Reentry Guide Tool for Abandoned Packers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for gaining reentry below abandoned packers or tubular equipment are inefficient due to the presence of stubs of cut tubing, which hinder access to the downhole area.
Innovation Solution
A reentry guide tool with an overshot and a reentry guide, featuring a grapple, guide nipple, and deployment mechanism, allows for a smooth transition from a larger uphole tubular to a smaller downhole tubular, eliminating the need for fishing or stabbing operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional methods are used to access below abandoned packers, then the stub of cut tubing remains in place, but access to the downhole area becomes extremely difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a guide tool as an intermediary device that bridges the gap between the stub of cut tubing and the downhole area. The guide tool includes a guide body with a guide bore that receives the stub, and a guide element that extends below the stub to guide subsequent tools into the proper orientation and position for accessing the area below the abandoned packer.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide tool is deployed in advance before the actual reentry operation. The guide tool is run into the wellbore and positioned such that its guide bore receives the stub of cut tubing, preparing the pathway for subsequent tools. This preliminary action establishes the proper geometry and orientation needed for the reentry operation, eliminating the need for complex fishing or stabbing procedures later.
2Productivity
If fishing or stabbing operations are performed to access below the stub, then access may be achieved, but the operational efficiency is reduced and time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The guide tool serves as a permanent intermediary structure that remains in place to facilitate subsequent operations. Instead of performing time-consuming fishing or stabbing operations each time access is needed, the guide tool provides a pre-established pathway that allows tools to be quickly run into the wellbore and positioned correctly below the stub.
3Reliability
If the stub of cut tubing is left in place, then the abandoned equipment remains orphaned, but the stub hinders access to the downhole area
Solution Approach 1:
The guide tool is segmented into distinct functional components: a guide body with a guide bore that receives the stub, and a guide element that extends below the stub. This segmentation allows the stub to remain in place for isolation purposes while the guide element provides a separate functional pathway for accessing the downhole area.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide tool transitions the access problem from a vertical dimension (trying to push tools past the stub from above) to a dimensional solution where the guide bore provides a dedicated receptacle for the stub, and the guide element extends in a different spatial configuration to provide access below the stub without moving the stub itself.
Data Source
AI summary
A reentry guide tool includes an overshot defining a lower end and comprises a bowl and grapple. The bowl defines an interior space of the overshot, and the grapple is disposed in the bowl and is operable to engage a tubular. A tubular guide nipple has a downhole and an uphole end, the downhole end complementary to the overshot and the uphole end complementary to the reentry guide. The guide nipple is operable to connect and provide a transition between the overshot and reentry guide. The reentry guide is a tubular piece having an uphole end with a bevel. A deployment mechanism is defined on the overshot, reentry guide, or guide nipple, and is operable to connect the reentry guide to a running tool for deployment. A method of providing a transition from a first to a second tubular in a wellbore is also provided.