Bottom hole assembly retrieval for casing-while-drilling operations using a tethered float valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10036222-B2
Application number	US-201615261209-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2016
Priority date	Dec 13, 2013
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

A bottom hole assembly for a casing-while-drilling operation utilizes a tethered float valve to retrieve the bottom hole assembly after the casing string has been positioned at a desired wellbore depth.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A bottom hole assembly for use in a downhole operation, the assembly comprising:
one or more tubing joints forming a downhole string;
a drum releasably secured to the string; and
a tether coupling the drum to a float valve.

2. The bottom hole assembly as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a drilling assembly connected to the drum.

3. The bottom hole assembly as defined in claim 1 , wherein the tether is a wireline.

4. The bottom hole assembly as defined in claim 1 , wherein the float valve comprises a latch at an upper end of the float valve.

5. The bottom hole assembly as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a memory device positioned within the float valve.

6. The bottom hole assembly as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a shear pin assembly that releasably secures the drum to the string.

7. The bottom hole assembly as defined in claim 2 , further comprising a reverse circulation sub positioned between the drum and drilling assembly.

8. The bottom hole assembly as defined in claim 7 , wherein the reverse circulation sub comprises: a primary bore extending from an upper end of the reverse circulation sub to a lower end of the reverse circulation sub, the upper end of the bore being in fluid communication with the drum;
a secondary bore extending from the primary bore and through a sidewall of the reverse circulation sub to thereby provide fluid communication between the primary bore and the wellbore; and
a one-way valve positioned along the secondary bore to allow reverse circulation up the primary bore.

9. A method for performing a downhole operation, the method comprising:
drilling a wellbore with a bottom hole assembly having a tubing string coupled to a drilling assembly;
reaching a depth within the wellbore;
releasing the drilling assembly from the tubing string; and
retrieving the drilling assembly from the wellbore using a tether by forcing a float valve up the wellbore, the float valve connected to the tether.

10. The method as defined in claim 9 , wherein drilling the wellbore comprises pumping drilling fluid down the bottom hole assembly and out of a drill bit of the drilling assembly, wherein the tether remains isolated from the drilling fluid.

11. The method as defined in claim 9 , wherein releasing the drilling assembly from the tubing string comprises shearing a release mechanism.

12. The method as defined in claim 9 , wherein forcing the float valve up the wellbore comprises reverse circulating fluid up the drilling assembly.

13. The method as defined in claim 9 , further comprising storing downhole data in a memory device positioned within the float valve.

14. A method for performing a downhole operation, the method comprising:
deploying a bottom hole assembly into a wellbore, the bottom hole assembly comprising:

one or more tubing joints forming a downhole string;
a drum positioned along the string;
a float valve; and
a tether coupling the drum to the float valve;
forcing the float valve up the wellbore; and
retrieving the drum from the wellbore using the tether.

15. The method as defined in claim 14 , wherein forcing the float valve up the wellbore comprises reverse circulating the drum up the wellbore.

16. The method as defined in claim 15 , wherein reverse circulating up the drum further comprises reverse circulating through a drilling assembly attached to the drum.

17. The method as defined in claim 15 , wherein reverse circulating up the drum further comprises reverse circulating through a reverse circulation sub positioned between the drum and a drilling assembly.

18. The method as defined in claim 14 , wherein releasing the drum from the string comprises shearing a release mechanism.

19. The method as defined in claim 14 , wherein forcing the float valve up the wellbore comprises catching the float valve at a surface location.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc
• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Purohit Ankit
• Kedare Anand Bhagwat
• Gajji Bhargav
• Sawant Sanjay

Classifications

• E21B21/10

  Valve arrangements in drilling-fluid circulation systems · CPC title

• E21B23/00 Primary

  Apparatus for displacing, setting, locking, releasing or removing tools, packers or the like in boreholes or wells (setting of casings, screens or liners E21B43/10) · CPC title

• E21B7/20

  Driving or forcing casings or pipes into boreholes, e.g. sinking; Simultaneously drilling and casing boreholes · CPC title

• E21B10/64 Primary

  characterised by the whole or part thereof being insertable into or removable from the borehole without withdrawing the drilling pipe · CPC title

• E21B34/10

  operated by control fluid supplied from outside the borehole · CPC title