Method and apparatus to control fluid flow from subsea wells

• US 9,206,664 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2014
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Red Desert Enterprise, LLC
• Original Assignee: Red Desert Enterprise, LLC
• Inventors: Smith, David Randolph
• Primary Examiner(s): Sayre, James G
• Application Number:
  US14/328,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20140318802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 516 Days
• Field of Search: 166/335, 166/339, 166/344, 166/345, 166/347, 166/363, 166/364, 166/366, 166/367, 166/313, 166/386, 166/85.4, 166/85.5, 166/89.2, 166/270
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/064 specially adapted for underwater well heads
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/076 specially adapted for underwater installations

Abstract

The present invention is directed to methods and apparatus to construct subsea wells with redundant parallel fluid flow control systems to allow new methods to stop subsea blow outs. More specifically, this invention provides methods and apparatus to construct subsea wells with a plurality of redundant parallel paths allowing for the first time drill pipe and other intervention conduits, wire line, and fluids to be deployed below a damaged drilling riser and or a damaged blow out preventer through a separate blow out preventer and riser system presented in this invention.

Claims

1. A method for the construction of a subsea well fluid control system, comprising:

connecting a distal end of a subsea multi-path apparatus to a subsea well wherein the subsea multi-path apparatus comprises at least two separate proximal ends converging to said common distal end of a subsea wellhead;

connecting a first subsea closure apparatus above a first proximal end of said subsea multipath apparatus, wherein the first subsea closure apparatus comprises a blow out preventer system, wherein said blow out preventer system comprises at least one of an annular bag, a shear ram, and a pipe ram;

connecting a second subsea closure apparatus above a second proximal end of said subsea multipath apparatus, wherein the second subsea closure apparatus comprises a blow out preventer system;

connecting a distal end of at least one riser conduit above said subsea closure apparatus wherein said at least one riser conduit has the proximal end at or near the surface of the sea; and

forming a sealed hydraulic conduit from at or near the surface into the subsea wellhead by hydraulically sealing connections of said fluid control system including said subsea wellhead, subsea multi-path apparatus, at least one subsea closure apparatus, and at least one riser conduit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the subsea multi-path apparatus is deployed to the subsea well before said subsea closure apparatus.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the riser conduit comprises a drilling riser apparatus.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising deploying conduit from a rig at the surface through said sealed hydraulic conduit into said subsea well.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising a second multi-path apparatus connected above a proximal end of said subsea multi-path apparatus.

6. A method of controlling the fluid flow from a subsea well, comprising:

connecting at least two separate subsea blowout apparatuses above different proximal end branches of a subsea multi-path apparatus, wherein said multipath apparatus comprises at least two proximal ends converging to a common distal end, wherein each of said two separate subsea blowout apparatuses comprise at least one of an annular bag, a shear ram, and a pipe ram;

connecting above the respective proximal end of at least one of said at least two separate subsea blowout apparatuses a riser conduit wherein said riser conduit has a proximal end at or near the surface;

inserting at least one injection conduit having a proximal end at or near the surface into at least one of said riser conduit;

pumping fluids from the surface into said subsea well through the at least one injection conduit having a proximal end at the surface and a distal end below the surface.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising;

attaching a drill bit and down hole assembly to the injection conduit;

deploying said injection conduit through said at least one subsea blowout apparatus and said multi-path apparatus;

setting the down hole assembly and weight of the injection conduit down in the well;

rotating the drilling assembly and cutting in the subsea well;

pumping a first fluid through said injection conduit and said down hole assembly;

returning said first fluid with drill cuttings to the surface through said multipath apparatus, at least one blow out preventer, and riser conduit;

injecting from the surface simultaneously a second fluid down a second injection conduit deployed through a second riser conduit, through a second blow out preventer, and through a proximal end of the multi-path apparatus; and

mixing and returning said second fluid with said first fluid and drill cuttings up said riser conduit to the surface.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said second fluid has a lower fluid density than said first fluid.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said second fluid has a higher viscosity than said first fluid.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein different fluids are injected down the separate injection conduits through the separate subsea blowout apparatuses with said pumping from surface of said fluids.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein a lighter fluid is pumped down the said at least one separate injection fluid conduit mixed at the discharge distal end of said multi-path apparatus with fluids coming from the well.

12. The method of claim 6, used in grouting a well casing in a subsea well, comprising:

deploying a well tubular system injection conduit comprising at least one back pressure valve assembly through the seafloor into a subsea well bore;

deploying said injection conduit through at least one of said at least two separate subsea blowout apparatuses;

pumping a well fluid followed by a grout from the surface down said injection conduit into said well casing and into the casing outer diameter in said subsea well bore;

displacing fluids and grouts disposed inside said injection conduit or well casing with fluids pumped from the surface through said injection conduit or well casing;

returning said displaced fluids and grouts up the well bore by a casing outside diameter annulus through said subsea multi-path subsea blowout apparatus and riser to the surface;

injecting from the surface a second fluid down a second injection conduit having a proximal end at the surface and deployed through a second riser conduit, through a second blow out apparatus, having the distal end of said second injection conduit in or near the subsea multi-path apparatus; and

mixing subsea and returning said second fluid, with said first fluid being injected from the surface down the first injection conduit to displace well fluids and grout up said casing outer diameter in the subsea well bore casing through said subsea multi-path apparatus and riser conduit to the surface.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said second fluid has a lower fluid density than said first fluid.