Borehole Alteration of Tubular String to Create and Close Off Openings

Abstract

Plain casing is run for a completion and openings in a desired pattern are added in the borehole. Gamma ray tools or other orientation tools are used to determine depth and orientation of a tool that makes the openings. The openings are created in the borehole in the location and pattern that is desired. The openings can be closed at a later time with a powered tool that inserts an object into the opening and fixates it to the casing to prevent production of undesired fluids. Even after production has started additional openings can be made in the same or connected lateral boreholes to enhance continued production.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention is borehole inflow control methods and more particularly where openings in the string can be accomplished in place or closed off to control production or to close off regions where water or undesired fluids are being produced.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most times casing is slotted for access before being run into a borehole. This requires advance planning to properly locate the slotted segments at the zone of interest. Other access options have been with sliding sleeve valves that can be operated for selective formation access or isolation but in this case also the valved segments of the casing need to be properly located in advance adjacent the zones of interest.

One way that casing openings have been made where needed after running in casing is to use perforating guns that can have multi-directional charges for creating perforations into various zones. This method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,951,911. This method has uncertainties as to the shape and extent of the openings that are made as well as associated safety issues in handling explosives. A non-explosive alternative for perforating using ignited material is proposed in WO2016/069305 using thermite, which has its own safety issues in handling. Tubulars have been hydraulically perforated as described in US 2016/0237793 using extendable slips to hold the tool steady during punching. Closing operations for existing openings has typically been done with radially expanding clads to cover a region with multiple openings that may need to be isolated because an undesirable fluid such as water is being produced. One such technique is described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,163,468. The openings can be cut into the casing in one or more places and the cutting device can also leave a valve in the opening made by the cutting device as illustrated in US 2013/0233555. Openings can be plugged with materials that are remotely delivered and set up as discussed in US 20160356138.

Existing motor driven sliding sleeve systems that are powered by an external power cable can quickly become inoperative if the cable is damaged when running in the casing. The present invention seeks to integrate several technologies to allow a tool to be located at desired depths and orientated in predetermined directions so that at any given location a desired pattern of openings can be made in the tubular wall. Alternatively, if undesired fluids are being produced the device can locate over existing openings and selectively obstruct them with a conformingly shaped object to close individual openings and if needed add new openings in different locations. The openings can be made mechanically, with laser or water jet to name a few options. Openings can be plugged with an inserted object of a conforming shape that is forced into the opening and secured therein. New openings can be made in existing wells to continue their useful life. Those skilled in the art will better understand more aspects of the invention from a review of the description of the preferred embodiment while recognizing that the full scope of the invention can be obtained from the appended claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plain casing is run for a completion and openings in a desired pattern are added in the borehole. Gamma ray tools or other orientation tools are used to determine depth and orientation of a tool that makes the openings. The openings are created in the borehole in the location and pattern that is desired. The openings can be closed at a later time with a powered tool that inserts an object into the opening and fixates it to the casing to prevent production of undesired fluids. Even after production has started additional openings can be made in the same or connected lateral boreholes to enhance continued production.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1a-1e are a schematic view of the hole maker/filler in several positions starting with the run in position and ending with a round hole cut and the tool ready to come out of the hole;

FIGS. 2a-2e are a schematic view of the hole maker/filler in several positions starting with the run in position and ending with a horizontal quadrilateral opening cut and the tool ready to come out of the hole;

FIGS. 3a-3e are a schematic view of the hole maker/filler in several positions starting with the run in position and ending with a vertical quadrilateral opening cut and the tool ready to come out of the hole;

FIG. 4 illustrates a round hole pattern;

FIG. 5 illustrates a horizontal quadrilateral hole pattern;

FIG. 6 illustrates a vertical quadrilateral hole pattern;

FIG. 7 shows a pattern of vertical and horizontal quadrilateral holes;

FIGS. 8a-8e are a schematic view of the hole maker/filler in several positions starting with the run in position and ending with a plug filled horizontal quadrilateral opening plugged and the tool ready to come out of the hole;

FIG. 9 shows a tractor delivering the tool that can create new openings or fill in existing openings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1a shows a run in position of an assembly that includes the tool to make a round opening or a pattern of several round openings at one time, as in FIG. 4, in one trip or to plug one or several openings at a time run in with orientation tools so that the right depth and circumferential orientation on a tubular 10 can be accomplished by the assembly 12. FIGS. 8a-8e show a plugging operation. The opening or openings can be made mechanically by drilling or reaming or hydraulically by extending a punch or penetrating tool or with laser or water jet to name a few options. A retractable mill is shown in FIGS. 2b-2d, 3b-3d and 4b-4d. The assembly 12 can insert plugs 14 in the same opening 16 that was made earlier if for some reason during production undesired fluids are produced from an identifiable zone. There could be production of water that needs to be cut off, for example. Alternatively or additionally new holes in different locations or shapes from those holes made originally can also be created. The assembly 12 can be configured with multiple heads so that one or more holes of the same or different shapes can be plugged and one or more holes of the same or different shapes can be produced in the same trip in the hole. The orientation package that is part of the assembly 12 has the capability to position the assembly with precision over an existing hole so that a plug can be delivered into it. The assembly 12 can be positioned as desired to add new holes into a formation in the same main bore or in lateral bores. The assembly 12 can be delivered on wireline or rigid or coiled tubing so that there is negligible risk of damage as compared to prior systems that depended on power cable located outside the casing that could be damaged when running in the casing. The tubular string 10 is run in with no perforations and the assembly 12 is deployed to put various shapes shown individually in FIGS. 1e-3e and in patterns of one or more shapes in FIGS. 4-7. The shapes can be round, horizontal or vertical quadrilateral or other shapes.

The plugs can be hardenable materials, physical plugs, sleeves that are radially expanded over one or more holes, or lasers that melt the formation behind the hole and flow into the hole and set up to block the hole regardless of shape. The method succeeds because the available positioning and orientation technology accurately positions the tool to make one or more openings in exactly the desired location and conversely by knowing the exact location of the existing holes the plugging operation can accurately close existing openings where water or other undesired fluids are being produced or place new holes in locations that are known to not have any openings. A tool with a single head for making a single shape can be repositioned automatically to create a desired pattern of that very shape. Alternatively the tool can have the ability to create custom shapes so that a pattern can be created in the tubular with the same shape or a variety of shapes. Multiple mills can be used to make discrete shapes or a laser or fluid jet can create the same shape repeatedly or a variety of shapes as desired. In this manner flow into the tubular can be balanced with knowledge of the formation pressure at various locations. The tool can make or plug a single opening at a time or multiple openings or plugs at once. The method combines hole making and filling devices that employ known technology and dovetails the precision location of such tools with positioning tools such as Gamma Ray tools to accurately position the tool for making the openings or plugging them. A tractor can also be used to position the tool to create openings or to plug them at existing locations, as shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 9 shows an optional tractor 18 that delivers a tool 20 where the tool 20 has capabilities of making new openings and being positioned in the borehole to cover existing openings that were made in a previous trip. Other delivery modes such as pumping down, for example, are also contemplated. The assembly of FIG. 9 can make new openings and fill in old openings in the same trip. In essence a screen substitute can be created downhole with the tool 20 by making an array of openings to predetermined size and shape. The openings can be created at the desired depth using instrumentation on tool 20 in conjunction with casing collar locators. Proximity sensors can also be used of locating the tool 20 and orienting the tool so that the new openings can face in the direction of the producing formation. Anchors can selectively extend from the tool 20 to stabilize the tool during making new openings or plugging the existing openings. Imaging or video tools can also be used in the locating and orienting process. Production measuring tools and sensors for well conditions can be part of tool 20 to determine the effect of making or plugging openings in the borehole while the tractor is maintained in the borehole so that additional openings can be made or filled in the same trip.

The above description is illustrative of the preferred embodiment and many modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention whose scope is to be determined from the literal and equivalent scope of the claims below:

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12. A borehole method, comprising:

making a first opening though a surrounding tubular and into an adjacent formation with a tool;

making a second opening spaced apart from said first opening through the surrounding tubular and into the adjacent formation with the tool in a single trip;

moving fluid between the formation and a remote location through at least one of said openings.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising:

making said second opening without moving said tool.

14. The method of claim 12, comprising:

making said second opening after making said first opening by moving said tool.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising:

providing multiple opening creating devices on said tool configured for making openings while said tool remains stationary.

16. The method of claim 12, comprising:

locating, with said tool, said first or said second opening in a separate trip into the borehole;

positioning a plug delivery device on said tool adjacent said first or said second opening;

inserting a plug from said plug delivery device of said tool into said first or said second opening.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising:

configuring said first and second openings to retain said plug.

18. The method of claim 12, comprising:

determining in a separate trip with said tool which of said first or second openings are producing undesirable fluids from the formation;

orienting a plug delivery device on said tool with a said opening determined to be producing undesirable fluids for insertion of a plug;

inserting said plug in said opening.

19. The method of claim 12, comprising:

providing an orientation device with said tool so that at least one pre-existing opening in the borehole can be located for insertion of a plug from said tool and said first and second said openings can be created in the same trip.

20. The method of claim 12, comprising:

making new openings with a retractable mill selectively extendable from said tool.

21. The method of claim 12, comprising:

using casing collar locators for locating the predetermined region.

22. The method of claim 12, comprising:

measuring the effect of making new openings with a tractor and said tool still in the hole.

23. The method of claim 12, comprising:

making said new openings with a fluid jet, a laser, a punch or a penetrating tool.

24. The method of claim 18, comprising:

making further openings or plugging existing openings, other than said first or said second openings, as a result of said measuring.

25. The method of claim 12, comprising:

performing said delivering with a tractor or by pumping down said tool.

26. The method of claim 14, comprising:

creating said openings in an identical shape.

27. The method of claim 14, comprising:

creating said openings in different shapes.

28. The method of claim 14, comprising:

creating said openings in a repeating pattern.

29. The method of claim 14, comprising:

creating said openings in a random order.

30. The method of claim 14, comprising:

making at least said first and second openings at the same time with more than one hole making device on said tool.

31. A borehole method, comprising:

locating the depth and orientation of at least one existing wall opening in a borehole with a tool;

positioning a plug delivery device of said tool in alignment with said at least one wall opening in the borehole;

plugging said at least one wall opening with a plug from said delivery device in a single trip.

32. The method of claim 31, comprising:

sensing with said tool that said at least one opening is producing undesired fluids.

33. The method of claim 31, comprising:

performing said locating of said at least one opening for multiple openings for plugging with said tool.

34. The method of claim 31, comprising:

shaping said at least one opening to retain said plug.

35. The method of claim 31, comprising:

making new openings in said one trip with said tool.