1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to downhole well tools and more particularly to devices for running into and out of a well on a handling string for generating a force for moving an object in the well bore after temporarily anchoring the lower portion of such handling string in the well.
2. Related Art and Information
It has been common practice to use hydraulically actuated piston/cylinder arrangements for applying a force to accomplish a remote task. Well packers, well safety valves, well pumps, and the like have been actuated at downhole locations by supplying pressurized fluid thereto from the surface through a fluid conduit, or control line. Oftentimes it is desirable to slide a sleeve valve which is stuck, or move an object which is lodged in the well. This may involve moving the sliding sleeve valve up or down, or both; and may involve moving the lodged object up or down, or both. Such work may ordinarily require an expensive rig and a sturdy handling string.
Wire line and wireline tools have been used only for light work of this type, and reeled tubing has been used also. Rigs for wire line and reeled tubing are more highly mobile than are larger rigs, and they are much less expensive. However, wire line is of limited tensile strength, it is very flexible and cannot transmit a pushing force, and requires jars for moving objects which do not move easily. Similarly, reeled tubing is of limited weight and tensile strength, and since it is relatively flexible it can apply only light pulling or pushing forces. Therefore, wireline equipment cannot be used effectively for many such jobs, and neither can reeled tubing. Wireline equipment cannot be used in horizontal wells since it is dependent upon the force of gravity not only for moving the tools and wire into the well, but for operating the jars for generating impacts downhole in response to manipulation of the wire line at the surface. Reeled tubing, while having greater strength and rigidity than wire line, and can be used in horizontal well operations, is nevertheless very limited in both pulling and pushing, particularly the latter, since it is subject to great drag which hastens its failure in column loading.
It, therefore, has been desirable to be able to perform such push or pull operations using reeled tubing. It has been especially desirable to perform such push and pull operations in horizontal and slanted or curved well bores.
Reeled tubing can carry considerable fluid pressure. The present invention provides hydraulic devices which can be attached to a reeled tubing, run into a well, even a horizontal well until the object to be moved is engaged. The reeled tubing is then pressurized to anchor the hydraulic device in the well and is further pressurized to generate an axial force which is applied to the object, tending to move the same.
Examples of hydraulically actuated anchoring devices as well as piston/cylinder arrangements are found in the U.S. patents listed below. There is also found patents teaching use of reeled tubing for shifting sleeve valves. (One copy each of the most pertinent patents are being submitted with this application.)
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. Nos. ______________________________________ RE. 25,381 2,765,853 2,989,121 3,096,824 3,142,339 3,221,227 3,223,169 3,233,675 3,276,793 3,277,965 3,326,292 3,329,210 3,338,308 3,356,145 3,376,927 3,381,752 3,422,899 3,425,489 3,454,090 3,497,001 3,599,712 3,658,127 3,701,382 3,893,512 4,274,486 4,453,599 4,862,958 4,928,770 4,928,772 ______________________________________
U.S. Pat. No. 2,765,853 and its reissue, Patent Re. 25, 381 teach use of pressure responsive hold-down members for preventing the upward displacement of a packer by a fluid pressure therebelow greater than that thereabove. These hold-down members 16 are slidable in lateral bores and are forced outward by the greater pressure below the packer. The teeth 16b of these members bitingly engage the pipe exterior of the packer and, the greater the differential pressure tending to lift the packer, the greater these members anchor the packer. (Col. 3, lines 32-60 and Col. 5, lines 43-64.)
Other patents showing hold-down members activated by fluid pressure from below a packer are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,989,121; 3,096,824; 3,142,339; 3,211,227; 3,223,169; 3,233,675; 3,276,793; 3,277,965; 3,326,292; 3,329,210; 3,338,308; 3,381,752; 3,422,899; 3,425,489; 3,454,090; and 3,701,382.
Other similar hold-down teachings are found in the following patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,497,001 which issued Feb. 24, 1970 to Cicero C. Brown shows use of hold-down members 32 in a tubing anchor A used in a pumping well. The column of liquid in the well tubing T forces the hold-down members outward into biting engagement with the surrounding casing (col. 3, line 75, et seq.).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,376,927 which issued to Joe R. Brown on Apr. 9, 1968 teaches use of hold-down members 63 for anchoring a cutting tool in axial position by pressurizing the pipe string 13. (See col. 3, lines 56-67.)
U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,712 which issued on Aug. 17, 1971, to Charles W. Magill discloses use of hold-down slips 28 energized by pressurized fluids in bore 22 for holding a tubing fixed in the well bore. (See col. 2, lines 67-75.)
U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,127 which issued to Chudleigh B. Cochran and Phillip H. Manderscheid on Apr. 25, 1972, teaches again the well-known practice of pumping a ball (B) down a well tubing T-2 and allowing it to become seated below a packer, then pressuring up the tubing to actuate the hydraulically set packer to its set condition. (See col. 5 beginning at line 69.)
U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,958 which issued to Ronald E. Pringle on Sept. 5, 1989 discloses a fluid power actuated actuating tool, this tool being run on the end of reeled tubing through which a small flexible tubing 14 passes. Fluid pressure is supplied from the surface to this actuating tool 10 to actuate the slips 28 and maintain them engaged to retain the tool anchored in the tubing. Nitrogen is supplied from the surface through the bore of the reeled tubing 12 to actuate power actuating means 54. The tool can deliver jarring impacts (col. 4, lines 20-33) or can provide a constant pressure stroke (col. 4, line 62 through col. 5, line 2).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,486 issued on June 23, 1981 to John V. Fredd and discloses a piston 26 slidable in the bore (cylinder) of member 28 of telescoping joint 23. Pressure in the annulus 29 can move the piston upward if the difference between the annulus and the tubing pressure is sufficient. Thus, this piston/cylinder can be operated remotely from the surface by controlling the differential pressure. (Col. 4, lines 21-35.)
U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,599 which issued to John V. Fredd on June 12, 1984 discloses in FIG. 1 the use of a piston/cylinder 35 downhole in a well to actuate a sleeve valve 14 located just above the packer 13. The valve is controlled by tubing pressure. Pressuring the tubing 36 causes the piston 41 to move upward and open the valve to permit well fluids to flow into the annulus surrounding the tubing. Reducing the tubing pressure allows weight of the piston and a length of pipe attached thereto to move down and close the valve. Other forms of valves are disclosed, all using a similar valve and utilizing a differential pressure across the piston for its operation, this differential may involve changes in tubing or casing pressure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,958 (mentioned earlier) also discloses as a part of its power actuating means 54 a piston 80, FIG. 2, which is moved downward in housing 18 by pressurized nitrogen supplied through flexible tubing reeled tubing 12. A similar piston/cylinder, actuator 54a is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,356,145 which issued to John V. Fredd on Dec. 5, 1967 discloses in FIG. 2 a piston/cylinder 31 which utilizes pressure in the well annulus 442 to lift a floating portion of pipe 32 to an upper position to hold the safety valve 35 open. When pressure in the annulus falls below a predetermined level the floating pipe will be allowed to move down and close the valve. (See col. 15, line 72 to col. 16, line 48.)
U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,770 which issued on May 29, 1990 to Douglas J. Murray discloses use of reeled tubing apparatus 10b for shifting sliding sleeves 101 in wells. Also disclosed is the use of a piston 10a on the reeled tubing near the shifting tool. When the shifting tool is engaged with the sliding sleeve the piston will be in a close-fitting portion PT-1 of the tubing. The sleeve is shifted up or down by moving the reeled tubing 11. When attempting to shift the sleeve down and it cannot be moved by the reeled tubing alone, the tubing pressure above the piston can be increased to cause the piston to aid in the down shifting of the sleeve. This procedure can be used only for down shifting (Col. lines 58-62). U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,772 which issued to Mark E. Hopmann on May 29, 1990, also contains approximately the same subject matter as does U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,770 just mentioned, but does not disclose the piston.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,512 which issued to Albert W. Carroll and Phillip S. Sizer on July 8, 1975 discloses a sleeve valve near the production zone in a well which will close should the tubing be severed thereabove. In certain embodiments, the system is resettable to make possible periodic testing t assure their operability. Piston/cylinder arrangements are disclosed for such resetting. In FIG. 9, casing pressure acting beneath piston 101 holds it up in the cylinder to permit production. Loss of pressure below the piston permits gravity to move the piston down. If the piston and its tubing section TS has dropped, pressuring the casing will lift them back to their upper position. In FIG. 10, which is similar to FIG. 9, the piston is lifted by pressure conducted to the lower end of the cylinder through small conduit CFL. In FIGS. 14 and 15, a piston/cylinder arrangement is illustrated wherein the tubing is plugged at 250 by a plug 251 between the valve V and the cylinder 221, and a port 234 is provided just below piston 232. Pressure applied to the upper portion T of the tubing passes through this port and lifts the piston in the cylinder to, thus, open valve V.
There was not found in the prior art a force generator for use with a handling string of reeled tubing or light jointed pipe which can apply an axial force to an object in a well flow conductor for pushing or pulling such object to dislodge and/or retrieve the same while the handling string is anchored in the well flow conductor, the anchoring and the force generating being accomplished by fluid pressure conducted to the force generator through the handling string.
The present invention is an improvement over the known prior art and is simple and economical to manufacture and operate. Furthermore, it is very useful in horizontal wells.