Drilling with a high pressure rotating control device

• US 20110024195A1
• Filed: 07/31/2009
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Weatherford Technology Holdings, LLC (Weatherford International PLC)
• Original Assignee: Weatherford/Lamb Incorporated (Weatherford International PLC)
• Inventors: Hoyer, Carel W., Jacobs, Melvin T., Hannegan, Don M., White, Nicky A., Bailey, Thomas F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,347,983 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 175/65
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 19/00 Handling rods, casings, tubes or the like outside the borehole, e.g. in the derrick; Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/08 Controlling or monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid, e.g. automatic filling of boreholes, automatic control of bottom pressure valve arrangements therefor E21B21/10
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/085 Underbalanced techniques, i.e. where borehole fluid pressure is below formation pressure
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/10 Valve arrangements in drilling-fluid circulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/03 Well heads; Setting-up thereof
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/085 Rotatable packing means, e.g. rotating blow-out preventers
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/13 Methods or devices for cementing, for plugging holes, crevices or the like
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 36/001 Cooling arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/10 Setting of casings, screens, liners or the like in wells
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/06 Measuring temperature or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/07 Temperature

Abstract

A Drill-To-The-Limit (DTTL) drilling method variant to Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) applies constant surface backpressure, whether the mud is circulating (choke valve open) or not (choke valve closed). Because of the constant application of surface backpressure, the DTTL method can use lighter mud weight that still has the cutting carrying ability to keep the borehole clean. The DTTL method identifies the weakest component of the pressure containment system, such as the fracture pressure of the formation or the casing shoe leak off test (LOT). With a higher pressure rated RCD, such as 5,000 psi (34,474 kPa) dynamic or working pressure and 10,000 psi (68,948 kPa) static pressure, the limitation will generally be the fracture pressure of the formation or the LOT. In the DTTL method, since surface backpressure is constantly applied, the pore pressure limitation of the conventional drilling window can be disregarded in developing the fluid and drilling programs. Using the DTTL method a deeper wellbore can be drilled with larger resulting end tubulars, such as casings and production liners, than had been capable with conventional MPD applications.

Claims

1. Method for drilling a wellbore in a formation with a fluid, comprising the steps of:

casing a portion of the wellbore using a casing having a casing shoe;

determining a casing shoe pressure;

determining a formation fracture pressure;

positioning a rotating control device with said casing; and

drilling the wellbore at a fluid pressure calculated using the lesser of the casing shoe pressure and the formation fracture pressure.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

drilling the wellbore without using a formation pore pressure to calculate a desired wellbore pressure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a casing shoe pressure comprises the step of:

conducting a pressure test of the formation below the casing shoe.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

managing the fluid at a desired pressure while drilling;

circulating the fluid in a closed system; and

selecting the fluid so that the fluid has the ability to clean the wellbore and is light enough to avoid loss circulation but whose equivalent mud weight may be made heavy enough to resist influx from the formation into the wellbore.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the rotating control device is adapted for use with a tubular, the rotating control device comprising:

an outer member;

an inner member having a first sealing element and a second sealing element;

said inner member, said first sealing element and said second sealing element rotatable relative to said outer member;

a first cavity defined by said inner member, the tubular, said first sealing element and said second sealing element; and

the method further comprising the step of;

communicating a pressurized fluid to said first cavity to provide a predetermined fluid pressure to said first cavity to reduce the differential pressure between said wellbore fluid pressure and said predetermined first cavity fluid pressure on said first sealing element.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the rotating control device further comprising:

a third sealing element rotatable relative to said outer member;

a second cavity defined by the tubular, said third sealing element and one of said first and second sealing elements; and

further comprising the step of;

communicating a pressured fluid to said second cavity to provide a predetermined fluid pressure to said second cavity to reduce the pressure differential pressure between said predetermined first cavity fluid pressure and said predetermined second cavity fluid pressure on said one of said first and second sealing elements.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined fluid pressure in said first cavity is greater than the predetermined fluid pressure in said second cavity, and said predetermined fluid pressure in said first cavity is greater than said wellbore fluid pressure.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined fluid pressure in said first cavity is less than the predetermined fluid pressure in said second cavity and said predetermined fluid pressure in said first and second cavity is less than said wellbore fluid pressure.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said wellbore fluid pressure is greater than the predetermined fluid pressure in said first cavity and the predetermined fluid pressure in said first cavity is greater than the predetermined fluid pressure in said second cavity.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said rotating control device having a pressure rating greater than said casing shoe pressure or said formation fracture pressure.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

positioning a blowout preventer stack between the wellbore and said rotating control device and said blowout preventer stack having a pressure rating; and

positioning said rotating control device having a pressure rating substantially equal to said blowout preventer stack pressure rating.

12. Method for providing a differential pressure on a first sealing element of a rotating control device having an inner member having the first sealing element and a second sealing element rotatable relative to an outer member, comprising the steps of:

determining a wellbore pressure at a wellhead;

calculating a predetermined fluid cavity pressure using the determined wellbore pressure;

sealing said first sealing element and said second sealing element of the rotating control device with a tubular; and

supplying the predetermined fluid cavity pressure in a first cavity defined by the rotating control device inner member, the rotating control device first sealing element and the rotating control device second sealing element when said first sealing element and said second sealing element are sealed on the tubular.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

supplying a predetermined fluid pressure in a second cavity defined by the rotating control device inner member, the rotating control device second sealing element and the rotating control device third sealing element when said second sealing element and said third sealing element are sealed on the tubular.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the fluid pressure in said first cavity is greater than said wellbore pressure.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the fluid pressure in said first cavity is less than said wellbore pressure.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of calculating is enabled by a programmable logic controller.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

accumulating fluid pressure for use in the step of supplying a predetermined fluid cavity pressure in a first cavity.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:

accumulating fluid pressure for use in the step of supplying a predetermined fluid pressure in a second cavity.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

circulating a fluid in said first cavity.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:

allowing one of the sealing elements to pass a cavity fluid.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the passed fluid includes nitrogen from said first cavity.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein said first sealing element is an active seal and the method further comprising the step of:

stripping out the tubular through said first sealing element after the step of supplying the predetermined fluid pressure in said first cavity; and

reducing the sealing pressure of said active seal during the step of stripping out the tubular.

23. The method of claim 12, wherein the fluid is a gas and the method further comprising the step of:

injecting said gas into said first cavity through a gas expansion nozzle.

24. A rotating control apparatus, comprising:

an outer member;

an inner member having a first sealing element and a second sealing element;

said inner member, said first sealing element and said second sealing element rotatable relative to said outer member;

a first cavity defined by said inner member, said first sealing element and said second sealing element; and

said inner member having a port to said first cavity.

25. Apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:

said outer member having a first influent port to said first cavity; and

a first effluent port from said first cavity.

26. A rotating control system adapted for use with a tubular, comprising:

a first rotating control device having;

an outer member;

an inner member having a first sealing element and a second sealing element;

said inner member, said first sealing element and said second sealing element rotatable relative to said outer member; and

a first rotating control device cavity defined by said inner member, the tubular, said first sealing element and said second sealing element;

a first fluid source communicating with said first rotating control device cavity to provide a predetermined fluid pressure to said first rotating control device cavity;

a second rotating control device having;

an outer member;

an inner member having a first sealing element and a second sealing element;

said inner member, said first sealing element and said second sealing element rotatable relative to said outer member; and

a second rotating control device cavity defined by said inner member, the tubular, said first sealing element and said second sealing element; and

a second fluid source communicating with said second rotating control device cavity to provide a predetermined fluid pressure to said second rotating control device cavity.

27. Apparatus of claim 26, wherein said first fluid source is the same as said second fluid source.

28. Apparatus of claim 26, further comprising:

‘

means for accumulating fluid pressure to apply to said first rotating control device cavity.

29. Apparatus of claim 28, further comprising:

means for accumulating fluid pressure to apply to said second rotating control device cavity.

30. Apparatus of claim 26, wherein the predetermined fluid pressure in said first rotating control device cavity is different than the predetermined fluid pressure in said second rotating control device cavity.

31. A rotating control apparatus adapted for use with a tubular, comprising:

an outer member;

an inner member having a first sealing element and a second sealing element;

said inner member, said first sealing element and said second sealing element rotatable relative to said outer member;

a first cavity defined by said inner member, the tubular, said first sealing element and said second sealing element; and

a fluid source communicating with said first cavity to provide a predetermined fluid pressure to said first cavity.

32. Apparatus of claim 31, further comprising:

a third sealing element rotatable relative to said outer member;

a second cavity defined by the tubular, said third sealing element and one of said first and second sealing elements; and

a second fluid source communicating with said second cavity to provide a predetermined fluid pressure to said second cavity.

33. Apparatus of claim 31, further comprising:

said outer member having a first influent port to communicate the predetermined fluid pressure to said first cavity; and

a first effluent port to circulate said fluid from said first cavity.

34. Apparatus of claim 32, further comprising:

said outer member having a second influent port to communicate the predetermined fluid pressure to said second cavity; and

a second effluent port to circulate said fluid from said second cavity.

35. A rotating control system adapted for use with a tubular, comprising:

a housing for positioning with a borehole;

an outer member sized to be received with said housing;

an inner member having a first sealing element and a second sealing element;

said inner member, said first sealing element and said second sealing element rotatable relative to said outer member;

a first cavity defined by said inner member, the tubular, said first sealing element and said second sealing element;

a fluid in said borehole having a wellbore fluid pressure;

a first fluid source communicating with said first cavity to provide a predetermined fluid pressure based on said wellbore fluid pressure to said first cavity.

36. System of claim 35, further comprising:

a third sealing element rotatable relative to said outer member;

a second cavity defined by the tubular, said third sealing element and one of said first and second sealing elements; and

a second fluid source communicating with said second cavity to provide a predetermined fluid pressure to said second cavity.

37. System of claim 35, wherein the predetermined fluid pressure is calculated by a programmable logic controller using said wellbore fluid pressure.

38. System of claim 36, wherein the predetermined fluid pressure in said first cavity is different than the predetermined fluid pressure in said second cavity, and said predetermined fluid pressure in said first and second cavities is different than said wellbore fluid pressure.

39. System of claim 36, wherein the predetermined fluid pressure in said first cavity is different than the predetermined fluid pressure in said second cavity, and said predetermined fluid pressure in said first cavity is greater than said wellbore fluid pressure.