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WO2014008421A1 - Mécanisme d'étanchéité pour un système d'encapsulation sous-marin - Google Patents

Mécanisme d'étanchéité pour un système d'encapsulation sous-marin Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2014008421A1
WO2014008421A1 PCT/US2013/049363 US2013049363W WO2014008421A1 WO 2014008421 A1 WO2014008421 A1 WO 2014008421A1 US 2013049363 W US2013049363 W US 2013049363W WO 2014008421 A1 WO2014008421 A1 WO 2014008421A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
isolation sleeve
seal
well
connector
wellhead
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2013/049363
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Cameron J. BERRY
Brian Hart
Dennis Harwood
Original Assignee
Cameron International Corporation
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US13/541,716 external-priority patent/US9382771B2/en
Application filed by Cameron International Corporation filed Critical Cameron International Corporation
Priority to GB1411759.2A priority Critical patent/GB2518041B/en
Publication of WO2014008421A1 publication Critical patent/WO2014008421A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B33/00—Sealing or packing boreholes or wells
    • E21B33/02—Surface sealing or packing
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B33/00—Sealing or packing boreholes or wells
    • E21B33/02—Surface sealing or packing
    • E21B33/03—Well heads; Setting-up thereof
    • E21B33/035—Well heads; Setting-up thereof specially adapted for underwater installations

Definitions

  • 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.
  • wellhead assemblies may include a wide variety of components, such as various casings, valves, fluid conduits, and the like, that control drilling or extraction operations.
  • wellhead assemblies typically include pressure-control equipment, such as a blowout preventer, to control flow of fluid (e.g., oil or natural gas) from a well.
  • fluid e.g., oil or natural gas
  • blowout preventer to control flow of fluid from a well.
  • fluid e.g., oil or natural gas
  • uncontrolled releases of oil or gas from a well via the wellhead assembly are undesirable. If the control of flow from the well is lost for any reason, it is important to quickly regain such control. But regaining control of a well may be complicated by various factors, including high pressures of fluid escaping the well, potential damage caused to components installed at the well, and the depth of a wellhead in a subsea context, to name but a few.
  • Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a sealing mechanism for coupling two components to one another.
  • the sealing mechanism includes an isolation sleeve with a hydraulically actuated piston to energize a sealing element and effect a seal between the isolation sleeve and another component.
  • the isolation sleeve is retained in a connector of a capping system and facilitates sealing of the connector and the capping system to part of a wellhead assembly, such as to the wellhead or to a blowout preventer stack.
  • the isolation sleeve may be landed into a wellhead housing and the piston may then be actuated to seal the capping system to the wellhead housing.
  • the isolation sleeve may enable the capping system to seal against equipment of the wellhead assembly (e.g., the wellhead housing or the blowout preventer stack) during a blowout condition, particularly if a primary gasket sealing area of the equipment for creating a seal with other components (e.g., the connector of the capping system) has been damaged.
  • equipment of the wellhead assembly e.g., the wellhead housing or the blowout preventer stack
  • other components e.g., the connector of the capping system
  • Another embodiment of the present disclosure includes an isolation sleeve that enables the capping system to seal against a tubing hanger.
  • the inner bore of the tubing hanger bore serves as part of the sealing surface.
  • a system embodiment includes a connector configured to couple one or more flow-control valves to equipment installed at a well, an isolation sleeve configured to be retained by the connector, and a tubing hanger.
  • the isolation sleeve includes a body, a seal disposed about the body, and a mechanically driven actuator ring positioned to engage the seal in response to actuation.
  • a method embodiment includes aligning a connector of a well capping system with equipment installed on wellhead assembly (the connector including an isolation sleeve), moving the isolation sleeve into a bore of the equipment installed at the well, and moving the isolation sleeve to engage a seal against the bore of the equipment installed at the well.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a resource extraction system in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure
  • FIG. 2 generally depicts the coupling of a well capping system to a wellhead in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure
  • FIG. 3 generally depicts the coupling of the well capping system to a blowout preventer stack installed on a wellhead in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure
  • FIG. 4 is a cross-section of a connector of a well capping system with an isolation sleeve connected to a wellhead component in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-section depicting certain features of the isolation sleeve of FIG. 4, including a seal in a relaxed state, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure
  • FIG. 6 depicts a piston and seal arrangement of the isolation sleeve in FIG. 5;
  • FIG. 7 is a cross-section of the isolation sleeve in FIG. 5 after actuation of the piston to engage and energize the seal in accordance with one embodiment
  • FIG. 8 depicts the piston and seal arrangement after actuation of the piston as in FIG. 7;
  • FIG. 9 is a partial cross-section depicting a sealing arrangement at the connection of passageways through the connector and the isolation sleeve body in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
  • FIG. 10 is an illustration of sealing arrangement with a tubing hanger, before the capping device is lowered onto the wellhead;
  • FIG. 11 is an illustration of the sealing arrangement of FIG. 10, prior to final landing;
  • FIG. 12 is an illustration of the sealing arrangement of FIG. 10 fully landed.
  • the system 10 facilitates extraction of a resource, such as oil or natural gas, from a well 12.
  • a resource such as oil or natural gas
  • the system 10 is a subsea system that includes surface equipment 14, riser equipment 16, and stack equipment 18, for extracting the resource from the well 12 via a wellhead 20.
  • the surface equipment 14 is mounted to a drilling rig above the surface of the water
  • the stack equipment 18 is coupled to the wellhead 20 near the sea floor
  • the various equipment 14 and 18 is coupled to one another via the riser equipment 16.
  • the surface equipment 14 may include a variety of devices and systems, such as pumps, power supplies, cable and hose reels, control units, a diverter, a gimbal, a spider, and the like.
  • the riser equipment 16 may also include a variety of components, such as riser joints, fill valves, control units, and a pressure-temperature transducer, to name but a few.
  • the riser equipment 16 facilitates transmission of the extracted resource to the surface equipment 14 from the stack equipment 18 and the well 12.
  • the stack equipment 18, in turn, may include a number of components, such as blowout preventers, production trees (also known as "Christmas" trees), and the like for extracting the desired resource from the wellhead 20 and transmitting it to the surface equipment 14 via the riser equipment 16.
  • a capping system may be used in some instances to seal the well and reestablish control. Examples of the use of such capping systems are provided in FIGS. 2 and 3.
  • a capping system 24 is attached to the wellhead 20 (e.g., following removal of the stack equipment 18 from the wellhead 20).
  • the capping system 24 includes one or more valves 26, such as a blowout preventer, for controlling flow from the wellhead 20.
  • the capping system 24 also includes an adapter or connector 28 that facilitates connection of the capping system 24 onto the wellhead 20.
  • the connector 28 may also facilitate connection of the capping system 24 onto other equipment installed at a well.
  • the capping system 24 is attached to a blowout preventer stack 32 via the connector 28.
  • the capping system 24 may be kept on "stand-by" as safety equipment for responding to a blowout.
  • the capping system 24 may be used with subsea well installations, it is noted that the capping system 24 may also be used with other well installations (e.g., equipment of surface wells).
  • FIG. 4 Additional features relating to the connector 28 and its connection to other equipment installed at the well 12, in accordance with one embodiment, are depicted in FIG. 4.
  • the connector 28 is illustrated in this figure as connected to the wellhead 20 (as in FIG. 2). But it will be appreciated that the connector 28 may be connected to other equipment as well, including the blowout preventer stack 32 of FIG. 3.
  • the connector 28 includes studs 36 and nuts 38 at one end for coupling the connector 28 to other components (e.g., components of the capping system 24).
  • An isolation sleeve 40 is retained in an opposite end of the connector 28.
  • the connector 28 and the isolation sleeve 40 may be aligned with a desired component of equipment installed at the well 12. Then, the connector 28 may be moved to insert the isolation sleeve 40 into a bore of the desired component and the connector 28 may be secured to the component.
  • the connector 28 is clamped onto a housing component 44 of the wellhead 20 having a bore 46 that receives the isolation sleeve 40.
  • the isolation sleeve 40 may be used with other components (e.g., the isolation sleeve 40 may be inserted into a bore of a component of the blowout preventer stack 32 or within the bore of a tubing hanger 114 as further discussed below). And various dimensions of the isolation sleeve 40 may be varied depending on the desired application. For instance, the lengths of isolation sleeves 40 may differ between embodiments to correspond to areas to be sealed by the isolation sleeves 40, or the diameters of the isolation sleeves 40 may differ according to the bore sizes of the components in which the isolation sleeves 40 are to be installed.
  • the connector 28 may be an 18-3/4 inch H4-style connector
  • the housing component 44 may be an 18-3/4 inch H4 profile wellhead housing
  • the isolation sleeve 40 may be an 18-3/4 inch isolation sleeve.
  • a gasket 48 is provided at the interface between the end of the housing component 44 and the connector 28.
  • the gasket 48 is a high-performance metal- to-metal sealing ring, such as an AX Gasket available from Cameron International Corporation of Houston, Texas. In some instances, the gasket 48 may be sufficient to seal the interface between the housing component 44 and the connector 28.
  • the isolation sleeve 40 is a hydraulically actuated isolation sleeve, and the connector 28 includes a passageway 50 for routing control fluid to and from the sleeve 40. While the isolation sleeve 40 is described below in the context of a connector and capping system, the isolation sleeve 40 may also be used in other contexts. For example, the hydraulically actuated isolation sleeve 40 may be used as an alternative to a more conventional isolation sleeve used in a horizontal, dual-bore subsea Christmas tree or between other wellhead assembly components.
  • FIGS. 5-8 Detailed views of the example isolation sleeve 40 of FIG. 4 are provided in FIGS. 5-8. Particularly, FIGS. 5 and 6 depict the isolation sleeve 40 having a seal 68 in a relaxed state, while FIGS. 7 and 8 depict the isolation sleeve 40 with the seal 68 in an energized state.
  • the isolation sleeve 40 includes a generally cylindrical main body 54 defining a bore to allow flow of fluid (e.g., production fluid) through the isolation sleeve 40.
  • the upper end of the isolation sleeve 40 includes a shoulder 56 and a seal 58.
  • the shoulder 56 may be threaded onto the main body 54 to retain a split ring 60 and an actuator ring 62, which are used to secure the isolation sleeve 40 in another component, such as the connector 28.
  • the actuator ring 62 is wedged between the split ring 60 and the main body 54, causing the outer diameter of the split ring 60 to expand beyond the outer diameter of the shoulder 56 and engage a bore of another component (e.g., the bore of connector 28 in FIG. 4).
  • Shear pins 64 may be used to ensure the actuator ring 62 is locked in position to prevent the actuator ring 62 from inadvertently moving out of engagement with the spilt ring 60.
  • the isolation sleeve 40 may be disengaged from the connector 28 (or another component) by shearing or removing the shear pins 64 and disengaging the actuator ring 62 from between the split ring 60 and the main body 54 to allow the split ring 60 to contract and disengage the adjacent component.
  • the other end of the isolation sleeve 40 includes a sealing mechanism for creating a seal between the isolation sleeve 40 and another component, such as equipment of the wellhead 20 or the blowout preventer stack 32.
  • the sealing mechanism includes a collar 66, a seal 68, and a piston 70.
  • An end cap 72 may be threaded onto an end of the isolation sleeve 40 to retain these components about the main body 54.
  • the piston 70 is a hydraulically actuated piston that is controlled by hydraulic pressure fed to the piston 70 via a passageway 74 through the main body 54.
  • the isolation sleeve 40 includes seals 76 and 78 between the main body 54, the piston 70, and the end cap 72.
  • the piston 70 is disposed in a recess of the main body 54 and divides the recess into a first region or chamber 82 and a second region or chamber 86.
  • the seals 76 and 78 isolate the first region 82 from the second region 86 and the environment about the isolation sleeve 40.
  • the first region 82 is connected to the passageway 74 to allow hydraulic fluid to be routed into or from the region 82 to actuate the piston 70.
  • the seal 68 is in a relaxed position in which its outer diameter is sufficiently small such that the isolation sleeve 40 may be inserted into the bore of another component (e.g., of the wellhead 20 or the blowout preventer stack 32).
  • the seal 68 is retained in this relaxed state by the collar 66, which is secured to the main body 54 with one or more shear pins 80.
  • hydraulic pressure with the region 82 may be increased to actuate the piston 70. More particularly, hydraulic fluid may be routed (e.g., pumped) into the region 82 on one side of the piston 70 (e.g., via the passageways 50 and 74) to create a positive pressure differential between the regions 82 and 86, resulting in an upward force on the piston 70 in FIG. 6. Upon the application of sufficient force to the piston 70 from the pressure differential, the one or more shear pins 80 break and the piston 70 begins to drive the seal 68 and the collar 66 along the main body 54 toward the position illustrated in FIG. 8.
  • the piston 70 As the piston 70 is driven along the main body 54 by the hydraulic force, the volume of the region 82 increases while that of the region 86 decreases. To facilitate actuation, the piston 70 includes vent holes 84 to allow fluid in the compressed region 86 to escape.
  • the piston 70 drives the seal 68 over a sloped shoulder 90, toward abutment 92, onto a portion of the main body 54 having a wider diameter, causing the outer diameter of the seal 68 to increase.
  • the seal 68 is an elastomeric seal and driving the seal 68 over the sloped shoulder 90 energizes the seal 68 against the component in which the isolation sleeve 40 is inserted (e.g., against the bore 46 of the wellhead 20 in FIG. 4.)
  • the one or more valves 26 may be activated to inhibit flow of fluid through the well capping system. Once the well has been brought under control and the flow of well bore fluids halted, the capping system 24 may no longer be required.
  • the isolation sleeve 40 may be de-energized and removed from the bore 46 by venting the hydraulic pressure from region 82 to release the piston 70, unlocking connector 28, and then pulling the isolation sleeve 40 from the bore 46 (e.g., by pulling the capping system 24 from the wellhead 20). It is noted that the relaxation of the piston 70 allows the seal 68 to slide back down the sloped shoulder 90, allowing the isolation sleeve 40 to be more easily retrieved from the bore 46.
  • a seal sub arrangement for coupling the passageway 50 of the connector 28 to the passageway 74 of the isolation sleeve 40 is depicted in FIG. 9.
  • This arrangement includes a hollow pin member 98 with ends received in the main body 54 of the isolation sleeve 40 and the component of the connector 28 receiving the isolation sleeve 40.
  • the bore of the member 98 connects passageways 50 and 74, allowing hydraulic fluid to be routed to and from the region 82 behind the piston 70.
  • Seals 102 are provided to prevent leaking from the passageways 50 and 74 at the interface of the main body 54 of the isolation sleeve 40 and the component of the connector 28 in which the sleeve 40 is installed.
  • FIG. 10 illustrates another embodiment where a tubing hanger 114 is installed into the subsea wellhead system.
  • the bore of the tubing hanger 114 serves as the sealing interface for the isolation sleeve.
  • the isolation sleeve may be the isolation sleeve 40 discussed above or another embodiment of an isolation sleeve 140 as described below. Also, in some cases, the isolation sleeve 140 may also be used in the embodiments described above for FIGS. 1-9.
  • a capping device 104 is lowered onto a wellhead 106.
  • the capping device 104 includes a connector 108, a connector funnel 110, and a tubing hanger sealing mechanism 112. The capping device 104 is lowered onto the tubing hanger 114 and the wellhead 106.
  • FIG. 11 is an illustrative embodiment of the capping device 104 and the tubing hanger sealing mechanism 112 prior to final landing.
  • the enlarged view 120 shows the tubing hanger sealing mechanism 112 moving down under the force (which could simply be the weight) of the capping device 104.
  • the MEC (metal end cap) seal 128 before energizing is also shown.
  • the features of the capping device 104 and its connection with the wellhead 106 and tubing hanger 114 is depicted in this embodiment.
  • the capping device 104 is aligned with desired components of the equipment installed at the wellhead 106 and tubing hanger 114.
  • the capping device 104 includes an isolation sleeve 140 that creates the sealing mechanism 112 with the tubing hanger 114, while the tubing hanger 114 is already installed within the wellhead 106.
  • Various dimensions of the isolation sleeve 140 and the capping device 106 may be used depending on the desired application. For example, the length and width of the isolation sleeve 140 may be used to adapt to dimensions of the tubing hanger 114. Diameters of the isolation sleeve 140 may also vary depending on the bore sizes of other components, in which the sealing mechanism 114 is used. Embodiments can differ according to multiple types of connectors and capping devices.
  • FIG. 12 A fully engaged illustration is shown in FIG. 12. Here, the MEC seal 128 is energized, the retainer ring 124 is fully landed on the tubing body 114, and the actuator sleeve 126 is fully set.
  • the wireline plugs are then set in the tubing hanger, and the BOP (blow-out preventer) is removed before the tree is installed. If a leak is then detected in the BOP after setting of the completion, then the BOP may be removed and the capping stack installed.
  • the actuator ring on the isolation sleeve engages a shoulder within the tubing hanger 114.
  • the actuator ring is forced upwards and energizes the MEC seals into the tubing hanger bore, due to the force applied and weight of the capping device.
  • the MEC seal is forced into the reduced annulus space 130 between the bore of the tubing hanger and outside the mandrel. After the seal has been set, the connector will then be latched to the wellhead. In some embodiments, a pressure test may be performed to test the automatic seal that has been set.

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  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Earth Drilling (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention porte sur des mécanismes d'étanchéité. Dans un mode de réalisation, un système comprend un raccord configuré de façon à coupler une ou plusieurs vannes de régulation d'écoulement à un équipement installé au niveau d'un puits et un manchon d'isolation configuré de façon à être retenu par le raccord. Le manchon d'isolation peut comprendre un joint d'étanchéité et un piston actionné hydrauliquement disposés à proximité l'un de l'autre autour d'un corps du manchon d'isolation, de telle sorte que l'actionnement du piston vienne en prise avec le joint d'étanchéité. Le manchon d'isolation peut également comprendre une bague d'actionneur entraînée mécaniquement, la bague d'actionneur entraînant un joint d'étanchéité contre le perçage d'un élément de suspension de tubulure. L'invention porte également sur des systèmes, sur des dispositifs et sur des procédés additionnels.
PCT/US2013/049363 2012-07-04 2013-07-03 Mécanisme d'étanchéité pour un système d'encapsulation sous-marin WO2014008421A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB1411759.2A GB2518041B (en) 2012-07-04 2013-07-03 Sealing mechanism for a subsea capping system

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US13/541,716 2012-07-04
US13/541,716 US9382771B2 (en) 2012-01-06 2012-07-04 Sealing mechanism for subsea capping system

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2014008421A1 true WO2014008421A1 (fr) 2014-01-09

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2013/049363 WO2014008421A1 (fr) 2012-07-04 2013-07-03 Mécanisme d'étanchéité pour un système d'encapsulation sous-marin

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Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4667986A (en) * 1984-10-22 1987-05-26 Otis Engineering Corporation Wellhead connector
US5860478A (en) * 1991-07-30 1999-01-19 Exploration & Production Services (North Sea) Ltd. Sub-sea test tree apparatus
US6364024B1 (en) * 2000-01-28 2002-04-02 L. Murray Dallas Blowout preventer protector and method of using same
US20090200039A1 (en) * 2008-02-07 2009-08-13 Murphy Jr John M System and method for securing to a damaged wellhead
US20110253378A1 (en) * 2010-04-14 2011-10-20 Willoughby Daniel A Subsea wellhead providing controlled access to a casing annulus

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4667986A (en) * 1984-10-22 1987-05-26 Otis Engineering Corporation Wellhead connector
US5860478A (en) * 1991-07-30 1999-01-19 Exploration & Production Services (North Sea) Ltd. Sub-sea test tree apparatus
US6364024B1 (en) * 2000-01-28 2002-04-02 L. Murray Dallas Blowout preventer protector and method of using same
US20090200039A1 (en) * 2008-02-07 2009-08-13 Murphy Jr John M System and method for securing to a damaged wellhead
US20110253378A1 (en) * 2010-04-14 2011-10-20 Willoughby Daniel A Subsea wellhead providing controlled access to a casing annulus

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