System for pressure testing tubing

• US 20020121373A1
• Filed: 02/28/2002
• Published: 09/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Patel, Dinesh R.
• Granted Patent: US 6,684,950 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/250.08
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 2200/05 Flapper valves
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/117 Detecting leaks, e.g. from tubing, by pressure testing

Abstract

The present invention relates to a valve system that may be used to pressure test tubing, such as a tubing string deployed in a wellbore for the production of fluids.

Claims

1. A system, to pressure test a tubing in a well, comprising:

a housing coupled to the tubing;

a flapper valve in the housing moveable between an opened position and a closed position, the flapper valve biased to the closed position in which the flapper valve seals pressure from above, and wherein the flapper valve is free to move from the closed position by flow applied from the bottom of the flapper valve to allow the flow of fluid into the tubing;

a mandrel moveably attached to the housing, the mandrel selectively moveable to open the flapper valve; and

a retainer in the housing selectively moveable to maintain the flapper valve in the open position.

2. The system of claim 1 in which the housing has a flapper recess.

3. The system of claim 1 in which the mandrel slides relative to the housing.

4. The system of claim 1 in which:

the housing has a mandrel recess; and

the mandrel has an extended portion disposed in the mandrel recess.

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising a control line to deliver pressurized fluid into the mandrel recess to bear on the extended portion.

6. The system of claim 1 in which the retainer is a biased pin.

7. A completion assembly used in a well comprising:

a tubing having a passageway;

a packer mounted to the tubing;

a housing coupled to the tubing;

a flapper valve in the housing moveable between an opened position and a closed position, the flapper valve biased to the closed position in which the flapper valve prevents flow through the passageway from above, and wherein the flapper valve is free to move from the closed position by flow from beneath the flapper valve to allow flow of fluid into the tubing;

a mandrel moveably attached to the housing, the mandrel selectively moveable to open the flapper valve; and

a retainer in the housing selectively moveable to maintain the flapper valve in the open position.

8. The completion assembly of claim 7 in which:

the housing has a mandrel recess; and

the mandrel has an extended portion disposed in the mandrel recess.

9. The completion assembly of claim 8 further comprising a control line to deliver pressurized fluid into the mandrel recess to bear on the extended portion.

10. The completion assembly of claim 9 in which the control line delivers pressurized fluid to the packer to set the packer.

11. The completion assembly of claim 9 further comprising a flow-limiting device in the control line.

12. The completion assembly of claim 11 in which the flow-limiting device is a rupture disc.

13. The completion assembly of claim 7 in which the housing has a flapper recess.

14. The completion assembly of claim 7 further comprising an injection port mounted on the tubing.

15. The completion assembly of claim 14 further comprising a control line to deliver pressurized fluid to the injection port.

16. The completion assembly of claim 15 further comprising a flow-limiting device in the injection port to prevent fluid communication between the control line and the tubing until the flow-limiting device opens.

17. The completion assembly of claim 16 in which the flow-limiting device is a rupture disc.

18. The completion assembly of claim 7 further comprising:

an injection port mounted on the tubing;

a control line;

a first flow-limiting device in the control line; and

a second flow-limiting device in the injection port.

19. The completion assembly of claim 18 in which the first flow-limiting device opens before the second flow-limiting device.

20. The completion assembly of claim 18 further comprising a check valve in the control line.

21. The completion assembly of claim 7 in which the retainer is a biased pin.

22. A completion assembly used in a well comprising:

a tubing having a passageway;

a housing coupled to the tubing;

a flapper valve in the housing moveable between an opened position and a closed position, the flapper valve biased to the closed position in which the flapper valve prevents flow through the passageway from above, and wherein the flapper valve is free to move from the closed position by flow from beneath the flapper valve to allow flow of fluid into the tubing;

a valve mandrel moveably attached to the housing, the valve mandrel selectively moveable to open the flapper valve;

a retainer in the housing selectively moveable to maintain the flapper valve in the open position;

an indexer coupled to the tubing; and

a first conduit to allow fluid communication between the passageway and the indexer.

23. The completion assembly of claim 22 in which the indexer comprises a counter sleeve and an index mandrel.

24. The completion assembly of claim 23 in which the index mandrel has an extended portion that extends into a indexer recess, the extended portion being biased by a biasing element in the indexer recess.

25. The completion assembly of claim 23 in which the index mandrel exerts a force on the valve mandrel upon completion of a certain number of pressure cycles communicated through the first conduit.

26. The completion assembly of claim 22 further comprising a packer coupled to the tubing.

27. The completion assembly of claim 26 further comprising an isolation sleeve and a second conduit, the second conduit allowing fluid communication between the passageway and the packer when the isolation sleeve does not intervene between the passageway and the second conduit.

28. The completion assembly of claim 22 in which:

the housing has a valve mandrel recess; and

the valve mandrel has an extended portion disposed in the valve mandrel recess.

29. The completion assembly of claim 28 further comprising a valve mandrel port having a flow-limiting device therein, the valve mandrel recess being in fluid communication with the first conduit when the flow-limiting device is open.

30. The completion assembly of claim 22 further comprising a link rod coupled between the valve mandrel and a latch.

31. A system to pressure test a tubing in a well, the tubing having a passageway, comprising:

a housing coupled to the tubing;

a mandrel moveably attached to the housing;

a valve to allow or block flow through the tubing, wherein the mandrel can be selectively moved to open the valve;

an electronic control device;

a control line allowing fluid communication between the control device and the tubing to propagate commands; and

a first conduit to apply pressurized fluid to the mandrel when the control device detects a mandrel actuation command from the control line.

32. The system of claim 31 in which the commands are pressure pulses.

33. The system of claim 31 further comprising a packer coupled to the tubing.

34. The system of claim 33 further comprising an isolation sleeve and a second conduit to apply pressurized fluid to the isolation sleeve when the control device detects a packer actuation command from the control line.

36. The system of claim 35 further comprising a retainer to prevent further movement of the ball operator mandrel relative to the housing.

37. The system of claim 36 in which the retainer is a biased pin.

38. The system of claim 35 in which the power mandrel further comprises a first section and a second section, the first and second sections being releasably attached to each other, and the second section being disposed in a recess in the housing.

39. The system of claim 38 further comprising an injection port in the first section and a control line to deliver pressurized fluid into the recess.

40. The system of claim 39 in which motion of the second section relative to the first section allows fluid communication between the passageway and the control line.

41. The system of claim 39 in which the control line has a flow-limiting device therein.

42. The system of claim 35 in which the ball valve and mandrel are secured to prevent azimuthal rotation relative to the housing.

43. The system of claim 35 in which the mandrel has a selective profile to allow mechanical actuation of the ball valve.

35. A system to pressure test in a well, comprising:

a tubing having a passageway;

a housing coupled to the tubing;

a mandrel moveably attached to the housing, wherein the mandrel comprises a power mandrel and a ball operator mandrel;

a ball valve to allow or block flow through the tubing, wherein the mandrel can be selectively moved to open the ball valve; and

a circulating valve in the tubing.

44. A system to pressure test in a well, comprising:

a tubing having a passageway;

a housing coupled to the tubing;

a mandrel moveably attached to the housing;

a disk valve to allow or block flow through the tubing, wherein the mandrel can be selectively moved to open the ball valve; and

a circulating valve in the tubing.

45. The system of claim 44 in which the mandrel has an end adapted to pierce the disk valve.

47. The method of claim 46 further comprising opening the flapper valve with a moveable mandrel.

48. The method of claim 47 further comprising moving the mandrel using a control line.

49. The method of claim 47 further comprising using an electronic control device to control the mandrel.

50. The method of claim 46 further comprising using a control line to set a packer.

51. The method of claim 46 further comprising moving an isolation sleeve to set a packer.

52. The method of claim 46 further comprising applying pressure to the fluid in the tubing after the flapper valve is locked open to pressure test a packer from below.

46. A method for pressure testing a tubing in a well, comprising:

running the tubing into the well, the tubing having a flapper valve therein;

circulating fluid into the tubing through the flapper valve during run in;

halting the movement of the tubing into the well and allowing the flapper valve to close;

applying pressure to the fluid in the tubing, the flapper valve preventing flow through the tubing; and

at a desired time, locking the flapper valve in an open position.