Annular barrier and downhole system for low pressure zone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10519741-B2
Application number	US-201715415222-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2017
Priority date	Jan 26, 2016
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

An annular barrier for being expanded in an annulus includes a tubular part mounted as part of the well tubular structure, the tubular part including an opening and an inside having an inside pressure, an expandable metal sleeve surrounding the tubular part and having an inner face facing the tubular part and an outer face facing the wall of the borehole, each end of the expandable metal sleeve being connected with the tubular part, an annular space between the inner face of the expandable metal sleeve and the tubular part, and a valve system having a first valve and a second valve, the second valve allowing pressurised fluid into the annular space to expand the expandable metal sleeve and preventing fluid from flowing from the annular space to the inside of the tubular part.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An annular barrier for being expanded in an annulus between a well tubular structure and a wall of a borehole downhole for isolating a first zone from a second zone in the annulus between the well tubular structure and the wall of the borehole, the annulus having an annulus pressure, the annular barrier comprising:
a tubular part for being mounted as part of the well tubular structure, the tubular part comprising an opening and an inside having an inside pressure,
an expandable metal sleeve surrounding the tubular part and having an inner face facing the tubular part and an outer face facing the wall of the borehole,
each end of the expandable metal sleeve being connected with the tubular part,
an annular space between the inner face of the expandable metal sleeve and the tubular part, the annular space having a space pressure, and
a valve system comprising a first valve and a second valve, the second valve allowing pressurised fluid into the annular space to expand the expandable metal sleeve and preventing fluid from flowing from the annular space to the inside of the tubular part,

wherein the first valve has a first position allowing fluid communication between the inside of the tubular part and the second valve in order to expand the expandable metal sleeve to achieve an expanded position when increasing the inside pressure, and a second position providing fluid communication between the annular space and the annulus, wherein the first valve is configured to shift from the first position to the second position due to differential pressure when the space pressure is higher than the inside pressure, wherein the expandable metal sleeve is in the expanded position when the first valve is in the second position.

2. An annular barrier according to claim 1 , wherein the second valve is arranged in a channel fluidly connecting the opening with the annular space.

3. An annular barrier according to claim 1 , wherein the first valve comprises a chamber and a piston dividing the chamber into a first chamber section and a second chamber section and the piston is movable within the chamber to shift position.

4. An annular barrier according to claim 3 , wherein the first valve has a first aperture being in fluid communication with the inside, a second aperture being in fluid communication with the second valve, a third aperture being in fluid communication with the annular space and a fourth aperture being in fluid communication with the annulus, and in the first position the first aperture is in fluid communication with the second aperture, and in the second position the third aperture is in fluid communication with the fourth aperture.

5. An annular barrier according to claim 4 , wherein the piston comprises a fluid channel providing fluid communication between the third aperture and the second chamber section in the first position.

6. An annular barrier according to claim 4 , wherein the piston has a recess providing fluid communication between the third aperture and the fourth aperture in the second position.

7. An annular barrier according to claim 3 , further comprising a locking element adapted to mechanically lock the piston when the piston is in the closed position, blocking the opening.

8. An annular barrier according to claim 1 , further comprising an anti-collapsing unit comprising an element movable at least between a first position and a second position, the anti-collapsing unit having a first port which is in fluid communication with the first zone of the annulus, and a second port which is in fluid communication with the second zone of the annulus, and the anti-collapsing unit having a third port which is in fluid communication with the annular space, and in the first position, the first port is in fluid communication with the third port, equalising the pressure of the first zone with the space pressure, and in the second position, the second port is in fluid communication with the third port, equalising the pressure of the second zone with the space pressure.

9. A downhole system for completing a well in a formation having layers of varying pressures, comprising:
the well tubular structure, and
at least one annular barrier according to claim 1 .

10. A downhole system according to claim 9 , wherein the well tubular structure is a drilling liner connected with a drilling head in a first end.

11. A downhole system according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one annular barrier is arranged closer to the first end than to the second end of the well tubular structure.

12. A downhole system according to claim 9 , wherein the well tubular structure is a production casing.

13. A drilling method for drilling past a low pressure zone in a formation, comprising:
drilling a borehole in the formation,
determining a low pressure zone in the formation,
dropping a closing element into the well tubular structure,
increasing the inside pressure of the well tubular structure and expanding the annular barrier according to claim 1 in the low pressure zone, and
decreasing the inside pressure to a pressure below the space pressure and shifting the position of the first valve from the first position to the second position.

14. A drilling method according to claim 13 , further comprising equalising the pressure between the annulus and the annular space.

15. A drilling method according to claim 13 , further comprising providing cement above the annular barrier in an annulus between a casing and a wall of the borehole.

Assignees

• Welltec Oilfield Solutions Ag

Inventors

• Vasques Ricardo Reves

Classifications

• E21B7/20

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

• F16K15/207

  and combined with other valves, e.g. safety valves · CPC title

• E21B33/1243

  with inflatable sleeves · CPC title

• E21B43/103

  of expandable casings, screens, liners, or the like · CPC title

• F16K11/0716

  with fluid passages through the valve member (F16K11/0704, F16K11/0708, F16K11/0712 take precedence) · CPC title