WIRELINE GUIDE TOOL

Abstract

A wireline guide tool having a top section with an inner concave portion and a bottom section designed to attach to a stinger or on/off tool provides advantages for passing a wireline into the stinger. The stinger is attached to a packer within a casing of a well bore, without any tubing present. The inner concave portion of the top section of the wireline guide tool captures the wireline and funnels it into the stinger, effectively eliminating problems with achieving a proper alignment of the wireline for entry into the stinger.

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.

Claims

1. A wireline guide tool comprising:

a top section having an inner concave portion with an inner diameter at an outer end of the wireline guide tool that is greater than an inner diameter at a center of the wireline guide tool;

a bottom section having an open inner portion designed to attach to a stinger in a bottom hole assembly of a well bore, wherein the wireline guide tool is designed so that a wireline received in the inner concave portion of the top section passes into the bottom section and directly into an attached stinger, wherein the attached stinger is attached to a packer, wherein the stinger and packer are located within a casing in the well bore, and wherein the casing contains no tubing.