Patent Publication Number: US-2015060048-A1

Title: Wireline guide tool

Description:
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/870,824, filed Aug. 28, 2013, entitled “Wireline Guide Tool,” the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure pertains to a guide tool for properly aligning the passage of a wireline and its associated equipment or devices through a well bore that is fitted with a packer and an on/off tool in its bottom hole assembly. 
     Well bores of oil and gas wells are typically fitted with a variety of equipment and structures to stabilize the well and facilitate drilling and the removal of oil or gas. Once all of the equipment and structures are in place, it may be difficult to pass additional devices, such as wirelines, through the bore. Differences in internal diameter of the well casing and internal diameter of any inserted equipment can make proper alignment of the wireline a challenge. This is particularly challenging with certain bottom hole assembly equipment such as packers and on/off tools. 
     What is needed, therefore, is a guide tool that is compatible with existing well bore equipment and that will assist in aligning and passing the wireline though the bore. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure pertains to a specialized guide tool that attaches to an on/off tool used with a packer in a bottom hole assembly and that effectively guides a wireline through the on/off tool. 
     Certain bottom hole assemblies for well bores utilize packers set in the casing having an on/off tool, also called a stinger, attached to the top of the packer. The stinger screws into the top of the packer and effectively becomes part of the packer. On the end of the tubing string a completion overshot is made up. The completion overshot passes over the stinger to create a connection and seal between the tubing and the packer. The completion overshot can be turned by the tubing to release the connection and the seal from the stinger. Once this connection is released, the tubing and connection overshot can be pulled from the well, leaving the stinger and packer set in the casing. Assemblies such as this having no tubing in the well are particularly problematic for performing wireline work though the casing and down through the packer. 
     In particular, the large inner diameter of the casing and the smaller inner diameter of the stinger make it very difficult for the wireline tools to line up and travel through the packer. There can be a 1.5 inch gap between the inner diameter of the casing and the outer diameter of the stinger, making it difficult for the wireline tools to curve off the casing wall and line up to pass through the inner diameter of the stinger in the center of the casing. Well bore deviation only compounds the problem. Wireline tools tend to go to the low side of the well, while the inner diameter of the stinger remains in the center. Standard practice is to utilize bow springs, knuckle joints, and centralizers to try to guide the wireline tools from the large inner diameter of the casing to line up with the small inner diameter of the stinger. However, these operations are hit or miss, with the wireline guide tools often lining up on the outside of the on/off tool rather than the inside. 
     The present wireline guide tool is advantageous over previous tools or methods used to align wirelines through an on/off tool attached to a packer. The wireline guide tool has a large outer diameter for its top section and bottom section. The tool is run into the well bore and positioned onto the stinger, then released. The bottom section of the tool is designed to fit over the stinger so that it effectively becomes an extension of the stinger. The top section has an internal concave shape surrounding its central inner diameter for receiving all wirelines and funneling them down into the inner diameter and through the stinger. After all wirelines are placed that need to pass through the stinger and the packer, the wireline guide tool is retrieved, leaving the well bore in the same position. The stinger and packer remain in the same locations, with all wirelines successfully passed through. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a side perspective view of an embodiment of the wireline guide tool; 
         FIG. 2  shows a side view of an embodiment of the wireline guide tool; 
         FIG. 3  shows a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the wireline guide tool; 
         FIG. 4  shows a side view of an embodiment of the wireline guide tool attached to a stinger or on/off tool; 
         FIG. 5  shows a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the wireline guide tool attached to a stinger or on/off tool; 
         FIG. 6  shows a depiction of how prior art systems or methods attempted to direct a wireline through a stinger or on/off tool within a well bore; and 
         FIG. 7  shows a depiction of how an embodiment of the wireline guide tool can be used to direct a wireline into a stinger or on/off tool within a well bore. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIGS. 1-2  show side views of an embodiment of the wireline guide tool  100 . The wireline guide tool  100  has a top section  10  and a bottom section  20 . Bottom section  20  is designed to fit over and attach to an on/off tool or stinger of a bottom hole assembly. Top section  10  has an inner concave portion  15 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the wireline guide tool  100 . Bottom section  20  has an open inner portion  25  for receiving an on/off tool or stinger. Top section  10  has an inner concave portion  15 , meaning it has an inner diameter that is greater at the outer end and becomes narrower toward the center, for capturing and directing a wireline through the wireline guide tool  100 . 
       FIG. 4  shows a side view of an embodiment of the wireline guide tool  100 , having a top section  10  and a bottom section  20 , attached to a stinger  150 .  FIG. 5  shows a cross-sectional side view of what is depicted in  FIG. 4 . Stinger  150  fits within bottom section  20  of wireline guide tool  100 . When a wireline enters the inner concave portion  15  of top section  10 , it is funneled through the wireline guide tool  100  and directly into stinger  150 . This effectively eliminates any problems with aligning the wireline with the inner diameter of the stinger  150 . 
       FIG. 6  shows a depiction of a well bore  120  and an attempt to align a wireline  170  with a stinger  150  without using the present wireline guide tool. The stinger  150  is part of an assembly located inside casing  180  with a packer  160 . The space between the inner diameter of the casing  180  and the outer diameter of the stinger  150  clearly creates a problem for aligning the wireline  170  with the inner diameter of the stinger  150 . 
       FIG. 7  depicts how the problem shown in  FIG. 6  is solved using the wireline guide tool, in a well bore  120  utilizing a packer  160  and stinger  150  and no tubing. Placement of the bottom section  20  of the wireline guide tool  100  on the stinger  150  within the well bore  120  effectively prevents wireline  170  from passing between the inner diameter of the casing  180  and the outer diameter of the stinger  150 . Instead, inner concave portion  150  of the top section  10  of the wireline guide tool  100  funnels the wireline  170  into the wireline guide tool  100  and directly into the stinger  150 .