Hydraulically actuated tool with pressure isolator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10273780-B2
Application number	US-201415022490-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2014
Priority date	Sep 18, 2013
Publication date	Apr 30, 2019
Grant date	Apr 30, 2019

Abstract

A wellbore tool that can withstand pressure tests without becoming hydraulically actuated. The wellbore tool includes a tubular housing including an inner bore; a tool mechanism responsive to fluid pressure; and a pressure isolator for the tool mechanism moveable between an active and an inactive position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wellbore tool comprising:
a tubular housing with a wall defining an inner bore and a port;
a sleeve moveable between a closed port position and an open port position;
a pressure isolator configurable between an active condition in which, the sleeve is restrained from being actuated by inner bore pressure, and an inactive condition in which the sleeve is not restrained from being actuated by inner bore pressure;
a first releasable locking member to permit actuation of the sleeve by the inner bore pressure when the pressure isolator moves into the inactive condition, and
a second releasable locking member adapted to allow the sleeve to move in the open port position when the inner bore pressure exceeds a pressure rating of the second releasable locking member.

2. The wellbore tool of claim 1 further comprising downhole equipment operable to configure the pressure isolator in the inactive condition in response to the downhole equipment receiving an output signal to permit fluid to pass from the inner bore into actuable contact with the sleeve.

3. The wellbore tool of claim 2 wherein the output signal is any one of: hydraulic, electronic, radio, pressure, and electro-magnetic.

4. The wellbore tool of claim 2 wherein the downhole equipment comprises a decoder for receiving the output signal and generating an activation output signal to inactivate the pressure isolator.

5. The wellbore tool of claim 4 wherein the downhole equipment includes a delay timer for selectively providing a time delay between the receipt of the output signal and the inactivation of the pressure isolator.

6. The wellbore tool of claim 4 wherein the output signal is received from an external sending unit conveyable through the inner bore, when the sending unit comes into proximity of the downhole equipment.

7. The wellbore tool of claim 6 wherein the sending unit is an untethered dart.

8. The wellbore tool of claim 4 wherein the downhole equipment further comprises an activation circuit having a current source responsive to the output signal for supplying current to release the releasable locking member.

9. The wellbore tool of claim 4 wherein the decoder includes a microprocessor programmable to enable one or more of:
(i) providing a blackout period;
(ii) providing an averaging window for defining a baseline for hydrostatic pressure in the inner bore;
(iii) detecting a test pressure;
(iv) providing a test duration;
(v) setting a delay timer for selectively providing a time delay between the receipt of the output signal and the inactivation of the pressure isolator; and
(vi) identifying patterns in the output signal from the one or more pressure sensors.

10. The wellbore tool of claim 9 wherein the microprocessor is pre-programmed with a detection threshold value and a number of pulse interval values, each being associated with a command for controlling the wellbore tool.

11. The wellbore tool of claim 10 wherein the command is one of: test complete, adjust pressure, adjust mode, and adjust timer.

12. The wellbore tool of claim 2 wherein the output signal has a signature based on one or more of frequency, polarity, pulse width, pulse number, number of pulses.

13. The wellbore tool of claim 2 wherein the downhole equipment further comprises one or more pressure sensors configured to monitor the pressure in the inner bore and to generate the output signal upon sensing a predetermined pressure in the inner bore.

14. The wellbore tool of claim 1 wherein the tool mechanism is a ported, fluid treatment tool having housing has one or more ports openable to provide fluid access between the inner bore and the outer surface when the pressure isolator is inactivated.

15. The wellbore tool of claim 14 wherein the the sleeve is provided in a chamber defined in the wall of the tubular housing, the sleeve being axially slideable between a blocking position blocking the one or more ports, and an open position at least partially retracted from the one or more ports.

16. The wellbore tool of claim 15 wherein when the pressure isolator is in the active condition, the sleeve is in the closed port position and when the pressure isolator is in the inactive condition, fluid is permitted to pass from the inner bore into the chamber, thereby moving the sleeve into the open port position.

17. The wellbore tool of claim 16 wherein the first releasable locking member is destroyed after the downhole equipment receives the output signal, thereby releasing fluid communication between the inner bore and the chamber.

18. The wellbore tool of claim 17 wherein the first releasable locking member is heat-destructible.

19. The wellbore tool of claim 1 further comprising one or more strain gauges installed on an outer diameter of a tubing string connectable to the wellbore tool for detecting a change in the outer diameter of the tubing string and in response generating the output signal.

20. A method for actuating a downhole tool, the method comprising:
conducting a pressure test in a tubing string by raising the tubing pressure to a test pressure;
preventing the test pressure from hydraulically actuating a slidable sleeve of the wellbore tool during the pressure test by operating a pressure isolator in an active condition to block a tubing fluid pressure above the actuating level of the sleeve from being communicated to the sleeve;
releasing a first releasable locking member of the pressure isolator in response to the pressure isolator moving into an inactive condition to permit actuation of the sleeve; and
employing fluid pressure greater than a pressure rating of the second releasable locking member to hydraulically actuate the sleeve by releasing a second releasable locking member of the sleeve.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the downhole tool is installed adjacent a distal end of a tubing string.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising dropping a dart through the tubing string, the dart emitting an output signal which is detected by the downhole tool when the dart passes thereby.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the output signal has a characteristic-predetermined signature.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising identifying the signature of the output signal and generating an activation output signal for inactivating the pressure isolator, in response to identifying the signature of the output signal.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising initiating a time delay after detecting the output signal for inactivating the pressure isolator.

26. The method of claim 20 further comprising monitoring the pressure inside the tubing string and generating an output signal, when the pressure is substantially the same as a predetermined pressure, for inactivating the pressure isolator.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising initiating a time delay for inactivating the pressure isolator.

28. The method of claim 20 further comprising measuring the pressure inside the tubing string and generating an output signal indicating the pressure measured.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising ignoring the output signal for a predetermined blackout period during the installation of the downhole tool.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising determining a baseline hydrostatic pressure by averagi

Assignees

• Packers Plus Energy Serv Inc

Inventors

• Garcia Albert
• Quinlan Andrew Peter
• Emerson John Lee
• Olguin Fernando
• Mendoza Gustavo
• Maguire Patrick Glen
• Desranleau Christopher Denis
• Addy Ryan Fredrick
• Skinner Matthew John

Classifications

• E21B2200/06

  Sleeve valves · CPC title

• E21B23/006

  "J-slot" systems, i.e. lug and slot indexing mechanisms · CPC title

• E21B34/10 Primary

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

• E21B34/06

  in wells · CPC title

• E21B33/12

  Packers; Plugs (used for cementing E21B33/134, E21B33/16) · CPC title