MARKER PLUG

Abstract

An arrangement for visually identifying cuttings from different stages in a well is provided. In aspects of the disclosure, plugs may have different markers according to their respective position in a well, thereby allowing operators to visually identify locations in a well.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/937,342, filed Nov. 19, 2019, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

None.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

Aspects of the disclosure relate to drilling operations and apparatus used in drilling operations. More specifically, aspects of the disclosure relate to marker plugs used to identify positions within a wellbore.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Plugs are used in many different types of downhole operations. These downhole operations are typically looking for trapped hydrocarbons beneath the surface of the ground. As the hydrocarbons may be located in discrete layers, there is sometimes a need to be able to place a plug in a specific area in a drilled wellbore to perform further processing steps. Often, these processing steps include the ability to perform a hydraulic fracturing operation that uses water, chemicals and other additives to create and hold open various cracks in a stratum.

Performing these processing steps at the right elevation and knowing what geological stratum are being processed involves performing some types of educated guesses as the operators are working below the surface of the earth. To prevent steps of production from occurring at different than expected elevations, there is a need to provide some reference framework by which operators can identify their location beneath the surface of the ground.

One typical type of production operation is a drilling “clean out” where a drill bit or drilling apparatus is placed within a wellbore and run down the drill string into the surrounding geological stratum. Often times, numerous clean out operations are performed to ensure a clean wellbore for conveyance of hydrocarbons to the surface. When such operations occur, there can be confusion by the field operators as to at what elevation any interferences in the wellbore are occurring. Conventional apparatus installed in wellbores do not have any type of identification or signalling technology that allows an operator the ability to know definitively that a plug has been impacted and removed. Conventional methods of identification of drill out of a plug entail maintaining depth records and length records to accurately predict where a plug has been placed and measuring milling/reaming operations to note if a slowing of progress speed has been noticed. At this point, an inference can be made that the plug has been contacted. Such log keeping slows the overall progress of the wellbore operations. Moreover, an operator must “assume” that the plug has been destroyed/removed. There is no assurance for an operator that the plug is not sliding in front of the milling/reaming operations. As a result, conventional methods and apparatus do not have any indicators that can be supplied to an operator that at least a portion of a plug has been removed.

There is a need, therefore, to identify the status of a clean out and to identify if further cleanout is needed. There is also a need to allow for field personnel to ascertain the position of a clean out function in the field based upon the placement of a plug.

There is a need to provide a method that will identify a wellbore location in the field for placement of a plug and to ascertain that the presence of the plug has allowed for a separation of a portion of the wellbore from other portions of the wellbore.

There is a further need to provide an apparatus that will allow operators to identify a location in a wellbore.

There is a still further need to provide an apparatus and method to determine if a wellbore is “clean” and that obstructions have been removed.

There is another need to provide an apparatus that is cost effective to manufacture and that also provides users with notification that the apparatus has been successfully removed.

SUMMARY

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the disclosure, briefly summarized below, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the drawings. It is to be noted that the drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments without specific recitation. Accordingly, the following summary provides just a few aspects of the description and should not be used to limit the described embodiments to a single concept.

In one embodiment, a method is disclosed comprising placing a marker plug with identifier within a wellbore. The method may further comprise transferring the marker plug with the identifier to a position in a wellbore for setting. The method may further comprise setting the marker plug with identifier in the position in the wellbore desired for setting. The method may further comprise drilling the marker plug with identifier from the wellbore such that the drilling of the marker plug releases the identifier. The method may also further comprise transferring at least a portion of the identifier to an uphole identification area.

In another example embodiment, a marker plug is disclosed. The marker plug may be configured with an opening. The marker plug may also be configured with an identifier, one of configured with the body and within the body, wherein the identifier is one of a colorant, a packet of colorant and a material; and an anchor attached to the body, the anchor configured to grip a side wall of a drill string tubular.

Other aspects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and the attached claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1A is a side view of a wellbore in which an embodiment of a marker plug may be used.

FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the wellbore of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a marker plug in accordance with one example embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a method of drilling a marker plug in accordance with one example embodiment of the disclosure.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures (“FIGS”). It is contemplated that elements disclosed in one embodiment may be beneficially utilized on other embodiments without specific recitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following, reference is made to embodiments of the disclosure. It should be understood, however, that the disclosure is not limited to specific described embodiments. Instead, any combination of the following features and elements, whether related to different embodiments or not, is contemplated to implement and practice the disclosure. Furthermore, although embodiments of the disclosure may achieve advantages over other possible solutions and/or over the prior art, whether or not a particular advantage is achieved by a given embodiment is not limiting of the disclosure. Thus, the following aspects, features, embodiments and advantages are merely illustrative and are not considered elements or limitations of the claims except where explicitly recited in a claim. Likewise, reference to “the disclosure” shall not be construed as a generalization of inventive subject matter disclosed herein and shall not be considered to be an element or limitation of the claims except where explicitly recited in a claim.

Some embodiments will now be described with reference to the figures. Like elements in the various figures will be referenced with like numbers for consistency. In the following description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of various embodiments and/or features. It will be understood, however, by those skilled in the art, that some embodiments may be practiced without many of these details and that numerous variations or modifications from the described embodiments are possible. As used herein, the terms “above” and “below”, “up” and “down”, “upper” and “lower”, “upwardly” and “downwardly”, and other like terms indicating relative positions above or below a given point are used in this description to more clearly describe certain embodiments.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to a marker plug used for downhole drilling operations. Downhole drilling operations sometimes require placement of a plug in a downhole environment. These plugs may be “non-movable” to allow for different sections of a wellbore to be sectioned off from one another. Then, after setting, the plugs may be used during different downhole operations. After use, in some embodiments, the plug must be removed to provide a “clean” wellbore, thereby permitting unimpeded flow of hydrocarbons from the geological stratum to a surface collection point. The plugs should be “non-damaging”, whereby the plug is configured to maintain a position in the wellbore without slipping from forces within the wellbore. These forces may be generated by, on a non-limiting basis, hydrostatic pressure created from geological conditions and/or mechanical wellbore activities.

One such downhole operation or wellbore activity is the process of creating a hydrostatic pressure increase in a specific formation. Such activity is known in the industry as “fracking”. Fracking allows for geological stratum to be fractured at different points within the wellbore. For example, a top geological stratum may be a non-hydrocarbon bearing layer. Below this top stratum layer, a second middle hydrocarbon bearing layer may be present. Below the second middle hydrocarbon bearing layer a third bottom stratum layer may be present. As by way of further example, the third bottom stratum layer may be a bedrock—non-hydrocarbon bearing layer.

In the embodiment described above, a user may be interested in fracturing the second middle hydrocarbon bearing layer. First, operators will drill a wellbore through the first and second layers and into the third layer. To achieve a fracturing of the middle hydrocarbon layers, plugs are to be placed within a wellbore at the junctions/intersections of the layers. Thus, under such an operational construct, the wellbore extends from the surface down to the third layer, and two (2) plugs are placed in the wellbore at the approximate elevation of the intersection of the first and second layers, as well as the second and third layers. Operators may then progress and perform the necessary functions within the wellbore. These operations can include creating a perforation in the wellbore casing at only the second hydrocarbon bearing level and then pumping down a mixture of water, sand and/or chemicals to create a localized pressure increase in the second hydrocarbon bearing layer. This localized pressure increase in the second hydrocarbon bearing layer may be sufficient to create a fracturing of the rock and/or materials in this second layer.

After fracturing, small bits of debris may be present in the wellbore. These small bits of debris can detrimentally affect production levels of the well, as the debris impedes hydrostatic flow of hydrocarbons out of the second hydrocarbon bearing layer. Traditional fluid flow, (i.e. pumping of water) may be insufficient to dislodge such obstructions, therefore, other remedial measures must be taken to remove this debris. Conventional fracking operations then perform an acid injection into the well that contact the internal components of the wellbore as well as flow through the perforations in the well casing and into the second hydrocarbon bearing layer. The acid may degrade the debris to a sufficient amount such that the remnants of the debris may be flushed out of the wellbore with a flushing procedure. All of these actions, therefore, result in a casing with penetrations into the second hydrocarbon bearing layer and a fractured rock that extends at least into the second hydrocarbon bearing layer. As will be understood, the greater the force used in the hydraulic fracturing process, the more extensive the rock fracturing depth, as measured from the central axis of the wellbore. In some instances where the second hydrocarbon layer is thick, there may be a need to have multiple penetrations occurring in the wellbore casing. These multiple penetrations would allow a second or even greater number of layers of hydraulic fracturing to occur. As will be further understood, in instances where greater numbers of wellbore casing penetrations occur, greater volumes of water and chemicals will be pumped. This results in more structural stresses on the plugs that must maintain pressure for these activities to occur.

The fractured rock in the second hydrocarbon bearing level must be “held open” by some type of structural support, otherwise once the hydrostatic pressure is removed, the fractures will close. To perform this structural support function, materials such as sand, known as “proppants” are flushed downhole. These proppants are of a specific size, shape and specific gravity to be able to fit into the expected crack size in the fractured rock. Thus, slurries of water and proppants are pumped downhole and into the hydrocarbon bearing layer to create this artificial support. The plugs, therefore, must withstand impact forces from these slurries of water and proppants. Moreover, since the plugs do have moving parts, these parts must be able to withstand interaction with small particulate matter and still perform their needed functions.

As will be understood, the plugs installed in the wellbore must be of sufficient structural capability to withstand the anticipated hydrostatic forces from the fracking. The plugs should also be of sufficient capability to withstand exposure to potentially fast-moving streams of proppants being flushed into place within the second hydrocarbon bearing level.

The above identified scenario is disclosed in more detail in FIG. 1A. Referring to FIG. 1, a wellbore 10 extends from a surface level 12 through a first geological stratum level 14, a second geological stratum level 16 to a third geological stratum level 18. Wells of this type of construction can be made, for example, between 5,000 feet and 20,000 feet in depth in this non-limiting embodiment. In this embodiment, the third geological stratum level 18 is configured of an impervious rock, such as a bedrock. As a result, this third geological stratum level 18 presents a “trap” in which hydrocarbons, such as oil and gas, may rest. The impervious nature of third geological stratum 18 prevents the oils and gas deposits from above to descend with gravity into the third geological stratum 18. Such deposits limiting the potential flow of hydrocarbons are commonly found in area that require a hydraulic fracturing.

The second geological stratum 16 is a hydrocarbon bearing layer, such as a shale. Although described as a shale, other types of hydrocarbon bearing stratum may include, for example, loose sandstone, tight sandstone, dolomite and limestone as non-limiting embodiments. The second geological stratum 16 may have geological properties that allow for a fracturing of the shale to allow entrained hydrocarbons to be released. As will be understood, with the large amount of fracturing of the shale, then a greater amount of hydrocarbons will be subjected to a lower confining pressure, thus allowing for mobility of the hydrocarbons.

In order to allow for the second geological stratum 16 to be isolated such that hydraulic pressure may be localized where needed, a plug 20 is installed in portions of the wellbore 10. The plug 20 is constructed to remain in place during this period of hydraulic fracturing, where pressures on the plug 20 may reach 15,000 psi or greater.

The wellbore 10 has a casing 22 that separates the inner portion of the wellbore 10 from the surrounding geological stratum, 14, 16, 18. This casing 22 may be made of a carbon steel exterior with at least one void on the interior of the casing 22 to allow for communication of the freed hydrocarbons to the surface level 12. The casing 22 may be cemented in place 24 by a layer of cement pumped into the wellbore 10 in order to stabilize the casing 22 during placement. During the original drilling of the wellbore 10, the drill bit head has a diameter in excess of the outer diameter of the casing 22, thereby forming a space between the outside of the casing 22 and the geological stratum, 14, 16, 18. As provided in FIG. 1B, a cross-section of the wellbore 10 is illustrated. Thus, in cross-section, the wellbore 10 consists of an inner volume 26, the casing 22 and a cemented outer periphery 28.

After cementing of the wellbore 10, a perforating device, called a perforating gun, is lowered from the surface level 12 into the wellbore 10 through the inner volume 26 to create a series of holes through the casing 22 where hydrocarbons are to be recovered. The perforating device can use a series of shaped charges that are detonated at a specific elevation causing holes 30. The number of holes 30 may vary according to the needs of the project. As will be understood, holes 30 can be formed at different intervals along the wellbore 10, in other areas where hydrocarbons may be found. It is not uncommon, therefore, that there are several zones of hydrocarbons that may be exploited within a wellbore 10. In other embodiments, a jetting gun can be used instead of a perforating gun, wherein a jet of sand and water locally eats through the side wall of the casing 22, the cemented outer periphery 28 and into the second section 42 of the formation. As will be understood, such a configuration requires a large volume of water under high pressure to penetrate the side casing 22 and the cemented outer periphery 28.

After the perforations are established in a first section of the wellbore 10, then the hydraulic fluid is pumped downhole and into the perforated sections of the wellbore 10. The increase in pressure fractures the rock. The fracturing of the rock can result from tension increases exhibited on the rock.

At this point, as illustrated in FIG. 1A, a first section 40 of the wellbore 10 has been completed. It must be stressed, however, that portions of the wellbore 10 may extend in length for miles. There are multiple sections, second section 42 and third section 44 that may also be completed to initiate hydrocarbons flow into the wellbore 10. To accomplish this, plugs 20 may be installed to isolate these areas so that perforation and hydraulic fracturing of the wellbore 10 can occur. Once all of the first section 40, second section 42, and third section 44 have been perforated and fracked, a final reaming can occur to remove the previously installed plugs 20 to allow for an uninterrupted transit path along the length of the casing 22.

In order for the plug 20 to remain immobile during the hydraulic fracturing process, the plug 20 must interface with the casing 22 such that a friction between the plug 20 and the casing 22 occurs in excess of the hydrostatic forces exerted on the plug 20. The plug 20 may be equipped with a gripping surface that will establish the friction connection with the inside of the casing 22. The gripping surface maybe a hardened metal or carbon-based surface that is ruggedly constructed for the anticipated loading.

The setting of the plug 20 may be accomplished in several methods. One example embodiment provides for the plug 20 to be lowered into the wellbore 10 on a wireline. The wireline may be controlled by a truck located at the surface level. The wireline may be measured such that zones along the wellbore 10 may be identified by a length of wireline deployed. Once the wireline is correctly spooled to the appropriate level, the plug 20 is ready to be set. A signal is generated at the surface level that travels down the wireline to a setting tool. The setting tool thereafter actuates the plug 20 such that exterior portions of the plug 20 expand contacting the casing 22.

During the operations described above, there is a need to provide a final clean wellbore. Drilling out wellbore plugs, however, may be a difficult task. One difficulty encountered with drilling wellbore plugs is the uncertainty of the positioning of the drill bit within the wellbore. Plugs may move during operations if the side friction of the plug is not maintained. During the drilling out period, operators may not know which, if any, wellbore plugs have been drilled out. Plugs may also “slide” within a wellbore once a drill bit starts to impact portions of the plug.

Aspects of the disclosure allow for a marker plug 100 that allows for operators to identify which marker plug 100 has been drilled out within a wellbore. As will be understood, plugs 100 are destructively removed from a wellbore through a reaming/milling operation conducted from a surface location. To this end, the marker plug 100 is provided with an identifier 102 throughout the plug 100. When a drill bit penetrates the marker plug 100, the marker plug 100 may disintegrate into various components. In one non-limiting embodiment, the marker plug 100 is disintegrated by the reaming/milling action into bits no larger than % inch. Thus, when fluid is pumped downhole to cool the reaming/milling operation, the fluid removes the milled remnants of the marker plug 100 installed within the wellbore. In such operations, therefore, a relatively clean mixture of water interspersed with sand and tiny components of the marker plug 100 are flushed uphole. To alert operators that the small components being seen uphole relate to a reamed/milled plug, an identifier 102 is placed within the plug 100 to allow for such identification. The identifier 102 may be a coloring that will stain a drilling fluid to visually identify the marker plug 100 destroyed during the drilling process. In one non-limiting embodiment, the identifier 102 may be a colorant of the plug 100 itself. In another non-limiting embodiment, the identifier 102 may be a colorant pack placed within the plug 100 prior to setting the plug 100 down hole.

In one non-limiting embodiment, the colorant pack may be placed within the marker plug 100 by operators to provide a visually identifiable change in the drilling fluid. One advantage of a colorant pack placed within the plug 100 is the ability to create a marker for operators up hole even if drilling fluid components and colors may hinder visual identification. Thus, operators may create a contrasting color compared to the drilling fluid color being used, allowing for easy identification. As will be understood, the drilling fluid may be a homogenous color. A user or spotter may be placed near an outlet of the drilling fluid at the surface. When a color change is noted, operators will understand that the colorant pack has been impacted. Since the colorant pack is located within the body of the marker plug 100, an operator will understand that the marker plug 100 has been at least partially removed. If the colorant pack is located at the furthest position from an impact zone of the milling/reaming operation on the marker plug 100, the colorant will only be dispersed at the conclusion of the removal of the marker plug 100. In this embodiment, a user has a verification that the marker plug 100 has been removed. Such field verification of successful removal is not possible with other systems that rely on distance measurement, as discussed above.

In one non-limiting embodiment, a fluorescent dye may be used in the colorant pack as the identifier 102. The fluorescent dye may be of a significantly different color than the drilling fluid. Such colors may be, in non-limiting embodiments, red or green. The dye may be a non-toxic mix of chemicals. The dye, in some embodiments, may be bio-degradable, thereby allowing use in the environment without the possibility of environmental contamination. In further embodiments, the dye may be configured such that it is non-staining, thereby protecting expensive hydrocarbon operations system. In instances of a fluorescent dye, an appropriate ultra-violet light may be used at the surface level to help identify any fluorescence at the surface. Aspects of the disclosure may use cyanine dyes, reactive dyes, dispersive dyes, acid dyes, sulfur based dyes, basic dyes, cationic dyes, neutral dyes, substantive dyes, including sodium salts of sulfonic acids, chromium based dyes, formic acid dyes, sodium sulfate dyes.

In embodiments, a visual camera system may be used to identify the presence of a dye in the drilling fluid. Such camera system may have a video feed system to a control room of the milling/reaming operation, eliminating field personnel specifically tasked with visual identification. Types of visual camera systems may be two dimensional and three dimensional camera systems.

In other embodiments, different identifiers may be used. One such identifier 102 is the placement of a metallurgical component within the plug 100. For example, a cobalt additive may be placed within the body of the plug 100. As cobalt is not normally found during drilling, an analyzer configured to scan the drilling fluid for trace amounts of cobalt indicates that the body of the plug 100 has been breached.

In another example embodiment, Barium-133 may be used. In a further example embodiment, Cadmium-109 may be used. In a further example embodiment, Manganese 54 may be used. In a still further example embodiment, zinc-65 may be used. In conjunction with the use of such radioactive materials, a radioactivity monitor may be located near the fluid flow. During radioactive measurement increases, a signal may be produced to an operator to alert the operator of successful removal of the marker plug 100.

In another example embodiment, a dye may be interspersed within the materials comprising the plug 100. In such a configuration, a separate dye packet is not needed, but rather the entire plug 100 is configured to act as the dye packet. In a still further embodiment, one half of the marker plug 100 may be configured with dye in the plug 100, while a second half of the marker plug 100 is not configured with dye. In such a configuration, if the marker plug 100 is positioned with the dye component in the most downhole orientation, the identification of dye at the surface would indicate that more than half of the marker plug 100 has been successfully removed as the milling/reaming operation would not impact the downhole oriented section of the plug 100 until the upstream portion of the plug 100 has been successfully removed. In such embodiments, an additional layer of surety is provided to an operator that is not available with conventional apparatus.

Other example embodiments are possible. Such embodiments may provide for a florescent packet or material that will allow the drilling fluid to fluoresce under different lighting conditions.

The marker plug 100 may be configured with a body 104 to separate different sections of the wellbore. The body 104 may be configured in different widths for different size wellbore casings. In non-limiting embodiments, the body 104 may have a diameter of 4.5 inches. In other embodiments, the body 104 may have a diameter of 5.5 inches. An anchor 106 may be connected to the body 104 such that the anchor 106 attaches to the wellbore wall to prevent the body 104 from slipping after setting. The anchor 106 may be configured with a one-time setting action or may be resettable. The aspects disclosed may be used with bridge plugs or with fracking plugs as applicable. In the illustrated embodiment, the marker plug 100 is disclosed with a check valve 108 for zonal isolation. The marker plug 100 may be set, for example, through use of a wireline setting tool, a coiled tubing setting tool or a slick line setting tool. The marker plug 100 may also have an opening 110 that allows for acceptance of a body, such as a ball, for setting the marker plug 100.

In embodiments, the marker plug 100 may be constructed from different types of materials. Materials may be composite materials, as a non-limiting embodiment. In other embodiments, plastic materials may be used. In still further embodiments, gripping surfaces and/or friction surfaces may be made of carbon steel to interact with the inside diameter of the wellbore casing. Portions of the marker plug 100 may expand to allow for a friction fit between the marker plug 100 and the inner diameter of the wellbore casing. To this end, portions of the marker plug 100 may be made from materials and/or configurations that expand upon an actuation of the setting tool. In non-limiting embodiments, the marker plug 100 may be constructed from elastomeric materials, such as rubber, synthetic rubber and other similar materials. When elastomeric materials and/or expandable configurations are used, the expansion of the overall diameter of the marker plug 100 may result in a shortening of the overall length. Ina non-limiting example embodiment, an overall length of a 5.5 inch diameter marker plug may be approximately 14 inches. Upon setting of the marker plug 100, the overall length may decrease. As will be understood, the marker plug 100 may be set with different overall amounts of expansion to provide for a low grip or a high grip capacity. In a low grip capacity, the overall length may decrease to approximately 12.5 inches. In a high grip capacity, the overall length may decrease to approximately 12 inches. The marker plug 100, therefore, may be used in different scenarios where greater or lesser amounts of pressure will be exerted upon the marker plug 100. Such applications are particularly useful in scenarios involving shale installation. Shale installations can vary significantly within a formation, wherein some sections of the hydrocarbon bearing stratum may be defined as a “loose” shale that may be prefractured, while other portions of the hydrocarbon bearing stratum may be a “hard” shale with minimal defects.

Referring to FIG. 3, a method 200 for drilling a marker plug with identifier is illustrated. The method 200 may include, at 202, placing a marker plug with identifier within a wellbore. At 204, the method continues with transferring the marker plug with identifier to a position in a wellbore for setting. At 206, the method continues with setting the marker plug with identifier in the position in the wellbore desired for setting. At 208, the method continues with drilling the marker plug with identifier from the wellbore such that drilling of the marker plug releases the identifier. At 210 the method continues with transferring at least a portion of the identifier to an uphole identification area.

In one embodiment, a method is disclosed comprising placing a marker plug with identifier within a wellbore. The method may further comprise transferring the marker plug with the identifier to a position in a wellbore for setting. The method may further comprise setting the marker plug with identifier in the position in the wellbore desired for setting. The method may further comprise drilling the marker plug with identifier from the wellbore such that the drilling of the marker plug releases the identifier. The method may also further comprise transferring at least a portion of the identifier to an uphole identification area.

In another example embodiment, the method may be performed wherein the setting the marker plug with identifier is performed with a wireline setting tool.

In another example embodiment, the method may be performed wherein the setting the marker plug with identifier is performed with a coiled drilling tubing setting tool.

In another example embodiment, the method may be performed wherein the setting the marker plug with identifier is performed with a slick line setting tool.

In another example embodiment, the method may be performed wherein the setting the marker plug with identifier is performed with a dropped ball.

In another example embodiment, the method may be performed, wherein the identifier is a colorant within a body of the marker plug.

In another example embodiment, the method may be performed, wherein the identifier is a colorant packet within a body of the marker plug.

In another example embodiment, the method may be performed, wherein the colorant packet is inserted into the body of the marker plug prior to placing the marker plug within the wellbore.

In another example embodiment, the method may be performed, further comprising identifying the portion of the identifier at the uphole identification area.

In another example embodiment, a marker plug is disclosed. The marker plug may be configured with an opening. The marker plug may also be configured with an identifier one of configured with the body and within the body, wherein the identifier is one of a colorant, a packet of colorant and a material; and an anchor attached to the body, the anchor configured to grip a side wall of a drill string tubular.

In another example embodiment, the marker plug may be configured wherein the opening is configured to accept a dropped ball in a drill string.

In another example embodiment, the marker plug may be configured wherein the material is a metal.

In another example embodiment, the marker plug may be configured wherein the material is a radioactive material.

In another example embodiment, the marker plug may be configured wherein the material is a fluorescent material.

While embodiments have been described herein, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments are envisioned that do not depart from the inventive scope. Accordingly, the scope of the present claims or any subsequent claims shall not be unduly limited by the description of the embodiments described herein.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

placing a marker plug with identifier within a wellbore;

transferring the marker plug with the identifier to a position in a wellbore for setting;

setting the marker plug with the identifier in the position in the wellbore desired for setting;

drilling the marker plug with identifier from the wellbore such that the drilling of the marker plug releases the identifier; and

transferring at least a portion of the identifier for transfer to an uphole environment.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the setting the marker plug with identifier is performed with a wireline setting tool.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the setting the marker plug with identifier is performed with a coiled drilling tubing setting tool.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the setting the marker plug with identifier is performed with a slick line setting tool.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the setting the marker plug is with a dropped ball.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identifier is a colorant within a body of the marker plug.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identifier is a colorant packet within a body of the marker plug.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the colorant packet is inserted into the body of the marker plug prior to placing the marker plug within the wellbore.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the portion of the identifier at the uphole identification area.

10. A marker plug, comprising:

a body configured with an opening;

an identifier one of configured with the body and within the body, wherein the identifier is one of a colorant, a packet of colorant and a material; and

an anchor attached to the body, the anchor configured to grip a side wall of a drill string tubular.

11. The marker plug according to claim 10, wherein the opening is configured to accept a dropped ball in a drill string.

12. The marker plug according to claim 10, wherein the material is a metal.

13. The marker plug according to claim 10, wherein the material is a radioactive material.

14. The marker plug according to claim 10, wherein the material is a fluorescent material.