Wellhead and control stack pressure test plug tool

• US 7,604,050 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2008
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Oil States Energy Services Incorporated (Oil States International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Stinger Wellhead Protection Incorporated (Oil States International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Dallas, L. Murray, McGuire, Bob
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMPSON, KENNETH L
• Application Number:
  US12/112,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20080251251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 166/124, 166/135, 166/192, 166/75.13, 166/202, 166/368, 166/250.08, 285/123.1, 277/335, 73/405.R, 73/46, 73/491
• US Class Current: 166/250.08
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/117 Detecting leaks, e.g. from tubing, by pressure testing

Abstract

A test plug tool for use in testing a pressure integrity of a pressure control stack mounted to a wellhead, including a joint between a casing and a casing support in the wellhead. The test plug tool includes a test plug of an appropriate diameter used to pressure test the pressure control stack as well as a joint between any one of a surface casing and the wellhead, an intermediate casing and an intermediate casing mandrel, and a production casing and a production casing mandrel. The pressure integrity of the wellhead is ensured at each stage of well drilling and well completion, and safety is improved. Optionally, a backpressure valve permits pressurized fluid that leaks below the test plug tool to flow upwardly through a central bore in a landing tool that is secured to the test plug tool to permit detection of the leak.

Claims

1. A test plug tool used to test a pressure integrity of a joint between a production casing to a wellhead stack assembly, comprising:

a tubular member that suspends a test plug in the production casing;

a hanger flange located above the test plug, the hanger flange having a bottom shoulder received in a bowl-shaped abutment above a top end of the production casing in the wellhead stack assembly, and further including at least one peripheral groove for retaining at least one high-pressure seal that provides a fluid seal between the hanger flange and the wellhead stack assembly;

a fluid passage through a sidewall of the tubular member, the fluid passage being located below the hanger above the test plug; and

the test plug comprises a cup tool that includes an elastomeric cup for sealing against an inside of the production casing, an annular sealing element compressed against the inside of the production casing by the elastomeric cup, and a gauge ring that inhibits the elastomeric sealing element from being extruded into an annulus between a bullnose and the inside of the production casing.

2. The test plug tool as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one high-pressure seal comprises at least one O-ring.

3. The test plug tool as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cup tool comprises a cup sleeve that supports the elastomeric cup and the annular sealing element and terminates in the bullnose, which guides the test plug through the wellhead stack assembly.

4. The test plug tool as claimed in claim 3 wherein the cup sleeve is threadedly connected to a bottom end of the tubular member.

5. The test plug tool as claimed in claim 3 wherein the cup sleeve is solid and seals a bottom of the tubular member.

6. The test plug tool as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a pin threaded end at a top of the tubular member that suspends the test plug.

7. The test plug tool as claimed in claim 6 wherein the pin threaded end at the top of the tubular member connects to a flanged adapter for sealing a top of the wellhead stack assembly.

8. A test plug tool used to test a pressure integrity of a joint between a production casing and wellhead stack assembly, comprising:

a tubular member having a pin threaded top end and a bottom end that suspends a test plug inside the production casing;

a hanger flange located below the pin threaded top end, the hanger flange having a bottom shoulder received in a bowl-shaped abutment in the wellhead stack assembly, the hanger flange including at least one peripheral groove for retaining at least one high-pressure fluid seal that seals between the hanger flange and the wellhead stack assembly;

a fluid passage through a sidewall of the tubular member, the fluid passage communicating with an inside of the tubular member, and is located below the hanger flange and above the bottom end of the tubular member; and

the test plug comprises a cup tool comprising an elastomeric cup that engages the inside of the production casing, an annular sealing element compressed against the production casing by the elastomeric cup when the elastomeric cup is subjected to fluid pressure that moves the elastomeric cup against the annular sealing element, and a gauge ring that inhibits extrusion of the annular sealing element into an annulus between the bullnose and the production casing when the elastomeric cup is subjected to the fluid pressure.

9. The test plug tool as claimed in claim 8 wherein the at least one high-pressure seal comprises at least one O-ring seal.

10. The test plug tool as claimed in claim 8 wherein the cup tool further comprises a cup sleeve that supports the elastomeric cup and the annular sealing element and terminates in the bullnose for guiding the test plug through the wellhead stack assembly and into the production casing.

11. The test plug tool as claimed in claim 10 wherein the cup tool is threadedly connected to a bottom end of the tubular member by a pin thread at a top end of the cup sleeve.

12. The test plug tool as claimed in claim 11 wherein the cup sleeve is solid and seals the bottom end of the tubular member.

13. The test plug tool as claimed in claim 8 wherein the pin threaded end at the top of the tubular member connects to a flanged adapter for sealing a top of a tubing head spoo1 at a top of the wellhead stack assembly.

14. A test plug tool used to test a pressure integrity of a joint between a production casing and a wellhead stack assembly, comprising:

a tubular member for suspending a test plug inside a top end of the production casing, the tubular member having a pin threaded top end for threaded engagement with a flanged adapter for sealing a top of the wellhead stack assembly;

a hanger flange located below the pin threaded top end, the hanger flange having a bottom shoulder received in a bowl-shaped abutment in a tubing head spool of the wellhead stack assembly, the hanger flange including at least one peripheral groove for retaining an O-ring seal that provides a fluid seal between the hanger flange and the tubing head spool; and

a fluid passage through a sidewall of the tubular member, the fluid passage being located below the hanger flange and above the test plug.

15. The test plug tool as claimed in claim 14 wherein the test plug comprises a cup tool comprising:

a cup sleeve that terminates in a bullnose for guiding the test plug through the wellhead stack assembly and into the production casing;

an elastomeric cup slidably mounted on the cup sleeve and adapted to engage the inside of the production casing when the test plug is inserted into the production casing;

an annular sealing element slidably mounted on the cup sleeve and adapted to be compressed against the production casing by the elastomeric cup when the elastomeric cup is subjected to fluid pressure; and

a gauge ring that inhibits extrusion of the sealing element into an annulus between the bullnose and the production casing when the elastomeric cup is subjected to the fluid pressure.

16. The test plug tool as claimed in claim 15 wherein the cup sleeve is solid and the cup tool is threadedly connected to a bottom end of the tubular member by a pin thread at a top end of the cup sleeve, which seals the bottom end of the tubular member.

17. The test plug tool as claimed in claim 14 wherein the pin threaded end at the top of the tubular member connects to the flanged adapter for sealing the top of the tubing head spool and the flanged adapter has a central passage through which test fluid is injected into the tubular member and the fluid passage into the wellhead stack assembly and the top end of the production casing to test the pressure integrity of the joint.

18. The test plug tool as claimed in claim 14 wherein the test plug comprises a cup tool.

19. The test plug tool as claimed in claim 18 wherein the cup tool comprises a top end that threadedly engages a bottom end on the tubular member to suspend the test plug in the top end of the production casing.

20. The test plug tool as claimed in claim 18 wherein the cup tool seals a bottom end of the tubular member.