US3556209A

US3556209A - Retrievable wireline lubricator and method of use

Info

Publication number: US3556209A
Application number: US820422A
Authority: US
Inventors: Carl E Reistle; Joseph A Burkhardt
Original assignee: Exxon Production Research Co
Current assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Co
Priority date: 1969-04-30
Filing date: 1969-04-30
Publication date: 1971-01-19
Anticipated expiration: 1988-01-19

Abstract

A lubricator for use in running well tools suspended from a wireline in wells where the wellhead and blowout preventers are submerged and connected to a floating vessel by a marine conductor pipe. The lubricator includes a stuffing box connected to a tubular member. The stuffing box is arranged on the wireline above the connection of the wireline and a well tool suspended therefrom to provide a pressure seal around the wireline and the tubular member surrounds the wireline. The stuffing box and tubular member are lowered on the wireline into a well until the tubular member is positioned adjacent to a blowout preventer. The blowout preventer is closed on the tubular member to prevent vertical movement of the lubricator and to effect a pressure seal around the tubular member. The well tool is then lowered into the well and wireline well work is carried out. Thereafter, the blowout preventer is opened and the lubricator is pulled to the floating vessel as the wireline and well tool attached thereto are retrieved.

Description

United States Patent Primary Examiner-Marvin A. Champion Assistant Examinerlan A. Calvert Attorneys--Thomas B. McCulloch, Melvin F. Fincke, John S.

Schneider, Sylvester W. Brock, Jr., Kurt S Myers and Timothy L. Burgess ABSTRACT: A lubricator for use in running well tools suspended from a wireline in wells where the wellhead and blowout preventers are submerged and connected to a floating vessel by a marine conductor pipe. The lubricator includes a stuffing box connected to a tubular member. The stuffing box is arranged on the wireline above the connection of the wireline and a well too] suspended therefrom to provide a pressure seal around the wireline and the tubular member surrounds the wireline. The stuffing box and tubular member are lowered on the wireline into a well until the tubular member is positioned adjacent to a blowout preventer. The blowout preventer is closed on the tubular member to prevent vertical movement of the lubricator and to effect a pressure seal around the tubular member. The well tool is then lowered into the well and wireline well work is carried out. Thereafter, the' blowout preventer is opened and the lubricator is pulled to the floating vessel as the wireline and well tool attached thereto are retrieved.

H w l l Q m I liiil m I m ll W I u E Q M l iii.

m lllm E I INVENTORS. :l CARL E- lREISTLEJJI,

BY OS PH A. BURKH ARDT ATTORNEY.

cerium ABLE wlniausli w s ascitoitounp OFfIl-l E INVENTION it llELD oFTHE lNVENTlON i The preseht invention concerns a retrievable wirelirte lubricator for underwater pressure control in well'oper ations. In conducting well operationsfromJa "floating vesseL-wellhead and blowout preventionequipmentare positioned on the sea floor. A marine conductor pipe or riser connects the vessel 'tosuch underwater equipment. The marine conductor pipe is 1 not subjected to well pressures because of its lengthand its dynamic response to sea conditions. During completionand workoveroperations it is necessary to run equipmentsuch as diagnostic, logging, perforating and well control tools into a submerged well. through the marine conductor pipe on wirelines. In order'to'operate safely with such wireline tools, a

stuffing box or packoff must be provided around the wireline above the wellheadin order to contain. well fluids urider pressure i a 1 SUMMARY Qwms wm in accordance with tlie teachings the invention, the apparat us employedin running equipment into 'wellson a I wireline where the wellheadand blowout preventersare submerged and connected oys floating vessel by a marine conit..When recovering the retrievable lubricator, the wireline is raised until the upper end of the equipment suspendedfrom the wireline bumps the stuffing box. Theblowoutp'reventeris opened and."the wireline equipment and lubricator are retrieved."

aiusrpesckieriouorrue nimw uo; ,FlG Sr lA -lb'arejschematic vi ews' illu strating theapparatus and operation oftheinventiort. t

oesckirr os or ,riiizjeaereiutep.eMaop MeuTs Referring tothe drawingfthere is shown a marinec ondu ctor 1 pipe orriser l installed on an underwaterblowout preventer (BOP) stack generally designated which in turn is installed on an underwater wellhead (not shown), Riser is connected at its upper end to a floatingvesselinot shown) at the l water's-surface. BOP stack 11 includes a stripper BOP 1 2, a

blank or shear ram BOP l3 and a dual pipe BOP 14 having upper and lower'pipe rams 14A and 148, respectively. An" upper choke-and-kill line 15 provided with a valve 16 extends;

from'the vessel and connects to BOP stack 11 above BOP l4 and a lower choke and-kill line l7 provided with a valve 18 7 extends from theve'ssel andconnects to BOP stack 11 below BOP .As indicated in FIGJC; a pressure gauge 19 is installed in lowerchok eand-lrill line 17 on the vessel.

As seen in FIG. 1A, a well equipment component 25, shown as a tool string, and which may bea diagnostic or logging or perforating or well control tool, suspended from the lower endofawireline 26 at rope socket 29...Wireline 26 may be suitably a conductonflcable orpiano-type wireline. A stuffingbox 27 surrounds wireline 26 and is mounted onand affixed to the upper end of a tubular member 28 which also surrounds wireline 26. Blowout preventer l2 and 13 and upper pipe rams "14A of BOP 14 are open. Lower BOP rams 14B are closed. Lubricator 28 is made up on wireline 26 above rope socket 29 on tool string25. In the closed position of lower BOP rams tusiucsroit ANnMETnoo jacent upperBOP rams l4B.

. As seen in FIG. 1B. wireline 148 tool string is,.but tubular member 28 is not. capable of passing through BOP rams 14B. g 3

26 has been lowered through riser 10 until tool string 25 passes into BOP Hand subs tan:

tiallythrough the opening in loweLBQP rants MB. The lower end of tubular member ZB'bumpsbottom BOP rams [4B which positions the upper portion of tubular member ad- As illustrated in FIG. l C upper BOP rams ldAare closed on'tubular member 28 to effect a pressure seal around tubular member 28 and tosecure it and stuffing box 27 against vertical movement. Lower BOP rams 14B are then opened.

manner by opening underwater valve 18 on lower choke-and kill line 17 on which surface pressure gauge 19 is located. The

desired wireline operations are then conducted.

' As illustrated in FIG. 1D, when ready to remove wireline 28 and tool string25 from .thewell after the wireline operations have been carriedout, wireline 26 is pulled up until rope socket 29 bumps stuffing box 27.: Upper BOP rants 14A are the stuffmgbox, the well-may be loaded out with a kill fluid pumped through lower choke-and killl line 17.

Tubular member 28, which may be a length of pipe. is

preferably of larger-diameter along its lower end (when arranged dn wireline 26), as shown. Such a tubular or cylindrical configuration is used with BOPtpipe rams such as the dual

pipe BOP rams

14A and 14B described above. However, other configurations may be used forthe-rnea'ns about which the BOP effects a pressure seal. Such means may be other-than roundin cross section, such as square; when astripper or in flatable-type BOP is used instead of BOP pipe rams. As used herein, the term tubular inembef'means any configuration forsuch means, whether it be round, square or otherwise. While use of'thelubricatorwith dual pipe-rams-type BOP has been illustrated and described herein, a single pipe ramtype BOPorastripper or inflatable-type BOP might be used instead. When operating with either of the latter type blowout preventer (and even with a dual pipe BOP), the lubricator would be simply lowered into the BOP the lubricator would be simply lowered into the BOP and then the BOP would be closed on the tubular member. 5

Advantages of the retrievable lubricator include eliminating the need to pull the BOP stack and riser'each time a different size of wireline is runduring completion or service operations and permitting the running of full bore tools (such as bits or packers) without makingtrips with the underwater equipment to and from the vessel. 7

. We claim: I 1. Apparatus for use in running equipment suspended from a wireline into a well comprising:

afloating vessel; 7 a submerged blowout preventer connected to the well a marine conductor pipe connected at oneend to said blowout preventer and at theotherend to said floating vessel; I V a tubular member, said tubular member surrounding said wireline; and I r T a stuffing box affixed to said tubularmember and arranged on said wireline abovethe connection of said wireline and said equipment suspended therefrom, said stuffing box effecting a pressure seal around said wireline and said.

2. A method for use in running equipment suspended on a wireline into a well where the wellhead and blowout preventer are submerged and connected to a floating vessel by a marine conductor pipe comprising the steps of: a

arranging a lubricator on a said wireline, said lubricator including a tubular member surrounding said wireline and a stuffing box connected to said tubular member for effecting a pressure seal around said wireline;

lowering said wireline and lubricator through said marine conductor pipe until said tubular member is positioned adjacent to said submerged blowout preventer;

closing said blowout preventer on said tubular member to effect a pressure seal around said tubular member and prevent vertical movement of said lubricator; and

then lowering said equipment into said well on said wireline.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 in which said blowout preventer comprises upper and lower pipe rams, said upper pipe rams being open and said lower pipe rams being closed said stuffing box; then opening said upper rams and pulling said wireline to said vessel through said marine conductor pipe.

6. A method as recited in claim 5 including installing a chokekill line extending from said vessel to said well below said blowout preventer, said line being provided with a remotely operable valve and a pressure gauge; and then opening said valve after said upper rams are closed to monitor pressure on said tubular member.

Claims

1. Apparatus for use in running equipment suspended from a wireline into a well comprising: a floating vessel; a submerged blowout preventer connected to the well a marine conductor pipe connected at one end to said blowout preventer and at the other end to said floating vessel; a tubular member, said tubular member surrounding said wireline; and a stuffing box affixed to said tubular member and arranged on said wireline above the connection of said wireline and said equipment suspended therefrom, said stuffing box effecting a pressure seal around said wireline and said blowout preventer surrounding said tubular member to effect a pressure seal around said tubular member and prevent vertical movement of said tubular member.

2. A method for use in running equipment suspended on a wireline into a well where the wellhead and blowout preventer are submerged and connected to a floating vessel by a marine conductor pipe comprising the steps of: a arranging a lubricator on a said wireline, said lubricator including a tubular member surrounding said wireline and a stuffing box connected to said tubular member for effecting a pressure seal around said wireline; lowering said wireline and lubricator through said marine conductor pipe until said tubular member is positioned adjacent to said submerged blowout preventer; closing said blowout preventer on said tubular member to effect a pressure seal around said tubular member and prevent vertical movement of said lubricator; and then lowering said equipment into said well on said wireline.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 in which said blowout preventer comprises upper and lower pipe rams, said upper pipe rams being open and said lower pipe rams being closed and wherein said lowering steps includes lowering said equipment through said lower rams until said tubular member engages said lower rams.

4. A method as recited in claim 3 including closing said upper rams on said tubular member and opening said lower rams prior to lowering said equipment in said well.

5. A method as recited in claim 4 further including pulling said wireline up until the upper end of said equipment engages said stuffing box; then opening said upper rams and pulling said wireline to said vessel through said marine conductor pipe.

6. A method as recited in claim 5 including installing a choke-kill line extending from said vessel to said well below said blowout preventer, said line being provided with a remotely operable valve and a pressure gauge; and then opening said valve after said upper rams are closed to monitor pressure on said tubular member.