross section
through the well and strata with line G and an associated magnified detail
view
within line G, respectively, showing a pendulum piston assembly (73)
embodiment
(73E) with a tractor (74) with hydrodynamic bearing (1, 1AF), comprising a
motor
(17, 17J) and bearings (1AG), comprising a fluid pump (18, 18F) with a pivotal
hydrodynamic bearing (1AU) above a cutting structure (112), similar to Figure
106
hydrodynamic bearing (1BL). The jointed conduit pendulum boring string (9, 9F)
forms part of the piston (73E) driven by a motor (17, 17K) with a tractor
(74),
suspendable from a cable head (77). Axial force (16) is applied to the
pendulum
string (73E) by pump pressure force (73E) at the top of the cable deployable
motor
(17K). Reactive torque tractors (74) may also be modified with fluid bearing
(1).
Figure 29 shows, in detail, a hydrodynamic bearing (1) that is disposed about
a shaft
(2), with at least one periphery arced wall (4, 4H) extending from a
circumference of
a conduit shaft housing (14D).
[0119] To facilitate the side-track (59) embodiment (59D) an abandonment plug
(89) was
placed after a space provision system (10) embodiment (10F) involving the
compression of debris (91) to form a usable space for said plug (89) and side-
track
(59D) new technology (78) empirical testing.
[0120] While various embodiments of the present invention have been described
with
emphasis, it should be understood that within the scope of the appended
claims, the
present invention might be practiced other than as specifically described
herein.
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[0121] Reference numerals have been incorporated in the claims purely to
assist
understanding during prosecution.
34
