Freeing a stuck pipe from a wellbore

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11391104-B2
Application number	US-202016891352-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2020
Priority date	Jun 3, 2020
Publication date	Jul 19, 2022
Grant date	Jul 19, 2022

Abstract

A method of freeing a stuck pipe in a wellbore includes positioning a pipe freeing tool within an annulus of the stuck pipe, the pipe freeing tool including a body and two or more arms coupled to and extending from the body, and activating the two or more arms of the pipe freeing tool to extend outwards from the body to apply a force to the stuck pipe. Another method of freeing a stuck pipe in a wellbore includes determining a stuck point along a drillstring comprising the stuck pipe, and activating a pipe freeing tool coupled to the stuck pipe to apply a force to the stuck pipe, wherein the force moves the stuck pipe away from a surface of the wellbore and towards a center of the wellbore, and the pipe freeing tool includes a plurality of expandable disc elements.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of freeing a stuck pipe in a wellbore, the method comprising:
positioning a pipe freeing tool within an annulus between the stuck pipe and the wellbore, the pipe freeing tool comprising:
a body; and
two or more arms coupled to and extending from the body; and

activating the two or more arms of the pipe freeing tool to extend outwards from the body to apply a force to the stuck pipe, wherein the force moves the stuck pipe away from a surface of the wellbore and towards a center of the wellbore, wherein the activating the two or more arms of the pipe freeing tool causes the two or more arms to perforate and extend through a wall of the stuck pipe, wherein the pipe freeing tool further comprises a plurality of cutting surfaces, wherein each cutting surface of the plurality of cutting surfaces is disposed on an end of a respective arm of the two or more arms and is configured to pierce the wall of the stuck pipe as the two or more arms are extended outwards from the body.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein an outer diameter of the body is smaller than an inner diameter of the stuck pipe.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein positioning the pipe freeing tool within the annulus of the stuck pipe comprises:
coupling the pipe freeing tool to a downhole conveyance; and
lowering the pipe freeing tool through an annulus of the stuck pipe using the downhole conveyance.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the downhole conveyance comprises at least one of a pipe, a wireline, a working string, or coiled tubing.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein activating the two or more arms of the pipe freeing tool comprises activating the two or more arms using a power cable coupled to the pipe freeing tool.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein activating the two or more arms causes the two or arms to extend outwards from the body until each of the two or more arms contacts the surface of the wellbore.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein activating the two or more arms causes the two or arms to extend outwards from the body until each of the two or more arms extends to a predetermined extended length.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the predetermined extended length corresponds to a size of the wellbore.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Al-Abdulrahman Najeeb
• Al-Malki Bandar S
• Alharbi Magbel
• Alsaihati Zainab

Classifications

• E21B31/16

  combined with cutting or destroying means · CPC title

• E21B29/002

  Cutting, e.g. milling, a pipe with a cutter rotating along the circumference of the pipe · CPC title

• E21B31/00 Primary

  Fishing for or freeing objects in boreholes or wells · CPC title

• E21B47/09

  Locating or determining the position of objects in boreholes or wells {, e.g. the position of an extending arm}; Identifying the free or blocked portions of pipes · CPC title

• E21B31/18

  gripping externally, e.g. overshot · CPC title