Hydrocarbon Well Sealing via Shape Charge Severing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for plugging and abandoning hydrocarbon wells with control lines are time-consuming and costly, as they require removing tubing and control lines before forming a fluid seal, which is not feasible when control lines represent a potential leak path.
Innovation Solution
The method involves actuating a shape charge device to sever control lines and form openings in the production tubing, positioning a diversion structure to restrict fluid communication, and pumping a sealing material to create a fluid seal within the annular space and tubing conduit, thereby sealing the well without removing the control lines or tubing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If control lines are removed before forming a fluid seal, then the fluid seal reliability is improved, but the time and cost of the plugging and abandonment process increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control line is severed by the shape charge device before the sealing material is pumped and cured. This preliminary action eliminates the control line as a potential leak path prior to forming the fluid seal, ensuring that when the seal is created, there is no existing conduit for fluids to bypass it. The shape charge device is activated to cut the control line, and only then is the sealing material introduced to form the final fluid barrier.
2Reliability
If control lines are removed before forming a fluid seal, then the fluid seal reliability is improved, but the complexity of the plugging and abandonment procedure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The functions of severing the control line and preparing for seal formation are merged into a single integrated sequence. The shape charge device is positioned within the wellbore alongside the sealing material delivery system, allowing both operations to be performed in one deployment. This combining of operations reduces the overall procedural complexity compared to removing control lines separately before seal formation.
3Reliability
If tubing and control lines are removed prior to forming a fluid seal, then leak paths are eliminated, but the productivity of the well sealing operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The control line is extracted or removed from the system by severing it with the shape charge device. This extraction eliminates the control line as a potential leak path through the fluid seal. The tubing remains in place to serve as the conduit for delivering the sealing material, while the control line is specifically removed to eliminate the leak hazard.
4Manufacturing precision
If coiled tubing is used to position the fluid seal within the wellbore, then the seal can be accurately positioned, but the time and cost of the operation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tubing serves multiple functions: it acts as the conduit for delivering the sealing material to the wellbore and also serves as the positioning mechanism for the seal. By using the existing tubing structure for both material delivery and positioning, the need for separate coiled tubing deployment is eliminated, reducing time and cost while maintaining positioning accuracy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces the time, labor, and costs associated with plugging and abandoning hydrocarbon wells by forming a reliable fluid seal while minimizing the risk of leaks through control lines, improving the efficiency of the sealing process.
Implementation Method 1
actuating a shape charge device that is positioned within the tubing conduit. The actuating includes forming a plurality of openings within the production tubing with a plurality of projectiles of the shape charge device by accelerating the plurality of projectiles through the production tubing
Data Source
AI summary
Methods of sealing a hydrocarbon well containing a control line. The hydrocarbon well includes a casing string extending within a wellbore and defining a casing conduit, production tubing extending within the casing conduit and defining a tubing conduit, and at least one control line extending within an annular space. The methods include fluidly isolating a downhole region of the tubing conduit from an uphole region of the tubing conduit and actuating a shape charge device. The actuating includes forming a plurality of openings within the production tubing and severing the at least one control line. The methods also include positioning a diversion structure within the uphole region of the tubing conduit, pumping a sealing material into the annular space at the sealing material injection region, and curing the sealing material to form a fluid seal that extends within the annular space and the uphole region of the tubing conduit.