Alignable Casing Entry Guide for Precise Well Intercept Cementing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods struggle to gain hydraulic access to an inaccessible cased wellbore, such as during blowouts, improper well abandonment, or to remove tubulars, requiring complex and inefficient drilling of intercept wells.
Innovation Solution
An alignable guidance device with a pre-contoured tube and guidance sensors is used to align and anchor the device relative to the casing, followed by inserting a microturbine cutter to drill a hole and cement through coiled tubing, ensuring precise alignment and efficient access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional intercept well drilling methods are used to gain hydraulic access to an inaccessible cased wellbore, then access can be achieved, but the process becomes complex and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The intercept well drilling process is divided into distinct operational phases: first drilling to a predetermined depth, then deploying the alignable guidance device with pre-contoured tube, followed by separate cementing and milling operations. This segmentation allows each operation to be optimized independently, improving overall efficiency while reducing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The pre-contoured tube is pre-formed with the exact curvature needed to navigate to the target wellbore, eliminating the need for complex real-time steering adjustments during drilling. The alignable guidance device is also pre-positioned and pre-aligned before the actual milling operation, ensuring efficient execution without complex on-site adjustments.
2Measurement precision
If an alignable guidance device with pre-contoured tube is used, then precise alignment and efficient access are achieved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The alignable guidance device employs a nested structure where the pre-contoured tube is positioned within the tube section, which in turn is housed within the casing milling shoe. This nested arrangement achieves precise alignment functionality while consolidating multiple components into a compact integrated device, minimizing overall structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The pre-contoured tube acts as an intermediary element that translates the orientation of the alignable guidance device into precise alignment with the target wellbore. This intermediary component handles the complex alignment geometry, allowing the main device structure to remain relatively simple while achieving high measurement precision.
3Productivity
If a microturbine cutter is inserted through coiled tubing to cut a hole in the casing, then hydraulic access is achieved, but the operation requires complex coordination
Solution Approach 1:
The alignable guidance device is pre-positioned and secured to the wellbore before microturbine insertion, establishing a stable platform that simplifies subsequent operations. The coiled tubing is also pre-positioned within the guidance device, ready for rapid deployment of the microturbine cutter without complex coordination during the actual cutting operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The microturbine cutter is extracted from the coiled tubing just in time for the cutting operation, allowing it to be deployed through the pre-positioned alignable guidance device. This extraction approach allows the microturbine to be stored compactly during transport and deployment, then rapidly deployed when needed, improving productivity while minimizing coordination complexity through clear separation of storage and operation phases.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of intercepting and cementing an existing well is disclosed that includes supplying an alignable guidance device including a tube section and a casing milling shoe. The alignable guidance device includes a pre-contoured tube within the casing milling shoe that terminates in an exit point and guidance sensors. The method also includes running the alignable guidance device into a wellbore and aligning the alignable guidance device relative to a casing. In addition, the method includes after aligning the alignable guidance device, holding in place or anchoring the alignable guidance device and inserting a casing milling tool having a microturbine attached to coiled tubing into the pre-contoured tube. The method may also include cutting a hole in the in-situ casing with the microturbine and releasing the microturbine from the coiled tubing. Also, the method may include cementing through the coiled tubing.