Deployment and retrieval system for electric submersible pumps

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10648249-B2
Application number	US-201414890568-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2014
Priority date	May 11, 2013
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

Representative implementations of devices and techniques provide a system arranged to deploy and retrieve a device such as an electric submersible pump with respect to a well or other like formation. An injection device for coiled tubing is modified to grip and inject a cable in order to lower a pump or like device into a wellbore. Modification to the tube injection device may include addition of cable-gripping blocks to the injection components. Multiple injection devices can be utilized to open and close in coordination in order to let a large connector or termination on the cable pass through an open injector while a closed injector maintains a grip on the cable.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a cable suitable for raising and lowering an electric submersible pump (ESP) in a well;
at least a first coiled tubing injector having a coiled tubing gripping diameter configured for lowering and raising coiled tubing in the well;
a first gripper attached to the first coiled tubing injector and having a cable gripping diameter configured for lowering and raising the cable in the well;
a load sensor configured to continuously determine a tension of the cable or to determine a weight acting on the cable; and
one or more spacers arranged to remove slack from the cable while the ESP is seated within a wellbore, the one or more spacers deployed based on the tension of the cable determined by the load sensor.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising at least a second coiled tubing injector positioned under the first coiled tubing injector, and a second gripper attached to the second coiled tubing injector for lowering and raising the cable; and
wherein when a connector, load, or other member attached to the cable is too large to pass through the gripper, then one of the coiled tubing injectors opens to allow the connector, load, or other member to pass through the respective gripper, while at least another coiled tubing injector grips the cable and raises or lowers the cable.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein each coiled tubing injector has an openable mechanism for the respective gripper to allow the connector, load, or other member to temporarily pass through a given coiled tubing injector when the openable mechanism of the coiled tubing injector is open.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a connector attached to the cable for releasably securing at least a component of the ESP.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a power source connected to each coiled tubing injector for either lowering the cable into a wellbore to install at least a component of the ESP or for raising the cable from the wellbore to retrieve at least a component of the ESP.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the load sensor monitors a tension or a compression of the cable during ESP deployment or ESP retrieval.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a computing device to direct a deployment of the ESP or a retrieval of the ESP based on data from the load sensor.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a cable hanger.

9. A method, comprising:
providing a tube injection device having a coiled tubing gripping diameter configured to lower and raise coiled tubing into a well;
attaching cable grippers to the tube injection device, wherein the cable grippers each have a cable gripping diameter configured to lower and raise a cable into the well;
attaching an ESP to the cable;
injecting the ESP on the cable into the well using the cable grippers attached to the tube injection device;
determining a tension or a compression of the cable via a load sensor; and
arranging one or more spacers to remove slack from the cable while the ESP is seated within the well based on the tension or compression determined by the load sensor.

10. The Method of claim 9 , further comprising: maintaining an amount of tension or compression on the cable to prevent a kinking of control lines and power lines based on the sensed tension or compression.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising: determining a seated position for the ESP based on the sensed tension or compression.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising cutting the cable to a desired length based on the sensed tension or compression.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising terminating the cable at one end or at both ends of the cable prior to deploying the cable with the tube injection device.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising injecting the ESP into the well using a plurality of tube injection devices arranged to open and close in a coordinated manner, allowing an oversized component attached to the cable to pass through an open tube injection device while a closed tube injection device grips the cable.

15. The method of claim 9 , further comprising reducing a stress on the cable at one or more bends of the cable via the tube injection device.

16. The method of claim 9 , further comprising sensing a tension or a compression of the cable and arranging the one or more spacers based on the sensed tension or compression.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising adjusting the one or more spacers over time as needed.

18. A system, comprising:
a cable suitable for raising and lowering a load in a well;
first and second coiled tubing injectors, the first and second coiled tubing injectors disposed in tandem above a well and each having a coiled tubing gripping diameter configured to lower and raise coiled tubing in the well;
gripper blocks attached to a feeding mechanism of each coiled tubing injector, the gripper blocks each having a cable gripping diameter configured for modifying each coiled tubing injector to grip the cable instead of the coiled tubing;
a gripping mechanism on each coiled tubing injector to open the gripper blocks from the cable or to close the gripper blocks on the cable;
one or more spacers disposed in a cable hanger at the surface and configured to be arranged to remove slack from the cable once the load is seated in the well;
a power source for each coiled tubing injector for animating the coiled tubing injectors to raise or lower the cable;
a computer in communication with the power sources and the gripping mechanisms; and
instructions residing on a tangible data storage medium of the computer, which when executed by the computer cause the coiled tubing injectors to raise or lower the cable and to open and close the gripping mechanisms of the tandem coiled tubing injectors in a sequence that allows an obstacle on the cable to pass through both of the coiled tubing injectors.

19. The system of claim 18 , further comprising a load sensor to determine a tension of the cable, wherein the computer maintains an amount of tension on the cable based on the sensed tension to prevent a kinking of communication cables and power cables associated with the cable.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the load sensor and the computer calculate a length of cable deployed in the well based on the sensed tension in order to seat the load at a bottom or a destination in the well.

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Varkey Joseph

Classifications

• E21B19/22

  Handling reeled pipe or rod units, e.g. flexible drilling pipes {(lifting or hauling appliances using two or more cooperating endless chains B66D3/003)} · CPC title

• E21B43/128

  Adaptation of pump systems with down-hole electric drives · CPC title

• E21B19/08 Primary

  Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables (E21B19/22 takes precedence; automatic feed E21B44/02); Apparatus for increasing or decreasing the pressure on the drilling tool; Apparatus for counterbalancing the weight of the rods · CPC title