Coiled tubing inflatable packer with circulating port

• US 5,456,322 A
• Filed: 08/18/1994
• Issued: 10/10/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Company
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Company
• Inventors: Schwegman, Steven L., Tucker, James C., Winslow, Donald W., Walter, Jeffrey S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Hoang C.
• Application Number:
  US08/291,928
• Time in Patent Office: 418 Days
• Field of Search: 166/387, 166/386, 166/187
• US Class Current: 166/386
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 23/006 "J-slot" systems, i.e. lug and slot indexing mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/1243 with inflatable sleeves
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/12 operated by movement of casings or tubings

Abstract

A packer apparatus with a circulating port. A housing of the packer has inflation passages, circulating passages, treating fluid passages, and equalizing passages defined therein. In a straddle packer embodiment, upper and lower packers are mounted on the housing on opposite sides of an outlet of the treating fluid passage. A circulation valve with a sliding differential pressure actuated valve sleeve is disposed below the packers. An inner mandrel is slidably received in the central opening of the housing. The mandrel has a mandrel bore and has upper inflation and circulating ports, lower inflation ports, upper and lower equalizing ports, a treating port and lower circulating ports, all of which communicate with the mandrel bore. The valve sleeve has a valve port. A lug and endless J-slot is operably associated with the housing and mandrel for controlling a telescoping position of the mandrel relative to the housing in response to reciprocation without rotation of the mandrel relative to the housing. The mandrel may also be used to lock the valve sleeve in a closed position. The lug and J-slot define a repeatable sequence of inflating (or deflating) position, intermediate position, circulating position, treating position, equalizing position, and ready position wherein the tool is ready to return to the original inflating position on the next telescoping stroke of the mandrel within the housing.

Claims

1. A method of treating a subsurface zone of a well having a well casing with a production tubing string in place in said casing, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a packer apparatus having an inflatable packer with a treating fluid passage outlet located adjacent thereto;

(b) lowering said packer apparatus on a working tubing down through and below a lower end of said production tubing;

(c) placing said packer apparatus adjacent said subsurface zone;

(d) pumping inflation fluid down through a bore of said working tubing and thereby inflating said packer to seal said packer against said casing and isolate said zone of said well;

(e) setting down weight on said packer apparatus with said tubing string, without rotating said working tubing, and thereby trapping said fluid in said inflatable packer;

(f) picking up weight from said packer apparatus with said working tubing, without rotating said working tubing, and thereby placing a circulating passage outlet of said packer apparatus in communication with said bore of said working tubing; and

(g) circulating fluid through said circulating passage outlet.

2. A method of treating a subsurface zone of a well having a well casing with a production tubing string in place in said casing, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a packer apparatus having an inflatable packer with a treating fluid passage outlet located adjacent thereto;

(b) lowering said packer apparatus on a working tubing down through and below a lower end of said production tubing;

(c) placing said packer apparatus adjacent said subsurface zone;

(d) pumping inflation fluid down through a bore of said working tubing and thereby inflating said packer to seal said packer against said casing and isolate said zone of said well;

(e) setting down weight on said packer apparatus with said tubing string, without rotating said working tubing, and thereby trapping said fluid in said inflatable packer;

(f) picking up weight from said packer apparatus with said working tubing, without rotating said working tubing, and thereby placing a circulating passage outlet of said packer apparatus in communication with said well bore of said working tubing;

(g) circulating fluid through said circulating passage above the packer;

(h) setting down weight on said packer apparatus with said working tubing, without rotating said working tubing, and thereby placing said treating fluid passage outlet of said packer apparatus in communication with said bore of said working string;

(i) pumping treating fluid down through said bore of said working tubing to treat said isolated zone of said well; and

(j) picking up weight from said packer apparatus with said working tubing, without rotating said working tubing, to communicate said isolated zone of said well through said packer apparatus with an interior of said casing outside of said isolated zone, thereby equalizing pressure between said isolated zone and said interior of said casing while said packer is still inflated.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

(k) after step (j) , setting down weight and then again picking up weight to communicate an inflation passage of said packer apparatus with said well bore of said working tubing and thereby deflating said packer to unseat said packer from said casing; and

(l) then repeating steps (c) through (j) to treat a second zone of said well without removing said packer apparatus from said well.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein step (k) comprises opening a valve to allow fluid to vent from an interior of said apparatus to a well annulus.

5. A method for treating a subsurface zone of a well having a well casing with a production tubing string in place in said casing, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a packer apparatus having an inflatable packer with a treating fluid passage outlet located adjacent thereto;

(b) lowering said packer apparatus on a working tubing down through and below a lower end of said production tubing;

(c) during step (b), circulating fluid through a circulating valve;

(d) placing said packer apparatus adjacent said subsurface zone;

(e) pumping inflation fluid down through a bore of said working tubing and thereby inflating said packer to seal said packer against said casing and isolate said zone of said well;

(f) setting down weight on said packer apparatus with said tubing string, without rotating said working tubing, and thereby trapping said fluid in said inflatable packer; and

(g) picking up weight from said packer apparatus with said working tubing, without rotating said working tubing, and thereby placing a circulating passage outlet of said packer apparatus in communication with said bore of said working tubing.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

during step (e), closing said circulating valve by differential pressure between said bore of said working tubing and a well annulus.