Deep water drilling with casing

• US 7,938,201 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2006
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Weatherford Technology Holdings, LLC (Weatherford International PLC)
• Original Assignee: Weatherford/Lamb Incorporated (Weatherford International PLC)
• Inventors: Reid, Doug, Murray, Mark J., Odell, Albert C. II, Galloway, Gregory G., Giroux, Richard L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stephenson; Daniel P
• Application Number:
  US11/363,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20060196695A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,897 Days
• Field of Search: 175/57, 175/320, 175/171, 175/402, 166/380, 166/207, 166/208
• US Class Current: 175/171
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/20 Driving or forcing casings or pipes into boreholes, e.g. sinking; Simultaneously drilling and casing boreholes

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided to place a conductor pipe and a casing in a subsea environment. In one embodiment, a conductor pipe is jetted or drilled into the subsea floor. Thereafter, a casing drilling assembly comprising a drill casing and a drilling assembly is connected to the drill pipe using a crossover. The drilling assembly urged into the seafloor until a casing latch on the drilling assembly is engaged with a casing profile of the conductor pipe. During drilling, instrumentation in the drilling assembly may be used to measure geophysical data. The measured data may be used to optimize the drilling process. After the drill casing is engaged with the conductor pipe, cementing may be performed to set the drill casing.

Claims

1. A method of lining a wellbore, comprising:

positioning a first casing having a first wellhead in the wellbore;

providing a drilling assembly having;

a second casing having a second wellhead, wherein the second wellhead is adapted to seat in the first wellhead;

a conveying member having a diameter less than the second casing;

a tubular adapter for coupling the conveying member to the second casing, wherein the tubular adapter is adapted to transfer torque from the conveying member to the second casing; and

a drilling member disposed at a lower end of the second casing;

lowering the drilling assembly into the first casing;

coupling the second casing to the first casing; and

seating the second wellhead in the first wellhead.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the conveying member comprises drill pipe.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising cementing the second casing.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the tubular adapter comprises a tubular running tool.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the tubular adapter comprises a latch disposed on the conveying member, the latch engageable with a profile formed on the second casing.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the tubular adapter comprises an internal tubular gripping member.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the tubular adapter comprises crossover.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising releasing the conveying member from the second casing.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising retrieving the conveying member.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a collapsible joint to reduce a length of the second casing.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising activating the collapsible joint to reduce the length of the second casing, thereby seating the second wellhead in the first wellhead.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein lowering the drilling assembly comprises rotating the second casing and the conveying member.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein coupling the second casing to the first casing comprises providing the second casing with a casing latch and the first casing with a latch receiving member and engaging the casing latch to the latch receiving member.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the latch receiving member comprises a latch profile.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the casing latch is adapted to allow rotation of the second casing without rotating the first casing.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring one or more geophysical parameters while drilling.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising changing a drilling fluid in response to the measured one or more geophysical parameters.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein positioning the first casing comprises drilling the wellbore to receive the first casing while maintaining a pressurized fluid between a wellbore pressure equal to or greater than the pore pressure and below the fracture pressure of the wellbore.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein positioning the first casing and lowering the drilling assembly is performed simultaneously.

20. An apparatus for lining a wellbore, comprising:

a first casing having a first wellhead;

a drilling member disposed at a lower end of the first casing;

a conveying member having a diameter less than the first casing; and

a tubular adapter for coupling the conveying member to the first casing, wherein the first wellhead is adapted to seat in a second wellhead of a second casing.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the tubular adapter comprises a crossover.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the tubular adapter comprises a tubular running tool.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the tubular adapter comprises a latch disposed on the conveying member, the latch engageable with a profile formed on the second casing.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the tubular adapter comprises an internal tubular gripping member.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the drilling member comprises an underreamer.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the conveying member comprises drill pipe.

27. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the conveying member is coupled to a top drive.

28. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a collapsible joint to reduce a length of the first casing.

29. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the drilling member comprises a drill shoe.

30. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the drilling member comprises a drill bit.

31. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising an interstring coupled to the tubular adapter and the drilling member.

32. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a length compensator.

33. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a plug/ball receiving member.

34. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a cement bypass valve.

35. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a MWD unit.

36. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a memory and an inclination gage.

37. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising an instrument float collar.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the instrument float collar comprises one or more sensors for measuring geophysical parameters.

39. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising cementing plugs.

40. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a casing latch for coupling the first casing to the second casing.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the second casing is rotatable with the first casing and the drilling member.

42. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising an apparatus for controlling a subsea borehole fluid pressure to position a conductor casing below a mudline.

43. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the tubular adapter comprises a spiral joint.

44. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a motor for rotating the drilling member.

45. A method of lining a wellbore, comprising:

positioning a first casing having a latch receiving member in the wellbore;

providing a drilling assembly having;

a second casing having a wellhead and a casing latch, wherein the casing latch is adapted to allow rotation of the second casing without rotating the first casing;

a conveying member having a diameter less than the second casing;

a tubular adapter for coupling the conveying member to the second casing, wherein the tubular adapter is adapted to transfer torque from the conveying member to the second casing; and

a drilling member disposed at a lower end of the second casing;

lowering the drilling assembly into the first casing;

coupling the second casing to the first casing by engaging the casing latch to the latch receiving member.

46. The method of claim 45, further comprising rotating the second casing relative to the first casing.