Patent Publication Number: US-9890606-B2

Title: Method and system for one-trip hanger installation

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 13/130,301, entitled “Method and System for One-Trip Hanger Installation,” filed May 19, 2011, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, which claims priority to and benefit of PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US2010/020821, entitled “Method and System for One-Trip Hanger Installation,” filed Jan. 12, 2010, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, and which claims priority to and benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/147,978, entitled “Method and System for One-Trip Hanger Installation”, filed on Jan. 28, 2009, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art. 
     Natural resources, such as oil and gas, are used as fuel to power vehicles, heat homes, and generate electricity, in addition to a myriad of other uses. Once a desired resource is discovered below the surface of the earth, drilling and production systems are often employed to access and extract the resource. These systems may be located onshore or offshore depending on the location of a desired resource. Further, such systems generally include a wellhead assembly through which the resource is extracted. These wellhead assemblies may include a wide variety of components and/or conduits, such as casings, trees, manifolds, and the like, that facilitate drilling and/or extraction operations. 
     A long pipe, such as a casing, may be lowered into the earth to enable access to the natural resource. The casing may be secured within the wellhead by a hanger. In some instances, internal couplings may be used to secure components of the wellhead together, such as to secure the hanger within the wellhead. In such cases, the wellhead component, such as the hanger, is generally run into the wellhead using a running tool then locked in place using an additional tool designed to engage the internal coupling. This process may involve retrieving the running tool from the wellhead, replacing the running tool with a locking tool, and running the locking tool into the wellhead. The process of retrieving and running tools into the wellhead is both time-consuming and costly. In addition, further tools may be run into the wellhead to perform additional operations, such as over-pulling the wellhead component to ensure it is secured within the wellhead and cementing the wellhead component in place. Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide a tool with which multiple operations may be performed in a single trip (i.e., without retrieving, replacing, and running additional tools). 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying figures in which like characters represent like parts throughout the figures, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a mineral extraction system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of exemplary wellhead components in a configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the one-trip tool of  FIG. 2  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a close-up cross-sectional view of the exemplary wellhead components of  FIG. 2  denoted by a line  4 - 4  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary wellhead components of  FIG. 2  in another configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a close-up cross-sectional view of the exemplary wellhead components of  FIG. 5  denoted by a line  6 - 6  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-section view of the exemplary wellhead component of  FIG. 2  with the one-trip tool removed; and 
         FIG. 8  is a flow chart of an exemplary process for installing a wellhead component using the one-trip tool of  FIG. 3  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS 
     One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below. These described embodiments are only exemplary of the present invention. Additionally, in an effort to provide a concise description of these exemplary embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers&#39; specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure. 
     Certain exemplary embodiments of the present technique include a system and method that addresses one or more of the above-mentioned challenges of installing wellhead components in a wellhead. As explained in greater detail below, the disclosed embodiments include a one-trip tool configured to run a wellhead component into a wellhead, engage an internal coupling to lock the wellhead component in place, over-pull the wellhead component to ensure the internal coupling was properly engaged, and cement the wellhead component in place within the wellhead. Previous tools may have performed only a single operation before being retrieved and replace with another tool to perform another operation. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram that illustrates an embodiment of a mineral extraction system  10 . The illustrated mineral extraction system  10  may be configured to extract various minerals and natural resources, including hydrocarbons (e.g., oil and/or natural gas), from the earth, or to inject substances into the earth. In some embodiments, the mineral extraction system  10  is land-based (e.g., a surface system) or subsea (e.g., a subsea system). As illustrated, the system  10  includes a wellhead  12  coupled to a mineral deposit  14  via a well  16 . The well  16  may include a wellhead hub  18  and a well bore  20 . The wellhead hub  18  generally includes a large diameter hub disposed at the termination of the well bore  20  and designed to connect the wellhead  12  to the well  16 . 
     The wellhead  12  may include multiple components that control and regulate activities and conditions associated with the well  16 . For example, the wellhead  12  generally includes bodies, valves, and seals that route produced minerals from the mineral deposit  14 , regulate pressure in the well  16 , and inject chemicals down-hole into the well bore  20 . In the illustrated embodiment, the wellhead  12  includes what is colloquially referred to as a Christmas tree  22  (hereinafter, a tree), a tubing spool  24 , a casing spool  25 , and a hanger  26  (e.g., a tubing hanger and/or a casing hanger). The system  10  may include other devices that are coupled to the wellhead  12 , and devices that are used to assemble and control various components of the wellhead  12 . For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the system  10  includes a tool  28  suspended from a drill string  30 . In certain embodiments, the tool  28  includes a running tool that is lowered (e.g., run) from an offshore vessel to the well  16  and/or the wellhead  12 . In other embodiments, such as surface systems, the tool  28  may include a device suspended over and/or lowered into the wellhead  12  via a crane or other supporting device. 
     The tree  22  generally includes a variety of flow paths (e.g., bores), valves, fittings, and controls for operating the well  16 . For instance, the tree  22  may include a frame that is disposed about a tree body, a flow-loop, actuators, and valves. Further, the tree  22  may provide fluid communication with the well  16 . For example, the tree  22  includes a tree bore  32 . The tree bore  32  provides for completion and workover procedures, such as the insertion of tools into the well  16 , the injection of various chemicals into the well  16 , and so forth. Further, minerals extracted from the well  16  (e.g., oil and natural gas) may be regulated and routed via the tree  22 . For instance, the tree  12  may be coupled to a jumper or a flowline that is tied back to other components, such as a manifold. Accordingly, produced minerals flow from the well  16  to the manifold via the wellhead  12  and/or the tree  22  before being routed to shipping or storage facilities. A blowout preventer (BOP)  31  may also be included, either as a part of the tree  22  or as a separate device. The BOP may consist of a variety of valves, fittings, and controls to prevent oil, gas, or other fluid from exiting the well in the event of an unintentional release of pressure or an overpressure condition. 
     The tubing spool  24  provides a base for the tree  22 . Typically, the tubing spool  24  is one of many components in a modular subsea or surface mineral extraction system  10  that is run from an offshore vessel or surface system. The tubing spool  24  includes a tubing spool bore  34 . The tubing spool bore  34  connects (e.g., enables fluid communication between) the tree bore  32  and the well  16 . Thus, the tubing spool bore  34  may provide access to the well bore  20  for various completion and workover procedures. For example, components can be run down to the wellhead  12  and disposed in the tubing spool bore  34  to seal off the well bore  20 , to inject chemicals down-hole, to suspend tools down-hole, to retrieve tools down-hole, and so forth. 
     As will be appreciated, the well bore  20  may contain elevated pressures. For example, the well bore  20  may include pressures that exceed 10,000, 15,000, or even 20,000 pounds per square inch (psi). Accordingly, the mineral extraction system  10  may employ various mechanisms, such as seals, plugs, and valves, to control and regulate the well  16 . For example, plugs and valves are employed to regulate the flow and pressures of fluids in various bores and channels throughout the mineral extraction system  10 . For instance, the illustrated hanger  26  (e.g., tubing hanger or casing hanger) is typically disposed within the wellhead  12  to secure tubing and casing suspended in the well bore  20 , and to provide a path for hydraulic control fluid, chemical injections, and so forth. The hanger  26  includes a hanger bore  38  that extends through the center of the hanger  26 , and that is in fluid communication with the tubing spool bore  34  and the well bore  20 . One or more seals, such as metal-to-metal seals, may be disposed between the hanger  26  and the tubing spool  24  and/or the casing spool  25 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates exemplary embodiments of the tubing spool  24 , the casing spool  25 , the hangers  26 , and the running tool  28 . In the illustrated embodiment, the running tool  28  may perform several functions in addition to running wellhead components into the wellhead  12 . Accordingly, the tool  28  may be more appropriately considered a one-trip tool  28 , which includes an upper tool portion  40 , a lower tool portion  42 , and an energizing sleeve  44 . The components of the exemplary one-trip tool  28  are illustrated in greater detail in  FIG. 3 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 2 , a first hanger  26  may be a casing hanger  46 , from which a casing  48  extends. A second hanger  26  may be a tubing hanger  50  from which a tubing  52  extends. In other embodiments, various number/combinations of hangers may be utilized. The casing hanger  46  may be disposed within and coupled to the casing spool  25 . The tubing spool  24  may be landed axially above the casing spool  25 . In the illustrated embodiment, the tubing hanger  50  may be disposed within and coupled to the casing hanger  46  via a coupling  53 , as described in more detail below. In other embodiments, the tubing hanger  50  may be coupled directly to the tubing spool  24  or to another wellhead component. The tubing  52  may be disposed concentrically within the casing  48 , with an annular space  54  defined therebetween. During a cementing process, cement may be piped down the tubing  52 , through a cementing valve (not shown), and back up the casing  48  in the annular space  54 . Cement may also, or alternatively, be disposed around the exterior of the casing  48 . The cement process may fix the tubing  52  and/or the casing  48  in place within the wellhead  12  even under the very high pressures present during mineral extraction. In addition, to facilitate the flow of cement up the annular space  54  past the coupling  53 , the tubing hanger  50  may have a fluted exterior  56 . For example, the fluted exterior  56  may include one or more shallow grooves which run in an axial direction along the exterior of the tubing hanger  50 . In another embodiment, the tubing hanger  50  may have a uniform exterior with flow-through bores (not shown). The flow-through bores may be generally axial holes in the wall of the tubing hanger  50 , with openings to the annular space  54  both axially above and below the coupling  53  to enable fluid flow therethrough. 
     In operation, the one-trip tool  28  may be used to run the tubing hanger  50  into the wellhead  12 , lock the tubing hanger  50  to the casing hanger  46 , over-pull the tubing hanger  50  to verify that it is locked in place, and cement the tubing hanger  50  in place within the wellhead. Turning to  FIG. 3 , various components of the one-trip tool  28  which enable such functionality are described in more detail. As discussed above, the one-trip tool  28  includes the upper tool portion  40 , the lower tool portion  42 , and the energizing sleeve  44 . The upper tool portion  40  may be coupled to the lower tool portion  42  via complimentary female threading  58  and male threading  60  on the upper and lower tools  40  and  42 , respectively. The upper tool  40  may be axially adjustable with the lower tool  42  via the threading  58  and  60 . A radial protrusion  62  from the lower tool  42 , in conjunction with a pin  64  disposed in the upper tool  40 , may block axial separation of the upper and lower tools  40  and  42 . That is, a shoulder  66  on the protrusion  62  may abut the pin  64  protruding radially inward from the upper tool portion  40 , thereby blocking axial movement of the upper tool  40  with respect to the lower tool  42  past a certain point. In addition, the upper and lower tools  40  and  42  may be moved together axially only until a lower end  68  of the upper tool portion  40  abuts an upper end  70  of the lower tool portion  42 . A gap  72  is defined between the lower end  68  and the upper end  70 . 
     The upper tool portion  40  is also coupled to the energizing sleeve  44 . The sleeve  44  may be a thin, cylindrical object disposed around the upper and lower tool portions  40  and  42 . One or more set screws  74  may couple the sleeve  44  to the upper tool portion  40  such that the sleeve  44  is axially fixed relative to the upper portion  40 . For example, movement of the upper portion  40  with respect to the lower portion  42  (i.e., via threading the portions together) also moves the sleeve  44  relative to the lower portion  42 . In addition, one or more shear pins  76  fix the sleeve  44  rotationally relative to the upper tool portion  40 . That is, rotation of the upper portion  40  also rotates the sleeve  44  while the shear pins  76  are intact. As described in more detail below, the shear pins  76  may be sheared by excessive rotational force such that the sleeve  44  and the upper tool  40  may rotate with respect to one another. 
     Further, the one-trip tool  28  includes features to enable cement to flow therethrough. For example, the sleeve  44  may have one or more flow-through slots  78 , and the upper tool portion  40  may have a fluted exterior  80  (e.g., the upper tool portion  40  may have one or more shallow grooves extending vertically along its exterior  80 ) or generally axial flow-through bores. In addition, the one-trip tool  28  may be coupleable to the tubing hanger  50  via female threading  82  on an interior of the lower tool portion  42 . The female threading  82  on the lower tool portion  42  may be similar to the female threading  58  on the upper tool portion  40 . That is, both female threadings  58  and  82  may have the same handedness (i.e., rotational motion in one direction may advance both threadings  58  and  82 , while rotational motion in the opposite direction extracts the threadings  58  and  82 ). 
     Turning now to  FIG. 4 , a close-up view of the one-trip tool  28  and the coupling  53  of  FIG. 2  are illustrated. The coupling  53  includes an energizing ring  84  and a locking ring  86  disposed around the tubing hanger  50 . In addition, a complimentary locking slot  88  (e.g., annular groove) is located on an interior surface of the casing hanger  46 . The tubing hanger  50  is coupled to the casing hanger  46  when the locking ring  86  expands radially into the locking slot  88 . Expansion of the locking ring  86  is accomplished by downward axial movement of the energizing ring  84 . That is, corresponding tapers  90  and  92  on the energizing ring  84  and the locking ring  86 , respectively, slide past one another as the energizing ring  84  is moved axially downward, thereby pushing the locking ring radially outward. The energizing ring  84  may be moved axially by the energizing sleeve  44  of the one-trip tool  28 , as described in more detail below. Upon initial running-in of the tubing hanger  50 , the locking ring  86  is in the unlocked position (e.g., radially inward, in an unexpanded state), with the energizing ring  84  disposed axially above the locking ring  86  and the energizing sleeve  44  disposed axially above the energizing ring  84 , as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . In addition, the one-trip tool  28  is initially adjusted such that the ends  68  and  70  of the upper and lower tool portions  40  and  42 , respectively, are not axially abutting, thereby leaving the gap  72  open. The female threading  82  on the interior of the lower tool portion  42  is coupled to male threading  94  on an exterior surface of the tubing hanger  50 . 
     After the tubing hanger  50  has been run into and landed in the casing hanger  46 , the coupling  53  may be engaged, as illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 .  FIG. 5  illustrates a cross-section of the wellhead  12 , and  FIG. 6  is a close-up view of the one-trip tool  28  and the coupling  53  of  FIG. 5 . To engage the coupling  53 , the upper portion  40  of the one-trip tool  28  may be rotated to advance the energizing sleeve  44  axially downward. That is, torque may be applied to the upper tool portion  40  (e.g., by a tool coupled thereto), and the female threads  58  thereon may engage the male threads  60  to advance the upper portion  40  with respect to the lower portion  42 , as illustrated by the reduction of the gap  72 . In the illustrated embodiment, rotation of the upper tool portion  40  is conveyed to the threads  58  and  60  because the threads  82  and  94  are already fully engaged. That is, rotation of the tool  28  does not further engage the female threads  82  with the male threads  94  or advance the lower tool portion  42  relative to the tubing hanger  50 . Rather, the rotational motion is conveyed to the threads  58  and  60  to move the upper tool portion  40  axially downward with respect to the wellhead  12 . Axial movement of the upper tool portion  40  may be stopped when the lower end  68  of the upper tool portion  40  abuts the upper end  70  of the lower tool portion  42 . 
     As noted above, the energizing sleeve  44  is coupled to the upper tool portion  40  by one or more set screws  74 . Accordingly, when the upper tool portion  40  advances into the wellhead, so too does the energizing sleeve  44 . The energizing sleeve  44  is disposed axially above the energizing ring  84  when the tubing hanger  50  is initially run into the wellhead  12  ( FIGS. 2 and 4 ). Therefore, when the energizing sleeve  44  is advanced further into the wellhead  12 , the energizing ring  84  is also advanced axially downward. As previously discussed, the tapers  90  and  92  on the energizing ring  84  and the locking ring  86 , respectively, move past one another as the energizing ring  84  moves axially downward. The locking ring  86  is consequently pushed radially outward by the energizing ring  84  into the locking slot  88 . After the locking ring  86  is fully engaged in the locking slot  88 , additional torque may be applied to the upper tool portion  40  to shear the shear pins  76 . 
     Optionally, the one-trip tool  28  may then be over-pulled to verify that the coupling  53  engaged properly. Over-pulling may involve exerting an upward force on the one-trip tool  28  that is greater than the weight of the tubing  52 . If the tubing hanger  50  is displaced by the over-pull force, then this indicates that the coupling  53  was not properly engaged. The over-pull procedure ensures that the tubing hanger  50  was properly landed in and coupled to the casing hanger  46  before the cementing process is initiated. 
     After the tubing hanger  50  is locked in place within the wellhead  12 , it may be further cemented in place. Cementing a wellhead component within the wellhead  12  ensures that the component will not move within the wellhead  12  during the mineral extraction process. For example, very high pressures exceeding 10,000, 15,000, or even 20,000 psi may be exerted on the wellhead components from the well bore  20  ( FIG. 1 ). Cementing the wellhead components together provides support in addition to the internal locks, such as the coupling  53 . Accordingly, cement may be pumped into the wellhead  12  through the drill string  30  ( FIG. 1 ), the one-trip tool  28 , the tubing hanger  50 , and the tubing  52  to a cementing valve (not shown). From the cementing valve, the cement may be pushed back up the wellhead  12  through the annular space  54 . The fluted exteriors, flow-through slots, and/or flow-through bores on the wellhead components (e.g., fluted exterior  56 , flow-through slots  78 , and fluted exterior  80 ) may facilitate the flow of cement back up the wellhead  12 . For example, the fluted exterior  56  may enable cement to flow axially upward past the coupling  53 . 
     When the wellhead components are cemented in place, the one-trip tool  28  may be retrieved from the wellhead  12 , as illustrated in  FIG. 7 . Disengagement of the tool  28  from the tubing hanger  50  may be accomplished by rotation of the tool  28  to disengage the female threads  82  from the male threads  94 . This rotation may be in the opposite direction of the rotation employed to advance the upper tool portion  40 , as previously described. Additional components may then be run into the wellhead to complete the installation and prepare the well for production. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary process  100  for utilizing the one-trip tool  28 . The tool  28  may be coupled to the hanger  50  via engagement of the threadings  82  and  94  (block  102 ). In addition, the one-trip tool  28  may be adjusted such that the gap  72  between the upper tool portion  40  and the lower tool portion  42  is large enough that the energizing sleeve  44  is not exerting pressure on the energizing ring  84 . The hanger  50  may then be run into the wellhead  12  using the one-trip tool  28  coupled to a drill string  30  (block  104 ). The coupling  53  may be engaged to lock the hanger  50  into the wellhead  12  (block  106 ). That is, torque may be applied to the upper tool portion  40 , thereby moving the energizing sleeve  44  in an axial downward direction. Axial downward movement of the energizing sleeve  44  may then apply an axial downward force on the energizing ring  84 , which in turn pushes the locking ring  86  radially outward to engage the locking slot  88 . After the coupling  53  is fully locked, the shear pin  76  may be sheared by applying additional torque to the upper tool portion  40  (block  108 ). An over-pull force may then be exerted on the hanger  50 , for example, by pulling on the drill string  30  with a force greater than the weight of the tubing  52  extending from the hanger  50  (block  110 ). If the hanger  50  is properly locked in place, the over-pull should not move the hanger  50  within the wellhead  12 . If the hanger  50  is retracted by the over-pull force, the coupling process may be repeated. After the coupling  53  has been verified, the hanger  50  may be cemented in place within the wellhead  12  (block  112 ). The one-trip tool  28  may then be disengaged (i.e., via rotation of the tool  28  with respect to the hanger  50 ) and retrieved from the wellhead  12  (block  114 ). 
     While the invention may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and have been described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following appended claims.